[This
is a short story that is not completely based on the author’s imagination.]
In the hilly region of the Himalayas there had
been a remote tiny village popularly known by the inhabitants of nearby
villages as ‘The village of the wise people’. This village has now become a
part of a cluster of nearby villages, thereby not having a separate identity
any more. In the past, the inhabitant of the said villages grew some crops,
vegetables and fruits. After each crop a few of the villagers carried the small
surplus, the residents of the village could manage to save, to a nearby big
village, and bought from the market there seeds and other necessities to last
till their next visit.
‘The
village of the wise people’ also bought a daily newspaper that was delivered to
the village once in a fortnight when a bundle of 10-15 newspapers of different
dates reached the village. It is said that there lived an old man in that
village. The old man also did physical labour to produce, grains and vegetables
just as others, but used the spare time to read scriptures, other books and the
newspapers. Every evening almost the entire population of the village,
including the ladies with their children, assembled under a shed prepared with
mud, bamboos and leaves. There, the old man talked to villagers about the human
life, the God, the truth and also about what was going on in the world. The
villagers also discussed about their immediate problems and tried to sort them
out, then and there.
The
old man spoke in a local language that was well understood in that region. He
tried to answer all the questions that the villagers raised, in such a simple manner
that all could develop a simple and clear understanding about the subject
matter. It is reported that all the inhabitants of the said village were soft
spoken, humble, truthful and honest. No one heard of a dispute of any kind in
that village. If a difference of opinion arose, it was sorted out that very
day. So great was the reputation of that village that the inhabitants of the
nearby villages also occasionally referred their disputes to ‘The village of
the wise people’, and they were invariably satisfied with the solutions
suggested!
Being
a remote village in tough hilly region things did not move fast there, but
whatever movement took place it was in the right direction. Those who have
something to tell about the village say that the old man had read many books
and had travelled far and wide before settling down in the said tiny village.
They also say that although the old man knew many languages, but he made use of
the local language only, perhaps, to avoid much interference by the outsiders.
It can be safely inferred that ‘The village of the wise people’ was physically,
intellectually and spiritually self contained and self dependent. It neither
depended on the outsiders, nor did it ever try to make others depend on it.
Unfortunately,
the peaceful order existing in ‘The village of the wise people’ got disturbed
in one such meeting, which was occasionally attended by the outsiders.
[We
shall try to publish the concluding part of the story within next 24 hours.]
PROMOD
KUMAR SHARMA
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