Proverb – new concept is a sign of development

Proverbs are popularly defined as short expressions of popular wisdom. Efforts to improve on the popular definition have not led to a more precise definition.

Every culture has a collection of wise sayings that offer advice about how to live your life. These sayings are called ‘proverbs’. It's good to know the really common English proverbs because you hear them come up in conversation all the time. Sometimes people say the entire proverb to give advice to a friend. More often, someone will say just part of a proverb like this - You know what they say, when the going gets tough...

At the same time, learning proverbs can also help you to understand the way that people in English-speaking cultures think about the world.

Proverbs can also give you good example sentences which you can memorize and use as models for building your own sentences.

The meanings of some of these phrases have shifted over the years, so a proverb might have originally had a different meaning than one explain. While watching the birds at the sanctuary, theproverb which came to my mind was –Brids of a feather flock together – in other words – People like to spend time with other who is similar to them. Another one – Pen is mightier than the sword – real meaning thereby – trying to convince people with ideas and words is more effective than trying to force people to do what you want.

Since our childhood we are listening to the proverbs from our ancestors and reading in the books but the concept has not except the view point.

Now when I rewind my childhood memories, while 65 plus, I recollect when my father used to speak out the famous proverbwhen all the three brothers were lethargic for getting ready for the school – ‘Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise’. It does have a impact which I could see now in my old age when all the three qualities for early rising are intact in me. I am healthy as I am daily paddler for 15 KMs, on weekends 30 KMs and while on a special trip, I crossed even century, say 102 KMs on my visit to our visit to Wild Bird Sanctuary at Hari Ke. At this age, even the army officer Col Yadav who met us at the riverside track was surprised to see my paddling for such a long distance.

But the things have totally changed and the proverb is made as ‘Late to bed and late to rise, makes a man, unhealthy-wealthy and status wise’.

Another proverb - Cut your coat according to your cloth which means if you give a piece of cloth to a tailor to make a coat, the tailor will fist measure the cloth and the decide what kind of coat has to be made out of it. He will not be able to make a coat that requires more material than the cloth provided.

The same is the case with our expenses and income. Our expenses should always be within the limits of our income. Otherwise, we surely land in debit and difficulties. The proverb thus tells us not to spend more than what we earn or to live within our means. The proverb applies not only to individuals but also to business establishment. Of course, a company may raise a loan to expand or diversify its business. But it must do it judiciously; otherwise it will be in deep trouble. Even the government of a country has to keep in mind its total resources while spending. If it does not do so and goes on borrowing recklessly from the people and from foreign countries, it would become bankrupt one day, and come to grief.

So the proverb is of universal application. It teaches us that our actions should suit the circumstances or resources. The wisdom of the proverb would guide everybody to live and work within their means and to avoid possible shame or punishment resulting from living beyond their means.

Anyhow, I was surprised to hear his concept on the proverb from Pranav, my grandson, to whom we call Puru with love about – Cut your cloth according to your coat. He replied confidently was amazing. He said, “Nanu, gone are the days of these proverbswhich were drafted in old times. We should see before cutting the cloth and if it is short of your size, work hard to purchase a new cloth according to your size.

Really, if such concept comes to the minds of our youths, the future of our families, society and nation as well, is definitely secured.