“MOVING A MOUNTAIN”

You want to have a post- breakfast constitutional, (walk). What will you do? Wear your NIKE and may be ,take a walking stick, in good measure, and proceed towards the mountain, or the hill nearby. Right ? O. K. for a commoner like me.

Wrong, if you are a top executive, IN INDIA, or at least a close relative of someone in power. Closer the better, for effectiveness and speed.

I had heard the mythological story , from my grandmother, of the divine prowess of Hanumanji. While on an errand to get a medicinal plant from Vindhya, he spirited the mountain itself . This must have been done as an abundant precaution, by him. There was the life of Laxmanji, at stake, the younger brother of his god, Shriramji. No chances were taken.

Another one was about the greatest Adam, Shrikrishna. With the help of his followers, he moved up the entire GOVARDHAN, (hill) and provided it as an umbrella to save the township, from torrential rains. There was some worthy purpose in these stories, of movement of mountains.

With a pinch of salt I used to take the stories, and out of respect to my grandmother I never challenged the veracity. However there was a lurking doubt in my mind about these mythological happenings.

Later in life I was told the story of a devout, top Executive, in Delhi.

The Executive used to pay his respects to a holy cow, prior to his breakfast as a ritual daily. The cow used to be in a barn in the palatial campus of the top Executive .

On one not so fine a day , the Executive fell ill. He was not able to move, out of his bed, which was on the second floor of the mansion.

No problem! The cow could move. Hence to abide by the regimen of the Executive, the cow was made to climb the stairs. The prayers to the cow, adhered to religiously.

My doubts about, mountain moving to the man were shaken slightly.

However now, when I learnt that Mr. Yadav, a close relation of our Rail-minister, was obliged ,by moving the whole train to the platform where the SHALAK was , I have converted myself to a total believer.

You don’t have to take the trouble to trot to the hill . You can transport the hill home, manage the right relatives.

Mountain can be moved.

M S RANADE
Chairman & CEO
Placewell Consultants, Pune 411007
mranade@vsnl.com