Most of us grew up with the tale of the shepherd boy who played a prank with the villagers by seeking their help against an imaginary lion. The villagers would run to rescue the boy and his sheep only to find that there was no lion, and the boy was just having fun at their cost. One day, the lion did arrive on the scene, but the villagers by then had stopped trusting the boy. They stayed put and that was that. The boy suffered because he had lost the trust of the community. What happened recently in the remote village of Tali Das in Ghizer district was in sheer contrast to the fable.
A glacier outburst wreaked havoc in the area, damaging everything in its path, blocking the river, forming a massive lake, and destroying nearly 300 homes. Yet, miraculously, no lives were lost. Why? Because three shepherds, stationed high in the mountains with their cattle, saw the danger unfolding. They ran quickly towards a mountain top in search of cellular signals, and called the villagers in the valley. Crucially, the villagers trusted the shepherds. The timely warning allowed for a complete evacuation, saving hundreds of lives. These shepherds did not cry wolf; they cried truth. And their truth became a shield for the community.
This is actually a story we must tell our children. It teaches us that shepherds are not just caretakers of sheep, they can be guardians of life. Also, it teaches us that honesty, vigilance and courage are the true virtues of heroism. And, finally, the story teaches us that in a world full of noise, a trusted voice of truth matters.
ZAMIR UD DIN
GILGIT BALTISTAN
