LOVE... REALLY?

I had a friend who would always talk about his mother’s greatness. After the untimely death of his father, she had gone through severe hardships to ensure his education. He kept talking of his dream to give his mother a better home and a better life. His love for his mother was obvious every time he spoke of her!

Once I happened to speak with my friend’s mother, in his absence. I decided to make her feel good by telling about her son’s respect and love for her. While speaking I was stunned to see the disbelief on her face. When prodded, she confided that her son had lied to me. He actually despised her!

It was a strange state to be in, for I knew both had spoken the truth to me!!!

In my interactions, I follow this story with a poser, ‘if both are speaking the truth, whose certainty matters?’ Eventually, after exploring all possibilities the reality is unravelled: my friend was telling the truth about his love for his mother but as it was not reflected in his actions, she was unaware of it. In fact, his mother found hate and spite in his behaviour and hence she was right to say that her son did not love her.

Now replace mother with any other relationship or team or even motherland. Is our love just in genuine intention or reflected in committed and consistent action that confirms our emotion. So often, so many of us mean well... but without aligned actions, such emotion is meaningless. In fact, for some it is a disguise to avoid actual action by just talking without walking the talk.

Love is sterile as an internal emotion
Ensure that it results in visible action!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Ride more boats

‘Don Voddeani paim dovrunk zaina’

-       Konkani proverb (you cannot keep your feet in two canoes)

This proverb was referred to by the poet with the silver mane in 2001, at the International Goans Convention. Manoharrai Sardessai was always an inspirational muse to scores of the loyal fans of his poetry, prose and philosophy. On that day, he referred to the Konkani quote but unveiled a new paradigm… the ancient Goan tradition of combining two boats to create a larger platform called ‘sangodd’.

Today marks 10 years of celebrating his birthday in his absence. His take on things, both, Goan and global, continues to hold immortal inspiration. Manoharrai’s message of the harmonizing dimension of ‘sangodd’ has greater relevance in today’s times when every question arouses diametrically extreme viewpoints that spark off bitterness and hostility. His own life reflected the ‘sangodd’.

He wrote mature political ballads as well as delightful songs for children. Besides writing in Konkani, he also indulged in the mastery of Marathi, French, English and other languages. As a teacher he never gave up studying. He wrote about rationalism and socialism and simultaneously penned prayers to Shantadurga and Jesus. He published his books in multiple languages and scripts.

We can ride many canoes, if we build a larger platform across them to create a sangodd. In fact, when we ride single boats we confine ourselves to restrictive moats. But when we build the harmonising sangodd over diverse boats, we equip ourselves to ride greater seas and greater challenges... like the immortal inspiration of Manoharrai Sardessai!

Build the unifying sangodd, ride more boats

Diversity helps cross the confines of moats

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Yet another Stain!

YET ANOTHER STAIN

First claim victimhood
Then cry as if in pain
Speak of offended pride
Hide the past stain…

Hide the past stain
Threaten violence again
Unleash the hate venom
Drown voices sane…

Drown voices sane
Ride the pride train
Shout loud and louder
Flush peace down the drain…

Flush peace down the drain

Blow venom for the foe
Human venom is a blaze
flames will further grow…

The flames as they grow
they burn every side
In the heap of the dead
Buried will be puffy pride…

Buried will be puffy pride

Until resurrected again

And cacophony will repeat

As human plays insane…

Human will play insane

And cry as if in pain

Victimhood and venom

Will leave yet another stain!

Pravin Sabnis

poem written by Pravin on 5 January 2016 about those who cite victimhood as justification for their venomous violence against humanity

Auspicious

A son built a new house for his mother who had gone through immense struggle to nurture him, after the untimely death of her husband. Even though the new home was ready, he waited for an auspicious day to move in. Sadly, his mother passed away the previous day. His mother never stayed in the home built for her, due to his unnecessary wait for the auspicious day!

We wait for the New Year to put into action desirable resolves that we plan to implement… or we wait for some other auspicious day. And if we fail to do so on that chosen day, we reschedule our commitment to yet another propitious occasion.

Listing all such procrastination would clear the air about the real culprit of inaction. Looking for an auspicious occasion aggravates a perilous suspicion of confidence in self. It sows the seeds of doubt in our mind and transfers the probability of success to damaging superstition.

It is not the occasion that decides the action… it is the action that defines the occasion. If the action is good… so is the moment. Every moment can be the beginning of a new year in our lives only if we choose to initiate new actions…

Resolve to quit waiting for an occasion auspicious …
Success comes to the initiator, not the suspicious!

- Pravin K. Sabnis
Goa, India.