Deracinate

On International Biodiversity Day, Goa’s vibrant forest officer, Paresh Porob delivered the keynote speech at an event organised at the International Centre, Goa. His talk showcased many insights based on his learnings and experience with the locals staying on the borders of the notified wildlife sanctuary.

He mentioned that the tribal community of ‘Velips’ would not pluck off all mushrooms on a termite mound. More importantly, they would use hands not scalpels to collect the mushrooms. They believed that the termite mound was alive and did not want to hurt it. However, others would use bill hooks that would damage the termite mound by the deracination and adversely affect future growth of mushrooms.

The word ‘deracinate’ comes from the French ‘déraciner’ (‘dé’- expressing removal and ‘racine’ referring to root). While deracinate refers literally to the uprooting of plant roots, it has a second metaphorical meaning suggesting removal of anyone or anything from native ‘roots’ or culture.

So often, so many of us are seized by a greed that goes beyond our real need. The greed turns us blind to the fact that our act to deracinate leads to the eradication of the resource that we need. Some deracinate because they are in undue haste. Some deracinate because they are plain careless. Others think only of present need.

Indeed, we deracinate because we are insensitive. If we are conscious of our sense of responsibility, we will employ the ability to choose the right response. Our response should ensure that we do not deracinate. We must ensure that our use of the resource does not make it disappear. Sustainability should override the tendency to deracinate.

Sustainable means can overrule greed
Deracination fulfils only current need!

~ Pravin Sabnis

não compreendi

In the early 1990s, I joined a course to learn basic Portuguese. On the very first day, our teacher told us that we must speak only in Portuguese in the class. She told us that this approach would help us learn the language better. And if we had difficulty in understanding we could say, ‘não compreendi!’ (Literally: ‘can’t comprehend)

I struggled to comprehend what was being communicated to me in Portuguese. However, I could keep the conversation going by saying ‘não compreendi’ repeatedly till I understood what was being said. The other person would use simpler language or body language or even speak in English to make me understand.

So often, so many of us do not reveal that we have ‘not understood’ what was told to us. Some worry about displaying their difficulty and be branded as a person with limited comprehension ability. Some feel that they will understand in due course. Some believe that the incomprehensible may not be of great significance.

It is pertinent to note that when we don’t ask for help, we will not get it. We must be transparent about disclosing our difficulties in comprehending the communication. When we do so, we can be helped by explanation or clarification by the other party. We also display our interest in the conversation.

There is no shame in declaring our inability to understand. We must know what we don’t know. And we must not pretend to know. We must show (tell) that we don’t know (understand). We must ask for assistance in our sincere efforts to comprehend. We must declare ‘não compreendi’ whenever we are in a situation of disconnect.

Don’t pretend to understand the difficulty
Trigger clarity by saying ‘não compreendi’!

~ Pravin Sabnis

Overripe

A Goan family owned many mango trees and the mango season would fill up the house with mangoes kept for ripening. The family could feast on excellent home ripened mangoes but this was not to be. Every day, the family members would be served overripe mangoes which were obviously past their best.

Over the season, the family would be eating only the worst mangoes as there was a new set of overripe fruit, every day. Despite having the best of produce, they were unable to enjoy its flavour. It was ironic that the abundance was useless as they were only consuming the ones on the way to decay.

To set things right, all that the family had to do was to share the ripe or near ripe mangoes with others. These would ensure that mangoes would be eaten or shared before they turned overripe. It would result in a win-win situation where everyone was eating mangoes ripened just right.

Consider the instance of tasty food that we may have cooked or ordered from outside.. There are persons who allow it to remain in the refrigerator till it decays. The choices are restricted to eating it as it is or throw it away or share the unwanted item in an act of bad generosity. All these options are bad due to their timing.

So often, so many of us hold on to things till they are past their best. Some of us share things only when they are festering to the point of decay. The timing matters. We must share when things are just right. We must let go of the tendency to hold on to things till they get spoilt. If we don’t we will have to deal with the predicament of the ‘overripe’.

Before time, stuff must be shared
Else the overripe fix will be flared!

~ Pravin Sabnis

Contrary

Some years back, at the International Film Festival of India, 'Adwait Sangeet', a documentary on renowned vocalists Pandit Rajan and Pandit Sajan Mishra of the Banaras 'gharana' was screened. In the many stories they shared about their eventful life, one interesting account was about an interaction with Osho (Rajneesh).

Osho asked the brothers, ‘what is the opposite of ‘sur’ (melody, accordant)?’ The answer seemed obvious: “besur’ (discordant, inharmonius). Osho had a different answer, ‘even the non-melodious is a type of a melody… the opposite of melody is silence, the pause between the music!’

Indeed, it is a valuable lesson! The opposite of things may not always be the ‘other’ extreme. It may be the absence of that thing. For instance the converse of love is not hatred (which is negative love). Hatred is the other end of love. But the opposite of love is indifference – the absence of response.

So often, so many of us confuse the other end of the stick as the converse of it. The contrast need not be the antithesis. The contrary may be the absence of the hypothesis. If we think on this lines, we will be more concerned about the absence rather than the albeit adverse presence.

The discordant is still a type of concordant
The contrary is absenteeism created dent!

~ Pravin Sabnis