The old man sitting under the peepul tree, on his rope-charpoy, smoking hubble -bubble the whole day long was the village bringer of wisdom.
He would sit there, hunched , practically the whole day long, doing precious nothing but smoke his hookah and stare at the trees.
People would come and present their queries. There would be a long pause . More bubbling and chillum-smoke . After a long pause , the old man , would deign to remove the pipe from his mouth and proceed to offer solutions , to patiently waiting people.
Sometimes , he wouldn’t answer at all. he would just continue smoking his hookah and staring at the trees.
People would wait for hours and then go. They would be back again the next day.
One day, the old man , like all mortals,passed away.
The entire village came to attend his funeral. His ashes were not submerged in some holy river as was the custom . By popular vote it was enshrined in a small temple which came up under the peepul tree.
The local MLA came and spoke words in praise of the old man . A pucca road was built till the peepul tree.
Loudspeakers were installed , and holy songs were played . non-stop from the top of the temple . People still came with their problems , prayed to the old man , who was a full fledged deity now .
He still had no answers for them . People , however , did not stop flocking to his temple .
All sorts of healing miracles were associated with him , and he became a saint .
He would sit there, hunched , practically the whole day long, doing precious nothing but smoke his hookah and stare at the trees.
People would come and present their queries. There would be a long pause . More bubbling and chillum-smoke . After a long pause , the old man , would deign to remove the pipe from his mouth and proceed to offer solutions , to patiently waiting people.
Sometimes , he wouldn’t answer at all. he would just continue smoking his hookah and staring at the trees.
People would wait for hours and then go. They would be back again the next day.
One day, the old man , like all mortals,passed away.
The entire village came to attend his funeral. His ashes were not submerged in some holy river as was the custom . By popular vote it was enshrined in a small temple which came up under the peepul tree.
The local MLA came and spoke words in praise of the old man . A pucca road was built till the peepul tree.
Loudspeakers were installed , and holy songs were played . non-stop from the top of the temple . People still came with their problems , prayed to the old man , who was a full fledged deity now .
He still had no answers for them . People , however , did not stop flocking to his temple .
All sorts of healing miracles were associated with him , and he became a saint .