An Important Lesson I Learnt...
(Here is a great article by Vaibhav Dangwal)
Well, to start with, I would like to tell you a story my father told me when I was a child. He was a lecturer in a government school. At that time I loved to explore the labs of the school. One day he took me to the physics lab, where I saw several cardboard tubes stockpiled in one corner, covered with dust. They seemed useless to me. Later the attendant came, and told me how to use those tubes. They were telescopes which were made by students as their summer projects. I found them fun, and the rest of my day was spent playing with a telescope, spotting distant objects such as street lights and birds, and zooming in and out using a sliding mechanism in it.
In the evening, when my father came back to take me to home, I asked him if I could take that telescope with me. After all, the school had no use of it. My father smiled, pulled a chair and sat on it. I also smiled and sat in front of him as I knew it was time for a lecture. So he told me a story, which I am writing in very brief, below.
Chanakya was a king maker. He was a teacher, a philosopher, and a royal adviser. I don't think he needs any introduction. Seleucus was a Greek emperor, successor of Alexander the great. He fought a battle with Chandragupta Maurya, but was defeated. At that time, Seleucus had the mightiest army in the whole world. After being defeated, he learnt that, the chief adviser to Mauryan Kingdom, Chanakya, was the main planner and strategist of the war. He thought he might learn something good from Chanakya. So he sent him a letter, asking if he could do a private talk with Chanakya. Chanakya agreed, and sent him an invitation.
We all know Chanakya lived in tattered hut, away from King's Fort. He used to do meditation, chintan and all the studying there only, and for light, all he had was an oil fed 'diya' (earthen lamp).
The lesson was simple. But it took me a decade to get to the point to fully understand what he was trying to say. I grew up watching people use the allowances granted by the government to them being put into personal use.
Who takes a government vehicle to shopping ? Or to send their children to tuitions ? Or on a private tour ? Yes. Us. Apart from it, think of several thousand ways in which we misuse government resources. Almost everyone is dipped neck deep in corruption. Fake audits, fake bills, illegal hoardings, nepotism, we have it all. But it's not time to raise these issues. It's time to get together. I'll tell you how. Stay tuned and keep sharing your valuable views and feedback with us.
Well, to start with, I would like to tell you a story my father told me when I was a child. He was a lecturer in a government school. At that time I loved to explore the labs of the school. One day he took me to the physics lab, where I saw several cardboard tubes stockpiled in one corner, covered with dust. They seemed useless to me. Later the attendant came, and told me how to use those tubes. They were telescopes which were made by students as their summer projects. I found them fun, and the rest of my day was spent playing with a telescope, spotting distant objects such as street lights and birds, and zooming in and out using a sliding mechanism in it.
In the evening, when my father came back to take me to home, I asked him if I could take that telescope with me. After all, the school had no use of it. My father smiled, pulled a chair and sat on it. I also smiled and sat in front of him as I knew it was time for a lecture. So he told me a story, which I am writing in very brief, below.
Chanakya was a king maker. He was a teacher, a philosopher, and a royal adviser. I don't think he needs any introduction. Seleucus was a Greek emperor, successor of Alexander the great. He fought a battle with Chandragupta Maurya, but was defeated. At that time, Seleucus had the mightiest army in the whole world. After being defeated, he learnt that, the chief adviser to Mauryan Kingdom, Chanakya, was the main planner and strategist of the war. He thought he might learn something good from Chanakya. So he sent him a letter, asking if he could do a private talk with Chanakya. Chanakya agreed, and sent him an invitation.
We all know Chanakya lived in tattered hut, away from King's Fort. He used to do meditation, chintan and all the studying there only, and for light, all he had was an oil fed 'diya' (earthen lamp).
So when Seleucus arrived, he greeted him, and just before starting their 'private' talk, he put off the flame of diya.They talked and discussed in complete darkness. Chanakya gave him some valuable lessons, and soon the talk was over. When Seleucus was about leave, he asked Chanakya, - "Mahamatya (mahamantri, prime minister), why did you put off the light before this discussion ?" Chanakya replied:
"Because the oil in the lamp is property of state. And I didn't wanted to use the state's resources for a private conversation."
The lesson was simple. But it took me a decade to get to the point to fully understand what he was trying to say. I grew up watching people use the allowances granted by the government to them being put into personal use.
Who takes a government vehicle to shopping ? Or to send their children to tuitions ? Or on a private tour ? Yes. Us. Apart from it, think of several thousand ways in which we misuse government resources. Almost everyone is dipped neck deep in corruption. Fake audits, fake bills, illegal hoardings, nepotism, we have it all. But it's not time to raise these issues. It's time to get together. I'll tell you how. Stay tuned and keep sharing your valuable views and feedback with us.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(
Atom
)
No comments :
Post a Comment