I don't know who wrote this story. I found it on some website that I don't remember. But this story changed my life. Before I read the story, I was like the character Raghu in the story, or wanted to become like him. But now I realized there are many more things that are more important than knowledge.
When I was doing my engineering there was a guy named Raghu. He was one of the most intelligent person I had ever met in my life. Right from day one he got engrossed into studies and hence became favorite among lecturer’s. He could solve complex and difficult problems at the drop of hat and the immense wisdom he had received through knowledge gained in all these years made him intellectually correct. The only thing he used to do is read read and read. There was one book or another in his hand and apart from studying he showed least interest in sports or extracurricular activities or people around him. In my 4 years of acquaintance with him I hadn't seen him socializing with anyone, instead he was regular to the library than the librarian himself reading all kinds of books some even unrelated to our engineering curriculum As a result books became his friends instead of people. He had a never ending thirst for knowledge and also his intelligence was par excellence. I still remember how he bunked classes as he had already completed that syllabus by studying all by himself. In college we had friends, love, break-ups, fights but Raghu considered it as waste of precious time and concentrated extremely in studies and by the time our engineering got completed Raghu not only stood first in university but also broke the existing records of previous toppers. The gold medal in Raghu’s neck that day looked cheap in front of his extra-ordinary knowledge and wisdom and at that time a question arised in my mind on how great this man will become?
10 years later I got a call and it carried the news of Raghu’s death. The unexpected turn of events caught me off guard and I rushed to his house which consisted only one room attached with bathroom measuring 20 x 20 feet which was filled with piles of books, it also had a single cot to sleep, a table with computer and a chair. The state in which he lived was completely contrast to what I had expected of him 10 years back. The wooden chair supported the lean and weak body of Raghu. His face clearly showed he was disinterested in life and on the table lay his suicide note with only one word written on it BORED.
Then, I realized how too much knowledge and wisdom tastes bitter. The overdose of sweetness of knowledge and wisdom turned his throat sour. He hadn’t experienced anything like love or hatred, happiness or sadness which a normal human being feels, hence, he lived like a living robot unaware of emotions which made him think life too serious to be enjoyed. Now when I look at him I realized I was more intelligent than him. I lived life to fullest. I laughed. I cried. I failed. I won. Most importantly I earned few people by my side whom I could count as my own.
