My link up with this year's IFFI (International Film Festival of India) was restricted due to personal constraints. The conventional priority is to see rare foreign films. Yet in my reduced number of films-to-view, I chose to see a local Hindi film involving my favourite actor, Naseeruddin Shah.
The film "A Wednesday" shows the plight of the aam-aadmi (common man) who finds himself cornered by the uncertainty of life threatened by terror. One such aam-aadmi turns plight into power by manipulating the media, playing puppeteer with the police and using the same method as the terrorist to counter the agents of terror.
The aam-aadmi's outburst in the end received deafening applause from an audience anguished by the terror attacks at Mumbai of 26 November 2008. Incidentally, it was a Wednesday! We found ourselves collectively thinking, 'this is precisely the way to counter terror'. And that would be ignoring the real lessons of the film.
We need to understand that while the agents of terror have to be crushed, we cannot lose focus that terrorism is facilitated by a corrupt political and administrative system. It cannot be ignored that the same Government machinery which pre-empts peaceful, democratic protests is found to be in numbed slumber while responding to all types of terror attacks on innocent citizens.
A J Muste said it so well, "We cannot have peace if we are only concerned with peace. War is not an accident. It is the logical outcome of a certain way of life. If we want to attack war, we have to attack that way of life." The war on terror has to be a battle to cleanse our Government and its systems of corruption and inefficiency. And the change, as the Mahatma put it, has to start with us!
As active citizens, let's strive to BE BETTER
And replace the systems that facilitate terror…
- Pravin-da
Monday, December 1, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
THE COLD WITHIN
James Patrick Kinney wrote the allegory "The Cold Within" in the 1960s. Though the Saturday Evening Post rejected it as "too controversial for the times”, it remains as meaningful today as the day it was written.
The verse sketches the attitude of six persons trapped in a bitter cold… Each has a stick of wood as they surround a dying fire… But each holds it back so that the other does not benefit… Their motives are varied… the stubborn stance is born of chauvinism against skin color, religion, race, class or just plain selfishness. All of them eventually succumb to the cold, that they refuse to fend lest the other benefits.
The poem captures the lesson so well when it confirms that “They didn't die from the cold without, they died from the cold within.” So often we find fault with others to the extent of considering them as undeserving of any human rights. We are consumed by a devastating hatred that does destroy our sense of logic and values. For the hatred that kills without, first devours us from within.
And it is not just negative actions that lead to ruin… intentional indifference does wreck as well. It is important for us to realize that our prejudices not only harm others, they incinerate us as well. Hence it is for own sake that we need to unlearn prejudices that instigate us to being inhuman in our response to other human beings.
To BE BETTER at fighting the killing cold without…
The cold within must be contested… have no doubt!
- Pravin-da
The verse sketches the attitude of six persons trapped in a bitter cold… Each has a stick of wood as they surround a dying fire… But each holds it back so that the other does not benefit… Their motives are varied… the stubborn stance is born of chauvinism against skin color, religion, race, class or just plain selfishness. All of them eventually succumb to the cold, that they refuse to fend lest the other benefits.
The poem captures the lesson so well when it confirms that “They didn't die from the cold without, they died from the cold within.” So often we find fault with others to the extent of considering them as undeserving of any human rights. We are consumed by a devastating hatred that does destroy our sense of logic and values. For the hatred that kills without, first devours us from within.
And it is not just negative actions that lead to ruin… intentional indifference does wreck as well. It is important for us to realize that our prejudices not only harm others, they incinerate us as well. Hence it is for own sake that we need to unlearn prejudices that instigate us to being inhuman in our response to other human beings.
To BE BETTER at fighting the killing cold without…
The cold within must be contested… have no doubt!
- Pravin-da
Monday, November 17, 2008
LIBRE KNOWLEDGE
Yours truly conducted two training workshops at the JCI World Congress held in Delhi from 4 to 9 November. Participants tend to be lavish in their praise if they like the workshop and we, as trainers, endeavour to sift the grain from the chaff so that we can connect to real feedback. The maximum appreciation is reserved for my action of giving away my entire presentation to the participants for free.
However, some question the wisdom of sharing knowledge so freely. In fact a couple of trainer friends advised me to stop the “professional hara-kiri” I was committing by sharing training anecdotes in my Monday Muse series. My response is to quote Rabindranath Tagore who wished for a land “where knowledge is free.”
It is ironic that in today’s internet driven knowledge world, some people insist on claiming ownership of learning which itself is based on an understanding based on the learning shared by others. Knowledge flourishes only when shared freely. In fact, knowledge is threatened by efforts to confine or control its sharing.
Learning needs to be freed of fetters to enhance collaboration and cooperation. The scope for development of knowledge is enhanced when it is allowed to be acquired, interpreted and applied freely. A choice to walk the path of libre-knowledge is very liberating. An individual who shares knowledge freely is considered worthy of not only affection, respect, trust; but also as deserving of greater sharing by others, too.
To BE BETTER at walking the way of the wise…
Choose to share knowledge freely to rise!
- Pravin-da
However, some question the wisdom of sharing knowledge so freely. In fact a couple of trainer friends advised me to stop the “professional hara-kiri” I was committing by sharing training anecdotes in my Monday Muse series. My response is to quote Rabindranath Tagore who wished for a land “where knowledge is free.”
It is ironic that in today’s internet driven knowledge world, some people insist on claiming ownership of learning which itself is based on an understanding based on the learning shared by others. Knowledge flourishes only when shared freely. In fact, knowledge is threatened by efforts to confine or control its sharing.
Learning needs to be freed of fetters to enhance collaboration and cooperation. The scope for development of knowledge is enhanced when it is allowed to be acquired, interpreted and applied freely. A choice to walk the path of libre-knowledge is very liberating. An individual who shares knowledge freely is considered worthy of not only affection, respect, trust; but also as deserving of greater sharing by others, too.
To BE BETTER at walking the way of the wise…
Choose to share knowledge freely to rise!
- Pravin-da
Monday, October 27, 2008
FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS
Today we celebrate the Festival of Lights where the lights or lamps signify victory of good over the evil within every human being.
Diwali or Deepavali has many legends associated with it. In North India, it is associated with the story in Ramayana where people of Ayodhya welcomed Rama (after a 14-year exile) by lighting rows (avali) of lamps (deepa). In South India, it is celebrated as the day Lord Krishna defeated Narakasura.
Founder of Jainism, Mahaveer is said to have attained Nirvana on this very day. Additionally as the day, chief disciple of Mahaveer, Gautam Swami attained complete knowledge, makes Diwali an important Jain festival. Sikhs celebrate Diwali as the day of the release from prison of their sixth Guru, Hargobind along with 52 other princes with him, from detention in the Gwalior Fort in 1619.
For the Hindus, the festival marks the triumph of good over evil and the homecoming of goodwill and faith. For the Jains it is a celebration of complete knowledge. For the Sikhs, it is a struggle for freedom. And it is a confluence of all these reasons that will add meaning and purpose to our lives.
Hence when we seek to banish the darkness, it is not enough to light lamps only during the Festival of Lights. We must join the fight of the “right” against “might”. We have to connect with our faith in human values of equality, justice and peace for all. We need to connect to knowledge and a better understanding with what’s happening around us. And of course, let’s embark on the struggle for freedom from darkness, both, within and without.
To BE BETTER at banishing the bleak shade…
Stop cursing, and light the lamp within instead!
- Pravin-da
Diwali or Deepavali has many legends associated with it. In North India, it is associated with the story in Ramayana where people of Ayodhya welcomed Rama (after a 14-year exile) by lighting rows (avali) of lamps (deepa). In South India, it is celebrated as the day Lord Krishna defeated Narakasura.
Founder of Jainism, Mahaveer is said to have attained Nirvana on this very day. Additionally as the day, chief disciple of Mahaveer, Gautam Swami attained complete knowledge, makes Diwali an important Jain festival. Sikhs celebrate Diwali as the day of the release from prison of their sixth Guru, Hargobind along with 52 other princes with him, from detention in the Gwalior Fort in 1619.
For the Hindus, the festival marks the triumph of good over evil and the homecoming of goodwill and faith. For the Jains it is a celebration of complete knowledge. For the Sikhs, it is a struggle for freedom. And it is a confluence of all these reasons that will add meaning and purpose to our lives.
Hence when we seek to banish the darkness, it is not enough to light lamps only during the Festival of Lights. We must join the fight of the “right” against “might”. We have to connect with our faith in human values of equality, justice and peace for all. We need to connect to knowledge and a better understanding with what’s happening around us. And of course, let’s embark on the struggle for freedom from darkness, both, within and without.
To BE BETTER at banishing the bleak shade…
Stop cursing, and light the lamp within instead!
- Pravin-da
Monday, October 20, 2008
SIEGE
Way back in 1990, thousands of Goan students came down to Panaji to join the rally called by the Architecture students who had been protesting peacefully for 18 days. Since the Government was not responding to their valid demands, as a last resort, the students laid siege to the entry points of the city thus crippling all traffic.
As the leader of that agitation, I was called upon to sort a commotion at one corner. A local salt-farmer was vociferously objecting to the obstruction of his cart. Since our intention was only to create a nuisance for the Government, and not the people, fresh instructions were given that all pedestrians and vehicles of farmers, fishermen, elderly and ailing persons were to be allowed passage.
By afternoon, our siege brought us success. The Government succumbed to our demands. The next day’s newspapers carried headlines of our success. But one vernacular daily carried a small news item about an ailing woman‘s being denied passage by our siege. They had to take a long winded route to get to the hospital and the woman had died enroute.
My smile disappeared. I felt responsible for her death for I had planned everything about the siege but I had not planned for ensuring that those who were not responsible for our problems should not be adversely affected. I told my friend, Sunil that I wanted to go and apologise to her family. Sunil cautioned me against doing so as I could get beaten up by the angry family members. However, I decided to go and Sunil insisted on coming along and sharing the consequences of my mistake.
When we reached the house, there was a huge crowd there that had just returned after the cremation. I pushed my way through it till I reached the dead woman’s husband and introduced myself as the person who had organised the siege that was responsible for the delay in his wife getting access to life saving medical treatment. I stood there ready to be slapped but the man said, “Don’t be too harsh on yourself… it was destined to be so…” I broke into tears as he hugged me.
“Protesting is fine, son, as long as it does not punish the innocent”, his words guide me in every cause that I associate with. Every time we have to lay siege as a tool of protest, we must ensure that we are not forcibly obstructing the lives and livelihoods of our fellow citizens.
To BE BETTER at protesting with a siege for a cause…
We must save the innocent from a painful pause!
- Pravin-da
As the leader of that agitation, I was called upon to sort a commotion at one corner. A local salt-farmer was vociferously objecting to the obstruction of his cart. Since our intention was only to create a nuisance for the Government, and not the people, fresh instructions were given that all pedestrians and vehicles of farmers, fishermen, elderly and ailing persons were to be allowed passage.
By afternoon, our siege brought us success. The Government succumbed to our demands. The next day’s newspapers carried headlines of our success. But one vernacular daily carried a small news item about an ailing woman‘s being denied passage by our siege. They had to take a long winded route to get to the hospital and the woman had died enroute.
My smile disappeared. I felt responsible for her death for I had planned everything about the siege but I had not planned for ensuring that those who were not responsible for our problems should not be adversely affected. I told my friend, Sunil that I wanted to go and apologise to her family. Sunil cautioned me against doing so as I could get beaten up by the angry family members. However, I decided to go and Sunil insisted on coming along and sharing the consequences of my mistake.
When we reached the house, there was a huge crowd there that had just returned after the cremation. I pushed my way through it till I reached the dead woman’s husband and introduced myself as the person who had organised the siege that was responsible for the delay in his wife getting access to life saving medical treatment. I stood there ready to be slapped but the man said, “Don’t be too harsh on yourself… it was destined to be so…” I broke into tears as he hugged me.
“Protesting is fine, son, as long as it does not punish the innocent”, his words guide me in every cause that I associate with. Every time we have to lay siege as a tool of protest, we must ensure that we are not forcibly obstructing the lives and livelihoods of our fellow citizens.
To BE BETTER at protesting with a siege for a cause…
We must save the innocent from a painful pause!
- Pravin-da
Monday, October 13, 2008
Space Pen
My friend, Sunil Sardessai brought me a very special gift from London: a replica of the writing instrument used by Soviet cosmonauts on early manned space flights. He had heard of the writing instrument from me. And I had read about it in some version of Modern Myths. The story went thus:
When NASA first started sending astronauts into outer space, they stumbled upon a major problem: they realized that the ball-point pen would not work at zero gravity. But the determined Americans were made of stern stuff. The search for the alternative began in full earnest.
A million dollar investment and two years of tests and toil by the best of their brains, the Americans developed a very special space pen that could write at zero gravity, work upside down, on almost any surface and at temperatures ranging from freezing to high extremes.
The modern myth further mentioned that when confronted with the same problem, the Russians used a pencil!
So often we waste our time, money and energy on searching for alternatives when the answer may be staring us in our face. Quite often, the way out is exactly the one we are standing on. Advancement is all about being able to notice the solutions that lie in our grasp instead of ignoring the obvious and pursuing stranger substitutes.
To BE BETTER at finding a remedy for any ailment under the sun…
Just look around and you are likely to find an already available one!
- Pravin-da
When NASA first started sending astronauts into outer space, they stumbled upon a major problem: they realized that the ball-point pen would not work at zero gravity. But the determined Americans were made of stern stuff. The search for the alternative began in full earnest.
A million dollar investment and two years of tests and toil by the best of their brains, the Americans developed a very special space pen that could write at zero gravity, work upside down, on almost any surface and at temperatures ranging from freezing to high extremes.
The modern myth further mentioned that when confronted with the same problem, the Russians used a pencil!
So often we waste our time, money and energy on searching for alternatives when the answer may be staring us in our face. Quite often, the way out is exactly the one we are standing on. Advancement is all about being able to notice the solutions that lie in our grasp instead of ignoring the obvious and pursuing stranger substitutes.
To BE BETTER at finding a remedy for any ailment under the sun…
Just look around and you are likely to find an already available one!
- Pravin-da
Monday, October 6, 2008
EMPATHY
Incidents that celebrate the spirit of humanism often escape our scrutiny. On 2 October, the local newspapers highlighted the exemplary empathy shown by the Muslim community of Jodhpur in response to the tragedy where many died in a stampede at a temple on 30 Sept. Besides, ferrying the injured to the hospital in their auto rickshaws and taxis, entirely on a voluntary basis, the Muslims queued up for blood donations and "offered water to those coming from cremation grounds after performing the last rites of their loved ones."
Jodhpur's Muslim community chose to scale down Eid celebrations. The move was in response to the human tragedy that affected their city brethren. While, such empathy may be a natural response, we cannot ignore the significant lessons emanating from Jodhpur. It not only challenges the blatant stereotyping of Muslims, but also shows that bonds of love can transcend every wall of hatred.
15 years ago, on the same date: 30 Sept, a deadly earthquake devastated lives and homes in Latur and Osmanabad. Many were engulfed by the emotion of pity for the grief of the affected. Some showed their sympathy by collecting and dispatching money and materials. And there were yet others who chose to scale down Diwali celebrations like they would have if the tragedy to visit one of their own family members.
We easily feel pity for the pain of others. Sometimes we stretch our words and actions to show sympathy. But it is the emotion of empathy that puts us in the other person’s shoes and adds greater meaning and purpose to our reaction. Thus we transform ourselves into responsive and responsible human beings.
In the wake of human pain, it is natural to feel pity and show sympathy…
But to BE BETTER as human beings, let’s embrace the response of empathy…
Regards
Pravin-da
Jodhpur's Muslim community chose to scale down Eid celebrations. The move was in response to the human tragedy that affected their city brethren. While, such empathy may be a natural response, we cannot ignore the significant lessons emanating from Jodhpur. It not only challenges the blatant stereotyping of Muslims, but also shows that bonds of love can transcend every wall of hatred.
15 years ago, on the same date: 30 Sept, a deadly earthquake devastated lives and homes in Latur and Osmanabad. Many were engulfed by the emotion of pity for the grief of the affected. Some showed their sympathy by collecting and dispatching money and materials. And there were yet others who chose to scale down Diwali celebrations like they would have if the tragedy to visit one of their own family members.
We easily feel pity for the pain of others. Sometimes we stretch our words and actions to show sympathy. But it is the emotion of empathy that puts us in the other person’s shoes and adds greater meaning and purpose to our reaction. Thus we transform ourselves into responsive and responsible human beings.
In the wake of human pain, it is natural to feel pity and show sympathy…
But to BE BETTER as human beings, let’s embrace the response of empathy…
Regards
Pravin-da
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
