Destiny

There was this young man - Neel in a rustic town in the middle of nowhere. His father was a mechanic. All his life he had seen his father toil away at others' vehicles but never could he earn enough to afford a vehicle of his own.As Neel had no formal education,his childhood had been spent playing football with his friends or mending the motor-cycles and the rare cars in the town. Neel always felt very ashamed of his father's work and his meagre income and so he had decided that he would do anything other than repairing vehicles.Like all youngsters, he had bright plans for his future although he had as yet not thought of any means for realising them.
When Neel approached the age of 17, one morning his father called him and said "Son, you are now old enough to help me in my work. In stead of loafing around you should now help me. Years of toilong has taken its toll on me and i am now unable to do my job properly but you have the makings of a good mechanic. The town is also growing in size and soon there will be enough vehicles here for us to earn a decent living.Together we can earn a lot. So you should start helping me now."
At this, Neel saw all his dreams melting away in the fire of reality but he would not bear this, he would not take up the profession he hated.He told this to his father in as many words. This enraged his father and soon started a quarrel which, despite the hapless efforts of Neel's mother , ended in the father throwing the son out of his house with the words "Come back only if you want to be a mechanic."
Left with no other choice, Neel decided to leave his town. He had heard people say that the main road of their town leads to a highway which in turn leads to a big city.Although he had never been to the city or even to the highway, he had heard many things about it.So he decided to go to the town and try his luck there. The only thing he knew was that the highway way about 8 miles away. So Neel started walking.It wasn't a short journey on foot and soon Neel was tired,hungry and thirsty - he had not even had his breakfast when he had been thrust out of his house.Still Neel kept on walking.
As night fell he reached a broad road.Neel guessed that this was the highway. He had imagined that once he reached the highway he would be able to ask the travellers which way to go to reach the city but he could see no travellers at present. Neel fell in a dilemma. Home beckoned him and moreover he did not know whether he should go to his right to reach the city or to his left.

Had he gone to his right.
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With the faith that despite all odds, he would succeed in reaching the city and earning a living there Neel took to his right.He kept on walking until his legs could take it no more and then he collapsed on the pavement.
When he opened his eyes,it was still very dark and there were no vehicles on the road.As he sat up, he could see lights of an approaching car in the distance. He decided to ask for directions to reach the city.As the car approached, he stepped on to the road waving at the car to stop.But alas,in doing so, he came directly in front of the car and before he could move out of the way , the car hit him at full speed. The impact threw him into the air and as he landed his head collided with a lamp-post and he dropped to the pavement - dead.

Had he gone to his left.
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With the faith that despite all odds, he would succeed in reaching the city and earning a living there Neel took to his left.He kept on walking until his legs could take it no more and then he collapsed on the pavement.
When he opened his eyes,it was still very dark and there were no vehicles on the road.As he sat up, he could see lights of an approaching car in the distance. He decided to ask for directions to reach the city.As the car approached, he stepped on to the road waving at the car to stop. The car stopped as it reached him. An extremely harried-looking driver got down and as soon as he was out of the car he started cryind and said "It is not my fault. It was all his fault. I reckon i was going a bit too fast but you don't expect anyone to come in your path at this time of the night. He came in front of me out of nowhere and i had hit him before i could jam on to the brakes. Please do not tell the police. I do not want to go to jail." Saying this he was overcome with tears.
It took a while for Neel to understand that the man had had an accident only a short while ago in which a man had stepped in front of his car and had been injured grievously or maybe, killed. "Poor devil !" thought Neel. "I guess nothing can be done about him now." Then his thoughts turned to the driver,"The driver looks wealthy and there is a briefcase in his car - maybe he is travelling to the city on some business. If it is so, I can go to the city with him."
It was a while before Neel could pacify the driver. He came to know that the person was indeed travelling to the city. Neel told the person that he would not tell anybody of the incident if he helped Neel find a job in the city. At this the driver promised to do so.
They got into the car but the driver was trembling all over and was having difficulty in controlling the car. Neel knew how to drive cars since he had secretly driven all the cars that came to his father's shop. So he told the driver to rest while Neel drove the car to the city.
The city was something beyond Neel's wildest dreams. All he could see as they entered the city was high buildings and lots of cars.Neel was spell-bounded at the sight.Once in the city,the driver regained some of his nerve and directed Neel to his house. When they reached his house the driver said "I don't think I will ever be able to drive this darned thing again. You drive pretty well. Why don't you become my driver? I will pay you 5000/- per month and you can stay in the servant quarters in my backyard."
Neel was delighted at this proposal. So Neel started working there as a driver.Sometimes he used to think of the person who had suffered the accident due to which he got the job but he did not feel bad about it.
It was about 4 years before Neel thought of going home but once the thought came to his mind it stuck there and soon he could think of nothing else. So one day he told his boss that he wanted to take a leave to go home.The boss had been delighted with his work and so he readily allowed him the holiday.He also told him that Neel could take the cer if he wished to since he would be going to his office in the car he had bought only a few days ago. Neel was delighted at the proposal and soon he left the city in the car.
Neel was very happy to be going home. He had even bought gifts for his parents.He was sure his father would forgive him.Soon Neel had reached the spot where the road from his town met the highway and he started going towards his town. Neel wasn't able to wait any more to see his parents and so he was driving very fast. He was driving so fast that he failed a notice a ditch in the road and as the car bumped through it he lost control. The car swerved and hit a nearby building.
People found Neel with his head smashed against the steering wheel - dead.

Had he returned home.
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Neel was extremely tired and the sight of no vehicles on the highway discouraged him further. He thought "People used to say that you can always find vehicles on the highway but it is not so. There are no vehicles to be seen here. May be the city is also not as big as they describe it to be.Maybe it is slightly larger than my own town.Then why should I go there? I am a fool. I should take my father's advice, after all he has my good at his heart.I should go back." Thinking this he turned his back to his dreams and started walking towards his house.
He was very tired but he did not stop to rest and the next morning found him at his doorstep.His father did not scold him, as he had feared, and his mother who had been crying embraced him. He was given food and then put to bed. The next day he joined his father in work.
His father had been correct in his prediction about the future. It took time but after about 4 years, Neel had no reason to be discontent. He had married and he loved his wife dearly.His father had left the shop to him and now it was a full-fledged garage. Neel felt that the only thing he still wanted was a car and so he was on the look-out for a second-hand car.
A few days later a car which had suffered an accident was brought to his garage. He was told that the car belonged to a rich businessman in the city.The businessman's driver lived in his town and it was the driver who had been killed in an accident near the town when he was returning to meet his parents.The bisinessman was not in the car at that time. Since Neel's was the nearest garage to the place where the accident occurred, the car had been brought to his garage.
Neel started working on the car and soon it was as good as new.Then one day the businessman came to meet Neel in his new car and told him that he did not want the old car since he himself had suffered an accident in it earlier.He told Neel to sell the car at any price he got and keep the money as his payment for repairing the car.Neel jumped at the opportunity and , with the businessman's permission , kept the car for himself.
Now Neel was fully satisfied with his life.He was earning well,he was the best mechanic in town and as a result he was always busy,he had a loving and caring wife, and now, he also had a car. What more could he want from life?
One day Neel was going to a friend's house in his car.He was a good driver and always followed the traffic rules but even he could do nothing when suddenly a child started crossing the road- running after his ball- without looking at the traffic. Neel jammed on his brakes and swerved to save the child.He was able to avoid hitting the child but his car rammed into an oncoming truck.
It took people over an hour to take out his mortal remains from the smashed car.