In the neighborhood, everyone admired Grandma’s words. People said that Grandma did not just talk; she filled an entire ocean inside a small pot. It meant that she explained even small things as if she were sharing the philosophy of life itself. Although Grandma was old in age, her mind was still sharp.
One day, a child from the neighborhood came crying to Grandma and said, “Grandma, my friend is not talking to me.” Grandma smiled and said, “Son, relationships are like water. If you shake them too much, they spill, and if you keep them closed, they become stale.”
The child felt a little confused but became quiet.
The next day, a daughter-in-law from the neighborhood came complaining, “Grandma, my mother-in-law keeps scolding me.”
Grandma said, “Daughter, in the house’s grinding wheel, flour is ground and stays silent. If the grinding stone starts speaking, bread will not be made.”
The daughter-in-law nodded but did not fully understand.
In the evening, Grandma’s grandson asked, “Grandma, how can I concentrate on my studies?”
Grandma said, “Son, books are friends who do not talk much but teach a lot. If you befriend them, even exams will pass out of embarrassment.”
The grandson laughed and said, “Grandma, you turn every matter into a story.”
Grandma replied, “Child, life itself is a story; it just needs someone to tell it.”
One day, the electricity went out in the neighborhood. People came to Grandma’s house worriedly. Someone said, “Grandma, suggest some solution.”
Grandma said, “Darkness is only outside. If there is light in the heart, even a candle looks like the sun.”
Hearing this, people lit candles and sat quietly, remembering Grandma’s words.
People in the neighborhood said that Grandma grew wise with understanding, not with age. Every one of her words tasted like an ocean contained in a small pot.
And Grandma would smile and say, “Child, knowledge grows by sharing, and life becomes lighter by smiling.”
RAJEEV VERMA 