Talent is God-given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful. Sant Rajinder Singh reiterates this saying with a real-life story of how everyone is talented in some way or the other
When we see a talented person, we often become envious. We wonder how they are so gifted. We forget that everyone has something special that God has granted for which one should be happy, rather than feeling depressed that we lack what someone else has. In this connection, there is a story that took place in the mid-1600s in Italy. It’s about three young boys who were good friends. They shared an interest in music. One boy could sing opera with his beautiful voice. The second boy was a virtuoso at playing the violin. The third boy, named Antonio, loved music, but had a squeaky voice. Others laughed at him when he tried to sing, which made him embarrassed and sad.
Antonio, however, had a special gift. He was great at woodcarving. He had a little knife with which he would whittle pieces of wood and create lovely works of art. Because he so badly wanted to sing and make music, he did not realise that his gift of whittling wood was special. One day the two boys came to Antonio and told him that they wanted to perform for the annual spring festival in the city. It was a big festival where people came from all over the city. The streets were beautifully decorated for the fair.
Antonio knew he would be embarrassed again if he tried to sing along with his friends. His friends said it did not matter if he could not sing, but that he would have fun with them. As he did not want to miss this festival, he agreed to go with them. The boys dressed in their best clothes. They decided to play in front of the cathedral where the largest crowds would be gathering. In front of the cathedral, Antonio’s two friends performed, one singing and the other playing the violin. An elderly gentleman came forward from the crowd, put something into Antonio’s hand, and walked away. When Antonio looked, he saw it was a valuable gold coin. He showed his friends, who checked it out to see if it was real. When they saw it was an actual coin, they were excited about receiving the money. One of the boys said, “For that man it is no big deal, as he is rich.” Antonio asked how his friends knew the man. The boys said, “You do not know himIJ Oh, of course, you would not — you just know how to carve wood with your whittling knife. Everyone involved with music knows him. His name is Amati, and he is known for making violins. In fact, he is one of the best violin-makers in the whole of Italy.” Antonio felt sad that his friends made fun of his only skill, which was carving wood. They had made fun of his voice, and now they were making fun of him being a carver.
Antonio decided to visit the home of Amati and show him his work the next day. As he knocked the door, Amati asked him what he wanted. The boy said, “I wanted you to look at these things I had carved from wood.” Amati looked at them. Antonio then said, “Can you tell me if I have enough talent to learn how to make violinsIJ” Amati invited the boy in and asked him why he wanted to make violins. Antonio said, “I want to make violins because I love music, but cannot sing. My voice is as squeaky as a squeaking door. Yesterday, when you gave us that coin, you heard how beautifully my friends sang and played violin. I also want to make music that people will enjoy.”
Amati could see the pain in the boy’s eyes. He warmly told him, “What matters most is not the music that comes out of our lips or hands, but the song that comes out of our heart. There are many ways of making music. Some people sing, while others play an instrument. Some people paint lovely pictures. Everyone has a talent that makes this world more beautiful. Your talent is carving or whittling wood, but your song shall be as noble and beautiful as anyone else’s music.”
Antonio was thrilled to hear that there was hope for him to produce something beautiful. Amati took him as his student. Antonio watched this amazing artist each day in his workshop. He observed how Amati took pieces of wood and turned them into exquisitely beautiful violins. Antonio studied with him for many years and learnt all the secrets to the craft of making violins.
By the time Antonio was 22, he had mastered the art of carving and putting together violins. His teacher, Amati, allowed Antonio’s name to be engraved on a violin to show he had made it all himself. Antonio continued to make violins for the rest of his life, totalling around 1,100 violins. He strived to make each one more beautiful and more melodious than the previous one, improving all the time. The name he engraved on each violin was Antonio Stradivarius. Today, he is known as the best violin-maker in history. The Stradivarius violin is considered a work of art, and every violinist wishes to own one.
This story shows how we all can make beautiful music. We may not be talented in one thing, but we all have certain gifts given to us by God. We need to discover and maximise them. Each of us is special and unique. We all have something to offer.
The writer is a spiritual master