Big Picture Zen

Category: Stories

  • How Do We Create Our Own Suffering?

    Have you ever wondered why you keep suffering long after the actual event has passed?

    Think of a time when someone criticized you – “How could you do that? She is your sister. That’s not the way a good brother should be.”

    That comment stays with you for days. You start thinking: Maybe I’m not good enough. Now my family will look down upon me. What should I have done differently?

    You replay the events in your mind. You go through every detail, looking for the moment when you could have prevented it. Or you look for justifications why you did what you did.

    Isn’t this suffering?

    Consider another situation. Your boss sends you a message: “Can we talk?”

    That’s it. Four words. But your mind takes off. Is it about my performance? Have I made a mistake? Is my job safe? What will happen to my family? How much money do I have in the bank? Maybe I should update my resume.

    Nothing has actually happened yet. But you have already lived through several possible futures.

    Isn’t this suffering?

    Or take something more personal. You and your girlfriend have been chatting regularly. Things seem to be going well. One day you send her a message: “I love you.”

    She sees it. Two blue ticks in the chat. No reply. Five minutes. Ten minutes. An hour. You check the chat again. And again. Did she misunderstand me? Does she love me? Did I say it too soon?

    What is she thinking? Maybe she likes someone else.

    Your mind starts connecting everything you know about her, searching for an explanation. You can’t focus on anything else that day.

    Isn’t this suffering?

    And then here is another case. A friend insulted you a long time back. You never forgot it. Ten years later, you still don’t speak to him. You see him at a gathering and avoid him. The words were spoken ten years ago. But something is still alive inside you.

    Isn’t that suffering?

    Even as simple an event like your colleague did not smile at you when he passed by you can create a chain of thoughts.

    So why do we get caught in so much thinking? Is it the criticism? The message from the boss? The unanswered text? The insult? Or is something else? What is happening inside our mind?

    Let’s unpack it.

    It may begin very simply. A sound. A few spoken words. A message on a screen. A facial expression. A memory. A physical sensation.

    Something happens and a sensation appears in the body. Perhaps tension. A tightening in the chest. A sinking feeling in the stomach. A sudden heat. We may not even notice it. But that sensation triggers a feeling.

    The feeling triggers a thought. And that thought triggers another thought. Then another. And another. Suddenly, what began as a few words has become an entire world inside your head.

    The criticism has become: “I am not good enough.” The boss’s message has become: “I might lose my job.” The unanswered message has become: “She doesn’t love me.” The insult has become: “I can never forgive him.”

    The original event was small. The mind has built an enormous structure around it. This is where the Buddhist idea of prapancha becomes interesting.

    Prapancha is mental or conceptual proliferation – a storm of thoughts.

    The mind takes an experience and keeps multiplying it. One thought produces another. One association produces another. Memory connects with fear. Fear connects with imagination. Imagination connects with another memory. And soon there is a massive proliferation of thoughts. Like a nuclear chain reaction. Or a viral outbreak. The original event has almost disappeared. Yet the suffering has become enormous.

    The Magic Lion

    There is an old story in the Panchatantra about four friends who came across some bones in a jungle. Each one began to show off their knowledge and skills.

    The first said he could arrange the bones into a skeleton. The second said he could add muscles, flesh and skin. The third said he could bring the creature to life. They did exactly that.

    The skeleton was assembled. The flesh and skin was added. And life was breathed into it. The creature became a lion. And the lion ate all three of them. The fourth one saved himself by hiding in a tree, because he realized the dangers of what his companions were up to.

    You can watch the story here.

    Moral of the Story

    While in the Panchatantra, the story proves that common sense is superior to bookish knowledge, I find Geshe la Tenzin Lhabsum‘s interpretation of this story much more relevant to understanding how we create suffering. Initially, there may be nothing more than a few “bones.” A sensation. A thought. A memory. A few words someone said.

    We then connect the dots. We add flesh to the story. We give it meaning. We breath imaginary intentions and motivations into those actions. The ‘I’ is born – the personalization, the identification takes place. Further, this mass of thinking then magically takes a life of its own. It becomes alive in a sense like the lion and starts to affect us psychologically.

    But surprisingly, as if we don’t know what we did, we wonder in all innocence: Why is this happening to me? What did I do? Why am I suffering so much?

    We forget that we created the lion, we kept feeding it. We kept giving it thoughts, memories, explanations, fears and possibilities. Eventually, it became powerful enough to run our life and eventually ruin our life.

    And we may have not created just one but many lions, the many ‘I’s that Gurdjieff spoke about, each one ready to wake up and pounce based on the trigger or button anyone presses.

    Just as a nuclear reaction multiplies rapidly once it begins, prapancha is the uncontrolled proliferation of thoughts. Left unnoticed, it can overwhelm the mind and prolong suffering long after the original event has passed.

    So What Can We Do About It? How Can We Stop This Prapancha?

    Perhaps not by fighting the thoughts. Not by trying to force the mind to become quiet. Not by replacing one thought with another. The important moment may come much earlier. Before the proliferation. Before the story. Before the mind has connected all the dots.

    Just notice the sensation. Notice what happens in the body when the trigger appears. Notice the feeling. Notice the first thought. And simply watch. Without immediately following it.

    The boss says, “Can we talk?” Notice what happens. The body reacts. The mind starts moving. Watch it. Don’t immediately build the story.

    Someone criticizes you. Notice the sensation. Notice the feeling. Notice the first thought. Watch what happens next. Don’t add the next piece of flesh to the skeleton.

    This is where mindfulness becomes important. Not as a technique for making ourselves feel better. But as the capacity to see what is happening before we are completely carried away by it. It is like the fourth friend who sees what is happening and where the thinking is leading to. Essentially, all the four of them are in our mind.

    Remember that once the proliferation has exploded, it can be very difficult to see where it began. But if we learn to notice the first ripple… perhaps we don’t have to create the whole wave. And perhaps this is one of the most interesting questions we can ask:

    How much of our suffering comes from what happened to us, and how much comes from what we create after it happens?

  • Scrolling till Enlightenment

    Yesterday, late in the afternoon, after a sumptuous lunch, I was doing nothing (i.e. scrolling reels). I came across Shakespeare’s quote from King Lear

    I paused to reflect – Am I doing something or doing nothing? I started to feel a bit uneasy & guilty. However, the next reel raised my spirit.

    I relaxed on reading that. It was very sound advice but it lasted only a few reels until I came across Henry David Thoreau.

    I had to read that a few times before it sank in. Having nothing to do, I must still do something. What could that be? As I was reflecting on what to do, I got the answer on the 12th reel.

    Zen sayings have a magical effect. They stop your thinking and make you wonder. I couldn’t agree more. Everything happens on its own. Who am I to do something?

    Energized by that I now aimed for perfection. However just then Robert Schuller, the author of ‘Tough Times Never Last but Tough People Do’ pitched in

    Oh. Is it so? Doubts started to creep in about my doing nothing even though I did it perfectly. How can one handle such criticism? As I browsed through reels striving to achieve clarity. Aristotle made an appearance and helped me find inner peace by pointing out in a typically Greek way

    I thought to myself that there must be some truth to his advice since no one criticized him for so many centuries for putting the Earth in the center of the Universe. I continued scrolling further…

    Even before I could figure out what that ‘SOMETHING’ to do was…

    I thought I finally found that ‘SOMETHING’ to do – ‘NOTHING’!

    In a way the previous two quotes seemed to cancel each other. I wonder what Keillor and Lounsbrough would have discussed over a cup of coffee.

    But I don’t like to regret my actions later. What if I was supposed to DO SOMETHING but I did NOTHING. Or what if I was supposed to DO NOTHING but did SOMETHING? Wouldn’t it be a disaster?

    To hell with that.

    Things were really getting heated up (My phone was also feeling warm in my hands). It was like nearing the climax of a mystery. Anytime now it would become crystal clear what I needed to do.

    To Do or Not To do That is the Question!

    The anticipation brought me to Warren Buffet, arguably the greatest ‘INVESTOR OF ALL TIME’ [unlike me]

    I was going to settle on that as the final word when I heard my wife shout from the other room

    I had asked you in the morning to get some fruits and vegetables. DID YOU GET IT?

    In that moment I got enlightened.

  • A Lesson from a Small Emotional Trigger

    Yesterday afternoon, I dropped my daughter off at her guitar class and parked my car in front of a closed laundry shop. Since the class was an hour long, I settled in with a book as I waited.

    About half an hour later, someone knocked on my window. I looked up to see a balding man in a loose shirt and trousers, with a stubble. In a loud, slightly annoyed tone he said: “गाडी पुढे घे” (move the car ahead).

    For a moment, I was stunned. I wasn’t blocking anyone; I was parked at the kerb. Then I realized—he was the laundry shop owner, wanting to park his two-wheeler in front of his shop, and my car was in the way.

    I moved the car a few feet forward, but I found myself unsettled. It wasn’t what he said, but how he said it. I kept thinking about it and soon realized: he said “गाडी पुढे घे”. What I had expected was “गाडी पुढे घ्या.”

    For those who know Marathi, the distinction is clear. घे is casual, often used with peers or those considered of lower status. घ्या, on the other hand, is polite and respectful, used for elders or those higher in status.

    Why was I upset? Because I felt he hadn’t addressed me “politely.” Somewhere, unconsciously, I was thinking: I am a car owner, an educated person; surely, he should have the courtesy to use the proper words with me.

    As I reflected further, I realized something uncomfortable. In my own interactions, I am polite to everyone—the maid at home, the building sweeper, the auto-rickshaw driver. I always use घ्या for strangers. And so, I expected the same courtesy in return.

    But on thinking deeper, I recognized another truth. In Marathi, the casual घे is far more common in everyday speech, especially on the streets. For the shop owner, his language was normal and unfiltered. He wasn’t being rude—he was simply speaking the way he always does.

    The real lesson here was not about language, but about triggers. If we aren’t aware of them, small things—like a single word—can upset us without our realizing why. But if we pause, observe our feelings, and trace them back to their source, we begin to see the trigger for what it is. And often, we see that the other person never intended to offend us at all. The sense of being offended is created because of our own tacit expectations.

    So the next time you feel disturbed, pause and ask yourself: what exactly triggered me? Awareness is the first step to freedom.

    Be aware. Be attentive. Be awake.

  • Dusshera – Good Over Evil

    Dusshera is symbolic of the victory of good over evil. The myth and legends point to the victory of Rama over Ravana and Durga over Mahishasura.

    We are all happy that Rama defeated Ravana and Goddess Durga killed Mahishasura. So now that both Ravana and Mahishasura are out of the way long ago, does it mean that we are now living in good times? Hardly.

    Look around you and you will find so much evil in the world today also. So has Ravana taken birth again? Has Mahishasura become alive again? If so, where is Rama and Durga? Are they just imprisoned in temples and Chief Guests during Navaratri?

    The point that we miss in all this is that these stories are not external. There is a Rama and Ravana within us. There is a Durga and Mahishasura within us. It is the way we think that determines whether we are Rama or Ravana, Durga or Mahishasura. The battle is in our minds – the battle of good and evil. Who will win?

    It is said that good ultimately wins over evil. But is it that given enough time, good will win? What about till then? Is evil dominating till then? Will good win before we die?

    It is very important to realize the evil within us. We mistakenly believe it is outside. But look closely. Is anger out there? Is envy or jealousy or hatred out there? Or in here? Who gets frustrated and irritated when things are not going your way?

    We think other people are the cause of our negative reactions. It may be so. But that does not let you off the hook. The inner war is the cause of the outer war, not the other way round. If you are at peace internally, where is the need to hate someone, get angry at someone, or become irritated?

    Check within who is in charge – good or evil. Have you taken offence on someone saying something bad about you? Are you complaining about something or someone? Are you wishing other people in your life were different and treated you more lovingly? Do you feel misunderstood and that no one is listening to you? Are you carrying grudges against someone who has hurt you in the past? Are you planning to take revenge for some wrong done to you? Are you constantly worried about how you will succeed in life? Are you afraid about what others will think about you?

    If any of this is true even momentarily, it means evil exists in you. One of the characteristics of evil is that it keeps you in deception. You feel everything is ok. That it is natural to be this way. That the problem is not with you but with others. This gives evil time to incubate and grow till it becomes very difficult to manage and overcome. In the end, we die without experiencing the victory of good over evil.

    Our notions of good are quite superficial, just limited to good external behavior. It is like putting on a fake smile while going to a party you don’t want to or congratulating someone on their success while internally smirking that he did not deserve it.

    Appearing to be good has become more important than truly being good. In fact, we do not even know what it means to be truly and genuinely good. We keep repeating that good ultimately wins in the end. After all that is what is conveyed in all the movies and all the mythological stories, isn’t it?

    The point is not that I am painting a picture of the world in which nothing can be done. The point is that the hero of the movie is not some other person. It is YOU.

    There is a Rama and Durga within you. Instead of identifying yourself with your name and circumstances, you must identify yourself with these forces of good within you. That is when the battle of good against the evil actually begins. Until this battle begins, evil is winning hands down.

    Once evil is seen within, the seeing itself is the good, the fight begins. You will see how your anger has fractured your relationships. You will see how your misperceptions have ruined your friendships. You will see how your envy and jealousy have distorted your understanding of others. You will see how your vengefulness and hard feelings have crippled the quality of your life. You will see you have no love within you for anyone. You will repent for carrying hard feelings for someone. You will forgive and ask for forgiveness. You will start loving everything for the first time.

    Only and only then good is said to win. Once good awakens, it will know what to do, it will tell you what to do. There is no chance then for Ravana and Mahishasura to gain any foothold. There is a path of goodness, there is a good life that one can live. It is our birthright to live a good life with love and affection for nature and other human beings. Are you ready for such a life?

    Mahishasura was a shape-shifting demon. Just like him, the evil within us comes in different manifestations. You have to be as agile and persistent as Durga to overcome these stratagems. Your aim must be to live a life of goodness, to be a genuinely good human being. No amount of wealth, success and fame can compare with such a life.

    I invite you to live the good life. Wish you a Happy Dusshera!

  • Sankuji and the Two Villages

    The story of Sankuji was told by my 8 year old daughter Aanya

    An old man by the name Sankuji lived in a villiage. He was a skillful artist. He used to create beautiful drawings, paintings and artwork. He was a very creative person and that made him very famous not only in his own village but also in nearby villages.

    It so happened that the heads of two nearby villages developed jealousy for Sankuji. People from other villages used to go to Sankuji’s village to see his paintings and they felt that their own villages were not famous because of Sankuji. So they hatched a plan to end the popularity of Sankuji.

    The heads of the two villages went to Sankuji’s house in the night with several of their strongmen and knocked on the door. Sankuji was asleep but the repeated knocking woke him up. As he opened the door, the men pounced on him and tied him up. Then they took him to a barn and locked him there and went away. They also put some soldiers to guard the barn to prevent Sankuji from escaping.

    In the morning, Sankuji found that he had 4 chocolates with him in his pocket and as he took 2 chocolates out, the guards saw them and quickly snatched it away from him. Sankuji saw that the soldiers liked the chocolates so after some time, he spoke to them asking if they wanted more.

    The soldiers said yes but Sankuji put the condition that if they will let me go, then he will give them the chocolates. The soldiers were greedy and really liked the chocolates so they allowed Sankuji to come out of the barn. Sankuji gave them the two remaining chocolates and went home.

    The next day, he called the head of his village and the heads of the two villages and said, “If you want to be famous, then show your skills, show your art and show your creation but do not end the work of others.” After hearing this, the heads of the two villages said sorry and apologized to Sankuji and went back.

    Moral of the story – Never be jealous.

  • Who Is Responsible For This?

    There is an ancient story about a king who once ordered his minister in the middle of the night to fill up the royal swimming pool with milk so that he could swim in it in the morning. The minister was in a quandary on how to fulfill the king’s desire. It would take a long time to milk the cows to get such a large quantity. One of his courtiers suggested that if each person in the city could bring one cup of milk, then it is possible to fill the swimming pool. The minister liked the idea and immediately sent out messengers to all parts of the city with the order that everyone has to bring a cup of milk right away and pour it into the royal swimming pool. 

    milk4

    Now there was this one person who heard the king’s order and thought to himself, “Everyone is going to bring milk. What if I take a cup of water? One cup of water will not make any difference in the large tank full of milk. And in the night, no one will notice what I am pouring in the tank”. So that’s what he did. He joined the queue of people who had come with their cups of milk and when his turn came, quickly emptied his cup of water into the tank. The next morning, as the sun rose, the minister was terribly shocked to see that there was only water in the swimming pool and no milk.

    There are many things that can be learned from this story.

    It is apparent that everyone put in a cup of water in to the pool instead of a cup of milk. The reason why everyone did it is not clear because only one person’s thought is expressed. And it is not sure that everyone thought the same. It is possible that some did not have a cup of milk at home and therefore had to bring water because it was compulsory.

    However, the crux of the story revolves around the thought that “No one will notice my lack of contribution because everyone is going to contribute”. And it is true that when all contribute to a task, then one person’s lack of contribution usually goes unnoticed. Take for example, in the game of Tug of War, if one person does not pull to his maximum strength or simply pretends to pull, then whether the team wins or loses, this act will go unnoticed. No one will be able to figure out who did not put his full effort into it.

    Similarly in a team project, one person can become a “free rider” – someone who rides on the success brought about by others. A free rider is a person who enjoys a benefit accruing from a collective effort, but contributes little or nothing to the effort. It is sometimes difficult to identify such free riders in a large team because they pretend to contribute yet do nothing in reality.

    The real problem happens when many people start becoming free riders because then it starts to affect the results, as in the case of the people who brought water instead of the milk. In the story, even if one or ten people had genuinely brought milk, that would go unnoticed in the whole pool of water. And it would seem that no one brought any milk.

    Think from the perspective of the minister. When he sees the pool full of water, he would blow his top and would want to punish all those culprits who put water but that would mean punishing the whole city, which is practically impossible. Let’s assume he was a really evil minister. He would order the flogging of every individual in the city. This would mean even those who brought milk would face the punishment because they would have no way to prove their honesty.

    With all this explanation, it is easy to draw parallels between the story and what we see in life around us. Just think of milk as taxes and you will be able to understand a lot. Think of people who evade taxes. Think of people who violate traffic rules. Think of why initiatives like Swacch Bharat do not become successful. If everyone contributed to making Bharat swacch, there would be no Swacch Bharat cess. Many other social evils like corruption can be understood from this angle.

    Jesus spoke of being a good Samaritan 2000 years ago and yet we easily convince ourselves to let others be the good Samaritans while we go about our jobs. The story of somebody, anybody, everybody and nobody is important in this context.

    Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody

    Now there are two more important learnings in this story which are not so obvious. The first is that the whole activity happens anonymously. If the minister had checked each person’s cup before it was poured into the pool, he would have realized what is happening. There is a Hindi proverb – Doodh ka dooth aur pani ka pani ho jata – which is apt for this story.

    Wherever there is anonymity, there is a scope for free riders.

    Therefore, it is important to bring transparency in transactions. Not only in transactions but also in our own mind and thoughts. Awareness of one’s own thoughts can prevent us from doing wrong and acting in an inappropriate manner. Only when we believe no one is observing us, then we can think of doing wrong or not doing what is asked for.

    The other important learning is from the perspective of the king. If the king makes unreasonable requests in the middle of the night, then he has no right to expect the results he wants. Supposing the request was genuine. For example, if the milk was needed for feeding poor children and there was visibility of that activity, many people in the city would have genuinely brought milk for them. However, I guess from this story that the king routinely announced such unreasonable orders to serve his personal luxury and therefore the people, having known this from past experience, acted in the fashion they did, thinking the king did not deserve their honesty. So as a leader, one must learn to make reasonable demands on one’s team in order to expect their full cooperation.

    The most sticky situation is that of the minister (manager?). On the one hand, the king is going to be angry on him for not getting the job done and on the other hand, he cannot do anything to correct the situation.

    So the question is – who is truly responsible?

     

  • Pinu and the Tiger Cub

    Another short story by Aarika, my 6 year old

    There was once a little boy named Pinu. He was very intelligent. He could answer any question put to him. One day he decided to go an explore the world because the world is a large place and he wanted to see all of it.

    So he set off and eventually reached a forest. As he was resting under a tree in the forest, he saw many goats running in his direction. He asked the goats why they were running. One of the goats said that there is a tiger cub chasing them so they were running away from it.

    Pinu got up and saw in the distance that there was indeed a young baby tiger cub running after the goats. The tiger cub managed to catch a young baby goat and was happy. It started going back to his home. The mother goat was terrified and asked Pinu for help.

    Pinu then ran up to the tiger cub and asked him to leave the baby goat alone. The tiger cub said no. He said father tiger had asked him to go to the forest and bring home some animal to eat. So Pinu had an idea. He said to the tiger cub that all the goats are his and he will bring all the goats to the tiger’s home so they all could eat the goats. But now let the baby goat go.

    The tiger cub thought it was a good idea and father tiger would be happy that he brought so many goats. So he left the baby goat and ran towards his home. Mother goat was happy to get the baby goat back.

    Now Pinu had to think of something. He asked the goats to follow him. They went deep into the forest and discovered a castle. Pinu thought this was a good place to hide so he brought all the goats inside. Then he discovered that there was a video intercom system in the castle. Whenever someone rang the bell, they could see who it was outside. Actually the intercom was a magic intercom. When Pinu pressed the button on the intercom, all the members inside the castle would become invisible by magic. Pinu liked this very much.

    At the other side of the forest, the tiger family was waiting for Pinu and the goats. Mother tiger kept asking the tiger cub when the goats were coming. Tiger cub said that Pinu promised to bring the goats. After waiting for a many days the tiger family got very hungry. They decided to go in search of the goats. They went through the whole forest but the goats and Pinu were nowhere to be found. Finally they reached the castle and rang the bell.

    Pinu saw in the intercom that it was the tigers. So he pressed the button on the intercom. By magic all the goats and he became invisible. He opened the door to let the tigers in and silently took the goats out from the back door. Then he locked the front door also. Thus the tigers were all locked up in the castle and Pinu escaped with the goats.

    Moral – Do not eat animals

     

     

  • The King and the Banyan Tree

    The following is a story written by my 8 year old daughter Aanya

    Once upon a time, there was a king who ruled over a large kingdom. There was a big forest on the outskirts of the kingdom. It was a very dense forest and everyone was afraid to go into it. Even the king was afraid to go in because he believed there were man eating wild animals in the forest.

    The Queen used to make fun of the King saying he was such a powerful king yet was afraid to go in the forest. One day she said to the King, “Why don’t you go? At least check what is there.”

    So the king finally decided to go. He took 20 of his courtiers with him and entered the forest. He saw a lot of deers eating grass and running around. For a moment he thought the forest is not scary after all because he did not see any wild animals.

    Soon it became dark. The King and his courtiers reach a big banyan tree. They had never seen such a huge banyan tree earlier. But because they were tired and night was approaching, they decided to return back and come again the next day to explore the rest of the forest.

    That night, the king saw a dream during his sleep. A beautiful fairy appeared in his dream and said – I am a real fairy and I can fulfill any wish you have. But remember, you went to the forest near the banyan tree. It is a dangerous tree. Do not go near it. If you do not listen to me then you will be in a big problem.

    The king became worried about the warning from the fairy. Next morning, his courtiers asked him why he looked worried and was in a bad mood. The king told them about his dream. He said the fairy asked him not to go near the banyan tree.

    On hearing this, the courtiers convinced him that it was just a dream and that they are not real and they should not change their plan of exploring the forest. The King agreed reluctantly. They all went in the forest and reached the banyan tree. This time the king went with one courtier near the tree and absentmindedly plucked one leaf from the tree.

    As soon as he did that, the king turned into a leaf and got stuck in the banyan tree. The courtier seeing this got scared and ran away to call the others. Just then the fairy appeared. She said to the king – See I told you to not come near the Banyan tree. You did not listen to me.

    The king said he was very sorry and pleaded with the fairy to help him. The fairy then converted him back to the king. Everyone was happy and thanked the fairy.

    Moral – Listen to everyone and help everybody

  • The Girl with a Magic Wish

    This is a short story composed by my 6 year old daughter Aarika

    Once upon a time, there lived a sweet little girl. She used to do everything by magic. She used to get everything by magic. All she had to do was to write her wish on a paper in the night and it used to get fulfilled in the morning when she woke up.

    So one night, she wrote on a page – “I want a small baby pillow” and stuck the paper on a wall. When she woke up in the morning, she did not find the pillow. Actually the pillow was there in the corner but she did not see it. She did not remember where she had stuck the paper also. She searched the whole house but could not find the pillow. It was time for her college so she had to go.

    After coming back from college, she remember where she had stuck the paper. There was a bag near the corner of the room and she found the pillow inside the bag. But the pillow was very small, like a small toy. She remembered she had asked for a baby pillow but this was too small. So she removed the cover of the pillow and threw it away.

    At night, before sleeping she wrote on a paper – “I want a medium sized pillow”. The pillow appeared in the night but because no one took it, the paper by magic took it back.

    Next day, she wanted to go to Pune from Nagpur. So she boarded a train. When the train stopped at a station in the morning, she woke up and got down on the platform. She saw a lot of shops in front of the station. There were all kinds of shops with everything. Then she remembered that in the night she had written on the page – “I want everything”. She was very happy.

    She went into the shops and took everything she wanted. But in the meanwhile, she forgot about the train and when she returned to the platform, the train had left. She saw here and there but the train was not there. She was sad because all her bags were in the train. She was hoping someone would pull the chain and stop the train.

    She had no money. She started thinking what to do. Then she got an idea. She started begging and earned some money. With that money she bought some new clothes. Then she saw a flat and started living there. There was a computer in the house and using that she booked a train ticket to Nagpur.

    She boarded the train and realized it was the same train which she had taken earlier from Nagpur to Pune. At night, she woke up because she wanted to go to the toilet. On the way, she saw her bags which she had lost in the earlier trip. She was so happy. But she kept the bags there only and wrote a note with a number on it and kept it in her pocket. Next morning, the train reached Nagpur. She removed the note with the number from her pocket, reached the compartment where her bag was and took the bag with her and went home.

    Moral of the Story – Do not act on any idea that comes to your mind.

  • The Story of a Lazy Boy

    This is a short story composed by my 6 year old daughter Aarika

    Once upon a time, there was a lazy boy. He was very lazy. His name was Soma and he lived in Pune. He went to school daily but because he was very lazy he did not study. As a result he got a wrong in everything at school.

    He became very upset. So he said to his mother one day that he wanted to get out of this school. Then his mother admitted him to another school. In that new school, everything was Ulta-Pulta. They gave right for wrong answers and wrong for right answers. This worked well for Soma because now  in the final exam when he gave wrong answers, he got everything right and full marks. He was very happy now. He decided to stay in this school till college.

    As the years went by, he reached the last standard in the school. He remembered his decision to stay back in this school till college. So he told the principal about it. But the Principal said no. Soma asked the Principal to allow him to continue college in the same school because it was a good school. But the Principal refused.

    So Soma went back to his mother and told her about it. His mother also said it was not possible. Soma was unhappy.

    One night, he tore a page from an old notebook and wrote on it – “I am leaving home and going to see the world”. He stuck the note on the door and left.

    He boarded a train. He looked around and saw that all the people in the train looked like Chinese people. So he thought that the train was going to China. He wanted to go to Mumbai but since the train was going to China, he thought he will get down in Mumbai. But in reality, the train was going to Ahmedabad. So he reached Ahmedabad in the morning.

    He thought what to do now because he wanted to go to Mumbai. So he bought a house which had a computer. Using the computer he booked a flight ticket for Mumbai. It was a late night flight. After reaching Mumbai, he found another house and a college. He studied in the college and grew up.

    Meanwhile, his father and mother did not find him at home in the morning and saw the note on the door, which said that – I am leaving home and going to see the world. They tore the note and threw it away in the dustbin.

    Soma’s parents had a magic computer which they never showed to him. They opened the computer and saw everything on it – how Soma boarded the train, reached Ahmedabad and then to Mumbai and also which college he joined. They also typed into the computer – How many years old is Soma now?

    Soma wanted to get married but he did not find any girl. He became old and still could not marry because he did not get any girl.

    Moral of the Story – Remember that kids must stay at home with parents in order to find a girl to marry.