– Mohammed Atherulla Shariff
Chennai: As a teenager, Ranjith stole 37.50 Sri Lankan rupees from an old couple in Nuwara Eliya district known for its picturesque tea plantations while helping shift their home in 1975. The act of stealing money instilled a guilty conscience in Ranjit as his fortunes grew in life after having migrated to Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, where he now owns a catering unit, reports Deccan Herald.
After 50 years, 64-year-old Ranjith, a native of Sri Lanka, traced the family members of Subramanian and Ezhuvai, the couple who had sought his help, travelled all the way to Sri Lanka, and sought forgiveness for his act.
He didn’t stop there. The businessman handed over 70,000 Sri Lankan rupees each to the couple’s three sons and to the kin of their daughter, besides gifting them with new clothes and sweets.
The heart-warming gesture has touched the family of the couple, who worked in a tea estate.
“I was shocked when Ranjith gave me money, saying this is his own way of repenting for his mistake when he was just 15 years old. I have never heard of such a gesture in the past. I am only happy that people like Ranjith exist,” Bhavani, grandchild of the couple, said.
The sons, who live in poverty in Sri Lanka, were “moved” by his gesture and thanked Ranjith for the money as it could come handy for them in meeting their expenses.
“They were moved to tears when I gave them the money. I never expected I would also get emotional along with them,” Ranjith was reported as saying. Reminiscing about his journey, Ranjith said he landed in Tamil Nadu at the age of 17 and worked odd jobs for many years to eke out a living. In Coimbatore since 1987, Ranjith now owns a catering unit, two restaurants, and two tea stalls in the city.
“I was about 15 years old when the couple called me to help them shift their belongings. We were packing things. I found some cash raining down from a pillow that I picked up. I kept the money with me and never told the couple about this. When I counted, it was 37.50 Sri Lankan rupees,” he added. The woman did look for the money that she lost, but Ranjith said he took her to a temple, where she prayed that the money would come back to her.
“I came back to Coimbatore and started doing odd jobs. But this incident kept pricking my conscience and that’s when I decided to trace the family and give them some money. I didn’t want to remain indebted to anyone. I was touched by their love. We have now become a family,” Ranjith said.
