Updated version of the story located at College and Karma.
Ever since Ezekiel was a young boy, he dreamed of going into the field of physics. He wanted to know everything about the interaction between matter and energy. His want to become a physicist started when his mom made him take an archery class. The energy and force that the bow had before and after the arrow was shot out had interested him.
Going into college, his major was physics and he knew as soon as he was skilled enough in the subject, he wanted to be an undergrad research assistant to the physics professor he had looked up to all his high school and collegiate years. That professor was Dr. Davis. Dr. Davis was a highly respected professor and one of the top physicists in the country. Students would come from far and near to learn and research under him and Ezekiel was no different. Except Ezekiel was rejected from the program when the time came to apply. To say he was devastated was an understatement. But not discouraged, Ezekiel studied and worked even harder to prove to Dr. Davis that he made a mistake in skipping over Ezekiel him.
One day, Dr. Davis' research assistants were out on the campus doing research and surveying students to see how much about physics they actually knew and understood. One of Dr. Davis' favorite and most promising research assistant, Arvin, happened to stop Ezekiel and asked him questions that only a skilled physics student would know.
Blown away by the complexity and geniusness of Ezekiel's answers, Arvin asked, "How do you know all this? The ideas and concepts you are explaining are very complicated and even I, a research assistant for physics, have trouble!"
"I study under Dr. Davis," Ezekiel answered.
"How? I study under Dr. Davis and I have never seen you in the research lab," Arvin skeptically said.
"Well I don't literally study under him... I use his reasoning and thinking to make my understandings," explained Ezekiel like it was the most simply thing.
Without another word, Arvin dragged Ezekiel with him to Dr. Davis' office. Dr. Davis had promised his research assistants, and specifically Arvin, that he would be the most knowledgeable student on campus in the field of physics. So finding out that Ezekiel might know more than him, Arvin was jealous and wanted to confront Dr. Davis.
"Dr. Davis!! This kid here knows more and understands more about physics than I do!!" shouted Arvin.
Arvin then re-asked Ezekiel the question from earlier to Dr. Davis could see what Arvin was talking about. After hearing his answer, Dr. Davis was blown away.
"How did you come to that conclusion? Who taught you to think that way?" asked Dr. Davis.
"Why, Dr. Davis, you did. I have studied how you think and I self-taught myself based on your reasonings," Ezekiel explained.
Dr. Davis sat in silent thought for a couple of minutes and then it hit him. Ezekiel had been one of the applicants to his research program that he rejected. Upon this realization of Ezekiel's brilliance and his original rejection, Dr. Davis offered Ezekiel spot in his TA program on the spot which he happily accepted.
Author's Note: This is an adaptation of Ekalavya's story from the Mahabharata. In the original story, Ekalavya wanted to become a disciple of Drona, but was rejected. He proceeded to make a statue of Drona and worshipped the statue as his guru. He self-taught and studied over the years. Years later, when Drona's students, including the Pandava brothers, were in the forest, Arjuna saw a dog with so many arrows lodged in his throat that it could not bark. Drona wanted to meet the skilled archer behind this. Drona asked Ekalavya who his guru and Ekalavya explained that it was him. Arjuna was promised by Drona that he would be the greatest archer in the world so to right this, Drona asked for Ekalavya's right thumb. Ekalavya severed his thumb without question and gave it to Drona which took away his archery skills.
In my version, I changed the story to be more modern and placed it in a college setting. I kept the storyline pretty much the same with the same plot until the end. I have been fascinated with the idea of karma so I changed the end so that Ezekiel, or Ekalavya, receives a good karmic ending for his actions that he has taken by learning and self-teaching himself.
Bibliography: “Ekalavya.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Jan. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekalavya.
Ever since Ezekiel was a young boy, he dreamed of going into the field of physics. He wanted to know everything about the interaction between matter and energy. His want to become a physicist started when his mom made him take an archery class. The energy and force that the bow had before and after the arrow was shot out had interested him.
Going into college, his major was physics and he knew as soon as he was skilled enough in the subject, he wanted to be an undergrad research assistant to the physics professor he had looked up to all his high school and collegiate years. That professor was Dr. Davis. Dr. Davis was a highly respected professor and one of the top physicists in the country. Students would come from far and near to learn and research under him and Ezekiel was no different. Except Ezekiel was rejected from the program when the time came to apply. To say he was devastated was an understatement. But not discouraged, Ezekiel studied and worked even harder to prove to Dr. Davis that he made a mistake in skipping over Ezekiel him.
One day, Dr. Davis' research assistants were out on the campus doing research and surveying students to see how much about physics they actually knew and understood. One of Dr. Davis' favorite and most promising research assistant, Arvin, happened to stop Ezekiel and asked him questions that only a skilled physics student would know.
Blown away by the complexity and geniusness of Ezekiel's answers, Arvin asked, "How do you know all this? The ideas and concepts you are explaining are very complicated and even I, a research assistant for physics, have trouble!"
"I study under Dr. Davis," Ezekiel answered.
"How? I study under Dr. Davis and I have never seen you in the research lab," Arvin skeptically said.
"Well I don't literally study under him... I use his reasoning and thinking to make my understandings," explained Ezekiel like it was the most simply thing.
Without another word, Arvin dragged Ezekiel with him to Dr. Davis' office. Dr. Davis had promised his research assistants, and specifically Arvin, that he would be the most knowledgeable student on campus in the field of physics. So finding out that Ezekiel might know more than him, Arvin was jealous and wanted to confront Dr. Davis.
"Dr. Davis!! This kid here knows more and understands more about physics than I do!!" shouted Arvin.
Arvin then re-asked Ezekiel the question from earlier to Dr. Davis could see what Arvin was talking about. After hearing his answer, Dr. Davis was blown away.
"How did you come to that conclusion? Who taught you to think that way?" asked Dr. Davis.
"Why, Dr. Davis, you did. I have studied how you think and I self-taught myself based on your reasonings," Ezekiel explained.
Dr. Davis sat in silent thought for a couple of minutes and then it hit him. Ezekiel had been one of the applicants to his research program that he rejected. Upon this realization of Ezekiel's brilliance and his original rejection, Dr. Davis offered Ezekiel spot in his TA program on the spot which he happily accepted.
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| (Example of a research assistant; Source: Flickr) |
Author's Note: This is an adaptation of Ekalavya's story from the Mahabharata. In the original story, Ekalavya wanted to become a disciple of Drona, but was rejected. He proceeded to make a statue of Drona and worshipped the statue as his guru. He self-taught and studied over the years. Years later, when Drona's students, including the Pandava brothers, were in the forest, Arjuna saw a dog with so many arrows lodged in his throat that it could not bark. Drona wanted to meet the skilled archer behind this. Drona asked Ekalavya who his guru and Ekalavya explained that it was him. Arjuna was promised by Drona that he would be the greatest archer in the world so to right this, Drona asked for Ekalavya's right thumb. Ekalavya severed his thumb without question and gave it to Drona which took away his archery skills.
In my version, I changed the story to be more modern and placed it in a college setting. I kept the storyline pretty much the same with the same plot until the end. I have been fascinated with the idea of karma so I changed the end so that Ezekiel, or Ekalavya, receives a good karmic ending for his actions that he has taken by learning and self-teaching himself.
Bibliography: “Ekalavya.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Jan. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekalavya.
Howdy Lindsey,
ReplyDeleteYes! I am so happy to read someone retold the story of Ekalavya. I think his role in the Mahabharata is so slight, but so impactful. I was excited to read the switch in endings from the original. I feel like Drona is so defeated in the original story after he gives his judgement. The consequences of his actions seem to haunt him and rightly so – your story erases this injustice.
Lindsey,
ReplyDeleteI like your version of the story so much more than the original. Accepting someone for their successes is so much better than tearing someone down for that same reason. I remember reading the original story about Ekalavya that I was astounded. Drona was punishing someone for their hard work and success simply because he had promised someone else that same success? Your version is SO much better. It's also applicable to the life of a college student and the modern day. Great job!