Nazrul was a carpenter. He was living in a village. His mother died a long time back. His aged father, Dulon Miah, lived with Nazrul. Dulon Miah was very weak. He could not even walk well. He was so weak. It was because Nazrul did not give him enough food. He had given his father a small earthen plate. Even a small quantity of rice in the plate appeared to be much. Nazrul was a bad man. He was a drunkard also. After taking drinks, he abused his father badly.
Nazrul had a son. His name was Mosharraf. Mosharraf was just ten years old. He was a very good boy. He loved his grandfather. He had great respect for his grandfather. He did not like his father’s attitude and character because his father was treating his grandfather cruelly.
One day Dulon Miah was eating his food out of the earthen plate that his son had given to him. The earthen plate fell down. The plate broke into pieces. The food also fell on the floor. Nazrul was working at the other end of the room. He saw the broken plate. He was very angry with his father and used very harsh words to abuse his father. The old man felt bad about what happened. He was sorry for his mistake. Nazrul’s words wounded him very deeply.
Nazrul’s son, Mosharraf, saw this. He did not like his father’s attitude. His father was ill-treating his grandfather. He was afraid to speak against his father. He was sad about his grandfather. But he was not powerful to stand in support of his grandfather.
The next day Mosharraf took some of his father’s carpentry tools and a piece of wood. He worked with the tools to make a wooden plate. His father saw him working.
“What are you making, Mosharraf?" he asked.
“I am making a wooden plate!" replied Mosharraf.
“A wooden plate! What for?" asked his father.
“I am making it for you, father. When you grow old, like my grandfather, you will need a plate for food. A plate made from earth may break very easily. Then I may scold you severely. So, I want to give you a wooden plate. It may not break so easily."
The carpenter was shocked to hear this. Only now he realized his mistake. His father was kind to Nazrul He had looked after Nazrul very well. Now, he was old. Nazrul was treating his father severely. Nazrul was now very sad about his own behavior. He realized his mistakes. He then became a different person.
From that day, Nazrul treated his father with great respect. He gave up drinking too. Najrul learned a lesson from his own son.
(Collected)
