Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a famous French painter. When he died in his 78 th year, his organs were very crippled because of rheumatoid arthritis. In his final years, he had great difficulty in moving his hand and painting pictures. Still, he did not hesitate to work, even though he had to fix a piece of cloth also, to keep the brush fixed in between his fingers. One day a young Henri Matisse asked him, why all these painful struggles. He replied, “The pain passes but the beauty remains.”
The truth is the same with the legendary Meenakshi temple in Madurai and the Great Wall in China. There are strange stories of intense pain and suffering behind all these. We know how precious diamonds are. Diamonds are the result of the terrible heat and pressure Nature applies. It is severely ground too.
Heard of the famous Sistine Chapel in Rome? The ceiling of this papal chapel is more famous, because it holds the best of High Renaissance Art works done by Michelangelo. Remember, how painful it was to lie on a platform under the ceiling for days and do this great work! People are amazed by this awesome painting but think not of the pain the artist had to suffer! Another example is the exquisite joy a mother enjoys after all the labour pains she suffered. The new generation also needs to remember the pains behind great projects like Facebook, Amazon and Apple…. We enjoy the fruits of days or years of intense pain and suffering, many people have gone through.
I remember the 2021 farmers strike in India. It was headed by the Punjabi Farmers Associations. It continued almost for a year and the Union Government had to withdraw the laws, at last. For sure, there are much to learn from the attitude of Punjabis. There are tons of Sardarji jokes too.
Once, a few ladies were on a one-day visit to Delhi, in a taxi car. Their driver was a Sardarji. The driver was listening to all the Sardarji jokes they were sharing but did not respond at all. At last, when the ladies settled the fare, the driver gave back one rupee and requested the lady to donate it to a Sardar if she ever happens to see one begging. It took some time for the lady to understand that Sardarjis don’t beg. Begging is never their practice; they always work for a living. They know the ambience of that beauty in life, while the money comes from sweating.
Yes, living with a goal and sweating to reach there with necessary values beside are painful but are beautiful!
