Mind magic

Persian poet Saadi once began to complain when he was barefooted and unable to procure slippers. He remained in the mosque in a fretful state of mind till he saw a man without feet! That's when he thanked God for his bounty and consoled himself with this couplet: "To a full man, roast chicken is less tempting than a blade of fresh grass; and to him without power or the means, a burnt turnip is a roasted fowl!"

The mystic master Kabir said something similarabout khichdi: salt is good enough for the poor man's porridge, for which yogurt seems like a gift from Heaven! What seem like very small mercies, therefore, turn outto be great blessings.

This comes across in Peng Shuilin's inspiring story. The Chinese ' Half Man' is just 78-cm tall. He was discovered in two pieces after a road accident in Shenzhen in 1995. His lower half was beyond repair.

But doctors saved the upper half with a series of operations. He spent several months lying on his back. But eventually, he began to strengthen his arms for mobility and managed to survive against all odds!

Ten years later, he learnt to walk with special prostheses. Today, he owns a supermarket called the 'Half Man-Half Price' Store. Like the proverbial Chinese Phoenix risen from fire and ashes, Shuilin has become an inspirational role model for amputees and 'normal' people alike.

Peng Shuilin's saga echoes the French fairy tale of the Half Man, who also had only one arm and a leg. But he outwits his normal siblings through the sheer power of kindness backed by a magic wand. The only 'magic' Shuilin has is of the mind!