We never insult Guests

Once a famous University invited a Guest speaker to give a lecture to its Senior Students.  The students had assembled in full numbers in anticipation of an excellent lecture.  Guest speaker was also encouraged by the full house and started his lecture in right earnest.  The lecture went on for about ten minutes.  The students could not make out what the guest speaker was trying to communicate.  There were some murmurs here and there and the atmosphere became uneasy.  One of the students in the last row got up and looked around.  He pulled out a curtain behind him and picked the curtain rod in his hand.  As the well built boy started coming down the gallery with the rod in his hand, the speaker started trembling and told the boy,  "Please stop. I will conclude my lecture".  The boy calmly told him, "Sir, Please continue the lecture.  I will not interfere.  We maintain highest traditions in this Institution.  We never insult guests.  I am only going in search of the Program Coordinator who has invited you here".  

In one of the classes the teacher was to cover a passage in Ramayana.  SriRama standing on the shores of Lanka looks at the Golden City of Ravana and tells Lakshmana:

अपि स्वर्नमयि लन्का न मे लक्ष्मण रोचते
जननि जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसि

Api swarnamayee Lanka na me Lakshmana rochate
Janani Janmabhoomischa swargaadapi gareeyasi

Lakshmana, This Lanka is a Golden City.  Even then I am not enthused by it.  Mother and Motherland are greater than even Heaven .

The teacher asked the students; "Who is greater than the mother?".  He expected the students to say "Motherland!".  That would give him the perfect footing for further expanding the lesson. All the students believed that Mother was the greatest in the world and were confused.  But one boy in the last bench got up and answered: "Teacher".  The teacher was slightly disappointed because he did not get the expected response.  But he also felt proud that he was recognised by the student.  He asked the student again: "Why?'.  Pat came the answer: "Mother can put only one child to sleep at a time, whereas the teacher can put the whole class to sleep at the same time".

In another class, a teacher asked a student to wake up a sleeping student, sitting next to him.  The student was known for being polite.  But this time he retorted,  "Why should I?  You put him to sleep.  You only wake him up".

One executive was suffering from over work and stress.  He was unable to sleep.  He went to consult a Doctor.  The doctor advised him to join an evening course and sit for an examination.  "Which course should I choose?",  the executive asked.  Doctor replied, "Join any damn course, that is not important.  What is important is that you go and sit in the class".

Another teacher found one girl fidgeting in the classroom.  Teacher was annoyed.  She told the girl, "Why are you fidgeting?  If you do not like my lecture you can go to sleep.  You know I do not object to that".  The girl replied,  "I know that Madam, and the whole class is thankful to you for not objecting.  But the girl next to me is snoring so heavily that I am unable to sleep".

Sleeping in a classroom or a meeting or a conference or even a concert is not uncommon.  It is also universal.  It is infectious as well.  Some top leaders are more known for sleeping in public meetings than their other accomplishments.  Just as the speaker has the right to speak, the listener has a right to sleep.  Once this rule is understood, both the speaker and listeners are at peace with each other.  This is all the more so if you are speaking in a after lunch session.  Otherwise one can attempt a dangerous trick.  Make friends with the Chef and ensure that the food is horrible so that the participants arrive half starved.

For sometime I was on training duties and was usually given post-lunch sessions.  Having been a victim myself on several such occasions, I was very indulgent with the trainees of both types.  Those who were sleeping and those who were unable to sleep.  I would always start my session with a general permission for any trainee to sleep.  Just like any sanction in a Bank, with conditions.  A bank sanction has many conditions running to several pages, but I had only two conditions.  Firstly, the sleeper should not snore; not because it disturbed me for I had trained myself to go on lecturing despite most of the trainees asleep, but because it would disturb the peaceful sleep of other trainees. Secondly, the sleeper should always keep his eyes open.  No need to be surprised.  Many people have perfected the art of sleeping with eyes wide open; whatever is being communicated will never reach them despite your best efforts.

Once I was in a Training program for Trainers, as a participant Trainer. All the speakers as well as participants were veterans;  those who had put trainees to sleep for years.  On the first day of the five day program half the participants were asleep.  During one of the breaks I told the fellow participants that a prize would be given to the participant who would remain awake throughout the program.  The number of sleepers kept on increasing despite this and would only marginally drop when a Senior Executive was the speaker.  By Friday afternoon, the fifth day, everyone except me had fallen asleep at one time or the other.  I managed to remain awake by asking some question, whether relevant or not, whenever there was an urge to sleep.  Unfortunately in the last session of the program I had also fallen asleep.  But fortunately, my fellow trainers were very considerate.  They woke me up from the deep sleep to announce that I should receive the prize for the distinction of being the last participant to fall asleep!

Ahead of us or behind us?

Saint Kanakadaasa is a famous Kannada poet, philosopher and social reformer. He was a Shepherd chieftain, king of a small province and after a bitter battle with his enemies gave up his post and spent rest of his life in total devotion to the Lord.  He lived during the 16th century and was a contemporary of Saint Purandaradasa, who has composed several thousand kritis (compositions) and revered as the founder of the present Karnatic style of music.  Saint Thyagaraja, who lived after Saint Purandaradaasa and Kanakadaasa's time further enriched the Karnatic style of music. Contribution of these great men to music and literature cannot be described in words and deserves to be written in golden letters.

Legend has it that when Kanakadaasa was badly wounded in the war and about to die, Lord Balaji appeared in his dream state and brought to him to life subject to the condition that he would give up his state and become a Bhakta (devotee) of the Lord.  Kanakadaasa spent his later years in total devotion. He was with Saint Vyasaraja, Raajaguru of Sri Krishnadevaraaya, the Vijayanagar King. Towards the later part of his life, he traveled all over South India including Tirupathi, Udupi and many other places. He has composed several hundred Devaranaamas (songs in the praise of the Lord) as well as songs with social reform as the goal. His major works are Mohana Tarangini, Hari Bhakti Saara, Rama Dhanya Charitre and Nala Charitre. His works have great literary value and long lasting impact on the society. He himself faced severe persecution from a section of the society but overcame the difficulties with his patience and perseverance. Some of his compositions are in the form of riddles and known as "Kanaka's Mandige", the word Mandige meaning a sweet dish cooked on a hot earthen pot (like tandoori rotis made in the hot oven).  The item is difficult to prepare but very tasty to eat. Some of Kanakadaaasa's writings are difficult to comprehend and require deep knowledge of mythology and philosophy to solve and understand them.  Some of his other writings are in very simple language and can be understood by one and all as well.  His Rama Dhanya Charitre needs a special mention and is the story of an imaginary conflict between two corns, Ragi and Paddy, and their dispute solved by Srirama. The story is symbolic of class struggle of those times and upholds the dignity of labour and the philosophy that the working class is the real backbone of the society and not the elite class.

Legends have it that once Lord Thimmappa (Balaji of Tirupathi) told Kanaka in his dream to come over to Thirupathi. Balaji appeared in the dream of the Dharmadarshi (person in-charge of the temple affairs) that one of his greatest devotees is coming to have his Darshan and he should be received with respect and proper arrangements be made for his stay. Balaji is known as the Lord of the Seven Hills (Saptagirivaasa in sanskrit and Edukundalavaada in Telugu) and in those days one had to climb the hills on foot to reach the main temple on the top of the hills. There is a practice of receiving VIPs in Tirupati by symbolically presenting the keys to the temple. The temple keys (or their replica) are carried in a palanquin with full honour. Dharmadarshi and his associates were coming down the hill with the palanquin of temple keys and enquiring with people going up the hill as to whether anyone has seen the Saint Kanakadaasa climbing the hill.  Kankadaasa lived a simple life and was climbing the hill with his Ekanaada (one stringed musical instrument) and singing songs in the praise of the Lord.  In the middle of the hill Dharmadarshi was enquiring with all devotes climbing the hills whether they saw Saint  Kanakadaasa. Since he kept a low profile, nobody knew him.  Dharmadarshi asked Kanaka himself whether he saw Kanakadaasa climbing the hill. Kanakadaasa replied in the affirmative. Dharmaadhikari asked him where he was.  Kanaka replied; "Ahead of those who are behind him and Behind those who are ahead of him".  Dharmadarshi could not understand the deep meaning of Kanaka's words and felt he was a mad fellow and went further down the hill in search of the saint. Unable to find him he came back and went home. Kanaka himself climbed the hill, could not find any food and accommodation and slept in some corner of the temple.

In the night Lord Balaji appeared in the dream of the Dharmadarshi and admonished him for ignoring his commands. Dharmadarshi was told that the person who answered him in a riddle was himself Saint Kanakadaasa. Woken up after the dream,  Dharmadarshi and his assistants searched the Saint in the middle of the night, apologised to him and thereafter made suitable arrangements for his stay and darshan of the Lord. The saint lived in Tirupati for some time and made many compositions in the praise of Lord Balaji.

What Saint Kanakadaasa said was an example of his philosophical outlook. It was relativity explained much before Issac Newton, nearly a century before. As the Saint said, we are all younger to those who are older than us and older than those who are younger to us;  We are the followers of our leaders and leaders of our followers and marching on the journey of life Ahead of those behind us and Behind those who are ahead of us.