Wish you a very happy new year!
Now you can tell me that measurement of time in Anna Domini (AD) terms is not rational, but that’s a debate for another time. Pun not intended.
Coming to the subject of fires, you may have received a WhatsApp forward.
A fire broke out in One Avighna Park, a 60-storey high-rise on 15th December.
Since my friend lives there, I also know that there was one prior fire incident there: 22nd October 2021.
These collectively reminded me of an incident that occurred more than 2500 years ago.
Kaushambi was a prosperous city. It was ruled by King Shrenik.
Just like One Avighna Park, there were frequent fires happening in the city.
Since many of them were because of negligence, the king ordained that whenever a fire breaks out, the home owner must leave the city.
And it worked.
People became more vigilant.
Fires became less frequent, then became rare occurrences.
But there’s always a twist to the tale.
The royal cook made a mistake.
As a result, a fire broke out in the palace.
Since even kings are subordinate to the rules (but not Eknath Shinde, his convoy can stop traffic any time), Shrenik and his family decided to leave the city.
“I’m sorry, Raja ji” the cook pleaded, “Don’t punish yourself for my mistake.”
“It’s alright, I accept your apology. But if I don’t uphold the rules, the public may lose trust in the system. We can’t afford to do that.”
The prudent king asked his family to pack whatever they needed, and leave everything else behind.
The palace. The riches. Most of their valuables, animals and staff members.
And so they did. They left only with essentials.
People called them fools.
But the story isn’t over.
They found a piece of land outside the city and settled there.
What do you think happened to them?
Will they ever come back?
Will a family indulged in a lifestyle of luxury even survive this hardship?
Wait one week to find out.
