Episode 100: The Last Letter — When a Lifetime of Financial Regret Becomes a Lesson for Generations
Series: Broken by Burden: Financial Survival Strategies for the Troubled Mind
Date: 17-11-2025
Prologue: The House That Whispered Regret
In a quiet lane of Kolkata stood a decaying two-story house. Its cracked walls told stories of once-echoing laughter, dreams, and ambitions. Inside, on a wooden writing desk, lay a letter — unfinished yet powerful — written by Mr. Pratap Sen (78), a man who had spent his entire life chasing wealth, only to realize in his final days that the true currency of life was never money but love, wisdom, and prudence.
The Life of Pratap Sen
The Young Dreamer
Pratap grew up in a refugee colony after Partition. His father, a school teacher, instilled in him two things:
- “Earn respect, not just money.”
- “Family is your greatest wealth.”
But Pratap, fiery and ambitious, wanted to rise above poverty at any cost. He believed money was the only way to escape humiliation.
Pratap (age 20): “One day, people won’t just respect me — they will fear my success.”
The Climb to Wealth
By 35, Pratap was running a successful timber business. He owned three properties, drove a Premier Padmini, and held lavish parties every weekend.
- Sharmila (his wife): A gentle soul who believed in simplicity.
- Arindam and Aritra (his two sons): Raised in privilege but never taught the value of money.
The Characters Around Him
- Ranjan (Business Partner): A cunning opportunist who fueled Pratap’s greed, pushing him to take risky loans for quick profits.
- Meena (Sister-in-law): The only voice of reason, often warning,
“Dada, money that grows too fast burns too fast.”
- Arindam (Elder Son): A spendthrift who idolized his father’s lifestyle.
- Aritra (Younger Son): A sensitive boy who preferred books over cars, but was often mocked for being “too soft.”
The Turning Point — Greed Meets Reality
In the 1990s, Pratap’s empire crashed when a fire destroyed his warehouse and insurance claims got stuck in legal disputes.
- His business loans ballooned to ₹40 lakh (a massive sum for that era).
- Arindam, then 25, refused to take responsibility, saying,
“Baba, I’ll move abroad. I can’t drown with your failures.”
Sharmila, holding the family together, sold her jewelry for Pratap’s medical bills when stress led to his first heart attack.
Sharmila (crying): “We had enough once. Why didn’t we save for rainy days, Pratap?”
Pratap (in shame): “I thought the sunshine would last forever.”
The Decaying Years
By 60, Pratap’s friends had vanished. No more parties. No business trips. He lived with Sharmila in the crumbling house, surviving on a small pension.
Arindam never returned from Dubai. Aritra, struggling with a teacher’s salary, visited occasionally but could barely support them.
When Sharmila passed away, Pratap felt the true poverty of life — loneliness.
The Arrival of Characters Who Mattered
As Pratap’s health worsened, neighbors stepped in:
- Rina, a young schoolteacher: Would bring him food, saying,
“Kaku, you remind me of my father. Don’t skip meals.”
- Sourav, the rickshaw puller: Who once refused Pratap’s fare, whispering,
“You gave me free vegetables years ago. My turn now.”
These small acts of kindness pierced Pratap’s heart more than any luxury ever had.
The Last Letter
On a rainy evening, Pratap began writing a letter addressed to his grandchildren — children he barely knew but wished to guide:
The Letter
“Dear ones,
By the time you read this, I may not be here. I don’t leave behind riches, but I hope I leave behind wisdom carved out of my mistakes.
I earned money, but I didn’t value it. I spent without saving, I chased friends who left when the drinks stopped flowing. I thought success meant showing off, but in the end, I sat alone in a house filled with ghosts of laughter.
Learn this — wealth is not about big houses or foreign trips. Wealth is the peace of knowing you are safe when storms come, that your family won’t sleep hungry if you fall sick, that you can live with dignity when old age bends your back.
Save before you spend. Love before you earn. And never mistake temporary friends for lifelong companions.
If you find even one person who sits by you when the lights go out, you are richer than I ever was.
— Yours,
Dadu (Pratap Sen)”
The Final Scene
As he finished writing, a knock came on the door. It was Rina, holding a warm flask of tea.
Rina: “Kaku, you shouldn’t sit alone in the rain. Come, I’ve made soup for you.”
Pratap smiled faintly.
Pratap: “I spent a lifetime chasing people who wouldn’t even share a cup of tea. And here you are.”
That night, Pratap passed away quietly, the letter clutched in his hand.
Epilogue
Months later, Aritra found the letter and cried for hours. He read it aloud to his children, saying,
“Your Dadu lived a life full of lessons. Let us not repeat his mistakes.”
The old house was sold, and the money went into an education trust under Pratap’s name — not as a monument of wealth, but of wisdom earned through pain.
Hard Truths This Story Teaches Us
- Wealth without purpose leads to loneliness.
- Children must be taught not just to enjoy wealth but to sustain it.
- True friends stay even when you have nothing to offer.
- Financial planning is an act of love — for yourself and your family.
Where the Series Ends
This letter, this episode, is not just Pratap Sen’s story — it’s a mirror for all of us.
It asks a question: “What are we building — wealth that shines today, or security and relationships that last?”
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