Opening scene was filled with suspense, a young lad just idling around a pile of nondescript lot of bundles when his fierce looking master wearing a pompous turban enters the scene. The master settles down on the floor cross legged and starts playing his flute when lo and behold, the pile of rope comes to life and slowly begins to rise up and up and beyond.

The master bids the lad abracadabra upon which the lad climbs up the rope and disappears into the thin air. After a while the masters begins to yell at the lad bidding him to descend but the lad does not respond.

Visibly incensed, the master climbs up the rope and to the consternation of the spectators pieces of the lad begins to fall, limbs, head and torso. Almost as soon however, a great shawl falls from the sky and cover the grisly pile.

Now descends the master still very agitated and shouts abracadabra lifting the shawl and what? The lad wakes up as if from deep slumber.

Let me presume my readers are familiar with this account of Great Indian Rope Trick. Let me assure you that one of the most sincere believers of this famous account used to be Prof Max Mueller. Although the Professor had never visited India, he believed in everything that was even remotely connected to India particularly of tales of some extra-ordinary sages who had been living in caves in the Himalayas timelessly who needed no food for sustenance.

Even today, India is a land of mystery. Only a few years ago Mr Narendra Modi used to be the Chief Minister of Gujrat when a great Hindu Muslim communal violence had taken place there with the latter suffering the brunt of the dominant race’s ire. So serious was the nature of violence that USA had declared Mr Modi persona-non-grata and no visa would be granted to him should he request for one ever. Now, Mr Modi has become the Prime Minister of India and in almost similar situation Hindu Muslim communal violence has erupted in India. Actually, right there in New Delhi where President Trump was being entertained, Hindu mobs had turned themselves upon their Muslim neighbors causing great loss to their property including a mosque.

We can vouch for the famous rope trick is effective even now as we have seen President Trump believes Mr Narendra Modi is a great leader of men. The only difference between Prof Max Mueller and President Trump is that the former believed in what he had heard while the latter has seen and believed.