Stones that we see, Stories we Forget

Some stones stand quietly for centuries...their stories not always !

Tata had a dream.

Not just a dream… a dream backed by determined action — to build an institute in India deeply rooted in science and technology.

But dreams of this scale rarely belong to one person.

It took the collective belief and persistence of many —Jamsetji Tata, Swami Vivekananda, Sister Nivedita, Diwan Sheshadri Iyer, Maharani Kempananjammanni, and several others who believed India needed such an institution.

Nearly two decades of effort went into turning that vision into reality. And finally, the Indian Institute of Science was born.

Today IISc stands as one of the country’s proudest institutions. For more than a century it has contributed immensely to science, technology, and nation building.

The iconic main building stands tall, and in front of it stands the statue of Jamsetji Tata.

When you stand there, it naturally evokes deep respect and gratitude for the visionary who imagined it long before others could see it.

But there is another stone on the same land.

Somewhere within the campus, amid bushes and bamboo, stands a hero stone — a Veeragallu — nearly a thousand years old.

A stone raised not for a king, not for a ruler, But for an unknown man.

An ordinary person who probably fought for the villagers, protected them, and lost his life in the process.

The villagers of that time must have felt deep respect and gratitude for what he did.

And they might have raised a Huli Bete Kallu — a hero stone — to remember his courage and sacrifice.

Not just to honour him...but to inspire others to live with the same spirit of courage and selflessness.

The stone still stands there today.

But the story behind it?

Mostly forgotten.

Thousand years is a long time.

Long enough for stories to fade… even when the stone survives.

And that raises a question.

One day… will the same happen to the stories we proudly tell today about IISc?

Will future generations forget Tata, the Wodeyars, Vivekananda, and the many people who made IISc possible?

Will the statue in front of the iconic building stand… but its story slowly fade away?

Who knows… I don’t know.

Time will decide.

I cannot time-travel to the future.

But when I look at that ancient hero stone, standing quietly within IISc, partly hidden among bamboo and wild growth…

I feel a strange thought.

And that thought makes me pause.

Maybe every generation builds its own stones… and hopes the story will last longer than the stone.The stories we are proud of today…may also become silent stones someday.

#IISc #Tata #Hulibetekallu

Note:

Written by : Santhosh

Edited with : AI tools