In a quiet village nestled between green hills, lived a poor boy named Arun. His family had barely enough to eat, and his school bag had more patches than cloth. Every day, he walked barefoot to school with a big smile, despite being teased for his worn-out clothes and empty pockets.

One day, a teacher asked the class, "What does success sound like?"

Everyone wrote things like: “The sound of applause”, “clinking coins”, “cheering crowds.”

But Arun simply wrote: "The sound of empty pockets."

The class laughed, but the teacher was curious and asked him to explain.

Arun stood up and said,

"Ma’am, when my pockets are empty, I hear my heart louder. I hear my dreams shouting inside me. My hunger doesn't just come from my stomach – it comes from my dreams. The emptier my pockets are, the louder my will becomes to fill them with knowledge, not just coins."

The room fell silent.

Years passed. Arun grew up, became a civil servant, and returned to his village as an IAS officer. The same kids who laughed at him now stood in awe. He rebuilt schools, started scholarships, and inspired hundreds.

In an interview, when someone asked what drove him, Arun smiled and said,

“Still the same sound – the sound of empty pockets.”