Stories from Arabian nights: The three princes from Serendib & Thousand and One Nights
Posted on February 14th, 2025
Aloysius Hettiarachchi
While engaged on a research work to find out how the process of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) works as it applies to Reinforced Concrete Structural Analysis, I came across the report of such an analysis by a group of researchers of the University of California funded by their State Government. My attempt was to fix a bug in an expensive software package which some engineers working for me used thereby getting wrong results. The finite elements are chosen in various shapes and sizes according to the need of the problem. They can be two dimensional plates divided into hundreds or thousands of triangles or three-dimensional cuboids all connected along edges at number of points on its faces. Sometimes the number of equations (partial differential) to be solved run into millions. They have found that solution to such equations become miraculously simple depending on the number of nodes (or points in one face connected to the adjacent face) is equal to eight. They seem to have found it by luck and named it ‘serendipity’ element.
I insert here two pages of that report (the project headed by a South Korean expert) which I downloaded around 2017 when I grappling with problem. Dissatisfied the way the problem has been treated I solved the thing using a manual method as per the latest version of Reynolds book which is the ‘bible of the structural engineer’:
I did not know about how serendipity name evolved, though I had known our country was referred to as Serendib by Arabs who travelled the world as traders. When I googled, I found an interesting read in the Arabian Nights. The story is fairly long and I give the link below so those interested can read.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Three_Princes_of_Serendip
This also remind me of some information given by professor Raj Somadeva in one of his weekly discussions about a copper plate inscription written by a king in Persia offering his daughter in marriage to a king in Sri Lanka around first century AD. It seems this copper plate is in a museum in Egypt. By the way Alexandria was a part of Egypt. It was established by Alexander the Great and was reclaimed by his trusted general Seleucus Nicator, his cousin. Nicator’s wife was a princess from Bactria (in present day Syria which was part of Persian Empire) they captured before coming over to India. In India, Nicator ruled part of North India one of his daughters supposed to have married king Porus (or Sinha). Their children supposed to have come to Ceylan or Sinhale and established colonies in various places according to a Sri Lankan researcher whose book I have read. So, no wonder many from around the world finding interesting things in Serendipity. Another interesting revelation is the fact that both Sri Lankan current national flag and that of former Shah of Iran have stark similarities. The stylized mane (or Kaysera) of the lion and the way they hold the sword is exactly the same. So, who copied whom circa 3rd century BCE.
Thousand and one nights (Tausend und eine nacht):
Story telling was a bedtime delight for children. I remember how enjoyable were they during our childhood. These days I listen to youtube music quite often to while away the time and also to clear any stresses. I connect my laptop to the TV with a HDMI cable to get better quality. While doing so I came across a lovely song a creation by the band Fantasy, whose one of the songs I included in my previous write up. I am sure the readers would enjoy this too. This story which is a translation from Arabic to English is available in the internet and can be accessed and is quite long. The interesting thing is it has captured the hearts imaginations of many Europeans nations. Even dance forms like waltzing created couple of centuries ago to celebrate it.
The gist of the story goes as follows:
A king in Persia was heading towards the border of his domain leaving his beloved queen in the palace to meet two of his brothers ruling two other adjacent lands after meticulous planning. However, on his way he remembers he left his valuable ring in the palace and returned in the night to get it. But when he enters his bedroom, he finds queen sleeping with a negro servant. So, he gets angry and kills both then and there. This incident has deeply affected his mental condition so much that whenever he marries another bride, he kills her in the first night itself. This behaviour upset everybody in the palace and his Wazeer (or prime minister) decided to change the king by getting his own daughter to marry the king, but the daughter would tell a wonderful story without an end each tight so that the king would wait for another day to kill her. This has gone on for thousand nights and by the next night the king was cured.
This is how the Europeans revelling on that episode:
(please play June 16, 2024 version)
Finally, I will end up once again on a video animation by the duo Hans Romatikus and partner Petra:
It’s a waltzing to a song by the Austrian brothers Brunner & Brunner titled Weil dein Herz dich verrat (because your heart betrays):
The correct steps in this thing are important as I have observed careful observers would comment. A friend of mine from a wealthy muslim country when watching a wedding video recorded in a Colombo hotel would find fault with the steps our fellows were taking. Maybe they also teach their children to do it correctly under strict guidance so that when their students go to western countries they do not find out of place. The world would have been a much better place if they continued that trend.
One more thing:
I remember there was a trainer by the name Johny Solomons in Kolpetty around late 60s who was very strict when teaching those steps. And there was one young guy in the group who worked in a bank in Colombo. He was from a respected well to do family from Kalutara district in Mathugama. He had just embarked on the life’s journey after finishing from college. One day he did not return after work and there was a news on the radio to say that he had stepped out from the bank with the days collection in a bag. The amount was about 5 to 6 million rupees in today’s value. I do not know whether the guy is living or dead today and I dared not to inquire. Hope their efforts were not in vain.