It Made All the Difference

After an illustrious career in the army, Rajendran was leading a retired life. One day, while visiting a city, he wandered into a grocery store. Although he hadn’t intended to buy anything, he was drawn to a portrait that hung on the wall. It depicted a well-built soldier sporting a thick moustache and holding a shining sword.

As he stood there, captivated by the painting, the grocer approached him. “He lived about two hundred years ago. He earned glory when he killed a hundred and fifty enemy soldiers in a battle. Would you like to take it? I’ll charge only a hundred rupees,” the grocer offered.

Rajendran counted the money he had. He found only ninety rupees, and the grocer was unwilling to lower the price. Disappointed, Rajendran left the store without the painting.

A few months later, Rajendran visited a friend who had recently retired from the army. To his astonishment, he saw the same portrait of the brave soldier hanging in Gajendran’s drawing room. He could not take his eyes off it.

“Do you know who it is?” Gajendran asked proudly. “He’s my grandfather. He was a great soldier; he killed a hundred and fifty soldiers in a single encounter!”

Rajendran felt a pang of regret. “Ah! If only I had ten rupees more that day, he would have become my grandfather!” Rajendran mused to himself.