CAST PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

ARE YOU CASTING PEARLS BEFORE SWINE ?

Musings

By 

VIKRAM KARVE

When I was in school our Literature Teacher would often yell at us: “I Am Casting Pearls Before Swine”. 

I did not quite understand her anguish then, but now, I can fully empathize with her when I too sometimes feel the same way when my creative writing is not appreciated.

The idiom CAST PEARLS BEFORE SWINE means to offer something good to somebody who cannot appreciate the value of it. 

Yes, if you cast pearls before swine, you offer something of value to someone who doesn't appreciate it and does not understand its value (swine means pigs).

Now, I was wondering, how do you translate this phrase “I AM CASTING PEARLS BEFORE SWINE” into Hindi?

I suddenly remembered a blog post I had written a few months ago titled

अन्धो के शहर में आइने बेच रहा हूँ  -  I think this Hindi Phrase expresses the same sentiment as the English Idiom:  I AM CASTING PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

The link of the blog post is given below, and for your convenience I have also reposted the blog post below the link for you to read:

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2011/12/i-am-selling-mirrors-in-city-of-blind.html

अन्धो के शहर में आइने बेच रहा हूँ - I AM SELLING MIRRORS IN THE CITY OF THE BLIND

This evening while surfing channels I watched a program on Zee Classic Television Channel called Classic Legends hosted by Javed Akhtar on the life of the famous poet and lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri.

Javed Akhtar narrated an incident and a quote ( शेर ) by Majrooh Sultanpuri which I will never forget. Javed Akhtar met Majrooh Sultanpuri in the evening of his life and asked him how he was, to which the poet replied:

अन्धो के शहर में आइने बेच रहा हूँ 

which roughly translated means:
I AM SELLING MIRRORS IN THE CITY OF THE BLIND

This quote is still perambulating in my mind and the more I delve on it I realize how profound these words are, especially for a creative writer whose work is not appreciated.

So whenever my novel manuscript is returned by a publisher with a rejection letter, I am going to console myself: अन्धो के शहर में आइने बेच रहा हूँ 

Isn't this a nice philosophy for creative persons and artists to adopt rather than get frustrated when their work is not appreciated? Much better than self-pity and doing harmful things like drowning your sorrows in drink, isn't it? 

Dear fellow creative writers, ask yourself:  “Are you casting your pearls before swine?”  

VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2012
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Did you like this blog post?
I am sure you will like the stories in my recently published book COCKTAIL comprising twenty seven short stories about relationships. To order the book please click the links below:
http://www.flipkart.com/cocktail-vikram-karve-short-stories-book-8191091844?affid=nme
http://www.indiaplaza.in/cocktail-vikram-karve/books/9788191091847.htm
http://www.apkpublishers.com/books/short-stories/cocktail-by-vikram-karve.html

COCKTAIL ebook
If you prefer reading ebooks on Kindle or your ebook reader, please order Cocktail E-book by clicking the link below:
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGERZ6
SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925

Foodie Adventures Book APPETITE FOR A STROLL

http://www.flipkart.com/appetite-stroll-8190690094/p/itmdyv7tdkhzn9vm?pid=9788190690096 

About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and he is currently working on his novel. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles in magazines and journals for many years before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for almost 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts. 

Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@sify.com        

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.