CMD Upendrra Rai Addresses at Bharat Literature Festival; ‘Simplicity Creates Opportunity, Cunning Snatches It Away’

The World Book Fair has been inaugurated at Pragati Maidan on Saturday in New Delhi. Amid this major literary gathering, the sixth edition of the Bharat Literature Festival, sponsored by the Bharat Express News Network, was successfully organised.

The key highlight of the event was an interactive session with Bharat Express CMD and Editor-in-Chief Upendrra Rai, who spoke candidly with young authors and literature enthusiasts.

CMD Upendrra Rai, at the event, explained the importance of simplicity in life through an inspiring story. Narrating the tale of a moneylender and a stone seller, he illustrated how excessive cleverness and cunning led the moneylender to lose a priceless diamond, while an ordinary man acquired it at a minimal cost.

He remarked that simplicity can lead to good deals, but cunning often causes one to lose opportunities. He urged the audience to retain childlike innocence and natural ease in life, stating that success becomes simpler when one lives with spontaneity and honesty.

Freedom Is the Greatest Modern Value

During a discussion on modern values of life, CMD Upendrra Rai emphasised that freedom is the highest value anywhere in the world. He noted that when individuals have the freedom to express themselves, to innovate, and to view the world through their own consciousness, they are truly progressing toward modern values.

Drawing a comparison between material wealth and spiritual values, Upendrra Rai delivered a powerful message. He said that if one side of the scale held all the wealth of the world and the other held Buddha, Mahavira, Kabir, or Meera, he would abandon the entire universe to hold the feet of Buddha and Mahavira.

He underlined that wealth is merely a by-product, something anyone can create, whereas figures like Buddha and Mahavira are born once in thousands of years.

Two Extraordinary Qualities of Children

CMD Upendrra Rai also spoke about the natural traits of children, highlighting two qualities common to all. First, children remain busy without having any specific task, and second, they remain happy without any particular reason.

He observed that as people grow older, the ego gradually takes root, eroding this natural happiness. Using the example of twins, he explained how even children born from the same womb can grow into entirely different individuals due to the impact of karma and upbringing.