‘Don’t ask who said it; take heed of what’s said’

In the year 1981 I was asked to submit the Passport application of my Boss for he was to go to Germany on official business. Before submission, I glanced through the application and noticed that in one column he had mentioned about some civil suit pending against him in a family land dispute at his home town in Akola.  I told my boss that with such facts mentioned, issuance of passport would be delayed. But, he wanted to play ‘Harishchandra’ and perhaps did not want to heed the suggestion of a junior functionary which finally resulted in denial of passport to him.  Those days getting a foreign trip used to be precious, and another officer was deputed for the work!

In life’s journey, we would come across situations when we need to heed to the advice of auto drivers and rickshaw-pullers.  In Kashmir, it would perhaps be a rickshaw-puller who may be telling you not to venture into certain terrorist infested areas after dusk.

In May last year me, my wife and daughter went from Darjeeling to the world famous Tiger Hill early morning at 4.00 a.m. to see the sun rise at the Kanchenjunga (sun rises around 5.15 am there).  Sun rise there is a spectacular sight, with a 360◦ view of the snow-clad Himalayas and the highest peak Kanchenjunga.  We came back to the hotel around 7.30 am visiting a church en-route.   On reaching the hotel, our companion Luxuman who drove us around from the time we landed at the Bagdogra airport told us that the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha might foment trouble at the meeting of Madan Tamang, the Gorkha ABGL leader around 9.00 am and it would be better if we left the place soon.  Though we had planned to stay for another day, heeding his advice, we left for the safer Siliguri at 8.00 am in a vehicle arranged by Luxuman.  At half way, the driver got a message that Madan Tamang has been murdered and life in the entire Hills has come to a standstill.  We patted our back for heeding the advice of Luxuman or else we would have been stranded there.

So my friends, we should have the wisdom to heed ‘what is said than asking who said it’.   At times it is our ego which comes into clash, but then there is wisdom in listening to strangers, parents, elders, priests, religious etc. because their words come out of their experience and age.