The Balloon

Once there lived a little boy in a city. His name was Karan. He was very fond of playing with gas-filled balloons.

One day he was playing with his friends. They laid a bet. Each of them claimed that his balloon would go the highest in the sky. Karan purchased a blue colour balloon, thinking that it would travel the highest, since the sky was also blue.

At a given signal, each of them let go of their balloons. All the balloons started going up in the sky. But Karan was disappointed to see that his balloon did not go the highest. He returned home with a heavy heart.

The next day, the children laid another bet. Karan now thought of buying a red colour balloon because the previous day it was the red colour balloon that had gone up the highest.

When they all let go of their balloons, Karan was again disappointed, as his balloon did not travel the highest. He came back home in a sad mood.

On the third day, the children were playing the same game. Karan badly wanted to win this time. But he was confused. He didn’t know what colour of balloon to purchase. He didn’t know which would go highest.

Karan was puzzled; he approached the balloon seller. Unable to decide, Karan asked the balloon seller, “Tell me please, which balloon will go the highest in the sky? Is it the red, the yellow, the green or the blue one?”

The balloon seller smiled at Karan and said, “My dear child! It is not the colour of the balloon that decides how high it will go in the sky. What matters the most is what the balloon has inside it. The balloon, which is filled with more gas, and that too with the lightest gas, rises the highest.”

The balloon seller then gave Karan the balloon that had more gas than the other balloons. That day Karan won the game and came home with a smile on his face.

 THE MORAL

How high a person will rise in life depends not on his caste, colour or creed, but on his thoughts, confidence, values and character.