Hello, everyone! The week just flew by, and I have returned with a new edition of Monday Truclusions. I have been so eager to tell you about my experiences at the retreat in Ahmedabad, and the people I met there. But before that, I want to tell you about a story I read during my childhood.
There was once a priest in a village, and whatever he said was law. The villagers followed him very obediently. On many occasions, the priest would tell the villagers to make animal sacrifices and other unhealthy practices. One day, the priest asked the villagers to sacrifice a goat. The villagers brought a healthy goat to the priest and took his consent to sacrifice it.
The priest asked the men to take the goat to the river, give it a nice bath and decorate it before the sacrifice. The goat listened to them talk and realised that his time had come. He thought about trying to run away but knew it would not be easy to escape.
Finding Opportunity In Adversity
The goat knew he had to think of a way to survive, and while the men were giving him a bath in the river, he suddenly began to laugh. The two men bathing him were intrigued and asked the goat why it was laughing. Soon, the goat began to cry, and the men became even more invested in the reasons behind its laughter and tears.
The men threatened to kill the goat immediately if it didn’t tell them the truth. The goat told them it didn’t matter when they killed him, but he said that he was crying because he was thinking of their master, the priest.
Angered by its answer, the men dragged the goat to the priest and told him what had transpired at the river bank. The priest roared in rage and asked the goat to tell him the reason for his laughter. The goat said,
Oh master, by your grace I recalled my previous birth while I was at the river. I was a great scholar like you, but I killed a goat. As a result, I was born a goat in this birth and I am being humiliated like this. Once I die, I will have served punishment for the sin I committed. That is why I laughed, but then I realised you might go through a similar punishment in your next birth. That made me sad and that is why I cried.
The Perfect Solution
The priest was in a fix, he didn’t want to suffer the fate that the goat described. The priest thought for a while and then asked the men to set the goat free. However, the goat told him that he would still have to serve the punishment for the animals he had sacrificed in the past.
As compensation for his sins, the priest told the villagers that there would be no more sacrifices in the village.
Hence the goat, with calm and courage, not only saved its own life but also the lives of all the other animals in the village. The moral of the story is that composure and bravery in adverse situations can change lives for the better.
Taking The Courageous Route
Now, let me tell you about someone I met in Ahmadabad, who reminded me of the above story.
His name is Neerav Shah, and he is an architect from Surat. When Neerav was in his final year of college, studying Architecture, he was living life to its fullest and enjoying each moment of it. A happy-go-lucky person by nature, he had no idea that his life was going to change forever when he went on a road trip with friends. Life played an unexpected prank on him. On the way to his destination, suddenly out of nowhere, a neelghai (antelope), trying to cross the road, jumped and landed on top of his car.
The roof of the car caved in and hit his head. He was the only person in the car who was injured. The force of the roof hitting his head caused severe damage to Neerav’s spinal cord and left him paralysed below the neck for life.
Though the injury was life altering, it wasn’t potent enough to hamper Neerav’s spirit. After a long break to recuperate, he went back to his college in a wheelchair to continue his education. He was told by the management that they could not build a ramp for him and make the campus accessible.
What was Neerav’s response? He said, and I quote, “If you cannot build the ramp, I will get it built. You only have to permit me to do so.” His confidence and relentlessness made the management give in. Finally, they built a ramp and our man successfully completed his course.
Today, Neerav builds bungalows in Surat, and is seriously pursuing his dream to build a 100% accessible village for the people who need it.
Rising Above Challenges
The thing that makes Neerav special is his attitude and his willingness to serve others. He wants to help people in whatever way he can. One more person who needs a pat on the back is Soham, Neerav’s aid, who is with him all the time and handles all of his needs.
The point here is – like the goat in my story, Neerav also didn’t give up when life tested him with adversity. He saw opportunity in his challenges.
I have tried to summarise the gist of Neerav’s story in my poem:
When even a step is difficult to walk,
When you see no key but only a lock,
When every forehead curves in a frown!
When the entire world looks you down,
Life indeed becomes a tide rough,
And you feel you have had enough.
When each moment seems a curse,
It’s time your courage you nurse.
Why believe failure is fate?
To try again is never late.
All you need is a ray of light,
To drive darkness out of sight,
Even the darkest of clouds has a silver line,
You need to hang around and the sun will shine.
Liked reading this? Then you might also like to read Monday Truclusions – Moving Toward A More Inclusive And Accessible Bharat.
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