online

Today is birth anniversary of an online friend that I never met in person. He lived in Bangalore and me in Goa… and there was no further chance for us to meet as Mohan Pai passed away on 15 June in 2010.

 

But he was not just a virtual friend; we were virtually as good friends as two persons could be. We never met, yet we could and would connect with each other. We spoke regularly to each other on phone and through email & Facebook.

 

The initiative to keep in touch was largely his. We talked about our blogs, the environment, temple architecture and many things of common interest. On his recommendation, some of his fiends would drop in to see me during their trips to Goa.

So often, we insist that friendship is strained by distance. While physical proximity helps nurture a relationship, it may also becoming overbearing by constricting the space in between.

 

Relationships require only closeness of communication that comes from an interest to interact with each other... as seen in the case of Mohanbab who remains among my list of close friends, although our connection was only online over just three years.

My online friend built a real relationship

It is the connection that binds a kinship!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Onions

 

In a town, a dervish passed through one street into the other, and as he reached the second one, the people there noticed that his eyes were streaming with tears. Someone has died in the other street!’ one cried, and soon all the children in the neighborhood had taken up the cry.

 

What had really happened was that the dervish had been peeling onions. Within a short space of time the cry had reached the first street; and now both streets were distressed and fearful that they dared not make complete inquiries as to the cause of the furore.

 

In Idries Shah’s story, it was the onion that had caused the tears. But instead of finding the real reason, people of both streets chose to be swayed by unfounded speculation. Rumours were further propelled to spread like wildfire.

 

When some measure of order was restored, it was only enough for the two communities to decide to emigrate to save themselves. Centuries later, the town is still deserted; and not so far away are two villages.

 

Each village has its own tradition of how it began as a settlement from a doomed town, through a fortunate flight, in remote times, from a nameless evil. And the false rumour has turned into a fake account of what had happened.

 

We must use objective reasoning and a spirit to inquiry to know the reality obscured by surface impressions. The refusal to use simple logic is dangerous. We must seek answers to basic questions. Others we will create a distorted past and a fearful present.

 

Ask questions that will weed out fears

Remember the onion caused the tears!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

100%

Priol Pragati Manch, an NGO working in field of education, agriculture and human resource development, had organised its annual felicitation of meritorious students at Goa Board exams from constituency of MLA and Minister, Govind Gaude.

 

At the function, three schools were recognised for 100% result. The NGO has been helping all the schools in the area for infrastructure and other educational facilitation. But their success was commendable for another major reason.

 

In many top urban schools, 100% result is achieved by edging out weak students in the 8th class. But the Priol schools strived to pull in students from underserved communities and empower them to be better equipped to take on life’s challenges.  

 

It is no big deal to get success by dropping perceived failures. True success is to empower each young student in various ways. The success story of a school is in the students that it retains and helps connect to their potential.

 

It is an easy shortcut to push out, but it is unfair and unjust. Surely it is better to pull in, hold hands and move ahead. 100% should be the effort, not a manipulated result. 100% should be to benefit all, not show success of only the privileged few.

 

Do pay heed to ensure edged out is none

100% should include each and everyone!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Elephant

Last Saturday, Shailendra Mehta’s Konkani book ‘Mukt Chintan’ was released in Goa. Research scholar, Kaustubh Naik, in his speech, mentioned play ‘Elephant, the King of All Times’ written by Saadallah Wannous, acclaimed Syrian playwright.

 The play is about a king’s elephant who moves around freely, wreaking havoc, destroying people’s crops, trampling on their means of survival and crushing a little child to death. The citizens are tired of the tusker’s destruction and they are convinced by Zakarya to complain to the King.

 

Zakarya trains the people on how to approach the King respectfully. Yet, in the King’s presence, they struggle to speak. Zakarya’s training is in vain. After several attempts, Zakarya (to save his life) requests that the king find a female for the elephant!

 

Zakarya’s actions reflect the predicament of the intellectual in societies where silence has become an achievement. His people’s betrayal, at a critical moment, forces him to to give up his instigator role. He went from a leader, who tried to oppose power, into a servant of the elephant.

 

With fear, silence sets in and with such silence, confidence too dips. We will have a better future when we unbridle our tongues. When we set ourselves free from the slavery of silence, our grievances will be heard. Ignoring the elephant in the room will not make it disappear!

 

The unbridled mammoth’s havoc will create gloom

Worse is when we ignore the elephant in the room!

- Pravin K. Sabnis