Once upon a time, in a village, there lived a school teacher called Sankaran. He was a simple, humble person who lived his life in the most minimalist way. He neither aspired for fame nor fortune. He was contented with what he had and what he earned as a maths teacher in the village school.
He lived with his wife and a daughter in a house in which he was born and grew. His father was also born and brought up in the same home, making him more emotionally attached to it. The house had a small well that catered to all the water needs of Sankaran and his family. Sankaran couldn't ask more from his life and was grateful to God for all he was given.
The only place where he aspired to get better every day was at his classrooms, where he tried to teach his students more engagingly and entertainingly. Students loved his class and looked out for his class very eagerly compared to the other subjects.
One weekend Sankaran and his family had to travel to the neighbouring village for a marriage function. During those two days, the village witnessed heavy rains, making every pond, lake, and well overflow in abundance. Sankaran's well was no exception; it got filled up to its brim as well.
When Sankaran returned to his house from the marriage function, he was happy to see his well filled up with water. He hadn't seen it filled up this full for a long time. He cleared up all the dirt which the rain had brought upon to his well along with the water. It was a tiring night when he went to bed with his heavy eyelids.
Just when Sankaran was pulled into the deep sleep, he heard frog noise erupting from the well. Sankaran realised that the rains had invited the frogs to his house along with the water and dirt. He didn't give it much thought as his tiredness got the best of him and pushed him into a deep sleep very soon.
The next day, the water level in the well receded a bit, but the frogs' noise got louder. Sankaran tried to locate the frog in the well, but he couldn't succeed with the turbulent water curtailing his vision. That night the frog's noise got very loud that it began to disturb Sankaran's sleep. Sankaran thought that with time the noise would come down; however, he was wrong.
The noise got louder and louder. Over time Sankaran realised that noise was getting not only louder but also more. The receding levels of the well did not help but, in turn, accelerated the noise furthermore.
Sankaran and his family began to lose their sleep as well as their peace of mind. They stopped using the well water as they realised that it could house hundreds of frogs, if not thousands, considering the noise emanating from the well.
Sankaran's sleeplessness and the anxiety started reflecting in his other activities too. He rushed to finish his classes, and his mind could think nothing else but of those frogs. He began to eat lesser, smile lesser and even sleep lesser. The sleep was more of an intermittent nap that was the result of his tiredness.
One day Sankaran spoke to his friend, who was also a teacher at the same school. His friend, known for his lackadaisical approach to his job, smiled at Sankaran and suggested that he sell his house rather than struggle with it. On any given day, Sankaran would have hardly bothered about a suggestion like this, which involved his home where his family has lived for centuries together. But today, he was not himself. His tired mind, coupled with the tired body and the concerns for tired family, decided to take a go at this.
Sankaran convinced his wife to sell the house and move to a different place in the same village. It was a tough decision, and it had to be made because the noise from the well has increased to intolerable limits, at least to Sankaran's ears.
That evening Sankaran was at the village market trying to buy some flowers and essentials to perform a puja at their house before moving out of it the next day. As he walked out of the market, a small boy rushed out from his father's flower shop and stood in front of Sankaran.
Without letting Sankaran utter a word, the boy asked, "Sir, you are my favourite teacher in the whole world. I was never keen on going to school until you started taking classes."
Sankaran smiled. "That means the interest was already inside you, Partha; I just stirred your mind a little to make it happen."
Partha shook his head, acknowledging his teacher's words. "Is there anything wrong, Sir? I have always seen you happy at school, but nowadays I find you sad. Can I help you anyway?" said the little boy holding some extra flowers for his teacher.
All the sadness that had been engulfing in Sankaran's mind erupted out. Although he could control his tears from flowing out of his eyes, he couldn't stop his lips, which poured out all the agony, holding his life too hard for the last couple of weeks.
Sankaran felt lighter after sharing his sorrows with a little kid he knows has nothing to offer except his time and smile. He bid him bye with a little pat on his back for his gesture.
That night, Sankaran offered prayers to his father and the family who have inherited the house for centuries together. He went to bed teary-eyed, unable to digest the fact that it would be his last night at the home that he loved with his heart.
The next day, Sankaran woke up to some loud noises outside his house. He noticed that his wife and his child were not beside him. Sankaran rushed out of his house to see that his little daughter was showing the well to a bunch of young men who have gathered there. Hundreds of people from the village have gathered at Sankaran's house to help him.
It took some time for Sankaran to realise what was happening, but when he knew that the whole village was at his doorsteps to help him, he couldn't stop tears flooding his eyes this time.
Strong Young Men of the village got down the well and began hunting for the frogs. Their valiant hunt, which started in the early hours of the day, continued till the dusk only to realise that the noise shaking Sankaran's life belonged to just two frogs. One big and another little. There were no more frogs in the well except for these two. The well aided the noise of the frog with its echo.
Many times we see, our lives are bogged down heavily with lots of problems which make our lives sad which isn't supposed to be. But when we hunt for the issues, we realise that it's not hundreds of frogs that make our lives miserable but just one or two frogs that are making our lives a mess.
This one of two frogs always lives in their comfort zone of the well, which echoes their voice still more. Outside the well, they and their voice hold no significance. So, they stay inside the well and trouble the life of a simple God-fearing person like Sankaran.
It is interesting to note that hate is pure emotion, unlike other emotions, which gets mixed up big time. So, the haters, unlike well-wishers, are clear in expressing their view, whether it is by their comments on social media or by their comments directly at your face. The one frog can be your hater in social media or even your boss at the office, but this one frog can mean the world to a troubled mind unless you ask help from the silent well-wishers who will be in hundreds if not in thousands.
When one or two loud frogs troubled Sankaran's life, he forgot to ask for help from those thousand of silent well-wishers who had gathered at his house after hearing out from a little boy with full of heart.
These silent well-wishers will be everywhere. They will be on social media, in your office or even in your neighbourhood. They will never comment or speak out unless they realise you are under a problem.
All you have to do is avoid suffering all by yourself and "Ask them for help, Just Once."
Thousands will be at your doorstep.