The majestic roar of silence!

One day Vidur was walking along the forest to his grandparents’ house. He preferred to walk the stretch as he loathed the cramped bullock cart ride.He chanced upon a merchant who looked downcast. He gently approached the merchant and sat next to him. Vidur asked the merchant what the matter was. The merchant seemed withdrawn and initially refused to divulge any information. But his face spoke his pain and Vidur could not leave him to suffer in silence.

He told the merchant that bad times do not last in the company of good people. When the merchant heard the remark he opened up and asked Vidur how he was so certain. Vidur was now a relieved man. At least the ice was broken between them. 

Vidur told the merchant to give him a chance and the merchant slowly began.

“I am a merchant and sell things in the village on the other side of the forest. I have been minding my work silently for the past three years” the merchant said in a melancholic tone. 

“A few months back a merchant came to our village to set shop. I welcomed him with open arms as I understand the frustrations and the risks associated with our profession” said the merchant opening up slowly.

“I think you did right” said Vidur listening intently to the merchant. “But, of late, he has started using loudspeakers to attract clients and my worry is that I may lose my livelihood” the merchant completed with a deep sigh. Vidur smiled gently as he began comforting the merchant. Vidur asked the merchant if he had seen a swan drinking milk. The merchant could not understand the correlation and looked blank. Vidur chuckled mildly and told the merchant that the way he did his business was like the swan separating the milk from the water only for its consumption. The milk remains milk while the water is left behind. 

“Now compare this with separating the milk from water using force. If you add a drop of lime juice to the milk it still separates into water and milk. But in this case the milk does not remain milk. It curdles unnaturally and is no good for consumption” reflected a wise Vidur. 

The merchant remained silent for a while as he understood the difference. Vidur told the merchant that efficiency is not proportional to the amount of noise one makes or the crowd one gathers around oneself. 

“In fact efficiency is going about your daily chores and duties effortlessly and this is the seed to success” said Vidur to the merchant. The merchant stood confidently and thanked Vidur for his timely advice.

Tenali Raman and Babar

Around the same time that King Krishnadevaraya ruled the Vijayanagara, Babar was ruling Delhi. One day Babar sent out an invitation asking Tenali Raman to visit him. With the blessings of the King, Raman went to Delhi.Babar greeted Raman and introduced him to the courtiers. But before Tenali Raman came to the court the King had ordered his courtiers not to laugh for any of the jokes or the witty remarks that Raman cracked!

As soon as Tenali Raman took his seat the King told Raman that he had heard a lot about Raman’s quick wit and wanted Raman to Share some of his experience with his courtiers.Raman shared with Babar’s court his experiences in the most engaging and witty manner possible. But there was no reaction from his listeners. The next day Raman was demotivated to attend the court, but decided to give it one more try.

The result, though, was nothing different from the first day. On the third day Raman woke up early and reached the farm through which the king passed daily. He disguised himself as an old man and was digging the soil. A small mango sapling lay beside him.

On seeing an old man trying to plant a sapling, the King asked Raman, “Oh old man, why are you struggling to plant this sapling. You are so old that you may not be alive to enjoy the fruits of your labour”!

Raman replied thus: “Oh majestic King, who am I to teach you the morals of life. Yet allow me to say this. The trees planted by my forefathers bore fruits which I enjoyed. I am planting this tree, so that my children may enjoy the fruits of this tree.”

Impressed by the old man’s answer the king awarded him 100 gold coins. As the King was about to leave, the old man called out to the King and told him that he has, for the first time received the fruits of his labour even before planting the sapling.Babar found it difficult to hide his amusement and rewarded the old man with a further 100 gold coins. As the King was about to leave the old man again called out to him.

This time when Babar turned around, the old man was peeling off his beard and in his place stood Tenali Raman.Babar praised Raman’s wit and hailed him as a very intelligent and wise minister.

Tenali Raman did not lose his temper and in the gentlest manner showed the King his worth. 

It may take a while for us to prove our worth, but if we allow patience and wisdom to guide us, success follows.

The myth called women’s liberation - Part II

I was following the story on the women’s bill intently. Then one day I read the news. The bill is now the new law of the land! I jumped up in joy. I wanted to share this news with all my girlfriends.

As expected, the news spread like wild fire and there was a sense of jubilation in the air.

The streets were filled with women congratulating each other and hugging each other in ecstasy! Tears flowed like miniature rivers down the cheeks of women who probably were violated in one way or other. 

All of us were extremely eager to know the changes this would bring about, but for now the enormity of the situation was trying hard to seep through our beings.

A week later people started feeling the first perceptible change. You could see women paying lesser attention to their looks and yet were as confident as before.

One has to say that the sale of cosmetics did take plunge downwards. A detailed study in the regard was launched and environmentalists were interviewed on the 24 hour news channels. 

They, obviously, welcomed the law and argued that the earth was less polluted due to the dip in sale of cosmetics, while the CEOs of the multi-crore cosmetic business argued otherwise.

Men were eager to cook the right kind of food for their houses and were seen chatting with neighbours. After a few months a dip in sale of cigarettes and alcohol caused a huge uproar. As the pressure of corporate performance was significantly lowered, men found it easier to handle their stress without the help of these two products.

Again the environmentalists were pushed into action by the live news channels. They again supported the bill calling it a master move to save the earth from further destruction.

The mobile and telephone usage increased as men were calling up every hour to get instructions from their wives. 

“Imagine”, said a lady to her colleague, “I had to speak to my husband for almost an hour, teaching him how to organise a party that I am planning to host for my boss.”

It was only when this thought crossed my mind that I realised that I was day dreaming and had to get back to organising for the week end party that my husband was hosting for his juniors.

Oh God, wish such a law was really passed. I need not arrange, organise or host these boring parties any more, I mumbled as I changed the cushion cover and placed it back on the sofa neatly!

The myth called women’s liberation - Part I

I woke up in the morning to a news article that instantly caught my attention.

There seemed a lot of hope for the rape victims and girls and women who inhabit the lengths and breadths of this country. A new bill has been proposed that will provide instant solution to the age old problem.

The salient features from the bill are enlisted for readers’ benefit:

If the bill is passed, the law would read thus:

1. Women are to be declared the sole bread winners of families.

This would mean that women candidates will be preferred over their male counterparts and will be paid more than the men in every field including Tennis!

1. 1.     Single men and destitute men (Men who have lost their spouse and have a family to raise) will be considered favourably for a vacancy created by a lady’s demise, provided they have the requisite skills that the job demands.

This by-law would imply that when the wife dies, leaving behind a dependant husband and son, the job she was holding will be given either to the husband or the son, provided the woman does not have a daughter.

1. 2.     Expectant women can train their husbands to do their job for a maximum period of up to 1 year after child birth.

This by-law provides for the vacancy that would be created when a lady takes maternity leave. Nevertheless, she should join duty before the expiry of one year failing which her husband would be asked to either resign or hand over duty to another woman recruited in his wife’s position.

1. 3.     Special transport arrangements have to be made by companies for the pick-up and drop of the employees which will operate exclusively for the employees and no other people - in particular, men, would be allowed to travel by these vehicles.

This would mean that offices have specific work hours and even if one employee has to work extra hours, special facility would be created to ensure her safe return home. The Employer is responsible for the employee’s transport; nevertheless if the employee chooses to use her own transport, the employer is absolved of this responsibility.

After reading the proposed law and its implications I wondered what the outcome would be like. I was even more curious to know how society would be affected at large.

I silently prayed that the bill should be passed, before tossing the paper aside and getting dressed to get to office on time.         
                                                                        ...to be continued

Ekalavya – A teacher's learning?

Guru Dronacharya was the Raj guru or the Guru to the royal family. He taught various skills to the Pandavas and the Kauravas and Drona’s talent as a guru spread far and wide.Ekalavya, the son of Hiranyadhanus, wanted to learn the skills from the master. He approached Dronacharya and Drona himself was very impressed by young Ekalavya’s sincerity.

He enquired about the boy’s lineage and found out that he was the son of a Nishada(local tribe) King. Deep down Drona knew that the young boy, in time will outdo his royal pupils and rejected Ekalavya on account of his tribal parentage.

Undeterred by Dronacharya’s refusal, young Ekalavya made a statue of his Guru in clay and practiced archery every day.

After a few months, Drona, accompanied by the Pandavas and the Kauravas reached the forest where Ekalavya lived. One night when they were camping in the forest a dog was barking incessantly, disturbing the sleep of the campers. Being a new moon day the night was pitch dark and none of the pupils dared to go out into the forest to shoo the dog away.

Suddenly the barking stopped. The Guru and his pupils came out and what they saw made them speechless. Arrows were shot in the dark which precisely had stitched up the dog’s mouth.

Arjuna, the Pandava prince, who excelled in archery, asked Dronacharya how such a thing could have been done in this darkness. Drona replied that this skill was known as ‘Shabdha Bhedi’ or shooting arrows precisely by tracking the sound.Curious to find the archer the campers walked in the direction of the sound. They came to a halt when they saw a young, dark lad, who upon seeing Drona, fell at his feet.

Dronacharya recognized the boy to be Ekalavya and asked him who his Guru was. The boy showed the clay statue of his Guru and a clever Drona asked the boy to give him Guru Dakshina (the fees, in kind, that one pays to the Guru).

Ekalavya gives his thumb as a dakshina to his Guru...

As his Guru Dakshina Drona demanded the boy’s right hand thumb finger. Without a moment’s hesitation the boy cut his finger and placed it at the feet of his Guru.Later on, in the Mahabharata war, Ekalavya is killed by Lord Krishna and his son is killed by Arjuna.

In this story, the learning, I guess was for the great Guru Dronacharya. Later on in the Mahabharata there is a recording of Drona advising his son to throw open the doors of education to all, irrespective of caste or lineage.