Two Wonder Boys from Holland and India who controlled Floods
Two boys have become immortal due to their hard work and humility; one is from India and the other is from Holland. The Dutch (Holland) is an imaginary boy and Indian boy is a real boy. The story of Indian Hindu boy is attested by the Upanishads and Mahabaharata. The imaginary Dutch boy is from the novel of American writer Mary Mapes Dodge.
The Hindu boy lived at least 3000 years ago. The Dutch boy story appeared first in 1865. The name of the Hindu boy is Uddalaka Aruni and the name of the imaginary Dutch boy is Hans Brinker.
The pity is most of us knew about the imaginary Dutch boy, but not about the real Hindu boy. But the moral of the story is same. Dutch have erected his statues in three towns for the imaginary non –existent boy just to attract tourists. It is a shame Indians never erected a statue or issued a stamp for the great Indian boys Dhruva, Nachiketas, Upamanyu, Uddlaka Aruni, Svetaketu, Satyakama Jabala and Veda.
‘Vidya Vinayanna Sampathe’ is the Sanskrit saying. ‘Education shines through humility (humbleness)’.
Tamil saint Tiruvalluvar in his Tirukkural says:
The angel of virtue will willingly abide in a person who gains self possession through his learning and self control (self restraint).
An echo is heard in what Erasmus said:
“The spirit of God, delighteth to dwell in the hearts of the humble”.
This is the moral of the stories given below:
Story of the Dutch Boy
A long time ago there lived in Haarlem, an important town in the Netherlands (Holland), a blond-haired boy. His father was the lockkeeper and had to make sure that the locks were opened and closed to keep the water in the canals at the right level.
On a beautiful day in Autumn this boy, he was 8 years old, went to visit an old blind man and bring him some home made biscuits. After about an hour he went home, but the weather had changed; it was raining and the water in the canal was rising.
All of a sudden he heard the sound of trickling water and he wondered where it came from. Then he saw a very small hole in the dike (Dyke)! A dyke is an embankment built along the coastline of the Netherlands to prevent flooding of low lying areas. With the pressure of the water the hole won't stay small for long and that means flood! He knew what to do. He climbed onto the dike and put his finger in the hole. Now he hoped for someone to come past soon, because he started to feel quite cold, but no one came. When dawn broke, the priest, who had been spending the night at the bedside of a very sick parishioner, was walking home and saw the boy.
"What are you doing there"? he asked when he saw the boy lying on his tummy, halfway up the dike. "I am holding the water back," was the simple answer. "Please get help!" And of course help came soon after that. Everyone in Holland was very proud of the boy.
Story of Uddalaka Aruni from Maha Bharata
Ayoda Dhaumya was a famous teacher who lived before Buddha, at least 3000 years ago. Princes and paupers came to him to learn the scriptures. In those days one has to stay with the Guru for twelve years and learn the lessons. They have to serve the Guru/teacher every day and get food items for him. Aruni was a young prince who came to study under him. Guru gave him a difficult task. He asked him to go to his field and fix the breach in the sluice. Though he was a prince he took his spade and basket and rushed to the field. In spite of his repeated attempts to repair the breach and stop the water, he did not succeed. The sun started setting. He did not want to return home without finishing the task. He managed to put his body across the breach and stop the water with the help of leaves and mud.
Nachiketas, One of the Hindu Boy Heroes, facing Yama.
In the meantime Guru started his evening lesson after sunset. One boy, Aruni, was missing. He was shocked and asked other students where he was. All of them gave the same message: they saw him repairing the breach till late evening. Guru ran to the field holding a fire torch in his hand and called several times “Aruni, Where are you?” After a while, a faint voice came from Aruni saying that he was lying in the mud across the breach. Guru lifted him and hugged him lovingly.
When he came to Guru’s house he put his hand on his head and said to him: Aruni, You have learnt what you are expected to learn. Your education is complete. Go home. My full blessings are with you. The boy was called Uddalaka Aruni.
This was education in ancient days. In addition to learning scriptures by heart, they have to apply it practically in everyday life. He learnt humility, obedience to elders, faith in what teachers say and above all hard work.
These two wonder boys will inspire generations to come.
