“ I SHOULD POINT TO INDIA”
It was Urdu poet-philosopher Dr. Sir Mohammed Iqbal
(1873-1938) who said that India is the best of all the countries. This poetical statement carries no
exaggeration and will remain eternally true despite all the ups and downs which
the march of world history, culture and civilization may witness for centuries
to come.
Small practices like hand-washing, face-covering and social
distancing, which we are being asked to adopt today have been a part of our
culture from time immemorial.
Given below is a short
extract from one of the lectures delivered by the most distinguished indologist
Friedrich Max Muller. He was born in
Dessau, Germany, on 6.12.1823 and passed away in U. K. on 28, 10.1900. He
studied in U.K., became a British national, but earned distinction as a German
scholar of comparative languages, religions and mythology. His specialty was Sanskrit
philology and the religions of India. As an author, he is particularly known
for “The Sacred Books of the East. “
Indian English writer Nirad C. Chaudhuri (23-11-1897 ---1.8.1999)
wrote Max Muller’s biography under the title: “Scholar Extraordinary”. It was first published by Chatto & Windus
in 1974.
The series of lectures delivered by Max Muller was entitled: “India,
what can it teach us’.
The extract selected by me reads as follows:
“If I were to look over the whole
world to find out the country most richly endowed with all the wealth, power
and beauty, nature can bestow, in some parts a very paradise on earth, I should
point to India.
“If I were to ask
under what sky the human mind has fully developed some of its choicest gifts,
has most deeply pondered on the greatest problems of life, and has pondered on the
greatest problems of life, and has found solutions of some of them which well
deserve the attention even of those who have studied Plato and Kant ------ I
should point to India.
“And if I were to ask myself from what literature, we here in
Europe, we who have been nurtured almost exclusively at the thoughts of Greeks
and Romans, and of one Semite race, the Jewish, may draw that corrective which
is most wanted in order to make our inner life more perfect, more
comprehensive, more universal, in fact more truly human, a life, not this life
only, but a transfigured and eternal life, again I should point to India.”
10th
April 2020 G.
R. KANWAL
Respected g.r kanwal sir...i am a student of sumermal jain public school...we all are missing u a lot as our director sir...this is my request if u can come to the school one more time after this pandemic and meet us all and give us your blessings we miss you a lot sir
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