History (Un)Revealed

This story was told to me by one of my teahcers, Mr. Ajay Pratap Singh. I could not remember all the finer details but I can recall the gist of the story and which I think is worth telling.

Once there was a very learned man. He was a genius in every field. He had very keen interest in history and thus was always engrossed in it. The history of mankind was his favorite field but unfortunately that time the sources of history were dispersed and were not easily accessible. So our historian decided to compile the whole history of human race from the scratch. He studied and researched over every possible evidence and document he could find, and compiled them in order. He worked late nights and whole days for nearly thirty years. He published scores of volumes of his fine work, but as the time passed he realized that he has covered just a part of the whole lot. His zeal towards revealing and compiling history increased crest and folds with time.

One evening, he was preparing for his supper, when he heard unusual shouts and cries coming from across the street. In curiosity, he swiftly wrapped in his robes and rushed to see what exactly has happened. He saw there was a huge mob surrounding his second door neighbour's house. Now he was dying to know the exact situation.

Quickly, he reached near the mob and pulled out one onlooker and asked, "Bloke ! what has happened? Why all of you are gathered here? Why these sounds of shouting and crying coming from this house?". The young man gasped and answered, "There has been a murder committed by somebody. Your neighbour's son has been stabbed by someone. The murderer was seen running towards the woods". The historian heard and nodded. He further penetrated inside the crowd and again asked the same questions to another onlooker. The man replied, "There has been a murder. Your neighbour's son has been shot by a gang of dacoits. They looted your neighbour and escaped". The historian was taken by surprise. Just now, someone was telling that the boy was stabbed to death. Nevertheless, he moved further and asked the same questions to an elderly gentleman. He replied, "There was a scuffle between the father and son. In anger and fury, the father killed his son by drawing his sword right into the son's heart. And now the father is on the run". The historian was really pissed. But he thought of coming out with the exact truth. So he asked another person. That person too had a different story to tell. "The father and the son had a heated arguement over the illicit activities the son has been involved into. The father threatened his son to stop his activities or else he will complain to the police. The boy, after hearing his father silently returned to his room, where in disappointment and depression, he hanged himself to the roof. Now he is dead and the father has gone with the sheriff to record his statement".

And this was it !! The historian had lost it by now. He couldnot bear it any more. He returned to his house dejected and annoyed. He drank too much wine that night and thought in despair, "For thirty long years, I have been trying to compile the history of mankind, where as today I am not able to reach the correct conclusion to the murder which is committed couple of hours ago in my locality. How can I figure out what happened thousands of years ago was correct and authentic, when I am not able to figure out what is the truth about the incidence which took place couple of hours before from now !" So at last, finally he came to the conclusion for himself after much thinking. He piled up his work of last thirty years and put it on flames. He had never felt so relieved and satisfied before in his whole life.