Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma (19th Aug,1918 – 26th Dec, 1999) was the ninth President of India and served from 1992 to 1997. Before being the President, he served as the eighth Vice President of India. The late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said bin Taimur shared a special bond with India. India also considered Sultan Qaboos as a “true friend”. As a student, Sultan Qaboos was taught in Pune, India by Shankar Dayal Sharma. Dr. Sharma wrote a poem on the holy Quran during the 1970s. The same reproduced here:
| Original Hindi Poem | English Translation |
|---|---|
| “Amal ki kitab thi. Dua ki kitab bana dia. |
“It was a command for action. You turned it into a book of prayer. |
| Samajhne ki kitab thi. Parhne ki kitab bana dia. |
It was a Book to understand. You read it without understanding. |
| Zindaon ka dastoor tha. Murdon ka manshoor bana dia. |
It was a code for the living. You turned it into a manifesto of the dead. |
| Jo ilm ki kitab thi. Usay la ilmon ke hath thama dia. |
That which was a book of knowledge; You abdicated to the ignoramus. |
| Taskheer-e-kayenaat ka dars denay aayi thi. Sirf madrason ka nisaab bana dia. |
It came to give knowledge of Creation. You abandoned it to the school. |
| Murda qaumon ko zinda karne aayi thi. Murdon ko bakhshwane per laga dia. |
It came to give life to dead nations. You used it for seeking mercy for the dead. |
| Aye Musalmano ye tum nay kia kiya?” | O’ Muslims! What have you done?” |
In 1994 the President of India, Shri Shankar Dayal Sharma visited Muscat on an official trip. When the Air India flight landed at Muscat International airport, three unusual incidents happened:
- The Sultan never goes to the airport to receive dignitaries. He made an exception this time and went to the airport to receive the President of India.
- When the flight landed, the Sultan climbed up the air stairs and received the President from his seat!
- After alighting the flight there was a car with the chauffeur standing. But the Sultan signalled the driver to move and he himself drove the car for the President!
Later when the reporters questioned the Sultan on breaking protocols, he replied, “I did not go to the airport to receive Mr. Sharma because he was India’s President. I studied in India and learnt so many things, when I was studying in Pune, Mr. Sharma was my professor – that is why I did this!”
About the Author
Dr. K. Raja Gopal Reddy is a seasoned internationally qualified Insurance professional.
What you are reading here, may not answer all the questions we have, but has the absolute power of asking unsettling questions which increase the interest in the strange world, and show the contradictory wonders lying just below the surface of the commonest things of life. Look at this disturbing but beautiful thought of Friedrich Nietzsche “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him”.
Dr. Reddy can be reached at: raja66gopal@gmail.com
