Converse

Pedro noticed a few grey strands in the mane of his teacher. Immediately, he reached out to pull one of them. He was reprimanded, ‘plucking grey hairs make more grow back.’ Nevertheless, Pedro pulled out a few strands of hair.

His teacher was furious, ‘How dare you? Do you want my hair to turn white?’ Pedro calmly replied, ‘I plucked your black hair to make more of them grow!’

We learnt in school that the converse of a theorem happens when the conclusion and hypothesis of a theorem are switched. For example, if you have a general theorem that says ''if this, then that'', then the converse theorem would say ''if that, then this''.

While all converses may not be true, we need to examine our belief statements for being true as theories as well as their converse. When we scrutinise our beliefs and values, they must match up for consistency for the premise as well as the conclusion.

So often, so many of us flaunt hypothesis that are found wanting when seen in the converse. In social media as well as social transactions, we must ponder whether the validity of our premise stands the converse of the conclusion.

Our beliefs must pass the test of reverse
Premise must be confirmed in converse!

~ Pravin Sabnis

Unnamed

The 2008 Hindi movie, ‘A Wednesday’ depicts a retired police commissioner narrating a sequence of events that unfolded on a particular Wednesday. An unnamed man calls to inform that he has placed explosives at different crowded spots in the city. To ensure that they do not explode, he asks for the release of four arrested terrorists.

But when the terrorists are taken to his stated location, they are blown by a bomb. The unnamed man has avenged the terrorist attack that killed innocents. His task done, he destroys all his gadgets and leaves to run into the commissioner who has identified him on the basis of a face sketch and by hacking his location.

The film ends with the voiceover of the commissioner saying that the man told him his real name but he does not wish to reveal it since doing so would give away the man's religion. And it would change the context of the intent of the man’s actions.

Disclosing the identity of rape victim remains a grey area. Even when protected by an Indian Penal Code, the media and those on social media err on the side of caution. For three years, the identity of the girl everyone referred to as Nirbhaya or the fearless one was legally ‘concealed’ even though her name was thrown up careless persons.

In today’s times of the information boom, prejudiced posturing is dependent on ‘name’. The response depends not on humane values of justice but on the context of the names of the aggressors as well as the victims. It changes depending whether the ‘name’ is one from ‘among us’ or the ‘others’.

Some of us wear tinted glasses. Our response is based on the ‘name’. We must not allow our prejudice to jaundice our perception. The act of a criminal or the plight of a victim has to be seen for what it is, not for their name. Names are just incidental labels. It is the criminal or the casualty that must be responded to aptly. Unnamed!

The unnamed eventually ensure a factual tale
Sans prejudice setting us off on a wrong sail!

~ Pravin Sabnis

Unnatural

During a discussion on trekking in Goa, the talk moved to littering by irresponsible visitors at nature spots. Someone mentioned how a child had cuts on the soles of his feet, when they ventured bare-footed into a forest-stream that had broken beer bottles in its bed.

While all agreed with the growing nuisance by insensitive tourists, I asked, ‘why were the children allowed to enter the water body and that too with bare feet?’ Somebody said it was natural to do so. I insisted that it was unnatural and an irresponsible act!

It is natural to be mesmerised by Mother Nature. However it is unnatural to step out of line. Beautiful butterflies are maimed by the ones who want to hold it in their hands. On the other hand, expert swimmers have died trying to save the over enthusiastic persons who walked into seemingly safe water bodies.

Nature is to be appreciated but we cannot take it for granted. We cannot cross the line of nature. So often, so many of us choose the unnatural. We involve in actions that are contrary to the ordinary course of nature. True nature lovers will appreciate the sights and sounds from a distance as they do not want to disturb or encroach.

We find many signs of caution around us… Do not pluck the flowers. Do not feed the animals. Do not touch the paintings. Do not swim in these waters. Do not bathe in the waterfall. Do not litter. Do not disturb. Indeed it is unnatural to ignore the message to not cross the line! In fact, we must heed the caution sign even in its absence!

It is natural to look but unnatural to touch
Respect the line; heed the caution notch!

~ Pravin Sabnis

Hiccups

‘Hichki’ (hiccup) is a Hindi film about a teacher (played by Rani Mukherji) with the incurable Tourette syndrome – a neurobehavioural disorder that varies from person to person. The condition may manifest as blinking, jerking of head, arm or shoulder, scrunching of face along with vocal tics like involuntary barking or repeating words. 

Despite being qualified, the teacher is not getting hired due to her recurring loud ‘hiccups’. Eventually, she gets an assignment to teach a class of combative underprivileged students who are angry at being put down by others in the school. Their ire is a hiccup that prevents them from realising their potential and purpose.

An adaptation of Brad Cohen’s book, ‘Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had’, the movie is about living with disability as well as dealing with indignity and denial of equal opportunity. It is about learning to cope with hiccups as well as learning to live with the hiccups that cannot be coped with.

The lesson is applicable to all of us. We have to identify our hiccups and cope with them. And if they cannot be controlled, we have to accept them and move ahead with them. In either situation, we must recognise the hiccup and don ownership by taking it head on. And that is not possible; we must choose to take it along.

Nevertheless the courage to do so will come from empathy for those who suffer from mild or severe hiccups. The acceptance of Autism, Tourette and other developmental disorders; coupled with eliminating negative stigma will facilitate the triumph over such hiccups. Indeed, it will script create success stories in society as well as in self!

Accept the ailment: take it head-on or take it along
Every Hiccup can be turned into a success song!

~ Pravin Sabnis

Hold on

On 26 March 1974, in Reni village (Uttarakhand), women hugged trees to prevent them from being cut. The locals had been opposing the commercial tree felling contractors. The Garhwal Himalayas had become the centre for a rising ecological consciousness of how thoughtless deforestation had bared the forest cover, resulting in the devastating Alaknanda River floods of July 1970.

The forest conservation movement was known as Chipko Andolan. It dates back to 1730 AD when in Khejarli village of Rajasthan, 363 people sacrificed their lives to save khejri trees. The Chipko movement became a benchmark for socio-ecological movements in other forest areas of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar. In 1983, it inspired a similar Appiko movement in Karnataka.

The legacy of the Chipko movement is inspirational. It is an example of how not to let go and hold on. The brave villagers did not involve in just an occasional act. They stuck to their determination to save their environment. The continued aggression of the vested interests has been resolutely countered by a refusal to give up the struggle.

Most of us have an interest to involve in positive initiatives. However, many of us retreat from the cause that we are committed to. Among the various reasons for withdrawal, the prime one is that we are not dedicated to ‘hold on’ till the end. Being faithful to our pledge requires the conviction that the Chipko collective displayed.

Our world requires us to ‘hold on’ to the initiatives that we have identified as a worthy need. But the ‘need’ has to be transformed into an unyielding ‘want’. Such clear commitment will ensure that we do not give up. Legacy is created by the persons who stick to their vow as they know no other end than the one they want.

Everything has to be well in the end…
And if not, ‘hold on’… it is not the end!

~ Pravin Sabnis

Green Then

‘How green was my Valley then, and the Valley of them that have gone.’ This line is from a 1939 novel by Richard Llewellyn, born of his conversations with local mining families in Gilfach Goch, South Wales. It was made into an Oscar award winning film that chronicles the loss of a way of life due to coal mining and its effects on the family.

The story is universal and true even today… the devastation of livelihoods and dependency on the vagaries of exploitative jobs… the destruction of ecology and the degradation of the quality of life… the complicity of the authorities and irresponsible illegalities by the raiders of the earth…

But most pertinent is the insulated indifference of those at distances, who love the green valley but will do nothing to keep it so. We lament that the valley is green no more but refuse to stand in solidarity with those who endure in traditional livelihoods. We take up cudgels for the mining dependents (who deserve concern) but we ignore those affected (uprooted) by the quarrying.

Eventually we must quit the whine song about a green valley gone. We must involve and support ways to keep it green or revive it. We must ponder over our contribution and choices now! The valley was green then because someone kept it or made it that way. We must maintain what we can and restore what we failed to maintain.

The green then was born of efforts of those who involved in sustainable livelihoods and others who recognised and supported them. The quality of life came from those who believed in collecting fruit that fell off trees, instead of felling trees to pluck the fruit. The green then was nurtured by a responsible and responsive approach. Now it requires similar actions to ensure that the valley remains green for the future.

Green then was our valley catering to real need
Green now it can be if we halt our hurried greed!

~ Pravin Sabnis

Reason to write

A series of postal letters (penned for a TV show) turned into a bestseller book. It inspired so many to involve in the experience of writing and reading. Poet, lyricist and scriptwriter, Arvind Jagtap’s book is titled ‘Patras Karaan Ki’ – a line in Marathi that most letters start with. It literally means ‘the reason to write this letter is…’

Arvind’s letters are engaging due to the expression of pertinent social issues. He is not just a creative writer but a proactive responsive citizen as well. Arvind does not just write lines worth reading. His words are born of his walk… he involves in apt actions to positively impact the situation around him. It is indeed a lofty ‘reason to write’!

There are many reasons to write. Firstly it is better than speaking for various ‘ins and outs’. Writing is born of considered thinking while speaking is often spontaneous. We can edit our written words as we have the opportunity to view our expression and measure whether it matches with intent.

The written words can be treasured. Typed letters and hand written cards are more likely to be retained as nostalgic possessions compared to what one may have heard. Writing can easily turn into a dialogue that continues and when it does, the bearing is better on communication between the persons involved.

Most importantly, the written word is about ownership. We cannot deny what we wrote. We may clarify, retract or explain. But we cannot give up ownership of our expression. Hence, we are consciously careful about the choice of words while writing. It is pertinent to note that the best of speeches are written before they are delivered.

We must write to communicate to persons we interact with to articulate our thinking, aspirations and emotions. We must also write to unveil our inner thoughts first to ourselves and then to others. Writing is liberation of expression. There are many reasons to write. We must find one but write to reason (not without thinking)!

Find reason to write… but write to reason
Writing is best expression in every season

~ Pravin Sabnis