The hot ‘Khichdi’
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The hot ‘Khichdi’
In a small village, somewhere in Maharashtra, a handful of soldiers stopped by. A few of them were injured, and they looked for an empty house to take refuge. Night had fallen, and the village was submerged in darkness. The soldiers found a small hut which they thought would be a safe-refuge. They knocked on the door.
An old lady opened the door, with a lamp in hand.
One of the soldiers said, ‘We are soldiers. We want to take refuge in your hut if you do not have any problem.’
‘I stay alone, how can I let you in at this time of hour?’ The old lady said.
‘Some of the soldiers are injured, we need to take shelter tonight to nurse them. Please help.’
The old lady then came out of the hut and gave a deep stare to the rest of the soldiers. Then she nodded and opened the door. The soldiers tied their horses and entered the hut.
The old lady said, ‘First, I will get some hot water so that all of you can wash your wounds. Then I will prepare some ‘Khichdi’ for all of you. Some of you can help me in cooking.’
The old lady went inside the kitchen, and the soldiers settled down in the small hut. Then they sat in a circle to discuss the battle outcome and strategy. They were very engrossed in the discussion, when the the old lady informed that the ‘Khichdi’ is ready.
The soldiers were hungry. Immediately, they sat in a line and eagerly waited for the meal to be served.
Lovingly, the old lady served steaming hot ‘Khichdi’ to the Soldiers.
One of the soldiers put his finger in the middle of the plate to get a mouthful. Oh! And he burnt his finger!
The old woman carefully watched this action and said, ‘Oh brave soldier, one should not eat hot ‘Khichdi’ from the center, your will burn your fingers. Try eating from the peripheral first, which is not that hot and easy to eat.’
The soldier stopped eating. His face brightened up and eyes shone in gratitude. He bowed down to the old lady, and said, ‘Dear mother, I am the Maratha King Shivaji. Today you have taught me an important learning for my battle strategy. Now I understand why I was failing in almost every battle. Instead of attempting to get the small kingdoms first, I was trying to win powerful kingdoms first.’
The soldier was the great Indian King of the Maratha Kingdom – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He is remembered and celebrated as a national hero, even 400 years after he died.
Each and every stepping stone is important in our journey towards our goal. In hurriedness to reach the end, we may lose the purpose.