Renewal of social values

One of Leo Tolstoy’s famous stories poses a philosophical question, “How much land does a man need?” And the end of the story convinces the reader that a man in the end requires no more than 6 feet of land in some corner of a graveyard. The conclusion drawn is so true. However, the paradox of life is that man does not understand this eternal truth and he breathlessly runs throughout his life amassing wealth and property. And when the bubble of life dissolves all things appear in their true colour- useless and lifeless.

Today the people who are at the helm of power or those who already have enormous wealth are more corrupted than others. The vilest thing is that corrupt practices snatch the benefits of a nation from those who deserve them most. It is a threat to our society. But why corruption is so rampant? Why do corrupt people unfeelingly deprive other people from their rightful share of nation’s riches?

The answer is plain. Man is genetically selfish. And by default, the sperm that produces a human form is utterly selfish. So we can say,”Thinking oneself first” is the distinctive inborn characteristic of almost all human beings. In other words, to become selfish is the natural tendency of human beings.  But the good thing about us is that in spite of our innate selfish inclinations, we have a society and we feel responsible for a harmonious co-habitation. Therefore we have so long existed and developed. Our age-old social values and sense of common humanity always get in our way and modify our selfish desires to morally and socially acceptable forms. This social or psycho-moral mechanism had been the guiding force in the past. Moreover this social consciousness is essential for our present and future as well. It is indispensable for the safe existence of mankind. But the pity is that now-a-days man is becoming more and more unfeeling and numb to the idea of universal brotherhood and co-existence. The common sense of humanity is losing grounds and the society is slowly pushed to a state of utter anarchy.

In short we can say that we have degraded ourselves miserably in the moral scale. Hence, we urgently require explicit laws like LOKPAL for the renewal of our basic social and moral laws. Who knows, it may really restructure our social values for another millennium and bring the possibility of peaceful living for all human beings.

BOMBAY KA LADU

I didn’t like to lose your nearness so most of the time I smiled at you and I tried my level best to please you. You noticed my sincere efforts and toyed your hair. You felt flattered and queen-like. I talked all good things about you and you blushingly burst in laughter. By the time you were laughing, I imagined that you are in my arms with your eyes closed. But I did not know that in reality I had closed my own eyes in day-dreaming. I became conscious when you shook me by my hand.

I opened my eyes and saw that 6 months of my 2^nd year of +3 had passed but I could not be sure whether you love me or not. When it was exam time you smiled as usual and told me that I was a cute friend like Piyus, Kalol, Sima, Ashok……..I was thunder struck to listen that I was just one among your numerous friends. For 6 months long I had seen your face in the pages of my books but slowly I realized that your lovely face, smiles and your toying of hair had befooled me. I was a fool who now sat in the exam and drew your face on the exam paper.

I saw the questions in the question paper but I was haunted by one question, “Why did you smile at me for 6 months and fooled me so long?” The exam bell rang. I had neatly drawn your face on my paper. With the ringing of the final bell, I wrote the words “BOMBAY KA LADU” below the sketch.

a secret of delivering fine public speeches

I had to deliver a speech of three minutes. So I seriously prepared for it. As a part of my preparation I read volumes, collected hundreds of facts related to the topic and drafted them neatly on paper. I mugged them up. I filled my mind and my notes with lots of relevant details. And the time to deliver my speech approached. I stood and started speaking to the audience. I had a lot in my mind to speak up but I ran out of time. I had not even delivered one-fifteenth of my speech when my time was over. I missed my points, spontaneity and naturalness. I left the important and was confused with the unimportant. In short, I was disappointed along with my audience. My failure taught me a lesson. Never be seriously serious about something. Life is too short like the three-minute long speech. Don’t spend whole life in serious preparation only. Enjoy life naturally. Moreover, angels could fly because they take themselves lightly.

One month latter once again I got an opportunity to address an audience of 1000 people for 5 minutes and this time I chose only four points to accommodate in my speech. I spoke each point only for 1 minute and concluded my speech one minute before. My conclusion of speech was followed by a loud applause which continued for 20 seconds. It taught me another lesson that life’s journey would become beautiful when you carry less but essential luggage. I had carried only 4 points in my mind and I fare well through the test.

I slowly became a common man.

The evening was lashed with a heavy shower and I was caged in a small cramped place. When the rain stopped I came out and saw that it had already been dark.

I smiled and thought for a while that my life had a situation akin to the evening’s incident. I know it very well that I am caged in a typical small circumference which stifles my evolution. But I do not leave the cage. Out of compulsion or out of my inertia or out of fear I remain in the limiting cage and when the rain subsides and I come to consciousness, I find darkness everywhere. 

I was in a job which had little financial return and I wanted something better but I did not have better options at hand. Previously my decisions involved myself but now my decisions had implications on my newly formed family. So I feared taking any risk and I continued as before. And I felt in me the very characteristic attitude of the common man who adhered to a set pattern of a monotonous living. In whom the passion to excel dies out. I felt as if I was bent on my own weight. My high dreams were crushed. I was overpowered by an impulse to choose the easy way of compromise. I compromised with my dreams and attempted to shut the windows that once showed me rainbows in the open blue sky. I lived but without my spirits. I carried out the orders of my boss and satisfied myself with the little return he gave for my dispirited service. I slowly became a common man.

His small smiles are solution to big problems of life.

On July 5 my baby came with me from his maternal grandfather’s home. For two months he stayed with me. He matured a little and today he boarded the train to go to his grandfather’s.   In these days he had learnt to smile at me. He would jump towards me when I spread my hands to catch him. He seemed very special to me because I was, of course, his father. His toothless laughs, softness of body, incoherent words and milky smell of his mouth would inspire me to care for his comfort. His presence was a real joy for me because I would become a big child with him. 

He could not express his feelings in words but he had other ways of expressing his needs and feelings. The baby had a characteristic cry when he demanded for mother’s milk. Looking straight to his mother with tearing eyes he would cry very emphatically to feed him. His expression of helplessness suddenly warranted adrenalin speed of activity among us for his comfort. Sometimes in response to my cuddling he would make a long shrill noise. His small smiles are solution to big problems of life.

Are you Anna or Ramdev?

“I speak of the public and for the public and that makes me a public speaker with some difference”, announced the stranger to a young man. To which the young man fired off a rejoinder, “I really regret that I have never heard your name among the well-known public speakers of my time.”  

“You never know me because I am neither a leader nor a religious monk preaching morality.  I am a banned speaker because I voice public opinion. This is a country where freedom of speech is accorded so long as you speak of scriptures. But when you voice criticism, objection or a genuine concern for the welfare of your state, you will be banned.” - replied the stranger.

“Are you Baba Ramdev or Anna Hazare?  You are using their parlance.”- Asked the young man out of curiosity.

“No! Please don’t politicize me. I am just a common man with lots of dreams in my heart to realize. And I just want to breathe in FREEDOM in its real sense. But I cannot. Because till date young men like you prefer to ask -Are you Anna or Ramdev? - But they don’t show the guts to say -I am ANNA or I am RAMDEV”.  – The stranger lapsed into a silence and looked into the distant sky.

The young man moved closer to the stranger and held the stranger’s hand firmly and proclaimed, “I am a young ANNA and I am born to usher true freedom in India.” 

The sun was shining and the land looked all golden.