We often regard our external appeal in a more superior fashion than our internal elements, which often become bleak under the veneer of flesh. History is proof enough of the fact that man has always tried to look beyond what meets the eye in the larger context of life. And the following four instances just go on to prove that it is always the
interior structure that decorates the house better than any outer wall.
She lay on the red couch with her eyes wide open, hinting at her melancholy mood and loneliness. She was wearing a pearl white, heavily embellished gown, with a thigh high slit, giving a glimpse of her flawless and radiating skin. Her long hair formed mop curls towards the end, reaching upto the ostentatiously decorated teapoy placed next to the sofa. Her almond-shaped, black eyes defied the societal notion of perfection. Beauty is said to lie in the eyes of the beholder; but her eyes gave a new meaning to beauty, generating the depth of an ocean. The ladylike charm that she possessed left a lasting impression on many a lovelorn heart. God's generosity was easily felt in her presence. She was nothing but an anomaly in the eyes of the world. Ironically enough, she often found herself torn between taking pride in her divine appearance and fulfilling the personal obligation of beautifying the soul and mind vis-a-vis her external appeal. For her, the paradise of beauty was more real than the armour of flesh.
Aarti Vemula, a third year student of computer engineering in Lucknow University, hailed from the Basauli village of Madhubani. She was one of the few girls from her village who had successfully completed her high school education, only to receive a scholarship from Lucknow University. Girls in her village often looked up to her as their role model in every context of life. She had the knack of striking a balance in all that she did. An academically bright student, she was also an ace Bharatnatyam dancer. The values instilled in her only added to her persona. Aarti was easy to please and she derived pleasure from ensuring that everyone around her was happy. A strong supporter of women's rights, she had always strived to set an example for other women by advocating gender equality. Her parents took great pride and satisfaction in watching their daughter become the torchbearer for all things good. Many girls in Aarti's village were victims of casteism and illiteracy, which kept them from achieving their ambitions. Aarti's biggest achievement arrived when people from Brahmin families in the Basauli village, who had, at once, laughed off Aarti's achievements by saying that her dalit status can never be overpowered by any professional achievements and aspirations, started looking upon Aarti as an ideal woman.
Amar Rath was a 28-year-old poor man who lived in Orissa with his parents, wife and handicapped, younger brother. Living off a meagre income of Rs 300 a day, life was indeed indifferent to Amar and his family. Despite having faced umpteen hardships in their lifetime and their ongoing struggle to make ends meet, Amar and his poor family, with time, had learnt to rejoice and celebrate every moment of happiness that came their way. Their helplessness and poor status didn't discourage them from reaching our to those that were needy and less fortunate like themselves. And for that quality of theirs, they had received ample adulation. One such act that defined the kindness and compassion that the Rath family was known for occurred during the time when Amar was 20 years old. Amar started working since he was 17 years old. He used to work as a peon in the office of a small-time businessman. One day while returning home from work, he met a farmer in his neighborhood, who looked like he was desperately in need of some help. Upon approaching him, Amar found out that the farmer, due to insufficient storage facilities, had sold off his harvest at a very low price for the fear that the harvest would quickly degrade. Amar tried consoling the farmer after learning about his dilemma, and offered to help him in his own capacity. Once Amar reached home, all the family members mutually decided to help the farmer procure some space of land, which would ensure enough protection for his harvest. The family, other than working overtime to collect money to buy the land for the farmer, ran from pillar to post spreading the word about the farmer's misery and asked everyone to help him out. Over a period of 7 months, the farmer succeeded in procuring 650 feet of land courtesy of Amar's family and his neighbourhood.
The Iyer community in South India is well known for being intellectual and highly qualified. And the community takes immense pride in distinguishing itself from the rest because of this distinct characteristic. A few people have achieved the remarkable feat of being prophets in the field of education. There come many times, in a lifetime, when one thinks he/she knows it all. And these phases lead to serious downfalls, which end up being the biggest learnings of life. Raman Swaminathan, a Mathematics scholar, always lived under the impression that there was nobody who could give him a run for his money as long as Mathematics was concerned. One day, his domestic help was busy finishing his household chores when two strangers, armed with guns, broke into his house and held Mr Raman captive at gunpoint. Not knowing what to do, Mr Raman, in a fit of rage, started abusing the two strangers verbally and stated, in no uncertain terms, that he would soon get both of them arrested. The two gunmen got furious upon hearing what Mr Raman said and shot him in the head. The house help was terrorized upon seeing his master lying in a pool of blood. Over and above anything else, he could not grapple with the fact that his master acted like a dunce. He, on the other hand, when the gunmen approached him, surrendered and started giving them everything that was within his reach, in a bid to divert their attention. He slipped out once he pointed to a corner, which he alleged, had some valuables. Once directed, he jumped to his feet to warn his master of the situation, and asked him to refrain from indulging in any kind of argument or pompous behaviour, but without any success. This incident, indeed proved that there is a vast difference between being educated and qualified. A well qualified individual may not always be well educated.
She lay on the red couch with her eyes wide open, hinting at her melancholy mood and loneliness. She was wearing a pearl white, heavily embellished gown, with a thigh high slit, giving a glimpse of her flawless and radiating skin. Her long hair formed mop curls towards the end, reaching upto the ostentatiously decorated teapoy placed next to the sofa. Her almond-shaped, black eyes defied the societal notion of perfection. Beauty is said to lie in the eyes of the beholder; but her eyes gave a new meaning to beauty, generating the depth of an ocean. The ladylike charm that she possessed left a lasting impression on many a lovelorn heart. God's generosity was easily felt in her presence. She was nothing but an anomaly in the eyes of the world. Ironically enough, she often found herself torn between taking pride in her divine appearance and fulfilling the personal obligation of beautifying the soul and mind vis-a-vis her external appeal. For her, the paradise of beauty was more real than the armour of flesh.
Aarti Vemula, a third year student of computer engineering in Lucknow University, hailed from the Basauli village of Madhubani. She was one of the few girls from her village who had successfully completed her high school education, only to receive a scholarship from Lucknow University. Girls in her village often looked up to her as their role model in every context of life. She had the knack of striking a balance in all that she did. An academically bright student, she was also an ace Bharatnatyam dancer. The values instilled in her only added to her persona. Aarti was easy to please and she derived pleasure from ensuring that everyone around her was happy. A strong supporter of women's rights, she had always strived to set an example for other women by advocating gender equality. Her parents took great pride and satisfaction in watching their daughter become the torchbearer for all things good. Many girls in Aarti's village were victims of casteism and illiteracy, which kept them from achieving their ambitions. Aarti's biggest achievement arrived when people from Brahmin families in the Basauli village, who had, at once, laughed off Aarti's achievements by saying that her dalit status can never be overpowered by any professional achievements and aspirations, started looking upon Aarti as an ideal woman.
Amar Rath was a 28-year-old poor man who lived in Orissa with his parents, wife and handicapped, younger brother. Living off a meagre income of Rs 300 a day, life was indeed indifferent to Amar and his family. Despite having faced umpteen hardships in their lifetime and their ongoing struggle to make ends meet, Amar and his poor family, with time, had learnt to rejoice and celebrate every moment of happiness that came their way. Their helplessness and poor status didn't discourage them from reaching our to those that were needy and less fortunate like themselves. And for that quality of theirs, they had received ample adulation. One such act that defined the kindness and compassion that the Rath family was known for occurred during the time when Amar was 20 years old. Amar started working since he was 17 years old. He used to work as a peon in the office of a small-time businessman. One day while returning home from work, he met a farmer in his neighborhood, who looked like he was desperately in need of some help. Upon approaching him, Amar found out that the farmer, due to insufficient storage facilities, had sold off his harvest at a very low price for the fear that the harvest would quickly degrade. Amar tried consoling the farmer after learning about his dilemma, and offered to help him in his own capacity. Once Amar reached home, all the family members mutually decided to help the farmer procure some space of land, which would ensure enough protection for his harvest. The family, other than working overtime to collect money to buy the land for the farmer, ran from pillar to post spreading the word about the farmer's misery and asked everyone to help him out. Over a period of 7 months, the farmer succeeded in procuring 650 feet of land courtesy of Amar's family and his neighbourhood.
The Iyer community in South India is well known for being intellectual and highly qualified. And the community takes immense pride in distinguishing itself from the rest because of this distinct characteristic. A few people have achieved the remarkable feat of being prophets in the field of education. There come many times, in a lifetime, when one thinks he/she knows it all. And these phases lead to serious downfalls, which end up being the biggest learnings of life. Raman Swaminathan, a Mathematics scholar, always lived under the impression that there was nobody who could give him a run for his money as long as Mathematics was concerned. One day, his domestic help was busy finishing his household chores when two strangers, armed with guns, broke into his house and held Mr Raman captive at gunpoint. Not knowing what to do, Mr Raman, in a fit of rage, started abusing the two strangers verbally and stated, in no uncertain terms, that he would soon get both of them arrested. The two gunmen got furious upon hearing what Mr Raman said and shot him in the head. The house help was terrorized upon seeing his master lying in a pool of blood. Over and above anything else, he could not grapple with the fact that his master acted like a dunce. He, on the other hand, when the gunmen approached him, surrendered and started giving them everything that was within his reach, in a bid to divert their attention. He slipped out once he pointed to a corner, which he alleged, had some valuables. Once directed, he jumped to his feet to warn his master of the situation, and asked him to refrain from indulging in any kind of argument or pompous behaviour, but without any success. This incident, indeed proved that there is a vast difference between being educated and qualified. A well qualified individual may not always be well educated.
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