As told by Sofia Khatun, 58 years old, a Rohingya women
Kutupalong Refugee Camp, Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh
***
There was once a poor man named Kalu. He had no family except for his son, whom he loved from the core of his heart. Although he was very poor, he never wanted his son to suffer and he worked very hard to carry on the duties of the household.
Kalu was always kind, patient, and understanding with his son. One day he and his son went for a walk in a garden near their home. While sitting under a tree, his son saw a bird singing sweetly on the branch above them.
His inquisitive son asked excitedly, “hat type of bird is this?
“It’s a crow, my son,” he said, smiling. A minute later, the son asked the same question again.
“It’s a crow, my son,” He said, still smiling lovingly at the boy.
Again and again, as they walked back home, the son asked Kalu about the bird. Every time he would reply patiently, “It was a crow, my son.”
He wanted his son to know how much he loved and cared for him. To keep a record so that his son might one day understand, every day Kalu would write down the things he had done for his son.
Years went by and both Kalu and his son grew older. He had worked hard all of his life, and gradually his health began to fail. Kalu was no longer the vivacious father that he once was and required his son’s help for many things.
At the same time, Kalu’s son had grown to do bad things and wasrude to many people, regardless of whether they were young and old.
One day, the son went to the market to buy some fish for dinner. When he returned, Kalu saw his son with a packet of fish in his hand.
“What kind of fish is that?” Kalu asked.
“Hilsa,” the son replied, which is one of the most delicious fish in Myanmar.
Kalu was hard of hearing and did not understand what his son had said. “What was that?” he asked.
The son did not reply. Three more times Kalu asked his son what type of fish it was and his son disregarded his question. On the third time, the son snapped angrily, “Hush up, old man! Why are you asking again and again? Is it not enough for you to have a good meal?”
This made Kalu very sad. Kalu had tried to give his son the best life he could, and in return, his son was very impatient with him. To make matters worse, the son was completely unashamed of speaking to his father in such a way. He began to cry out of disappointment.
A few days later, Kalu assembled the village chief and several of his fellow villagers under a tree for a meeting. The son was very smug because he thought that the meeting was to give him all of his father’s properties before his death, and the son was eager to increase his wealth, but not to change his unethical practices.
However, in the meeting, Kalu began by reading from his diary in which he had meticulously noted all of the wonderful things he had done for his son over the years. Tears welled up in Kalu’s eyes as he read through his notes.
The villagers were completely amazed after hearing what Kalu had written in his diary. As a father, every moment of his life was spent only in support of his child, even through very difficult times.
When he had finished, the village chief and all of the villagers strongly admonished the son for his insubordination and lack of respect for his father. His son was very humiliated at his behavior and learned to respect his father and his elders.
To punish the son, Kalu and the villagers decided that none of his father’s properties would be left for his son due to his ill-manner. When Kalu passed away, he donated all of his lands and properties to the government.
Only after Kalu’s passing did the son learn how difficult he really had been.
Moral: Never break the hearts of your parents; kindness towards them never goes unrewarded.