My name is Shobana. My father is a drunkard, my mother, poor and humble. My parents have got two daughters only, me and my sister. I am aged 17. I am studying in the Science group of the +2 class of the Hindu Higher Secondary School, Calcutta (West). My younger sister is studying in standard 10th of the same school.
Our whole family believes in Hinduism. My father is an auto-rickshaw driver, though a drunkard. As he spends all his income for liquor, he neither helps mother nor supports us in our education. Therefore, to educate us and to maintain house hold, my mother has to do hard sundry work- she goes about door to door cleaning vessels and washing clothes.
On holidays, I used to go with my mother to rich families to help her in her work. On such goings, a Youngman of a rich family snared me saying that he was in love with me. Promising to marry me, he ruined my virginity. With the thought of alleviating poverty, I succumbed myself to all his desires. He was an addict of the dangerous drug cochine. Several occasions he gave me too the injection of the drug and made me float in intoxication. As a result, I became a slave to the drug.
I could not but inject the drug in to my body remain alive. I felt committing suicide. Days went on.
In the meantime, he began love-affairs with a rich woman and completely cut off all his relations with me. I wept bitterly, to forget it, I favored drugs. My mother being poor, I could not purchase drugs. But I could not live without drugs. Therefore I went out to commit suicide by laying my head on the railway track. My mother comes to know all about me with all my problems. She got my letter, which I left at home, mentioning my final plan. Knowing it, my mother and sister searched for me in vain. They sighed and sobbed, and drenched in tears being severely grief-stricken. With broken hearts mother prayed, "If there is a living God, Shobana should be saved."
It was on a Sunday morning 10 'o' clock I had laid my head on the rail and was waiting for the Bombay-Calcutta, Howrah Express Train to run over me. Under the rainy clouds, under the rails, I spied a tract of 4 pages in white paper entitled "Deliverance" .In the same posture, I read its first page "Jesus delivers every sinner from all sinful evil habits". This instilled the hope in my heart that this Jesus Christ would deliver me and save me. With the paper in hand, I came out of the rail way track. Within seconds the train went by.
In a forlorn condition, I read the tract soberly again and again. Having acknowledged the Saving Power of Jesus Christ as I read the prayer, in ten lines. At the end of the tract, I cried aloud, wept bitterly and I was saved. Instantly, a perfect peace reigned my heart.
I went ahead to end my life since our faith in Hinduism never said that there was salvation for a wretched sinner like me. Jesus delivers! All my thanks due to Him. HE is the Living God!
By the tract 'Deliverance' by India Bible Mission, Christ entered into my heart and saved me. The joy Jesus gave my heart knew no bounds.
I went home and told my mother about the tidings of my salvation. My mother burst into joyful tears and uttered that the real living God had heard her prayers and answered it; "if there is a living God, my daughter Shobana should be saved".
Through a printed paper, I was saved. Further, the whole family happily accepted Jesus Christ as the living God and Savior. They committed their lives unto Him.
I prayed for my father for his salvation. Wonderful! Within a couple of days, Lord Jesus delivered my father from drunkenness and saved him. As a whole family we worship Jesus with this one tract of 'Deliverance'. Jesus is giving daily boundless joy to our family.
Shobana
Calcutta West Bengal
Jan.30, 2002.
Translated from Bengali language
