Crawl

In 1975, on 25 June 2018, a National Emergency was imposed in India. The stated justification was ‘internal disturbance’. The real reason was to clamp down on mass protests against the Government. Civil liberties were curbed. It remains a dark period of fear in India’s history.

There were many citizens as well as journalists who bravely resisted the excesses of the Emergency. There were others who succumbed to the scare and refrained from protest. But there were some who yielded and capitulated to the diktats. About such persons from the media, L K Advani famously said, ‘You crawled when asked to bend!’

So often, we crawl when asked to bend. Gandhi referred to fear as ‘creative imagination’. It looks larger than it is. We can cope with this fear by fight or flight. But when we flee fear, it follows fiercely. This leads to the resigned choice to crawl when asked to bend!

The ones who stand up to fear deserve appreciation. The ones who are deterred by the fear deserve understanding and consideration. But the ones, who crawl, even when asked to bend, need introspection. Those who are in a position to stand up but nevertheless grovel have no justification. They are part of the nexus.

Even today, we find persons who do not have the courage to stand up or just speak out against the wrongs. Our character is confirmed only in challenging conditions. Standing up for values and principles is important to ensure that the unacceptable does not go unchallenged. Otherwise we will crawl even when not asked to bend!

Heed, if we crawl when asked to bend…
We yield and aid the detrimental trend!

~ Pravin Sabnis

Reverberate

A young learner was enthused about acquiring knowledge and skills. At the very first meeting with his master, he asked how he should prepare himself for his training. ‘Think of me a bell,’ the master explained. ‘Give me a soft tap, and you will get a tiny ping. Strike hard and you'll receive a loud, resounding peal.’

Like all Zen stories, the above incident puts across a simple yet profound truth. The best of bells reverberate to their fullest capacity when they are struck right. To make the most of what we are working on, we must give it our all.

We see an amateur make a mess of the best of drums while the accomplished percussionist can make melodious music even with a set of kitchen pans and pots. The latter knows where, when and how to strike. Their approach is never half-hearted or tentative. They play full on!

We must let go of restrictive efforts that limit our results. It is said so well that ‘If it is going to be, it is up to me.’ So the next time, we see the bell of opportunity, let’s realise that it is our strike that will decide the quality of reverberations. Hence we must strike well!

For every bell of potential expectation
Our strike triggers the reverberation!

~ Pravin Sabnis

Joy

The ultimate quest that we yearn for is happiness. Every achievement or success means less if it does not bring along inner joy. We wait for happy moments without realizing that the moment that went by and that the moment that comes will bring happiness only if choose to be happy. 

We tend to set too many criteria for happiness: ‘when I get this’, ‘when I have more money’, ‘when I have a better house, better furniture, so on and so forth’ and we forget to live every day, enjoying the moment. Eventually joy is an attitude not a destination.

So how does one become joyful? We can learn from little children. They can gleefully play with empty boxes and other trivia. For them, the sights of a bright flower or a chirpy bird or a gushing stream or a rainbow are triggers of great joy. A day of play with friends and family, whether outdoors or indoors, are occasions for joyfulness.

Surely, we were the same when young. We should be reclaim our ability (as a child) to truly live in the moment, not just based on the things in hand but the imagination to see them as things of joy! More important than money and material are the valuable moments of time invested in enjoying simple pleasures to be joyful.

Real or imagined… every little toy
Is opportunity to dip deep into joy!

~ Pravin Sabnis

Refuse

The essential part of a buffet is that the diners can see the food on offer and select from a wide choice of variety. Yet at the most sumptuous buffets, many of us eat a bit of everything and end up overeating to the point of discomfort. We find it difficult to refuse even when not forced to eat.

At the smaller buffets, we are better at exercising restraint. But when the buffet spread gets larger in terms of food items, we lose control! It is a human behavioural trait that when we are offered plenty of options, our judgement is affected. When we are spoilt for choice, our choice gets spoilt and awry.

It is pertinent to note that when we don’t refuse, we receive refuse. The first ‘refuse’ is the verb that expresses our unwillingness to accept. But the second one refers to the worthless, unwanted or plain, simple trash. Those who cannot refuse the excess on offer; end up having excess refuse in their stomachs.

The analogy can be applied in many spheres including environmental concerns. The mounting menace of trash heaping up is a matter of distress. However, it is clear that gluttony is the cause and this gluttony is born of the inability to refuse the excess. We consume more than we require and end up with a growing pile of refuse.

We can do our significant bit for our environment by refusing the needless. We should refuse to use vehicles when we can walk. We should refuse to acquire more when we can use less. We should refuse to consume more when we can consume less. When we refuse thus, we will be relieved of refuse in our bodies… and in our world!

For the ailment of profuse refuse
The ointment is to simply refuse!

~ Pravin Sabnis

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