CENTRE OF THE EARTH

Pic.: Kushboo Gulrajani

Years ago, when I had decided to do something about my poor English, one of the things I did – and found it very useful – was telling a nice story in two tenses… Past and Present. Over the years, I have helped hundreds of people who were earnest to improve their English with the same method… Yes, write a nice story down in both the tenses… and tell it to someone.

Here is one more Mulla Nasruddin story… I can never have enough of them.

CENTRE OF THE EARTH

PAST.:

One day, when Mulla Nasruddin was in a foul mood, a scholar approached him and asked, “Hey Mulla, do you know where  centre of the Earth is?”

“Oh yes,” Mulla replied without even blinking.

“Where? Can you show me?” the know-all scholar challenged.

“Right here,” Mulla pointed, caressing sweetly his beloved donkey, “right under this right foot of my sweet donkey.”

There is no record, whether the Scholar had ventured to lift the right foot of Mulla’s donkey!

But, the story goes… even without that obvious end!

PRESENT:

One day, when Mulla Nasruddin is in a foul mood, a scholar approaches him and asks, “Hey Mulla, do you know where centre of the Earth is?”

“Oh yes,” Mulla replies without even blinking.

“Where? Can you show me?” the know-all scholar challenges.

“Right here, Mulla points, caressing sweetly his beloved donkey, “right under this right foot of my sweet donkey.”

There is no record, whether the scholar has ventured to lift the right foot of Mulla’s donkey!

But, the story goes… even without that obvious end!

GERALD D’CUNHA