Asian and American Musings (Volume 1)
I read this story during my childhood but I am unable to recollect the exact source. It is from the Mughal age.
"One day Akbar asked Birbal, the wise man in Akbar's palace, "Birbal, tell me when do human beings feel happy the most?"
Birbal told Akbar, "Emperor, I will let you know today."
They say Akbar just ate only one meal per day and obviously that would have been a pretty large meal. Anyways, that day it was time for Akbar's usual meal and Birbal made sure Akbar had a more than large meal. Birbal then suggested to Akbar they go out for a stroll in the royal garden. The royal entourage was following Akbar and Birbal and they walked a distance more than the usual and ventured into the nearby jungle.
The group was walking along when Akbar suddenly felt rumbling in his stomach - it was time for a nature's call. Birbal immediately made arrangements for the Emperor to shed his poop - curtains were drawn and Akbar attended the call of nature.
Once Akbar was done with his 'unloading', Birbal asked him, "Emperor, how do you feel now?"
Akbar replied, "The happiest!""
I was inspired very much by this story. Stories like the one presented above convey a simple message in very few words.
I present in this book ten very short stories. These are fictional flash stories based in Asia and the USA. Stories are, as someone stated, windows into the minds and hearts of people.
Today's life is like a T-20 or even better, a T-10 cricket match. In today's busy age, the attention span of adults has become shorter than that of infants. The only way to gain attention among the galaxies of today's literary world is simplicity. Hence, I have made an attempt at presenting stories which do not need much time to read. But these stories convey a deep message. Who knows, these very short stories can form the basis for even full novels. The names of the characters in these stories could be from any religion or community.
The human race has one origin – from Adam and Eve. Religion, race, color, the list goes on – are present for one reason. Our whole life is one huge start-up. The items required for our start-up are God's gifts in measured but correct quantities. It is unto us to decide what we make of it.
You call Him by any name, a superpower, the Almighty, is there. His names are the most beautiful. Many a time, we forget His existence. We go on with our lives committing several crimes, breaking people's hearts. After all, we are human. The problem arises when this becomes a habit. The Almighty renders his justice right here, in this world. And, eternal justice is definitely served in the Hereafter too. So love one another without any expectation in return. Of course, this is easier said than done. But we can at least give it a try.
Word count: 5,200 words
Total Number of pages: 18