T.S. SATYAN writes: It happened long ago.I had gone with a friend to the telegraph office near Banumiah‘s high school in Mysore when a coolie working at the nearby Santhepet came to us with a request.
“Swami, I want to send a telegram. Will you please write it for me?”
“Certainly. What’s the matter?”
“Someone in my neighbourhood is dead. I want to inform his relative who is living far away. I have his name and address.”
We drafted the message and gave it to him.
He returned it and asked: “Swami, Will you please read what you have written?”
We read out: “Your relative is dead. Start immediately.”
On hearing us the coolie seemed upset, looked at us with folded hands and asked: “Swami, Will you kindly remove the last sentence?”
“Why? What’s wrong with it?” We asked in surprise.
“Swami, the decision to come here or not is something that he has to take. Who are we to ask him what he should do?”
We were dumbfounded at the common sense and values of someone who could neither read or write.
churumuri 
Well pointed out !!!
There is a lot of difference between vidye and buddi. Normally they coexist. But there is no hard and fast rule that they should co-exist, as it proven over and again.
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Common sense is a rare commodity indeed. Thanks for very fine piece, TSS sir.
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We shud salute the common sense the man exhibited even at such a moment
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Just shows how we are caught in the stereo type way of life. Common sense can never be taught in the class rooms.
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Enjoyed this! Reminded me of discussions in “Wisdom, Intelligence, and Creativity Synthesized” (book by Bob Sternberg) which I’d like to recommend to Churumuri readers.
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Excellent example ! I rememebr the good old “Intelligent people have no common sense”, which is a strech of course, but something to ponder about. Being literate has absolutely nothing to do with wisdom, goodness or sanity for that matter !!!
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All literates are not automatically educated,
but many illiterates are educated by birth/observation and experience.
There is a great difference b/w education and just being literate
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It happened in our farm. I happened to take a German to see the ploughing with oxen. He was upset that our worker Sidda – was frequently whipping the ox. He complained about animal cruelty. I said “Lets ask him”. I called Sidda – behind him, the school going son of 9 years followed. I conveyed to Sidda the German’s obervation. Sidda was scratching his head when the son blurted “We only hit it. But you eat it”. The German was dumbfounded.
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dear malleswaram,
what a reply from that young brat! urdhogiratte german-ge.
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dear malleswaram,
Very goodIts only from uneducated simple people we get intelligent responses.Hail them!
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