కథ (Story): బొమ్మరిల్లు జీవితం - The Clay Dollhouse Life - Kids Story

Veerayya was a poor farmer. He worked tirelessly in his two-acre field to support his family.

He had only one son, Praveen. Veerayya dreamed of educating his son well and seeing him attain a high position in life. He didn’t want his son to suffer the same hardships he did. Determined that poverty should not stand in the way of his son’s education, he was even willing to mortgage his tiny piece of land to pay for Praveen’s schooling.

He enrolled his son in a good school in the town. In the first year, Praveen studied well and earned good marks. He also gained many friends. All his friends used expensive branded items—from shoes to clothes.

Seeing them, Praveen began pestering his father for similar branded things. Veerayya explained lovingly, “My dear son, they are children of wealthy parents who can spend as they please. I’m already stretching my limits just to pay for your education. Such desires don’t suit people like us. We must live according to our means.”

But the son paid no heed. Moreover, he saw how his friends’ parents bought them whatever they wished and celebrated their birthdays lavishly. Feeling upset that his father never fulfilled his whims, Praveen began neglecting his studies and started to fall behind.

One day, during the Dussehra holidays, Praveen’s cousins came to visit. One afternoon, the little girls built a clay dollhouse and started playing with it. The younger girl wanted to place heavy suitcases and big objects on top of the clay house. The older girl warned her, “No, if we do that, the dollhouse will collapse.”

The younger one didn’t listen and argued, “Why not? Grandpa’s house has big things kept on the terrace; we can do the same here too!”

Observing all this, Praveen said, “This dollhouse you built is only for playing, not for real use. That’s why it can’t bear heavy things. Grandpa’s house is built strong—with stones, bricks, and iron. It can carry heavy loads, but this toy house cannot. If you want, I’ll make toy suitcases and bags for you to play with.” He then made them from clay, just as he said, which delighted the little girl.

Seeing all this, Veerayya was pleased with his son.

Later, he told Praveen, “Our poor life is also like that clay dollhouse. Even a little extra burden can break it apart. If we fail to live within our means, we’ll crumble. That little girl did it out of ignorance, but you are making the same mistake knowingly.”

Realizing the truth in his father’s words, Praveen understood the essence of life. From that day onward, he became sensible and began to study diligently.

Moral:

It is wise to live within one’s means and according to one’s circumstances. Pride and excessive desires can destroy a peaceful life.