A frequently used—or rather overused—quote by Rumi that one comes across on social media is, ‘The wound is the only place the light can enter.’ From lovelorn teenagers to influencers preaching self-love, everyone uses it, and for good reason. The simple sentence makes a lot of sense at a deep, philosophical level when it comes to dealing with pain or loss.

Except for people like Ashwin Chitale, a philosophy major who has spent the last one-and-a-half year performing Rumi Hai (It is Rumi). The artiste finds it amusing that everyone seems to enjoy the quote without knowing its origins or its original form.