📖 Novel: The Price of a Dream
Nishith Routh
Chapter 1: Dreams Beneath the Tin Roof
Nishi Routh was born in a small village near Kolkata. His childhood was spent under a broken tin roof, on a mud floor, listening to the sound of raindrops leaking through the ceiling during the monsoon. Poverty was a constant companion in his life.
His mother, Simti Bhagabati Routh, worked as a tailor. Even though her eyesight was weak, she stitched clothes late into the night under the dim light of a lantern.
His father, Sukesh Routh, was a daily wage laborer. Some days he worked at brick kilns, other days at construction sites—wherever he could find work.
They had very little money, but their home was full of love.
From childhood, Nishi was quiet and thoughtful. While other boys in the village played in the fields, he often sat beside his mother, turning the pages of his schoolbooks. He did not understand everything he read, but he loved the smell of books and the feeling of learning something new.
One day, a doctor came to their village for a medical camp. Wearing a white coat and a stethoscope around his neck, the doctor looked like a hero to young Nishi. That day changed his life.
That evening, Nishi told his mother,
"Ma, I want to become a doctor when I grow up."
His mother smiled gently and replied,
"You will, my son. One day you surely will."
But dreaming is easy; achieving a dream is not.
School was never easy for Nishi. Mathematics confused him. English felt even more difficult. Many times, he felt lost in the classroom. Yet he never gave up. Every morning before sunrise, he woke up to study.
Before his board examination, the family faced a serious financial crisis. They did not even have enough money to pay the exam fees. Sukesh Routh sold his only gold ring to ensure that his son could sit for the exam.
When the results were announced, Nishi's hands trembled as he checked the notice board.
He had scored 70%.
For students in big city schools, it might not have been extraordinary.
But for Nishi and his family, it felt like conquering a mountain.
His mother cried tears of joy and said,
"My son will succeed."
With hope in his heart, Nishi chose the Science stream for higher studies.
But little did he know—this decision would begin the most difficult chapter of his life.