Influence

Last week, environmentalists gathered to cheer their favourite muse – Rajendra Kerkar – as his first book in English was released. The book – Natural Heritage of Goa – is a compilation of select articles published in a daily newspaper. It is a useful guide to the remarkable biodiversity of Goa with insights into facts as well as legends.

There are many other sincere researchers who have involved in the research of the heritage of Goa, but Bhaee (as Kerkar is fondly addressed) did more. He did not restrict to academics but also involved in grass root assertion for the cause of Nature, whether it was fighting to save the Mhadei river or the indiscriminate and illegal mining or the denial by the government that Goa was the land of the tiger.

Bhaee’s work is not just about resistance but also about positive discourse. His real effectiveness has been in inspiring and influencing many youth to follow his path of learning about our natural heritage. And many of his learners have built sustainable ventures in green activities that are taking more people to their roots. The success of Bhai is in transferring his vision and mission to others

There are many persons with the right values, the right thoughts and the right practices. But when these values, thoughts and practices are shared positively to inspire others, then our world is empowered with newer recruits to power the positive cause. That is the real legacy of people like Bhaee… to widen the circle of influence.

May every dedicated person influence many more
every cause requires increasing numbers to score

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Rights & Reason

On this day in 1827, was born a great reformer who worked relentlessly to reclaim human dignity by empowering reason and asserting the rights of all human beings. While studying in the Scottish Mission's High School, Pune, he was influenced by Thomas Paine's pamphlet 'Rights of Man'. He developed an impeccable sense of social justice and grew passionately critical of the oppressive caste system.

Jyotiba Phule reignited the struggle for justice and equal rights for farmers and Dalits. Along with his wife Savitribai and others, he initiated positive transformations in the spheres of education, agriculture, caste system and social empowerment of women. Leading by example, he opened his own house and let all make use of the well water without any prejudice.

He founded the Satya Shodhak Samaj (Society of Truth Seekers) to prevent exploitation and abuse of the Bahujan Samaj by the upper castes. Phule felt reason alone would empower society to be better at reclaiming rights and responsibilities. His life remains inspirational in our situation where truth suffers treason in the maze of modern superstition and hatred mongering against humanity itself.

Phule’s legacy shows that the ability to reason leads to an attitude of responsibility towards human rights. However, so often, so many of us are unreasonable especially with regards to rights of others. We have to start with ourselves. Phule’s muse, Thomas Paine reasoned, ‘Whatever is my right as a man is also the right of another; and it becomes my duty to guarantee as well as to possess.’

Jyotiba inspires to involve in humane reason…
So that no one is denied rights in any season!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Alternative

While studying architecture, Lawrence went on a cycling expedition to Europe with friends. The experience deeply impacted him to resolve that earning money would never be his motto. He served patients in China during the World War II. On the way back to England from China, he came down to India.

In India, he met Mahatma Gandhi who asked him to stay back to take care of leprosy patients. He travelled all over India helping repair leprosy homes and build new ones. He was exposed to indigenous architecture and discovered simple materials that could put up buildings with refined aesthetics and lasting qualities.

In 1970, he finally moved to Kerala and became the fountainhead of alternative building technologies that would provide housing in a cost effective manner. Rejecting designs alien to the place he used local tiles and bricks in construction. A peaceful co-existence involving nature, man and home came across in his work.
‘Padmashri’ Laurie Baker passed away on 1 April 2007. Although he built no big monuments, he is regarded as a great architect because of his high values and simple style of alternative architecture. Baker looked beyond limited perspectives because he had travelled not as tourist but by involving in deep experiences. And he had the courage to commit to his chosen vision by involving in consistent mission.

So often, so many of us involve in experiences that expose us to alternative vision or trigger it in our mind. So often, so many of us do not make the commitment to the mission of realising that alternative. But if we do, like Laurie Baker, we shall lead fulfilling lives of aligning to the alternative.

Move beyond the appealing vision

Turn the alternative into a mission


- Pravin K. Sabnis

Beautiful!

My friend was detected for malaria. When I asked him the type of malaria, he enthusiastically replied, ‘beautiful’! It was the same answer when he was asked about the curry his wife had prepared or his son’s research or his nephew’s drawing or the fish he had purchased at the market. His favourite term ‘beautiful’ was one of the meanings of his name – Manohar.

Today, we really missed him… during the rituals of his final rites. He would have been appreciating the dhoti draped by his son… he would pointed out the magnificence of the wooden stretcher that carried his body… he would have appreciated the gathering of his family and friends as they watched him on the pyre… he would have declared the event to be well organised and beautiful!

Our friend, Manohar Pai was full of life and will continue to live in our hearts. There is so much to remember him for – impromptu lyrics, enacting of theatrical gaffes, mimicking of songs, spontaneous repartee that played on words. Yet, what stood out was his ability to see ‘beauty’ in things connected with his family and home... and to be excited and enthused with these things beautiful.

It wasn’t as if his life was picture perfect. It had its ups and downs, like anyone else. But what he felt about his family, and the little pleasures of his home, had the attitude of a child that is easily happy as it finds simple things to be beautiful. After all, it is said so well that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. A sure recipe for ‘winning over the mind’ which is the literal meaning of the one called Manohar!

Discover life to be beautiful… keep saying wow
Win over the mind through simple joys… now!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Poetry Aloud

The film ‘Dead Poet’s Society’ is a story of students who follow what their teacher did when he was a student – they revive a secret club that reads compositions of dead poets as well as their own. They sneak off their campus to a cave where they read poetry and this leads them to live their lives on their own terms. Of course, this results in conflicts and trials but it liberates them of the confines of restrictive beliefs.

Surely, poetry makes us connect easily with understanding of concepts of all complexities. From sonnets to haikus, from elegy to epic, from rhyme to free form… poetry has been luring us to multiple perspectives. And it is these varied visions that invoke insight, inspiration and even action. Revolutions as well as reformations have been triggered by the power of poetry.

Poetry has always been a great teacher. In the kindergarten, we learn easily as we learn with rhyme. In higher education, the relegation of poetry leads to difficulties in learning. However, some innovations have happened. The lyrics of ‘we didn’t start the fire’ helped us remember historical sequences. Since poetry involves the triggering of multiple senses, it is a fantastic memory tool, too!

Reading poetry loud is a great way to learn. And the better way is to read poetry in a group. As poetry is a vocal art, the reader brings his own understanding and presents it according to his sensibilities as well as those of the audience and the situation. Reading poetry aloud also underlines the ‘pause’ as an element of poetry. The articulation of sound generates further revelations of insight.

When we choose to indulge in poetry, it leads us to interesting perspectives. It transports us into a world of vison and sounds and possibilities. It takes us back to being child-like, open-minded and eager to embrace the new. Indeed, reading poetry aloud can wake us up to the true purpose, potential and path of our own life.

Read aloud poetry and listen well too…
Discover a world of perspectives new!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Outcome

At his Business School, Fred presented his project paper on overnight packages deliveries. The outcome was a C-minus! The professors remarked that nobody would want to send overnight packages as they already had the service of the US Mail. An undeterred Fred went on to invest all his money into his idea and start his venture. 

On the first day of operation, they sought to deliver 167 packages. However, they were able to deliver only seven. Five of these packages were to themselves and only two were to outsiders. But Fred Smith did not quit and his Federal Express went on to be a huge success.

The primary reason for this success was Fred’s attitude. He did not see anything as failure. When he took action on his decision, he only considered the results as outcome. On the first day of operation when Federal Express delivered only two packages to outsiders, he said that he succeeded in learning how to send two packages. Now he had to learn how to send more packages.

This is an empowering principle - if we want to succeed in a bigger way we have to look at the positive side of everything, and take major and consistent action. Too often, too many of us are over bothered about the results. Results are the outcome of many factors. But it is steady actions born of positive belief that will eventually ensure favourable outcomes.

Results are the outcome of the occasion
Keep up the belief in consistent action!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Salaam

Tiffany Wayne has described her as ‘one of the first-generation modern Indian feminists, and an important contributor to world feminism in general, as she was both addressing and challenging not simply the question of gender in isolation but also issues related to caste and casteist patriarchy.’

Savitribai Phule was modern India’s first woman teacher, a promoter of education, a champion of dignity for women and a progressive poet. There are many of us, who are oblivious about the inspirational life and struggle of Savitribai. But if we knew we would surely salute her work, saying ‘Salaam’ (salutations).

Interestingly, Savitribai’s death anniversary falls on 10 March which coincides with the birth anniversary of the popular Marathi poet-lyricist Mangesh Padgaokar who passed away on 30 December last year. He wrote a long poem ‘Salaam’ that mocks the attitude of saluting the powers-that-be or saluting mediocrity and conformity.

It is said so well that ‘if you do not stand up for something… you will fall for anything!’. The quote can be tweaked to say, ‘If you do not salute the worthy, you will be worshipping the unworthy.’ It is important to identify, understand and align with the right inspiration and emulate the right example. Otherwise we will be saluting the wrong ones and getting the wrong influence!

Say Salaam to the progressive…

Lest we salute the regressive!

- Pravin K. Sabnis