The name of the village was Shantipur. There was a special sweetness between sunrise and sunset here. Every morning the first rays of the sun brought joy to the faces of the village people. But there was a dark chapter behind Shantipur. The name of that darkness was lack.

Every family in the village had one member who went to work outside. The biggest challenge for them was to meet their needs with what they earned by working hard throughout the day. In this situation lived the members of a family—father Harihar, mother Lakshmi, and their three children.

Harihar is a small farmer. His crops yielded so little that it became difficult to sustain the family for years. Lakshmi sometimes made small sweets at home, but selling them did not make much profit. Their eldest son, Rakesh, excelled academically, but could not attend college due to lack of money.

One day Rakesh asked his father, "Father, can we ever prosper?"

Harihara sighed and said, "Son, everything is possible through our hard work and perseverance. But it will take time."

Hope arose in Rakesh's mind. He vowed that he would somehow change their situation.

After some time, Rakesh came to know about a special type of flower of a local plant. The flower was sold at a very high price in the local market. But the tree needed special care to cultivate it.

Rakesh told his father, "Dad, I want to cultivate this flower."

Harihar was a little worried. "Are you sure? If it doesn't succeed, we will suffer more."

But Rakesh's face had the color of a bright dream. "I'll try. We mustn't give up without trying."

Harihar was a bit apprehensive but got courage seeing his son's confidence.

Rakesh collected the flower seeds himself and started working. She would get up every morning to prepare the soil and carefully plant the flowers. As time passed, the flowers began to bloom.

One day, when the flowers were in full bloom, Rakesh took them to the market. There saw many people praising her flowers. In the end, he made a huge sum of money on his first sale.

When Rakesh returned home after the sale, there was a new enthusiasm on his face. "Dad, I'm sold! We can eat some good food now!"

Both Harihara and Lakshmi were surprised.

Taking Rakesh's hand, she later started growing more flowers and employed the whole family. Everyone worked day and night. Other people in the village were also looking at them.

Now in Shantipur, due to Rakesh's initiative, flower farming has become a new business. Other farmers of the village also started walking on this path.

Day by day, Rakesh and his family started to improve. They gradually overcame their financial problems. Now Rakesh could prepare for college admission.

Finally, one day Rakesh left home on the first day of college and said, "Now I'm moving towards my dream."

Lakshmi said with tears in her eyes, "You have brought back our honor."

Now the light of new hope and dreams has arisen among the people of the village. They knew they had to work hard like Rakesh to defeat the darkness and find the light.

Rakesh's story is now an example in the minds of every people of Shantipur. They know that nothing is impossible through struggle, patience and hope.

This is how the people of Shantipur found light beyond the darkness. Their dreams brightened anew.

finished