As we are

‘We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are’

Anais Nin used this statement in her 1961 work ‘Seduction of the Minotaur’. She presented two illustrations of distinctive perceptions in passages that occur shortly before the adage appears in her writing. When Nin wrote the adage she did not take credit for the notion. Instead, she pointed to a talmudic text.

 We see only so much of the world as we have perceptive organs for seeing. We see the world not as it is, but as moulded by the individual peculiarities of our minds. Every man looks through the eyes of his prejudices, of his preconceived notions. Hence, it is difficult to broaden a man so that he will realize truth as other men see it.

 As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. As a man sees in his heart, so he sees. Through unclean windows, lenses, senses, we see things not as they are but as we are. Each of us tends to think we see things as they are, that we are objective. But this is not the case. We are conditioned to see it.

 When we open our mouths to describe what we see, we in effect describe ourselves, our perceptions, our paradigms. We must examine our prejudices and the conditioning that created it. Only then, we will realise that as we are, we are likely to see things in the same light. And that is the reality that deludes us into believing we are objective.

 It is the tragic truth of ‘as we are’

from true objectivity, we stray far!

~ Pravin K. Sabnis

Heart on Sleeve

Creative entrepreneur and a big name in event set-ups in Goa, Vinayak Dessai made a shockingly early exit on last Friday morning.  Sadness set on the minds of those who knew him. The major memories shared were of his trait of wearing his heart on his sleeve. He would easily share his emotions without holding back.

To openly display or make known one's emotions is not easy. It requires the innocence that we find often in a child and rarely in an adult. Vinayak was one such transparent person. He had nothing to hide as he wronged none. Even the ones who bore the brunt of his angry outbursts were recipients to love and concern in greater magnitude.

The expression is found in Shakespeare’s Othello where the villainous Iago tells Rodrigo: ‘For when my outward action doth demonstrate / The native act and figure of my heart / In complement extern, 'tis not long after / But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve / For daws to peck at: I am not what I am.’

Iago conveys his belief that if his heart is openly revealed, he will become vulnerable to attack. So often, so many of us are reluctant to express emotional honesty and openness. We want to play safe by hiding our true sentiments. We try to draw advantage from concealing our thoughts from others.

Personalities like Vinayak Dessai who wear their heart on their sleeve, build strong bonds of love and trust. He had nothing to hide as he had the courage to be what he was: a giving, empathic nature, despite being betrayed by some. Such trustworthy hearts leave forever… in the hearts that enjoyed the openness.  

No pretence… as they have nothing to hide

with ‘heart on sleeve’ in hearts they reside!

~ Pravin K. Sabnis

Process

Satish Bhatia had composed the music of a TV serial. The singer, who was to record the title song, flew in from Mumbai and reached the recording studio in Delhi at 11 in the morning. The track was ready. He needed to learn the melody and record. It would not have taken much time for a professional like him.

But he had not done his daily riyaaz because of the early morning flight. So he sat – inside the studio with the studio harmonium – and for three hours he practised, eyes closed, completely focused. Riyaaz was over by 2:30 in the afternoon. “Lunch?” he was asked. “After the recording,” he said.

He listened to the tune, read the lyrics and began practising. He was ready by 3:30 pm to record. By 5 pm, the title song in different variants was ready. The producer was ecstatic, the composer was highly satisfied, and the singer was happy with the final product. "Let us have that lunch now," he declared.

Bhatia’s nephew, Ajay Mankotia was witness to the dedication of Jagjit Singh, an established artiste who refused to own up the arrogance that comes from the burden of past performance. In fact his competency and skill were empowered by his attitude of following the process that was needed for him to give his best.

So often, so many of us get complacent as we get competent. We allow the previous result to make us careless in our present efforts. We forget that it is the process that created the performance. Successful persons like Jagjit Singh escape the lull that makes us think that the process was not important.

It is not just you but the process too

that makes you rise above the blue!

~ Pravin K. Sabnis

Deathly Silence

‘Itna sannata kyun hai bhai?’ (Why is it so (deathly) silent brother?)

The line from the film ‘Sholay’ was mouthed by actor A K Hangal's visually impaired character Rahim Chacha in a scene where silent villagers look on while a horse carries the dead body of his son brutally killed by the dacoit, Gabbar Singh. Hangal who was born on this day in 1914, could well have uttered this line many times in his life.

He was born in Sialkot (now in Pakistan) and grew up in Peshwar. He refused to work with the establishment as he did not want to play mute. Instead, he chose to be a tailor. His political activism made him form a trade union for tailors in Peshawar so that they could speak up. He also found a voice in Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA).

When the partition led to exodus in 1947, he chose to stay in Pakistan. He was arrested and jailed for his leftist ideology. After spending two years in prison, he was asked to leave and go to India. In Mumbai, he got a job as a tailor, and his skill with fabric soon earned him a reputation. He was doing well for himself, but he could not stay silent.

He hunted down IPTA members and rebuild it with the help of Kaifi Azmi and Balraj Sahani The latter and Chetan Anand were fans of his stage work, and coaxed him to join films. At the age of 52, he started off to play roles in 225 films over 40 years. In real life, he remained outspoken even when called a traitor.

The same character of Rahim Chacha says, ‘Izzat ki maut zillat ki zindagi se kahin achchi hai’ (Death with dignity is much better than living with humiliation). A K Hangal chose to be outspoken and paid the price for speaking up. His last days were in dire straits financially but he lived and died with dignity.

So often, we succumb to the pressure of living and we end up playing dead. Silence is our response to every situation that seems intimidating. But such indifference is a sign of the graveyard. We must escape apathy and the deathly silence. We must stand up for the truth. We must choose to be alive and outspoken.

The deathly silence hangs over the shroud
Rise to speak and move out of the crowd!

~ Pravin K. Sabnis