Utmost Devotion
Mr. Surjit Singh Lamba (b. 1931) who worked in the Law Ministry and lived in Kirti Nagar, New Delhi, was gifted by nature with a photographic memory. This means that just by reading anything a few times, be it prose or poetry, he could remember all of its details. He demonstrated this skill many years ago when he visited our office in June 1983, by reproducing whole articles of Al-Risala from memory.
Being a great admirer of Iqbal, he had learnt hundreds and thousands of his verses by heart, thus becoming a specialist on his life and works. In 1983, Mr. Lamba went to Pakistan where he was hailed as an authority on Iqbal. One Mr. Amir Husain of Lahore, who was also renowned as an expert on Iqbal, challenged Mr. Lamba to recite more verses by heart than he could himself. So convinced was Amir Husain Lahori of his superiority that he offered to hand over Rs. 5000/- in cash to Mr. Lamba if he could beat him. Mr. Lamba accepted the challenge, and it was agreed that, turn by turn, each would recite any verse from any part of any poem by Iqbal and that the other should have to recite whatever followed. Mr. Lamba was able to recite, faultlessly, whatever followed on from Amir Husain’s cues. But Amir Husain was ultimately unable to match his performance, and so lost the contest. Explaining his prowess, Mr. Lamba remarked, “I have been hovering around the candle of Iqbal like a moth for the past ten years. It is only if you have hovered around it more than I have that you will be able to outdo me in recitation.”
It is only such utter devotion—no matter what the field of activity—which can lead to success. There are few worthwhile things in life which cannot be likened to the “candle”. Only those who have hovered around it more than others in this world of struggle and competition can aspire to advance in life, for life is very much a matter of give and take. It is by putting everything we have—brains, efforts, talent, money, energy—into whatever we are doing, that we can hope to derive some benefit from it. To receive, we must give. The more we give, the more we receive. And never can we hope to receive more than we have actually given.
