in India. Or...it was so long ago... it may have been in Cairo, in
Egypt. In fact, I think it was Newark, New Jersey, though my uncle
claims it was Turkey, and my birth certificate says Balkh, in what is
now Afghanistan.
Anyway, I was born, and I stand here as proof. I would like to tell
you about the time I went to see my friend Tekka. I met Tekka when he
was a young man, but that is another story altogether. So I was here,
and Tekka was in his home village, and all that lay between us was a
desert and a jungle.
The desert was easy. Twelve days under the burning sun...no sweat.
Well, not exactly, but to return to the story, I came to the jungle.
If you have ever seen a jungle, you know that it is big, and dark, and
very green. The trees aretall, the bushes are thick,and there are lots
of little animals moving about, making you thinkthey are big animals!
Well, the path was narrow, and the jungle on either side was thick and
noisy, and closed over the path in a way that made me a little
nervous. But I love my friend Tekka, so I said to myself, "Nasruddin,
you are a stalwart soul, and you must go through this jungle in order
to see Tekka. Just think of itas taking a walk throughthe jungle!" I
tried to argue with myself, but it was no use. I had to go.
So I started off through the jungle, and the path was not so bad when
myeyes got used to the gloom. I was walking happily along, when I
heard a noise behind me: "hhahh... hhahh... hhahh." I looked over my
shoulder, and saw, tomy surprise, a tiger was also taking a walk
through the jungle!
"Ah," I said to myself, which was the best I could do in the
circumstances. Then I had a thought, which was fortunate. "It is never
too late to begin an exercise regimen. Why not start with jogging, for
your health,that is." I agreed, and began at once. There I was,
jogging through the jungle, enjoying what remained to me of my health,
when I heard a sound behind me:"hhahh...hhahh...hhahh." I looked over
my shoulder, and – what do you know!– the tiger had also taken up
jogging! Although I think the tiger was less interested in excersise,
and more interested in nutrition!
Due to the beneficial effects of exercise, my brain was functioning
more efficiently. "If you can jog, surely you can run," I told myself.
"Why not try for a world record?" It's amazing how quickly you can
come to an agreement with yourself. I began immediately to see if I
could set a new world record for land speed running. I tore through
that jungle as if the pathwere a highway.
I am certain a world record was within my grasp, if only a judge with
a stopwatch had been there. And when I heard a familiar sound behind
me, which I probably don't have to explain sounded
like"hhahh-hhahh-hhahh," Ididn't even have to stop and look to know
the tiger was also bent on setting a world record.
So there we were, the two athletes running like the wind through the
jungle! It was thrilling! It was exciting! It was terrifying!
Suddenly, there was no jungle!
There was no path either, only the blue sky, and a cliff, and me,
Nasruddin, falling down it. I said to myself,"Aaauughh!!" but it did
no good. So I grabbed onto a bush.
(Did you ever notice, every single time you falldown a cliff, there's
a bush to grab onto. Checkit out for yourself!)
So I grabbed this bush, and held on for dear life.I clung to it with
all my strength, which I needed, because there was the tiger looking
down at me, saying"hhahh...hhahh...hhahh." "Don't you know any other
words?" I said. Apparently not, because the tiger continued to say the
same thing over and over. I looked desperately about me for a way out,
and could find none. Then I noticed the roots of the bush begin to
pull out ofthe cliff, one by one.
"Nasruddin," I said, and Ihave a little song I sing to myself when I
am in trouble, which seems to be more and more often these days,
"Nasruddin, you have been/ in bettersit-u-a-tions." It's a nice little
song, very comforting. It certainly helped at that moment.
Then I heard a sound behind and below me that sounded strangely
familiar:"hhahh...hhahh...hhahh."
"Wait!" I said to myself,"I thought I left that sound safely up
above!" I looked down, and saw that the bad always comes with the
good. Why is that, do you think? The good was that the cliff was not
very high, and I would not be hurt if I fell. The bad was the other
tiger standing below me, looking up!
There I was, hanging on the face of a cliff from a bush whose roots
were pulling out, with a tiger above me and a tiger below me. I
thought it was a good moment for my little song, so I sang again,
"Nasruddin, you have been/ in better sit-u-a-tions." It had its effect
– my head was clear, and I cast about desperately for a way out of my
predicament. Iassure you I didn't think of the word predicament at the
time.
I looked on both sides, and suddenly spied a little green bush, with a
single red berry. It was awild strawberry! Now, my philosophy is
always to enjoy yourself to the fullest, wherever you are. So I got a
good grip with my toes, which are considerable, and held the bush with
one hand, and reached out, risking all, and picked that strawberry.
And did I eat it? Oh, yes, my beloveds, I did. And I am here to tell
you that if you are hanging on a cliff from a bush that is pulling out
by the roots, and there is a tiger above you and a tiger below you,
and you find a strawberry and you eat it, that will be the sweetest
strawberry the world has ever known!
* * *
But wait...what about the tigers, and the cliff? How am I here to tell
thetale? Well, here it is: theywere nearsighted tigers,and when they
got a close look at me, they lost their appetites.
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And Allah Knows the Best!
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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA
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