Paradise on Earth

A kingdom so high in the skies, that its highest buildings were always covered in the mists.  A city governed by the righteous and noble. A small boy plays in the streets as he watches a procession move towards the centre of the city. A hundred organized soldiers of the kingdom walked in a formation and in the centre were a group of men. The boy had never seen anything like them, shabbily dressed and thin, their eyes livid with fear. The boy, all of 7 years, had grown seeing people who had always been content and happy. Well dressed and well endowed with everything required. A group of women close to the boy spoke pointing at these men. One of them called these men as thieves who lived in the mountains and this group has been evading capture for some time now. Why someone would steal from his people, the boy wondered. The procession came to a halt and a bugle sounded far away announcing the arrival of their king, Ram.

Ram usually dealt with all issues of the country in the presence of his countrymen. He trusted his men and they trusted him in return. Ram came down to the city centre. He was dressed just like the rest of the population, the only differentiating factor being his crown, that symbolized he was king of the land. He looked at the 4 men in their rags and crest fallen faces. They were around 30 years of age. Ram looked at them and asked, "Did you have food?”. Ram instructed the guards to give them some food and a place to stay. The men were shocked and hung their head in shame for having tried to steal from such a noble group of people. The men fell at Ram’s feet and seeked pardon and vowed to stay righteous and grateful always. Little did the young boy realize then that this group of reformed young men would become his nation’s greatest army strategists. Thus, Ram built his kingdom, not on rules but, on love, mercy and loyalty.

This post was inspired by one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen – Ramtek,Nagpur. I got a chance to visit it recently. It has a small fort on top of a hill and one of the most beautiful among temples. Me and friend visited it on a rainy day and the temple towers were all covered in mists. The beauty of the place made me imagine an ideal kingdom that would have existed there in the past.I have tried my best to give a feel of the beauty in this 5 minute read. The picture above was taken in Ramtek.