The results of the Board Exams were to be released the next day, and sensing the butterflies in my daughter’s stomach, I felt a ‘lighter touch’ from her father would help alleviate her misery. So, I made her sit next to me on the sofa and assuming as solemn a tone as is possible, narrated this story that I had read somewhere.
“One of the Sultans in the Middle East was blessed with a son. On this occasion, he summoned all the wise men of his land and commanded them to compile all the wisdom that could possibly be found in the Universe, so that his son, when he reached adulthood, could access all that was needed to be known. The wise men traveled far and wide, for ten years, and wrote down in 36 volumes, whatever they had seen or heard. When they presented this to the Sultan, he observed that this was too long and they should make it shorter. So, the wise men spent five more years compressing the data to fit into one volume. The impatient Sultan was still not satisfied. “Make it still shorter”, he barked. The wise men were closeted for another three years, before they managed to distill and condense the essence in a single sentence”
“And, what was that sentence?” asked my daughter.
“The sentence was ‘This too shall pass’” I said
“ And what does that mean?” she asked.
“ It means that everything in Life is of a transient nature and fleeting and will eventually get swept by the winds of change that keep blowing relentlessly. The hundred-year war came and went, the world wars passed, the British rule lasted two hundred years, but it too got over. Nothing is permanent and nothing is so important that you must keep worrying about it ” I replied, awestruck by my own profundity.
“So, what’s the story got to do with me ?” asked the daughter, completely unimpressed by the deep philosophy and universal wisdom encapsulated in that single sentence.
“You too shall pass. In your exams” I pointed out and waited for her applause and the girlish giggles.
The daughter got up quietly from the sofa and walked away from the room slowly, no doubt wondering, for the umpteenth time, that if the adult world was a place where nutty characters like her dad abound, whether it was worth growing up at all.
“One of the Sultans in the Middle East was blessed with a son. On this occasion, he summoned all the wise men of his land and commanded them to compile all the wisdom that could possibly be found in the Universe, so that his son, when he reached adulthood, could access all that was needed to be known. The wise men traveled far and wide, for ten years, and wrote down in 36 volumes, whatever they had seen or heard. When they presented this to the Sultan, he observed that this was too long and they should make it shorter. So, the wise men spent five more years compressing the data to fit into one volume. The impatient Sultan was still not satisfied. “Make it still shorter”, he barked. The wise men were closeted for another three years, before they managed to distill and condense the essence in a single sentence”
“And, what was that sentence?” asked my daughter.
“The sentence was ‘This too shall pass’” I said
“ And what does that mean?” she asked.
“ It means that everything in Life is of a transient nature and fleeting and will eventually get swept by the winds of change that keep blowing relentlessly. The hundred-year war came and went, the world wars passed, the British rule lasted two hundred years, but it too got over. Nothing is permanent and nothing is so important that you must keep worrying about it ” I replied, awestruck by my own profundity.
“So, what’s the story got to do with me ?” asked the daughter, completely unimpressed by the deep philosophy and universal wisdom encapsulated in that single sentence.
“You too shall pass. In your exams” I pointed out and waited for her applause and the girlish giggles.
The daughter got up quietly from the sofa and walked away from the room slowly, no doubt wondering, for the umpteenth time, that if the adult world was a place where nutty characters like her dad abound, whether it was worth growing up at all.
good one. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Raj
ReplyDeleteYours is the funniest blog I 've read in some time! :)
Where were you all this while...??
Ha ha!! You sound just like MY dad!! This is exactly like something that HE would have done :D
ReplyDeleteDazedandconfused, Raj has been here all this while. You haven't ;)
:) : Thanks.
ReplyDeletedazedandconfused : Thanks for the compliments. Where was I all this while? I have been busy in a tiny part of the blogosphere.
Shruthi : I must meet your dad one of these days and share notes on 'daughters'.
pphsss..u were actually trying to be funny in the first place or it just turned round like that..I thought you were trying to actually tell her "even if you dont fare as well as we think you should " itll pass..we wont disown you or nythig, we'll still pay for your high school.
ReplyDeleteWell jokes apart. I am happy fr your daughter..sometimes (and this is coming straight from my heart) all kids need is someone to be there..you did well.
hi raj .first time here,,enjoyed reading ur post.
ReplyDeleteand well fathers and mothers are as confused as their wards i guess!
hahaha....I was reading it expecting a sober ending to the story, rather stupid of me to do that on this blog!
ReplyDeletehaha lol; nice; very cute:)
ReplyDeletehahahha.. Loved it.
ReplyDeleteLet me tell you a secret, when your little girl is married someone somewhere is going to be absolutely harrassed with her constant " you know my father was this" "My father was that!". Father//daughter conversations take along while to translate into sense!!!
Too good:)
ReplyDeleteI remember that during my exams, I had to act like I am showing some kind of anxiety because the whole world except me looked anxious for me. My dad in particular would keep assuring me that I would do well and that he was confident. But, the lines on his forehead told a different story altogether:))
usg, sony pony : thanks
ReplyDeleterachana : maybe, though my wards won't agree.
anu : I thought that this post had such a sober ending No?
Usha : Ha,I hope so, though possibility appears extremely remote now.
Casement :And did you pass the exams?
ha ha...
ReplyDeletegood post .... its good to read such afterthoughts on such reaction from your children...
well I have only one thing to say "This too shall pass!!!"