Over a cup of hot tea, we were discussing Man Booker winner Adiga and his mention about great poet Rumi in The White Tiger. I have not finished reading the book (who can be lazier than me?), so we will discuss the book later.Editor and good friend Shaadaab Bakht narrated this story he had heard about Rumi. Quite interesting.
An ascetic was crossing the road when he saw Rumi busy at work. He dropped in and asked: “What are you doing?” Rumi reacted a bit rude: “Can’t you see I am busy writing? Anyway, you will never understand.”
The man said: “What great things you are going to write in any case?”
Shocked by the audacity, Rumi had some harsh words for the man. In a moment, the latter grabbed all the pages and dumped them in water. Rage colouring his eyes red, Rumi screamed: “You have spoiled my life’s work.”
The ascetic listened quietly for two minutes, picked up the pages from water and returned them intact, in original form.
“How did you do it?” questioned Rumi in amazement.
“You will never understand,” came the reply.
Ya, there are several things we don’t understand. No wonder, Socrates died saying “All I know is I know nothing.”
hey ramesh, it was really nice talking to you.... it felt like i know you for so long..
ReplyDeletebut i did not understood, how he did that....
how come the papers go in water and come back safe !! well really there are some things in life we have no idea about...
ReplyDeleteone stops learning only when one dies.
ReplyDeletethe sooner one realises this the wiser will one be!
Sometimes something in life we never know how could that had happened. Never Mind! Kuch pane keliye kuch kona padta hai.
ReplyDeleteNicely narrated! Keep it up.
Cheers,
Jayashree
Thanx buddy for stopping by my blog and leaving your comments on the photo's of my birds :)) Yes, it is a blessing to have them as company all the time :))
ReplyDeleteTry reading 'Unaccustomed Earth'- Jhumpa Lahiri...it is a good read :))
-Best
Dear Ramesh,
ReplyDeleteAs per my understanding - monks, hermits and ascetics, who practice severe penance, do possess some super-natural powers.
One among them is the power of creating illusions, which common man fails to identify and understand and get convinced that it’s some magic.
"I feel that those papers were not actually thrown into the water but an illusion might have been created".
Yes, sometimes we tend to believe certain things which are unreal.
The events which occur in nature are real but the effects they generate are unreal.
For Example:
In a dark room, a rope lying on the ground may be mistaken for a snake. But as a fact, that rope alone is real, not the snake.
However, once the darkness is removed, the rope alone remains; the snake disappears.
best thing bout ur writing is they are short n very precise...moreover convey good message with pin-point accuracy....this art is alien 2 me as i need lots of words to articulate my thouhght process....
ReplyDeleteUr post on 'Brand' was classic example of ur skill of short & precise
Good Reading as always...
Keepit Up!!
Regards
Why did u steal my Socrates line? Now I have nothing to say:(
ReplyDeleteOh wait, u'r ability to tell a gr8 story with so little words is extraordinary... u must be a journalist, right? – big grin ...(not that they have always that ability). I ENVY U! Did I just shout?
I will second what Magiceye said. We will never have all of the answers, we are always learning and on a quest to figure things out that we do not understand. That is life.
ReplyDeleteR. Ramesh I also want to compliment you on your conciseness. You are an excellent writer and storyteller, friend!
ReplyDeleteVery good piece. The only way to learn more is to realise that there is a lot more to learn.
ReplyDeleteAll I know is I know nothing. - Socrates
ReplyDeleteAll I know is through life I will know a lot of things. - Vinisha :)
i read white tiger last week and it was a very good book.Adiga's second book(between the assasinations) is also quite interesting.
ReplyDeleteSocrates died saying “All I know is I know nothing.” I will remember this line forever.
ReplyDeleteShort, sweet and to the point - a beautiful tale.
ReplyDelete