Colours We Adorn

 Colours We Adorn
I have always been fascinated by human behaviour. While it may require a scientific study to ascertain why a person behaves the way he does, there is nothing to prevent us from undertaking a study  at the grass root and mundane level. I will not abide by  the  conventional categorisation of people.That I will leave to psychologists and psychoanalysts.  I will go out of that format  and try to analyse people as I have observed  them.Let me warn that this approach  has limitations and may be controversial. Not that I am anxious to get into any such unenviable situations. I admit that there can be hazards but life will not be  exciting  unless there are challenges. Now I will attempt to enumerate some broad headings which cannot be exhaustive but may be exhausting!! These are as follows;-
1.Smooth talker  
 Smooth talkers occupy a predominant position  in the lives of men and nations. To name a few, ambassadors and diplomats come under this category. It is not, however,confined  to them.They do not hold any monopoly over it.
I will go back to my college days.It was the year 1951 when I was in the senior Intermediate class.As is the wont  with teenagers I also had my own share of prejudices and predilections.  I was diffident and vacillating. I had a vacuous expression. It was at this juncture that I was  introduced to Dale Carnegie's  book  'How to stop worrying and start living'. One thing led to another. I chanced upon another Dale Carnegie  classic 'How  to win friends and influence people'.This book acted as a catalyst in my life. From a shy  timid teenager, I overnight  blossomed into  a self confident and persuasive adult.I shed all misgivings and inhibitions.I wanted to practise some of the formulas  explained by the author. I started spreading my charm all around.The next logical step was to concretising  my strategy. Then I struck! My first victim was a hotel keeper. Except for an  occasional travelling talkies, there was no scope for entertainment in my hamlet. Only the district town     situated  about  thirty kilometres away  had a few cinema halls. Once my friends and I decided to go there for watching a late night movie.Those were the days when bus service was in a rudimentary stage.Nerve-racking and bone-breaking ramshackle buses used to ply on decrepit roads. The preferred mode of transport was therefore generally walking. My friends and I walked to the nearest railway station located five kilometres away  from my village. After viewing the movie ,  when we came out of the hall, it was the unearthly hour of 2.00 am. No trains, no buses. Walking at midnight through dense tree laden and flooded fields was no option. Beside, it would have been a risky venture.It was then that we decided to spend the night in a cheap hotel.Money was hard to come by those days and together we could not afford more than one room. We were four and only two occupants were allowed in each of these small  dingy  bug and mosquito ridden apology of rooms.It was then that I directed my charm on the hapless hotel keeper.I took him aside and harangued him. I do not recall what transpired between us. However the miracle happened. All the four of us were allowed  to spend the remaining part of the night in one room on condition that at the crack of dawn we should make ourselves scarce.This episode brought me laurels . Overnight I became a hero among my friends. They could not decipher how I cracked the nut of an  obstinate hotel boss . They believed in my invincibility and ability to influence men and events. I indulged in some more experiments in the heady days  of my youth. However to put the record straight  I am no crook and I have not duped anybody.. In my work place and else where I have encountered past masters of this art who could simply gobble me up. Here I would like to salute my wife.In reverse gear, she practised this art on me when I was totally bewitched by her. 
 On the positive side, if viewed properly, this is a noble pastime with all the trappings of divinity. This has helped me to understand myself and others better. This knowledge has benefitted  afflicted and striken people to alleviate and sometimes even overcome their maladies. I am still a practitioner of this art but instead of targetting fellowmen I have now directed it towards the God Almghty  whose grace I require in abundance  in the evening of my life.
2. Self adulators
 Self adulation is a trait  which we observe in people who lack confidence. I am slightly twisting a common saying to mean that a worker is known by  his work. If he is an intelligent and efficient worker, no form of tom- toming or advertisement is required to bring him into the lime light. Only people, who are deficient in qualities  of head and heart and which fact is reflected in their performance, resort to outpourings of self praise.They will appropriate, rather misappropriate, achievements of others  and project them  as their own. As the saying goes one cannot fool all the people all the time. The day of reckoning will come  and the hollowness of their claim will be exposed.
3.People with wicked disposition
 They act overtly or covertly. People who adopt stealth and deciet in their dealings  come under this category.  Those who act overtly or under public gaze  may be less dangerous than those who operate covertly. It will require a discerning eye to size them up. We come to know about their intentions only when we suffer at their  hands. Such persons , irrespective of their gender ,have demonic or satanic  propensity. We should be wary of such people and avoid befriending them. Such persons can appropriately be compared to poisonous cobra whose mere hiss will be blood curdling what to speak of their fatal sting.Once we are trapped in their stranglehold, it will be difficult to extricate ourselves from their vicious grip without any harm or damage.They display iniquitous tendencies and are seldom amenable to correction. 
 While writing this piece, I felt that evil was creeping on me.In utter fright, therefore, I stop further delineation  on the subject. 
4.Boasters
  Boasters hardly require any elaboration. We come across such people  in daily life. These pompous species  are not of  any use to the society or their fellow beings. You may conclude that they are inveterate liars  and can safely be written off as not of any consequence.
5. Bores
  Such people are a great nuisance. The general tendency is to avoid such persons.They think that it is their fundamental right to impose themselves upon  others and inflict on their  unsuspecting victims with meaningless rattle and prattle.Those who are regular train travellers might have come across such  people. They will warm up and catch  your attention at an unguarded moment. You can escape them only  when you reach you destination . Make sure that they are not following you.
6. Hypocrites
      Classic example of this category are some members  of the political class.They mesmerise people  by the sheer weight of their logic and rehetoric.They are high on promise and low on practise.All this they perform with such a finnesse that the incredulous  keep gaping in disbelief .
7. Pretenders
  Pretenders can be equated with impostors. Even impersonators may come under this category.
8. Pedigree hunters
  After the abolition of royalty and privy purses, such people can now be seen  tagged on to industrialists and politicians.  They may not all be perverse but can adopt ingenious methods  to achieve their goal.
9. Gentle, kind etc.
    People  coming under this definition can broadly be classified as 'gentle,kind,considerate,loving and affectionate'. In one word, can we  call them gentlemen in the true sense of the word?In brief they are the good samaritans of  society, the torch bearers of our civilisation and representing all that is great and noble. How do we explain such people? Are they endowed with all these qualities since birth or acquired  them in the course of their life's journey?  Some might have got transformed or reformed due to some cataclysmic episode in the torrid waters  of their life.
 Even though it is said that all men are born equal, I cannot  buy this thesis. I will say that  it is fallacious and does not satisfy the touchstone of reality. There is a popular belief  that circumstances and environment alone make the man. It may be partially true but cannot be the whole truth. Men and women born  of the same parents, brought up in the same environment and attended  same or comparable   educational institutions exhibit  different personality traits.How can this phenomenon be explained? In  several people goodness is an inborn and inherent quality  which gets nurtured  and cemented in the course of time. Irrespective of the circumstances , they continue to represent all that is good and noble.Some may not have been born with these gifts. But it is not a hopeless situation. There is something that is called 'Purusharth' in Sanskrit.Our scriptures say that we can change our destiny.Sincere, dedicated and unflinging effort is the hallmark of such persons. It should not be half hearted . There is no halfway  house to attain glory. One has to go the whole hog to attain it.History is replete with instances where the ordinary folk  have changed their destiny and come to assume  the  mantle of glory and greatness.
 In the end ,I may stress that it may not  be  possible or justfied  to compartmentalise people. The embodied beings  possess  some or  all of the these qualities in some measure.


  

Romancing Old Age

                         Romancing Old Age
At last I have been woken up from somnolence. I would like to pen some thoughts on a subject that is upper most in my mind.That pertains to old age. Has age got any significance in the modern age? It has been reported that by the  year 2030 India's young population would be about 95 crores,ie. in a short while we can reach the billion mark!!Old people no longer behave like old  people. Even in their dress and attitude they  mimic  the younger population.And why not?Improved  health care and health consciousness  coupled with a rigid exercise regime have to some extent  delayed the onslaught of the advancing age.I would  not call it a reprieve  as I   some times feel that age( I will not say old age) relentlessly pursue its prey  and frustrate  all  efforts to keep it at bay.
      When does old age begin? That is a debatable question as the marauding forces of age attack different  people at different time  keeping in view the health of their mental and physical faculties and emotional and psychological  propensities.It is no longer  rare  to see centenarians standing upright and  walking in swift strides. My opinion is that age is a matter of attitude.  A person with a pleasant demeanour, non complaining and contended nature and ever obliging will  go far in life  smart and healthy  despite the ravages of age. 
    My first brush with old age  was when I was hardly  23 years of age.I was travelling  in Delhi Transport Corporation bus. A smart girl got into the bus and addressed me 'Uncle, will you please move?' I felt that a thunderbolt has struck me and the ground under my feet was slipping. See her temerity!! Uncle indeed!!  I hardly  became a youth  and suddenly metamorphosed  into an ageing Uncle. I then realised that in Delhi all men are uncles and all women are  aunties whatever may be their age or status. I counselled and consoled myself that since this is a regular if not acceptable practice I should pardon that impertinent girl.  But what  took the cake  was  when  the bus conductor addressed as 'Lalaji'.' Lalaji where will you go?'   Sorry, even though I had  a corpulent figure, I should not be assigned to the category of  lalaji. I was just 22 when I landed in Delhi and was completely ignorant of the ways of this historical city. I expressed my  agony to a local friend. His reply was comforting though not very satisfying.  He looked very serious and like an oracle  pronounced  that wealthy people are known  as Lalas. I was confounded. A stripling has entered a higher social bracket without sweating or swearing for it. Years later after I entered  wedlock  and  me and the apple of my eyes were on  extended honeymoon,  a vegetable vendor knocked at our door. When I opened the door to my utter consternation he said that he had brought some special vegetables ordered by 'your Mother.' My mother!! Gosh!!  The ignoramus meant  my wife , who still had  dreamy eyes. To this day  I have not revealed  this unsavoury episode to my beloved wife who still treats me as her eternal Majnu. She refuses to acknowledge my age in spite of all tell tale signs  of a crumbling physique  if not spirit. I am on the  threshold of becoming  an  octogenarian.I  am a host to various ailments, some not very serious and some life threatening. My daughter and  son-in-law, who are eminent doctors, have so far succeeded in thwarting all attempts made by fate  to snatch me away from their midst and I am reasonably hale and hearty. My daughter-in-law does not spare  any  effort  to keep my old age at bay.She went to the extent of shepherding  me to a stylish beauty parlour, got an awesome haircut  and  special treatment to  bestow on my dull and dark skin some brightness which may not last long.The sun God will ensure that. All this while my son was viewing this drama with an indulgent smile.Thus there is a combination of forces  which keep me at a safe distance from the rigours and ravages  of a senile and decrepit old age. The moot question is how far  and  how long  we can fend off  the inevitable. Man is an evolutionary and  evolving being. Right from birth  he evolves and changes. Infancy, childhood, youth,  old age and the ultimate unspeakable truth are his characteristics.. But as the old saying  goes ,old age is second childhood. I see God's beauty all around  and a sparrow or a butterfly excites me. No wonder Somerset Maugham  observed that"old age has its pleasures, which,though different, are not less than the pleasures of youth". My message, therefore, is  so long as  the show goes on, let us enjoy it.











 

Romancing tomorrow

Tomorrow is a concept, a beautiful concept, but not a reality. It is at best a presumptive or prospective or plausible reality but not an absolute reality. It is true that bards and bandits have woven ballads and bizarre poems around it. That does not in any way bestow on it a currency as for example, today.
Tomorrow! I love you with all my heart and soul. Today is dull and drab. What is today? It is a grind, it is horrifying and scurrying. Running from pillar to post. Tomorrow, ha my beloved! How much I miss you. Your unjustly labelled procrastination. Even if you are that, I will say, that you are the life and soul of all that is and that will be. Everybody loves you; the whole world adores you. My life companion is jealous of you, I hold you so tightly that she feels that I am flirting with you and that that hug is rightly hers.
Saints and savants, poets and pugilists, philosophers and pedagogues, pagans and purists, meek and the mighty, lowly and the lost and pugnacious and obnoxious all sing paeans about you. They lie at your threshold to have a glance of you or to be glanced at by you. 
Regular shoppers will be aware of a slogan engineered by clever traders. They promise things on credit for tomorrow which never comes. Even such ordinary folk know the value and beauty of tomorrow. Chasing tomorrow is an elusive pursuit. As the saying goes, tomorrow never comes.  You can say today is yesterday's tomorrow, but you cannot say that it is tomorrow. Who has seen tomorrow? Not any living being, I reckon. Even though some astrologers and soothsayers claim that they can see tomorrow, after all what is prediction about, nobody can verify this claim because it is at best a conjecture or a science of possibilities and presumptions.


The invention of 'tomorrow' is a boon to many of the weak-hearted, and of course to procrastinators. If it is entertainment, I want it now at this very moment. If it is work, the first question that comes to mind is whether I can postpone it for tomorrow. Our work piles up like this because tomorrow never comes. Then we fret and fume and complain that we are overworked. Having said so, you cannot still ignore the concept of tomorrow. As distance lends charm, tomorrow sheds its charm all around.We make detailed plans for 'tomorrow' as we cannot do that planning tomorrow, since tomorrow is still in the stage of imagination if not hallucination.
Rightly or wrongly, justifiably or unjustifiably, in certain quarters tomorrow is equated with procrastination and delaying tactics. The truth is that there is some truth in this belief. A large segment of the populace either because of inertia or difficulty in grappling with a problem or situation puts off things for the morrow.
Stigmatized with procrastination, ruin and rumination will be their repast with hardly any scope for reparation or respite and often resulting in rumpus situations. Even though subsequent alacrity may, to some extent, mitigate the damage, most of what is obliterated will be irretrievable and irreconcilable. Such a situation may devastate a man's equipoise and cause severe mental disquietude. Procrastination is the commander of evil and feeble forces. Procrastination is also known as the virtue of the wise. If this enemy within is not routed in a straight battle of non-reticence and rectitude, recurrence and recrudescence will be the result which in one mighty sweep can wash away all that is achieved with valiant efforts.   
Let us view tomorrow in its proper perspective and discharge all possible functions of the fabled tomorrow today itself. This is the lesson that we have inherited from the past and should be bequeathed to the succeeding generations.  

Hail yesterday! Hail!!

There is one school of thought which advocates that since yesterday is dead and gone do not rue over it.Similarly tomorrow is in nature's bowel and we do not know what will happen tomorrow. So do not give a thought to it.Only today, that is the present, that matters.I have some serious  reservations about the first statement.  What does it mean?  Since yesterday is dead and gone, throw it out of your window.What a blasphemous thought! Can we forget that today has blazed forth from yesterday's blast. Can we forget that all our booty came from yesterday.If this Philosophy  is accorded any undeserved status, those compulsive criminals and hoodlums who lack in circumspection and introspection and who consequently indulge in malpractices will sleep peacefully without any sense of guilt or compunction.What will happen to the society especially the law abiding citizenry.If this not curbed,law  abiding citizens will start hobnobbing with criminals and upstarts and become victims of hocus-pocus tendencies.This hypo-allergenic is fraught with grave consequences.Now turning to practical life situations what do we see. Let us take a building under construction.You have to build upon what has been built yesterday.In this case the theory mentioned above flies out of the window.
             Several cultures and civilisations in the past have collapsed, crumbled and bitten the dust because lessons of history were not heeded to. Similarly several mighty empires also disappeared  into the dark cavern of antiquity. It has been well said that history repeats itself . Take the case of individuals. How many of us are benefited  by past experiences.Or rather how many of us bother to conduct a post mortem of yesterday's events. How many of  us have  learnt any thing from the lessons of history. How many of us  will acknowledge  yesterday's  follies and foibles.How many of us will have the courage to prick our elephantine ego and own up our  past errors of  omissions and commissions, blunders and blusters and turn a new leaf. With a myopic outlook we brush aside the past
and  forge into the present committing all the mistakes and blunders  all over again. We are so afraid of our past conduct that we wish to shut them out like the cat who shuts her eyes in the fond hope that nobody will see her. Proper understanding of all that has been done and undone yesterday will restore our perspective about what should be aimed at today, what is practicable  and feasible,what is to be discarded and abandoned  and what is to be embraced. Otherwise, a recurring and punishing nightmare will ensue.
           Coming to mundane level  let us suppose that we have invited someone known to us for a meal. What will  be our first thought? We will definitely try to entertain him with dishes that we know  he likes and not what we like.This is concrete lesson from yesterday.
            Rome was not  built  in a day is an old adage  that comes to mind. All the great and endowed minds   whether they are philosophers or academicians or scientists or even  seers and  sages   have not attained theit  heights  simply by slogging in the present. Lot of preparaton of yester years has gone into their making. Contribution  of  yesterday to their activities is thus considerable. A studious student will work on  where he left unfinished  yesterday. A finished work of yesterday will be a springboard for further activities and achievements in the years to come.A wise man will  never lose sight  of his achievements as well as his failures It is only  an uninformed and petulant brain that fails to see this phenomenon.Even though I will not call it a perversity, it is at the same time  a lack of perspicacity  and sagacity. This is the saga behind all human failures.
            My thesis, therefore, is  that YESTERDAY should be accorded  the  same,  if not better,  status which TODAY  has got.
      Hail yesterday, hail!!   

Women in my life!

The title of this blog should not give any wrong notions about me. I am not a reputed philanderer or a lady-killer. I am a normal human being without abnormal human ambitions. I do not build castles in the air. I am earthly and of the earth. This introduction was necessary before traversing on this tricky track. At the same time I am not a misogynist or a chauvinist. You may conclude that I am a namby-pamby in the mysteries of womanhood. It is however as apparent as daylight that women give us strength, solace and succour. They, so to say, provide us with our survival kit. Having said this let us see what will be the attitude of a male who is steeped in chauvinism or is a philistine. Has he got nothing to do with the  fair species? Apart from the fact that he has been brought out into this world by a woman, a man,  whatever may be his pretentions, is a creature of a  woman. She has a stranglehold on him. He is within the easy pull of a  woman. It may be a moral pull exercised by his mother or sister or daughter or an amorous one exercised by his wife or mistress or girl friend or even a paramour. That much for a man's Independence. It is an oft-repeated saying that the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. Sometimes I am appalled that a woman is a  repository of all that provides man with strength. We have the example of  Mother Goddess from whom has accrued all the powers of  the divine denizens. Without her benign grace things will go pell mell. Cosmic order will disintegrate leading to chaos and catastrophe. The very foundation of the cosmos will be shaken as if struck by a thunder bolt of mammoth proportion.
Many women have made an irreversible impact on my life. Foremost of them is my mother followed by my wife, mother-in-law, daughter, daughter-in-law, sister and grand daughters,etc. Several others have also contributed to my persona but the list will be unending.

• Mother  -  Ha mother, my mother, I crave for your hug. My mother was a gift from God. Divinity was oozing from her being. It is said  that she was born after a lot of prayers and worship. A divine aura surrounded her personality.Destiny however robbed her of her beloved mate at a very young age.Saddled with half a dozen little mouths to be fed and taken care of she sallied forth into an uncertain and bewildering world  with only her unbeatable courage and confidence.Single handed this brave lady brought us all up and set us forth in the ocean of life equipped with reasonable education and grit. Adversity did not dim her wit and humour. Throughout, her personality  emitted an infectious demeanour of pleasant and pulsating  life. Whatever I am today is due to her unwavering stewardship.

•  Mother-in-law  -    She was a virtuous lady of indescribable grace. She possessed a rare ethereal charm. Nobility was her hallmark.The very moment I was introduced to her I was carried away by her grace.My mother-in-law was a woman of God.She was a practising Ram Bhakt.She was also an adept in Sikh tenets.Chanting from Shree Guru Granth Sahib was a favourite devotional practice  nurtured by her.Even I was infected  by her ardent devotion and became an admirer of Shree Guru Nanak Dev.It was at this time that  a colleague of mine, a Sikh gentleman,enabled me to have darshan at various holy Gurudwaras of Delhi  including Rakabganj, Sisganj and Bangla sahib. I am beholden to my mother-in-law for various blessings of life.

• Wife :   A  wife is a wife all her life. A Punjabi siren  with sinuous grace cuckooed her way into my heart. There was hardly any park or restaurant which this smitten duo had not graced.Right from the beginning it was evident that my cuckoo was and continues to be the dominant partner. Right from seducing and leading me upto the altar, it was her show all the way. Like Mary's little lamb I would follow her meekly. There was an incident  when her authoritarian streaks came to the fore. During the hey days of our courtship or was it that time when our mutual adulation was still nascent(my memory is not helping me here), we came in conflict with the uniformed law. We were sitting in  a park oblivious of our surroundings when something hard poked me. To my astonishment  and consternation I found  the law enforcing agency, in flesh and blood staring at us.He demanded why we were there and what was our purpose of cohorting in a secluded park. Out of my wits for a few moments, a pathetic  look from my  beloved rekindled  my chivalry and  in the tradition of a knight gallant I faced the calamity fairly and squarely. I explained that it was stifling at home and we had ome to the park for a whiff of fresh air.  It did not seem to convince the law enforcing agency. Fearing that my incoherent and broken Hindi would give away the game, the gallant lady took over and fielded further questions. Suffice to say that the danger retreated and we continued with our confabulation. It is often said that women with overbearing traits in their character have the last word in any argument with their mates. It is not true in my case as I generally have the last word. These lethal words are 'I agree'. My woman treats me softly as if I require great nourishing with affection. It will be imprudent if not impudent to question her decisions. If I make any impulsive adventure in this regard it will be met with a look of disdain if not contempt. We completed our golden jubilee two years ago and neither age nor custom has withered away our ardour for each other. Our blissful state continues. Thanks to God Almighty.  

•  Daughter - A daughter was born to us after lot of prayers. After a son, we thought that in the fitness of things and to complete our planned family the presence of a little angel was required. God blessed us with a nice little doll who herself is now a mother and in due course will become a mother-in-law. She is always calm, cool and collected and her very presence acts as a balm. I am a restless character, my daughter has shown me the virtues of balanced behaviour and good cheer. She is a doctor by profession. She takes good care of our physical, physiological, psychological and emotional health. About physical needs she no doubt attends to my ever lengthening ailments but with her culinary expertise she titillates my tastebuds. I look forward to visits to her house. In all her ventures she is ably assisted by her well renowned doctor husband. In her marital home she has worn the mantle of an able and efficient housewife. She has won the hearts of all members of her husband's family and often acts as  the torch-bearer of their welfare. To the amusement of her grown up children I still call her Gudiya meaning 'doll'. She is deeply religious and does not miss any opportunity to visit Shirdi.  

• Daughter-in-law -  My daughter-in-law entered our household at a very appropriate time. I and my wife had put in a lot of service  and were on the threshold of superannuation. She landed at this juncture in our house as a saviour. She was no stranger to us her father being my childhood friend. She is the only daughter of her parents, and has two brothers. Her parents and brothers doted on her. She grew up as a strong willed girl ready to face any challenges. She is very strong at the very core of her being. I and she both come under the same zodiac sign. This sometimes resulted in titanic clashes of our will but without any damage. This is a thing of the past and I won't attempt to confront her as she can easily worst me in any argument. There were some hiccups in the initial days of her marriage as her parents were staying away in Bangalore and her husband's family based in Delhi. But it goes to her credit that in no time she got well adjusted and became a full blown Delhi girl. Her personality opened up slowly but surely layer by layer. She is a very affectionate person fully devoted not only to her husband and children, which is natural, but also to her aged father-in-law and mother-in-law which is rare these days. I was the recipient of her kindness at the very onset of her marriage. I had undergone a surgery and she nursed me back to health with devotion. She continues to be solicitous about our heath and well being. She is equally devoted to her mother and brothers and takes good care of them. In her official career also, she has displayed rare brilliance matched only by her sincerity. She is a model daughter-in-law who exemplifies in her personality all the characteristics of a noble person. 

• Sister  - I and my four brothers together have a sister. She is elder to me by two years. Being the only sister, the brothers have throughout showered her with a lot of affection. I am very attached to her. Right from my toddler-hood she took me under her protective wings. Even now if at any time I face any uncomfortable situation, I turn to her for solace and she does not disappoint me. A hearty chat with her either over telephone or through Skype restores my tranquillity. She has impacted my personality with her ever affable and affectionate nature.

•  Grandaughters - While delineating the characters of the ladies mentioned above, I cannot sidetrack my grandaughters. These little ladies smother me with their innocent affection and unmatched love. Everybody in the family and even in friends circles pamper them, but this adulation and approbation have not spoilt them. They take it in their stride and thoroughly enjoy it. In keeping with the trend of modern times, they have grown up as self willed and confident persons. The are also very concerned with the welfare of their grandparents and inspite of their whirlwind schedules, spend valuable time with them. We watch with great interest their progression in life. God bless them.
• Nieces  - I am also blessed with the love and affection of my nieces. As young ones, I have cradled them and now they are grandmothers. While efficiently handling their family affairs, they have not forgotten me and I am the recipient of their continuous affection and solicitude.

                                                                                                                            

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Minding the mindless mind

There is a plethora of literature on the mind which has not enlightened much.You may ask what is  the need for further dissertation on this topic. A legitimate question may also arise whether it is to confuse the confusion or otherwise.In any case an addition to this literature will not in any way make a dent on its reputation as being the  most intractable thing. I have  often been  intrigued by the intricacies of the mind- the most lauded and at the same time the most despised of human organs.It can work miracles and also wreak havoc.It can take us to heights and also dump us in abysmal depths. It is divine and also  profane.It is a sinner and is also sinned against.
No sanguine mind will try to define the mind itself for it is beyond definition. If I may venture a definition, I may say that like the all pervading God it is also immanent but unseen.
It is said that self- conquest is the best conquest.What is this self?
To my untutored mind it is another version of the mind for you can reach the self only through this all powerful but deceitful instrument.Saints and sages may not vote for my theory but I maintain that this the only route.
We have often  been advised to keep an open mind.Our scriptures 
have a hymn saying that  let  noble thoughts come to us from every 
side.To receive noble thoughts, no  doubt, we require an open mind.
But what is the  guarantee that only noble thoughts  would enter it.
Have you ever tried to battle with your mind? If not try it. Your wit and wisdom  arrayed on one side and the mind on the other.Initially you may think that your wit and wisdom are more than a match to the mind. But  soon you will realise, to your consternation, that from the word 'go' you are  the  loser. All your strategies and stratagems will come to a nought and you will be simply worsted.
We make a resolution that we  will not allow  the mind to enslave  
us; rather we will conquer it.We will sit in meditation. Lo and behold unsavoury thoughts which do not normally  visit us cross our mind and assail us.See again the confusion caused by some of the votaries of meditation. One school of thought asks us to just watch our thoughts and not react.Another school of thought contradicts it and says  that you should counter all unholy thoughts with holy thoughts. An uninitiated practitioner is just left high and dry and perhaps more confused.
 In my wanderings in the woods of thoughts I have gathered lot of 'moss'.( I have borrowed  this usage from the much repeated saying that a rolling  stone gathers no moss.) I have simply applied this doctrine in the reverse gear. But this moss has only deepened my confusion more or less like a confused cockroach.  What is then the mind.? Some say that it is the ability to reason  and think and comprehend. Again some say that it is intellect, etc. Can we treat it as a definition of the mind. What is said seems to be only plausible and not necessarily possible. Our spiritual lore says  that mind and intellect are different and not synonymous. I have mellowed with age but my grey cells have not yet been able to comprehend what is mind. It is famously said that the mind can be compared to an inebriated monkey bitten by a bee. It is not difficult to imagine what will be the state of a person with such a mind. Again this does not say what is mind.
 Mind revels in our predicament, helplessness. Mind makes short-shrift of our moves. Mind eludes and more often deludes us. Even  then see the paradox. Only the mind alone can lift itself
from the morass in which it is enmeshed. Mind is the best of friends  and worst of enemies. We should not antagonise it if we want any favour from it. It then requires to be courted, cajoled, coerced  and befriended. How to achieve this goal. Our legendary hero of the  Mahabharata fame Arjuna is a classic case of  confusion and delusion.It required all the ingenuity and a lengthy haranguing on the part of the Supreme Lord  to pull him out of his unhealthy delusion and depression and dispel all his doubts and reservations. The Lord  could not accomplish it with any ease for Arjuna had some lingering doubts. He said that the mind is unsteady, turbulent, tenacious and powerful and it is difficult to control it. The Lord agrees that the mind is restless and difficult to be curbed but all the same it can be brought under control by constant and  regular practice and by the exercise of dispassion. Consistency, regularity and eternal vigil are, therefore, the mantra to yoke the turbulent  mind. 
Shall we practice it?  Any takers?




 

BIRTH OF MENON-E-AZAM -20 OCTOBER 1960

While rummaging through a labyrinth of papers to locate a document, my eyes fell  on an old forgotten manuscript which, on scrutiny, turned out to be a first time father's excited outpourings on the arrival of his offspring.This treatise was penned by me in October 1960 in honour of my son.I have given the characters  figuring in this paper a touch of royalty. After all, to employ a cliche, if wishes were horses, we can ride the clouds.Even though it is wishful thinking,I have given  a free run to my imagination.It is said that writers can take some liberties. The events mentioned in the following narrative are, however, to the best of my knowledge,true.

Dramatis personae:
 1.Rani of Patel Nagar-My charming wife.
2.Queen mother---- My mother-in-law
3.Imperial majesty-My Father-in-law
4.Prince A.D.C-My Brother-in-law
5.Royal Mausis-My wife's sisters
6.Royal Mamajis-My wife's brothers.
7.His Heaviness-Myself-(in view of my bulk)
8.Imperial Prince-My Son


Wednesday,October 19,1960,was to have been like any other day.But the Government's decision to celebrate Diwali on that day instead of on the succeeding day made it an auspicious day.It must be an auspicious day,otherwise,priests and pundits would not have not been able to prevail upon the authorities who matter to change an entry in the printed government calender.Amidst the noise and blasts of fire crackers and other Diwali accompaniments in which children and those who are still children in their mental make-up indulge,the more sober of the populous woke up to be greeted by an angry son.Diwali came but the sun was still scorching as if it were to announce that Diwali was still far of.Her Majesty,the Rani of Patel Nagar was staying with the Queen mother of Kotla Road to make preparations to welcome the imperial prince whose arrival was expected to take place a month hence.All calculations were,however,proved wrong as will be revealed in the subsequent lines.It was the day for Patel Nagar Rani to visit Lady Hardinge Hospital  for a detailed check-up.At 9 am ,His Heaviness(Patel Nagar Rani's Husband)was in the hospital to welcome the Rani and the royal retinue.They arrived.Without loss of time all solemnly entered the hospital.But as ill-luck would have it we were informed that we would have to wait till 12 pm or so.But Providence was in our favour.It is proverbial that women have longer tongues.They will talk in and out of season.They will talk relevant and irrelevant things ,the latter always predominating.(my wife vehemently protested but I have assured her that I have great respect for all women)They have their own irrational fears and prejudices when they are carrying babies.The main topic of the ladies who were on a similar errand as that of the Rani of Patel Nagar,herein after called the Heroine,was displacement.There was heated discussions among the ladies.I was however totally confused.Some narrated some strange stories of the doctors' behaviour etc.Pessimism reigned supreme.Timid of the lot occupied hind most seats thus nourishing a false hope that they would be able to escape the doctor's ominous hands. Taking this as opportune moment our heroine though she was also obsessed with the fears mentioned above,made a bold entry into the sanctum sanctorum,the labour room.What a courage!What a dynamism!After ten minutes ordeal she came out putting on a brave smile though her general features betrayed suffering.The time was 10.45 am.The heroine accompanied by His Heaviness returned to Patel Nagar.The place was full of Diwali sweets.At about 2 o'clock the heroine started complaining pains.Stomach pain on Diwali day is understandable.Even a person with moderate eating habits is likely to get it on that day.So reasonably enough I dubbed it as due to the over satisfaction of her palatal region.To be frank, it was dismissed as false pain.It is a widely known fact that  the heroine's faculty of pain is a bit super sensitive and her too common complaints are generally received with a complacent indulgence.She had some sort of pains a week before also and much fuss was made about it but later on it proved to be a false alarm.Knowing the background fully well these pains were also assigned to that category.At 6.30 pm,the heroine performed the Diwali puja and accompanied by His Heaviness left for the Imperial Headquarters in a taxi.At 7 pm,His royal highness Prince A.D.C inaugurated the fireworks.Atom bombs,hydrogen bombs,dynamite and what not made excursions to the heavens.
The heroine let out a scream.Bring this ,bring that,pack this,pack that,do this,do that,etc-all instructing and no one to follow.There was a regular pandemonium.The heroine was all tears.Heroine accompanied by Queen mother,Imperial father etc ,all got into the car and sped away to the Lady Hardinge Hospital.The party reached the hospital at 7.45 pm.After some routine enquiries ,the party was allowed inside.The heroine entered the labour room.Queen mother and Heaviness anxiously waited outside to hear the outcome even though His Heaviness still maintained that this was a recurrence of the event of the preceding week.But his protests were ignored.Occasional screaming of the heroine showed that she was wide awake.The clock struck 12.Another voice issued forth from the sanctum sanctorum.Whose could it be?Subsequent enquiries revealed that Imperial Prince has at last arrived.Well and good.There was excitement and more excitement.Queen mother Naniji ran to the telephone booth to convey the happy tidings to his Imperial Majesty,Nanaji and Royal mausis and mamajis who were all wide awake awaiting the news.I was happy beyond words and feelings that my son and successor has arrived. 


An appeal-Bouquets -yes.
                  Brickbats- No Please