THE LAST STRAW












As Christmas approaches, I always go back to some of the ageless Christmas stories I grew up with. Yes, there is Charles Dickens’s popular classic – ‘A Christmas Carol’… and there is O’ Henry’s immortal tale – ‘Gift of the Magi’. It would be very difficult to erase these imprints from my mind… They will, forever, remain etched there… Yes, making Christmas a little more inspiring, each year!



One more Christmas fable comes to my mind, today…Fredrick Thury’s – ‘The Last Straw’.



The hero of this story is Hoshmakaka. Translated it into our ethos, it means Hoshma uncle! He is an old, tired and sick camel… with painful knee-joints and grumpiness. Still, like many of us, he  has a false a pride… which makes him get carried away easily by praises of those around.



One day, Hoshmakaka hears through the desert a voice that he is chosen to carry gifts of the Wise-men to the new-born King… the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. Hoshmakaka knows in his heart that it is too long and tedious a mission… and he is too old, tired and sick to carry it out. Yet, when the voice keeps prodding him with the lure that it is a ‘great honor’ and not a ‘great burden’, our Hoshmakaka, finally says ‘Yes’.



A new vigor enters his heart and Hoshmakaka sets out on his long journey across the burning-by-the-day and freezing-by-the-night deserts. “I have the strength of ten horses, you know,” he boasts before the young camels along his way. The young camels know, how foolish the old Hoshmakaka can be… that they keep goading him, keep pumping. Carried away by all this misplaced praise, Hoshmakaka keeps accepting more and more load on his back along the long journey. Men, women and children – all keep giving him more and more presents to carry to the new-born King, the baby Jesus… and, Hoshmakaka doesn’t refuse anyone!



The load on the back keeps mounting… and Hoshmakaka has, now, come to the breaking point… He is unable to carry it any further… He is about to come on his knees, any moment!



And, this is the time, when a little child offers him the last gift to be carried to baby Jesus: a little straw for baby’s bed!



“No, I can’t take any more,” Hoshmakaka cries in frustration. Then, he relents… He accepts the last gift – the last straw – for baby Jesus and reaches the stable in Bethlehem… On reaching there, he simply collapses… but not before he is touched by the tender hand of baby Jesus… Not before the false pride and foolishness go away to make way for humility and wisdom...





Hoshmakaka  realizes what a great blessing 


the journey had been… 


How special he was, in deed!





And, that is also the moment, when the grumpiness and gloom go away from Hoshmakaka – ‘the chosen one’!



The Last Straw has brought Hoshmakaka to his knees…



And, it is for his good!







 





This is the story for me… this Christmas…



This is the ‘gift’ I am told to carry to you, today!







GERALD D’CUNHA



Pics. Mukesh Ahuja




Comments

Heena Naik said…
Very touching story, inspiring. Heena
December 13, 2012 at 5:01 PM
Viji John said…
A very endearing X'mas tale... Loved it. Thanks. Viji
December 13, 2012 at 5:30 PM
Neena Punjabi said…
Beautiful fable! Thank you. Neena
December 13, 2012 at 8:09 PM
Anonymous said…
Nice Christmas gift. Keep writing Sir, thanks.
December 14, 2012 at 9:22 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MUTHU KODI KAWARI HADA

Image
Pic.; Ashwin Mohta M y Hindi was always bad. It still is. One reason for this was, that they introduced Hindi for us only in 6 th standard. Or, was it in 8 th ? I don’t remember… I only remember struggling to write and read… leave alone speak! But, I loved Hindi movies, and, strangely, I could understand the dialogues and the lyrics of the songs… I used to sing those songs (of course when no one was around me!) as if I was the lyricist… One of the songs was a very funny one. ‘Muthu Kodi Kawari Hada’. It was from Mehmood’s super-hit comedy – ‘Do Phool’. I was a 15-year-old high-school boy when I had heard that song (not watched the movie). I could grasp the meaning of two words – ‘Muthu Kodi’… which meant ‘Give kiss’… But, what ‘Kawari Hada’ meant, I have no clue till date! It was just like ‘Why this kolaveri di’... Yes, why ask? Simply enjoy the beats… And, the beats are great… The rest... Who cares? Really! So, whatever bit of Hi
Read more

"HAPPILY EVER AFTER IS NOT A FAIRY-TALE... IT IS A CHOICE"

Image
“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone… It has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.” – Ursula K. Le Guin,  The Lathe of Heaven T welve years ago, when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie got married, the world began to hail the couple as ‘Brangelina’. It became a fashion for couples around us to call themselves so… Norbert and Teresa renamed them as ‘Noresa’…  Amol and Vishaka baptized their relationship as ‘Amoshka’… and, Salman and Nargis became ‘Salgis’! I and my wife, too, got tempted to re-christian our matrimonial relationship as ‘Germa’... That is, Gerald and Anima, to be precise! B efore I proceed any further, let me make it very clear, here… that, I have no business to judge on the break-up of Brad Pitt and Angelina’ Jolie’s marriage. I have no inclination to go into why, how, what when etc behind it… The couple ‘chose’ to split. And, it’s their choice… Only they know how good or bad… how joyful or painful that
Read more

SELLING MIRRORS IN THE CITY OF THE BLIND

Image
“I laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty. I laugh when I hear that people go on pilgrimage to find God.” - Kabir T here is a universal human weakness – and it dates back to the days of fallen civilizations – and it is: to place people on pedestal and trying to be smothered by them, feel loved and protected in their company… worship them as mentors, heroes,  gurus, Mahagurus and Satgurus… Make these mortals larger-than-life cut-outs, worship them as flawless, pure and give one’s all… And, then, ‘take’ everything from them blindly as divine… Give everything to them blindly… Eventually, what happens is:  one more dangerous bondage… What was supposed to free you now becomes a new prison… It’s sad to see this happen! T his room, where I am writing this Post, has no image of any deity. I have no image of any Guru or Master around me… My question is: “Am I not able to feel close to Almighty God?  How does it matter
Read more
THE WILD, WAYSIDE FLOWERS
There is, always, something extra-ordinary in the wild, wayside flowers...