Lessons Larger Than Life

Srikant liked to read anything he could lay his hands on. Reading became a regular behaviour with him. He read books above his age, based on philosophy, scientific research, history, psychology, literature, arts, and biographies and the subject was no constraint. There was a reason for this aspect – the varied interest stemmed from the manner he procured the books. Besides, the other significant aspect was that he would ideally follow and practice anything that he found valuable in the books. For him, some of the lessons he learned had proved larger than life. ‘Speaking Tree, a small book that came to his hands by chance influenced him more than anything and he grew mad about reading. It contained an article on the reading habit of Swami Vivekananda and his amazing memory power. The article mentioned how Swami Vivekananda could memorize any book page by page. Srikant wondered and read the passage with great interest.

“Once when Swami Vivekananda was staying in Meerut with his disciples, he was accompanied by Swami Akhandananda. At Swamiji’s request, Swami Akhandananda used to get books from a local rolling library. A particular request was for works by Sir John Lubbock, which were spread across volumes. However, Swamiji completed one volume a day and Akhandananda would return the book to get the next volume. On seeing the speed at which books were returned, the Librarian commented that Swamiji was simply returning the books without reading. On hearing this comment, Swamiji visited the librarian and asked him to question him on the books and he would answer. However, the librarian was taken aback by the great monk and backed out of the challenge. Later on, Swamiji explained to Akhandananda that he managed to read one volume a day and memorize it as he never read the book word to word, but sentence by sentence. Even at times, paragraph by paragraph. This was like kaleidoscopic reading. A similar experience is recorded by Haripada Mitra, a sub-divisional forest officer in Belgaum. It is said that every literature scholar has managed to read Charles Dickens books once in their lifetime. But when Swamiji recited a large paragraph of the Pickwick Papers, he was shocked and more so, because Swamiji had read the book twice.”  

Srikant was so inspired by Swami Vivekananda’s feat that he memorized the entire article that he recited during a school competition and won the first prize for it. This rewarding event encouraged him more toward reading.   

What struck most in Srikant’s mind was Swami Vivekananda’s secret to living life – “Have one single idea to live your life by. Dream about it; eat, sleep, drink this idea.” Since that day, he had lived on the single idea to read, read and read. Besides, this also complimented the famous quote by Francis Bacon – “Reading makes a full man, conference a ready man and writing an exact man.”  Srikant understood that he was on the right path after being enlightened by all these secret revelations made by such great men. 

Srikant was obsessed with books, but he was unable to buy any, owing to his poor family background. His father Suryakant hated the sight of books. He often reprimanded him for neglecting his school books and reading books that lay beyond his understanding. Suryakant was glad that he didn’t have to spend money on his son’s strange reading habits. Besides, he hardly had to spend any money on his son’s education, as everything came free – books, dress and stationery. Despite all these concessions, he was least interested to send his prodigious son to school. However, Suryakant had to admit him to school after much pressure from the government school teacher Vishwanath who lived in the neighbourhood. He taught English to Srikant who gained fluency with self-study and perseverance. He knew that Srikant was an extraordinary child.

The sight of books made Srikant mad, but there was no way he could buy them without money. However, he soon found an ingenious way to get hold of one or two books every other day. He began targeting the local junk dealers or kabadiwalas to fulfil his aspirations. He would chase their rickshaws that carried loads of books and newspapers. Over a period of time, he had an envious collection of his own, which consisted of Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton, Adventures of Sherlock Homes by Arthur Conan Doyle, Hard Times by Charles Dickens, and so many others. During one such random act, he managed to pull out from the heap, a small book while returning home from school. The junk dealers also didn’t object to Srikant’s activity that was confined only to books. They had become familiar with the boy’s behaviour. However, they were wary of the street urchins who made a lot of other useful, small household items loaded on their rickshaws.

Srikant eagerly looked to what he had grabbed on this occasion when the rickshaw pedalled out of sight. He felt disappointed initially after looking at the very thin and old book with the cover torn from all sides, which carried a beautiful portrait of Guru Nanak Dev. However, the title of the book A Brief History of Guru Nanak Dev delighted Srikant very much. He thought that there must be more wisdom in this book similar to Swami Vivekananda’s teaching. He started walking briskly to reach home early as he wanted to read the book.

When Srikant reached home, he saw a junk dealer sorting out books. He immediately recognized him and his rickshaw that was parked nearby. He thought that he had come to retrieve the books he whisked away from his rickshaw. He must’ve complained to his father about his activity. However, this particular junk dealer didn’t recognize Srikant and that saved much trouble. Only Srikant knew that most of the books were grabbed from his rickshaw only. Books on the life of Swami Vivekananda and Guru Nanak Dev were the latest abductions. However, this junk dealer hardly had any idea that it was a second buying for him! He had already paid for them once. The junk dealer kept picking up the books one by one. He held them close to his eyes and then looked into the skies above as if trying to remember where he had seen them before. Before he could concentrate deeply on his memory, his attention was suddenly diverted. 

‘I don’t want to sell these books. I collected them with so much difficulty,’ Srikant said to the junk dealer in a mixed tone of innocence and anguish. Then, he started to gather the books quietly as the junk dealer looked on helpless.

‘I want to sell them if you don’t,’ said Suryakant. ‘These books are poisoning your mind. I warned you not to bring these junk home.’

‘Father, they’re valuable books.’ Srikant said with pain in his voice when he saw his father coming out with some more books in both his hands.

‘I’m collecting the value from them. I’ll be able to feed your dirty mouth,’ Suryakant said with sarcasm. ‘I want to utilize them in a better way, unlike you….idling your time in its company.’

‘Please don’t sell them, father,’ Srikant pleaded and he picked up ‘Speaking Tree’ from the bunch. ‘I learn from them. They’re my true teachers.’

Suryakant tried to pull the book from Srikant’s hands, but he clung to it and cried.

Meanwhile, Srikant’s mother Srilata came out after hearing the commotion. Srikant ran to his mother and held her in a tight hug. She cuddled and consoled him.  

‘Let him keep the books. He doesn’t even go out to play. They’re not bringing any harm to you in any manner, then why do you want to sell them,’ Srilata pleaded with her husband Suryakant who was helping the junk dealer put the books in the large jute sack. The junk dealer had an unusual glow on his face since it was a huge pick of the day. He quickly strung the mouth of the jute sack. Suryakant helped him load it on the rickshaw. The junk dealer puts his hand in his shabby trouser pocket and pulled out a bundle of notes.

‘Don’t support this rascal anymore. You’ve already spoilt him so much. From tomorrow, there will be no school for him. He must work and earn. I can’t feed him for anything,’ Suryakant counted the twenty notes of ten-rupee denominations and waved at the junk dealer to leave. 

‘He is too young to work. It is his learning years. It is our responsibility to raise him properly and give him all that he deserves rather than depriving him of everything. If you can’t, then I’ll work and provide him with the support he needs,’ Srilata said in a rebellious tone.

‘Do you know how he brings these books home? He steals them….he would soon indulge in bigger thefts. Your brother saw him many times and I couldn’t believe him when he told me. He picked up one today as well,’ Suryakant said furiously. ‘He is spoiling my reputation. Try to control him.’

Srilata just looked at Suryakant in agony and took her 12-year-old son inside the house who was crying inconsolably. She knew it was no use arguing with her inconsiderate husband. She also knew how Srikant got these books. She found no fault in her son’s doings – he was passionate about learning and a true learner would stop at nothing.  

It was midnight and his parents had gone to sleep. Srikant lit a candle and took out A Brief History of Guru Nanak Dev and carefully turned over the brittle pages. He suddenly stopped at the page that mentioned a significant incident in Guru Nanak Dev’s early life.

“Mehta Kalu again thought that he will make his son engage in some trade or business. So, Guru Nanak was given a sum of twenty rupees and told to make a good bargain with it. Bala, a trusted servant of the Mehta, accompanied him. Both went on the way they found a company of Sadhus. These men of religion had no covering for their bodies except the loincloth. Guru Nanak approached one of them and learnt that the Sadhus had no food for the last several days. Guru Nanak spent the money given to him by his father to buy food for starving Sadhus. The place where the hungry mouths were fed by the Guru Nanak is the site of the Gurudwara called the Sachcha Sauda (Khara) or the Good bargain. It is situated at a distance of 37 miles from Lahore in Pakistan - on the Lahore-Lyallpur Railway line. When they came back to Talwandi, Bala told Mehta Kalu the whole story. Mehta Kalu slapped Guru Nanak. Babe Nanki rescued her brother from the beating.”

  Srikant had heard a lot about Guru Nanak Dev, the first Sikh guru from his schoolmate, with whom he had gone to the local Gurudwara once. He wondered if such great men had to undergo great difficulties early in their lives, then he shouldn’t be worrying about his own. He felt inspired and motivated after reading about the life of Guru Nanak Dev and his teachings. His mind was assailed by innumerable thoughts and he remembered the day’s dictate of his father who wanted him to work and earn. The candle by his side had also melted completely. The thin, burnt wick had turned black, which slowly sunk into the wax billowing out some smoke. It was absolute darkness now. Srikant also felt sleepy and decided to lie down. He thought to share Sri Guru Nanak’s childhood story with his mother in the morning.

Srikant woke up early and took his bath and put on his school uniform. His mother was preparing breakfast. She looked at him sorrowfully and said, ‘Son, I know you want to study and go to school. I also want you to get educated. However, you must lie low for a couple of days and let’s not annoy your father. I’ll talk to him and make him understand.’

  ‘I’ll do as you say, mother. You know, I was reading about Guru Nanak Dev Ji during the night. He also went through the same kind of miseries as us. All great men have to face struggles in life, but they overcame them,’ said Srikant in excitement as he munched the stuffed chapatti.

  Srilata feared that her son might put Guru Nanak’s teachings into practice now as he did after reading about Swami Vivekananda. He drew inspiration from Swami Vivekananda’s idea of reading and since then he hasn’t stopped. ‘I don’t know what he is going to do next,’ Srilata muttered to herself.

Srilata just looked at her son and thought why her son is so different from other children of his age. He has extraordinary habits and behaves and talks like a grown-up. She knew that her son will grow into a good human being and also take care of his parents. This thought brought tears into her eyes and she decided to protect her son’s interests at any cost, even if she had to defy her adamant husband Suryakant.

Meanwhile, Suryakant summoned Srikant and asked to accompany him to his makeshift tea stall at the roadside. Srikant had tremendous faith in her mother. So, he smilingly joined his father to assist him in his work, which had surprised Suryakant also.

Suryakant made him wash the utensils, cups and plates and serve tea to the customers. Besides this, he had to clean up the tables and benches. However, Srikant remained in a happy mood throughout while he completed the activities. He made friends with people. They also liked his behaviour and the knowledge he shared with them. He even conversed with a British woman in fluent English who had come to drink a cup of black coffee. She clicked his pictures and one with him as a souvenir.

‘This is for your beautiful English, my boy,’ she said. Before she left, she gave Srikant a ten-pound note also known as a tenner –equal to nearly a thousand Indian rupees. Though he expressed his unwillingness to accept it, but his father coaxed him to take it.

Greedy Suryakant took the note from Srikant and pocketed it quickly.

‘Do you earn money in school? Idling out your time on benches will get you nothing in life. You must work, work and work,’ Suryakant said as he threw sugar from a distance into the boiling tea. 

Srikant worked as usual on the next day too. For the first time, some fifty labourers came to drink tea. Suryakant had no stock of tea and he gave hundred rupees to Srikant to get tea.

‘Go and get a packet of Tata tea. Don’t wander here and there and return fast.’

‘Okay, father,’ said Srikant and galloped away.

He had hardly gone some fifty meters when he saw a poor woman with three small children squatting on the pavement. The children were wailing from hunger. Srikant was caught in a dilemma. What he should do now? Buy food for them or get tea for his father. Suddenly, he remembered the incident that occurred in Guru Nanak Dev’s life. When Guru Nanak learnt that the Sadhus had no food for the last several days. Guru Nanak spent the money given to him by his father to buy food for starving Sadhus. So the lesson of the previous day is to be performed today. Is this some kind of examination? He thought. 

When Srikant analyzed the past day’s event, he was surprised to observe that everything seemed to be going according to a natural plan. The manner in which he got the book based on the life of Guru Nanak Dev, and how he read the very page citing the incident of the Sadhus, his father stopping him from going to school and forcing him to work in the tea stall, and finally the British woman paying ten times more of what his father gave him to spend. Everything was predestined and as his English teacher told him often – ‘Nature rules the life of human beings. It sees what others can’t see, it hears what others can’t hear and it is Nature that plans the occurrence of activities that it deems right. Human beings are mere performers of activities designed by Nature.’ 

So, he must act according to Nature’s plan. He felt as if Guru Nanak Dev Himself was ordering him to enact the good deed. So without losing further time, he went to a nearby hotel and bought food for the poor woman and her children. They grabbed the food and started eating and Srikant sat on the side of the pavement and watched in contentment. He did the right thing. Feeding the hungry mouths is the Sachcha Sauda (Khara) or the Good bargain of the day. 

Srikant returned empty-handed to the tea stall. It had been an hour since he had gone to fetch tea. The tea stall was empty and his father was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, he appeared and started beating him mercilessly. He closed his eyes and endured the pain.

‘Where you’ve been all this time? I went searching for you. I’d sent you on an errand and you return empty-handed. If I’d not fetched tea on time, I would’ve lost my customers. Where is the money I gave you…rascal?’ Suryakant slapped him again and asked.

‘I don’t have the money. I spent the money to buy food for a poor woman and her starving children.’

‘You’re wasting my hard-earned money on street urchins. You’re good for nothing. I can’t rely on you anymore. You’ve broken my trust. You better stay at home or spend your time in school,’ Suryakant said.

‘Father, I earned ten times more than what you gave me. I spent my own earning,’ Srikant said calmly.

‘Oh…ho…very clever of you….now you’ve started to argue with me. I’ll teach you a good lesson,’ Suryakant stamped his foot in anger and left to complete another errand.

Srikant had no regret for what he had done, but he was delighted to have completed the most important task – the life lesson that he learnt on an instant basis and also performed instantly. It was very unfortunate that his father was unable to see the beauty that lies in the noble deed he performed.

He narrated the entire occurrence of the day to his mother when he reached home. She hugged him and cried.

‘Son, why do you infuriate your father? I told you to obey him. Don’t annoy him to invite trouble,’ Srilata said wiping the tears with the corner of her sari.

‘Do you think I committed something wrong?’ Srikant asked.

‘You’ve done a noble deed, my son. I had an intuition that you would surely put your learning into practice. It is good that things ended to your advantage. I’m glad that you can resume your studies,’ Srilata said affectionately ruffling his hair. 

Srikant had started going to school after a brief hiatus. He didn’t fail to perform his favourite act of chasing the junk dealers and whisking out books. Once again, he had amassed a huge collection of books that belonged to different genres. However, he kept the books away from the sight of his father. There was an old and unused water tank of 5oo litres that was kept on the terrace of the house. He stored all his books in it to avoid any conflict with his father who kept a close watch on his activities.

Srikant kept learning simple life lessons from the books he read and enacted the deeds that carried a social and humanitarian appeal in it. His mother remained apprehensive about his deeds and feared that he might do something again that may irritate his father. Her apprehensions were soon proved right. 

One day in the late evening hours, two notorious local junk dealers or Kabadiwalas approached his father. They complained that his son had stolen very precious books from their rickshaw for which they had paid a heavy sum. This was enough to enrage Suryakant. He immediately dragged Srikant out and produced him before the junk dealers. The local people had also gathered to witness the scene.

‘Are you sure he is the boy who stole your books? Suryakant asked furiously.

‘Yes. Our description of him finally led to your house,’ said one of the junk dealers. ‘I paid five hundred rupees for the three books that he took away after chasing my rickshaw.’

‘Can you name those three books?’

‘Homer’s lliad, Aristotle’s Ethics and Story of Philosophy by Will Durant,’ the junk dealer blurted out the names clearly. ‘I’m a graduate and I love to read books. I bought them for my personal use.’

Suryakant held Srikant firmly by his neck and dragged him inside the house and started beating him in a brutish manner. Srikant’s cries were heard by people some fifty meters away. His English teacher Vishwanath also came running. He went inside and stopped Suryakant.

‘Do you know what he’s been doing? He steals books and brings them home. The other day he spent the money to feed a woman and her three children that I gave him to buy tea,’ Suryakant said.

‘I’m aware of everything. He performed a noble deed and you should be proud of your son. He is a blessed child. He loves to read books and gather knowledge from them. This is not an immoral act,’ Vishwanath argued.

‘The books have poisoned his mind. God knows what new idea springs up in his mind after reading these books.’

Vishwanath escorted Srikant and brought him before his father. He flashed the book -A Brief History of Guru Nanak Dev at Suryakant’s face.

‘Srikant read about Guru Nanak Dev, performing a noble deed by spending twenty rupees to feed the hungry mouths of Sadhus given by his father. His father Mehta Kalu had beaten Guru Nanak Dev for this. Similarly, your son also performed a similar act in inspiration and you beat him up for that. He spent the money to feed the poor woman and her children. Can anybody tell me if this boy had committed any wrong?’

The crowd collectively echoed a ‘No’ to support Srikant.

When the two junk dealers came to know the actual reason behind the boy’s passion for books, they left the scene. After some time they returned with a sack of books that Srikant recognized immediately. They had brought the junk dealer friend who had completed the deal with his father.

‘It will be a sin if I deprive him of the collection that he has built with great labour. My friends also don’t wish to take the three books he has whisked away from their rickshaw,’ the junk dealer said patting the back of Srikant. ‘In fact, we have a noble plan for the boy. We will bring him books and he shouldn’t chase our rickshaws unnecessarily and create controversy. However, we would love him to keep his favourite acts alive.’ The crowd fell into laughter that pierced the atmosphere.

Vishwanath held Srikant in a tight hug and said, ‘Suryakant, I must tell you that these are life’s lessons and you should learn them anyway. Don’t discourage your son from learning who reads above his age. He has displayed by his simple acts that there are lessons that are larger than life. How many people would draw inspiration from the noble deeds of great men and enact them in real life? Your son implements what he learns and this is great quality. Help him to grow this behaviour in the interests of society. You must repent for what you’ve done with such a wonderful child.’

‘I’ve treated him very badly. I promise to make amendments and support his aspirations,’ Suryakant said and hugged Srikant who for the first time experienced the true feeling of fatherly love and affection.

Srilata who had been watching the entire drama by standing at the door also came running and held her son in a tight embrace and cried. She said, ‘I’m very happy that everything has turned out well in your favour. You taught us all a wonderful lesson of life…..though you’re very small in age, but you’ve proved through your acts that some lessons are larger than life.’