Small Story 118 The Lost Phone and the Miracle of Prasadam

Small Story 118. The Lost Phone and the Miracle of Prasadam Seshan, a pious and helpful man of 59, worked in a state government office dealing with ration card distribution. He was about to retire in a year and was known for his kind and god-fearing nature. He usually returned home by 6 P.M., but when it was already 8 P.M. and he hadn't come back yet, his wife Ambika grew anxious. Their son, Harish, a physical instructor, grew worried too. They tried to reach out to Seshan’s close friends, Girish and Sivaraman, but none of them had any news of his whereabouts. Harish knew that his father had lost his mobile phone the previous day and had made a complaint, planning to buy a new one soon. He was concerned about his father's well-being, especially since he had been upset about the loss of his new Samsung phone, a gift from Harish. Harish rushed to Sivaraman's house to check on his father. While leaving, he met Bhasyam, the priest of the Rama Anjaneya temple. Bhasyam said, “Harish, your dad just left the temple. I gave him today's Vadamalai prasadam. He was upset about losing his phone, and I reassured him that he would get it back. He said that he normally doesn’t use expensive phones, but this one was special because you had bought it for him.” Harish rushed home, where he found his father sitting and speaking calmly to his mother, Ambika. Seshan smiled and reassured her, “I know you’re worried about the cost of the phone, especially since Harish bought it for me recently. But don’t worry, it’s the first time I’ve lost a phone, and I’ll get it back.” The next morning, Seshan received a call from his friend Ram. Since it was Sunday, Ram had come by to visit. Ram said, “Yesterday night, the librarian at the library told my son that someone had left a phone there. When my son saw it, he recognized the model and told the librarian that it belonged to you. The librarian confirmed your name and returned the phone to him.” Seshan was overjoyed to learn that his phone had been found at the library. Two days before, he had visited the library to read R.K. Narayan's *Malgudi Days* and had accidentally left his phone behind. The librarian had kept it safe, wanted to find out who left Tears welled up in Seshan’s eyes as he thanked the priest for the prasadam and the temple’s blessing. He hugged his friend Ram in gratitude. The next day, Seshan visited the library to thank the administrator and took his family to the temple to offer their thanks. In the end, Seshan’s faith, his kindness, and the blessings of the temple brought back what he had lost, turning a moment of anxiety into one of gratitude. K.Ragavan 7-1-25