Little Shyam wandered about in the streets without any work. All his friends were in school. Shyam was not interested in school. He did not like to sit for hours in the class room. He did not like the teachers or the principal. There were so many complaints against him that principal asked Shyam’s father to take him out of the school. His father was only too happy to do so. He was a woodcutter and he did not like to waste money on Shyam’s education. He would have preferred Shyam to stay at home and cut the wood.

Sometimes Shyam sat with is mother. But often he would be seen wandering off to the fields in search of company. He would sit with the truck drivers, who stopped in his town for refueling the engines. He loved to hear their tales. Sometimes he earned some money by running errands for them. Life was going on very smoothly to everybody. The teachers and principal of the school were also happy to get rid everybody. The teachers and principal of the school were also happy to get rid of Shyam. His father was satisfied with himself for not having wasted any money on Shyam’s schooling and if course Shyam was very delighting because he was free from school.

But Shyam could not enjoy his freedom for long. One day some dacoits looted money from a bank. All of them managed to escape, except for a young boy, who was wounded in a scuffle. When people unmasked the boy, who do you think it was? He was Shyam.

Not having anything to do and getting the taste of money from the truck drivers, Shyam helped the robbers to loot the bank. Since they were outsiders, they could have aroused suspicion among the citizens by asking all the details of the bank. Shyam belonged to the town he was able to make al necessary enquiries reading the security system of the bank. This made their task easy. Shyam’s father realized his mistake. He knew now that young children should be sent to school.

God has given us a mind to think. We should use it for good purposes. Never try to harm anybody. Each individual is allotted some work or the other. Students are supposed to study. Parents should look after their children. Teachers should take great care of their students. Nobody should be discarded or thrown out. If our mind is not put to creative use then it goes astray like that of Shyam. To keep our mind in check and to follow the path shown by God, we should always keep it occupied with good thoughts.