Know thy Achilles’ heel

Any one taking charge of a place or an institution generally would like to assert that his worthy predecessor was not altogether innocent of many of the things that the new person would approve of. Finding fault with predecessors is nothing new with new executives, and this is all the more true in the case of persons who had been occupying the high-end chairs for a decade or more; it is too long for them to occupy a position, and as a result they fail to see the rut that might be collecting around them. It would be the duty of the successor to clear some of the dirt, especially those collected under the carpet, and those hanging from the ceiling. The new executive is also duty bound to protect the identity of the predecessor, and even unwillingly support what he had done before the employees, because that is what is expected of him from the institute he has become an integral part of.

I am quite wary of the people who would sell the institutions they represent, in order to show favoritism towards a couple or more persons, who do not even come under the ambit of the institution. It is a dangerous trend, if outsiders take advantage of the generosity and openness of the executive in order to curry favor, much to the chagrin of the other staff of the institution. I had come across such instances quite a few times, and had been quite critical about this kind of dealings, but there was very little that I could do to prevent such a kind of dealings. How can one allow outsiders take the institution for a royal ride? After all, the institution is not a private property of any particular individual, but belongs to the people, and when one receives the appointment letter to give the leadership role, one needs to bear in mind that one has to protect the greater interests of the institution before all else.

As an executive who has great responsibility laid upon his or her shoulders, one of the most important things he/she needs to be aware of is, his/her own weaknesses. People outside know how to locate and attack on the Achilles’ heels. It is after all not altogether difficult for people to find out the weaknesses of their bosses, and it would not be too late before they spread the net to catch them unawares. There are people, who are weak in certain respects, and I do not need to elaborate what people are generally weak at, and once people know what the weaknesses of their bosses, then half their work is done, and all they have to do now is, create a situation where the boss becomes an easy victim, and that is the starting point of the institution being taken for a royal ride by unassuming persons, with unlimited power and prowess to dictate how the boss deals with the daily affairs and the policy decisions of the institution.

One of the first lessons that I require to learn before I begin to take charge of an institution is to be aware of my own limitations and weaknesses, so that when someone tries to attack me on my weak points, I could catch them there and then, and therefore do not permit them from making me a pawn in their hands. Becoming conscious of and acknowledging my own limitations is nothing demeaning for me; there are areas in me, which are beyond my control to reform or transform, and being conscious of these would be more rewarding than even getting out of these limitations. This is like guarding one’s home from the hands of the burglars who might be attempting at the thick of night. If you are alert and agile to any such attempt, then the burglars cannot succeed in breaking open the house and robbing the treasures. Let me give a silly example, if everyone knows that I go to bed at 9 pm, and wake up at 5 am, then they also know that the best time for them to break open my room is between 9 pm and 5 am. But then, I may also have systems, such as digital alert systems so that as soon as any one tries to break open the door, they are stunned by the sirens honking at deafening volume, waking up the entire neighborhood.

If I am a person who likes to have a few people always at my side, who would always support my viewpoints and perspectives, irrespective of if they would help the institution or not, then I am sure to become their slave too soon, and it would not be long before they put their conditions to me, and extract out of me whatever they might be in want of. The interests and welfare of the institution should take precedence over the interests and welfare of the boss or the employees, and it is only under such circumstances can the institution last long; or else the institution might become a useless entity too soon, and it might come to a situation when it might need to be given a decent burial. Unfortunately this is the story of many of the towering institutions disappearing into thin air over the past decades, and the life of the institution is party in the hands of the one steering it; while it is a privilege, it also calls for greater amount of responsibility on him/her.

Painful Parting

It was hard for me to leave home this time; I had been going home for brief stay over the past 25 years, each time spending just a few days to one full month, but have not felt so emotional and sentimental while leaving as during this time. I know there were more reasons for me to feel emotional this time. My sister had not been keeping too well two days before I left the place, and I felt sad about her situation; aging parents and her too young daughter. When she is sick, it is painful to see her, helplessness writ large on her face; this is a reality she has to get used to, and that has been affecting me.

It is of late that I have come close to my family, especially my sister, niece and my parents; the others - three families of brothers, all of them well settled, and earning fat salaries - had not been my concern. After the sudden death of my brother-in-law, I felt it part of my responsibility to stand by my sister and niece, and help her cope with life. What I could do to her is mighty little, however that had been bringing cheer in her and her daughter. I was happy to see that she is able to face life now fearlessly, and support parents in their old age too.

Over the past 25 years, ever since I left home, I have realized that the poor and the needy do not expect money or riches from us sannyasis, what they do look up to us is, our compassion, our love and time. On more than one occasion, my sister had made the same appeal to me, that I stand by her side, and she would be able to face life boldly. I may not be able to realize how hard it is to face life in real life situation; we live in artificial surroundings, where everything is taken care of; it is not so easy to battle with the odds of life and still retain one's sanity.

Though she knows for sure she has to put up with so much of inconvenience in order to bring up her daughter, and to support the aging parents, and adjusting to their idiosyncrasies, one thing is sure, she is not the one who would easily give up hope. The strong determination to keep striving has brought her up to this point, and I feel happy and proud for her. First it was the deadly cancer which bounced on her, some 10 years ago, and when she came out of it victorious, life could not bear her victory, and thus came a bigger shock, the loss of her husband. Now she has shown that she is a victor in every way.

My way of life does not permit me to keep close contact with her, or in that case with anyone else. However I know the little I do to support and stand by her side will not go in vain. I felt sad while leaving the house, because my presence at home could bring smile in her face, and she could rely on me for any kind of emergency. As an elder brother, this is my responsibility and privilege, and I feel I am not able to fulfill this, and that was bothering me. But deep within I know for sure that my invisible presence will help her to lean on me when needed, and gain that encouragement and support, which can keep her going.

Searching for Smiles

One of the lessons which I had learned at the death of one of our friends, 13 years senior to me, is that whatever we do, and wherever we are, could we do something to unburden the others who are weighed down by worries of the world, chased by problems which make them hate life, made to believe that life on earth is not worth living! There are many around us who go through this kind of hide-n-seek game with life each day, without realizing that they are slowly pawning their lives with forces which may one day snatch their lives and hand them over to the angel of death! Just a kind act towards these people can change the way they look at life, and once they realize the beauty of the world and its people, then things can take a positive turn.

Ours is a tortured, battered, mutilated world, which yearns for some respite, and it may sound an insurmountable task for us, but if we all put our shoulders together to look at this world which is groaning with pain and agony, probably we may be able to find a way of relieving her pains. It is not an impossible task; it all depends how each one of us is convinced of his/her personal responsibility to extend healing balm to the neighbor behind or in front of him/her. It is easier to curse darkness rather than lighting the candle, and we all may resort to easy solution, instead of doing our little part to ease the situation. Luckily we do not need to do spectacular works, or need really to sacrifice our lives in order to save the dying humanity. We are not saviors of the world, but we can surely become the angels of kindness and mercy to each one around us.

I become more and more convinced that what we on earth need today are not great scientists who would make the impossible into possible, who would find solutions to all the problems the humanity had been facing down the centuries, who would unravel the mysteries of the universe and find greater avenues for harnessing the resources of the greater earth, who would make us believe that faith in God and human touch can be sacrificed at the altar of self-centeredness. Nor do we require persons who would find a way of feeding every person going hungry to bed each day. We are not looking for spiritual gurus who would make every urban dweller happy and peaceful! If we want to save the world, then all that I am convinced we are called to is : to spread a little bit of human touch.

There is one little way I am confident we can do this : I take a little trouble to go out of my own self to reach out to someone in need, in whatever way I can. It is for me to choose how I am going to reach out to the other! If at the end of the day I can make a person smile, then I can consider my work done. It is not an impossible task. Yesterday after hanging around in our college to arrange for the funeral mass today, one of our friends, offered some fruits for our community. There were mangoes (the look alone was so tempting), grapes and another kind of fruit. As I walked home with a polythene bag in hand, near the park I put the bag down, took out a mango and offered to a girl who had made outside the park her home for the past six months. There was plenty for us, and I was not going to lose much by giving one to her, she also would have the joy of tasting a mango even before it fully entered the markets.

I have realized a secret of what really makes us smile: when we are able to make someone smile, that is sure to bring a natural smile in us. Check it for yourself. I have checked it and it works like a charm. It is like an echo, or a reflection on the mirror; and this can create a ripple effect. My smile can create some one smile too, and it can go on unending. Smiles are becoming too costly in our world; even the best of make-up and ornaments sans genuine smile may be meaningless; but a gentle genuine smile even in the absence of ornaments can make a person really glitter, and that is the secret that we all can become partners in. I can only imagine a situation when the whole world is filled with smiles all around, and it would be like a garden with flowers in full bloom and that is really a joy and feast to our eyes.

Running for Recognition

This senior friend of ours is a notorious do-gooder! Anyone can ask him for a favor at any time, and he would be prepared to leave everything behind to help the person! I should be happy to find such a good soul, but that is not the whole truth; that is only a small portion of his personality. But that glorious side of the friend is so well expressed and exhibited that most people take for granted that he is gem of a character! He had been an infirmarian in one of our large houses for some years, and he would take care of the sick who are on the verge of bidding goodbye to the world in such a manner that very few can do that, and we know that in such situations, our friend is fully himself, and gives himself fully too.

One of his other virtues worth mentioning is that he would do anything to the persons he likes, and has to get some favor through him/her. He would go out of his way to help a person, knowing well that he has to get a greater favor, and a bigger one in the not so distant future. We may call him calculative, and he knows how to move his soldiers. The interests of the people who matter to him most often become his own interests. So if he is doing something wonderful for some people, one can be sure that he has got to receive something out of them. And the formula works fine for him, and over the years he has only fine-tuned his tastes and procedures.

I would not be exaggerating if I were to say that he is one of the busiest persons in our circles, and call him on his mobile phone at any hour, you will hear him say that he is in such and such place! He loves to move around, and drive people or accompany them, and he really enjoys it. He may not mind driving people crazy too, and we have had several instances when people had been annoyed with him for not paying attention to them, when they needed his help. That is where the other side of the personality unfolds. He would be found seldom doing what he is supposed to do, what he is expected to do, but busy with everything else, and that could be quite annoying for the people who are to receive directions from him about how to proceed.

He loves good food, and the ever bulging stomach for him is no problem at all, and he does not believe in doing exercises to tone down the body. He loves gossiping, and grumbling about anything under the sky; he would spend hours and hours yapping with persons who get along well with him. Now why am I pouring out so much about him here and now? How does this person affect me? Some days ago I had asked for his assistance on an official work, which he readily agreed. But even after three days I did not get any response to him, and so I had to do it by myself. And the next time when I met him, I told him that since he did not have time, I had to do the work by myself.

More than anything else, I have felt that this friend of ours was looking for ‘recognition’, and in order to win the appreciation and applause of others, he would do anything for them. Doing a routine job which has been assigned to him, surely is not going to get him the appreciation of the people around. While he would do all the odd jobs outside, he would not do even the least expected jobs in his house. I realize the danger of trying to please all the people, and in turn wanting others to please him. It is only when we go beyond the need and want for recognition that we can reach out to the truly needy persons. I only wish at least some times when he is wanted by the people he is expected to take care of, he is their at their side.

Care for the World

There is so much of noise at Capenhapen, where the world leaders have assembled to take stock of saving the world; suddenly there is a great concern shown by all nations to salvage the earth before it perishes, and there is a tendency to start the age-old blame game, and very few honest nations daring to own up their own responsibility for making the world what it is today. In fact, the common persons on the road are quite oblivious about what is happening to the world; as one walks on the main roads of the city, one can come across men and women huddled together, burning old and worn-out tyres and enjoying the warmth they give, without realizing the harm it creates to them. Climate change, unfortunately, is not the concern of the most citizens of the world.

There are different theories which define the future of the earth, if conscientious effort is not made to salvage the earth from destruction. There are also a group of skeptics who believe that the harm created to the earth is irrevocable, and whatever we do may not much change the situation; if we make a conscientious effort, probably we may prevent further damage taking place, but that may not make the situation better for tomorrow. But there are also people on the other side of the camp, who claim that if the whole world make a concerted effort, we may be able to create a better climate, not only geological, but also psychological. And the very fact that most of the nations had come together to take cognizance of the situation is clear sign that it is the major responsibility owned by all.

The Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh had made an impressive and meaningful declaration of what the nation is going to do in black and white to make things better. Towards the end of his appeal to the world community, one like stuck me: the most affected by the climatic changes are the least responsible for them. India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka had been facing the major backlashes of climatic changes, and it is beyond all doubt that the people who have misused the earth’s resources and morally polluted the earth, wish to hide themselves under the carpet. The hundreds of men and women who slowly lose their fields, homes due to rise in sea water, cyclonic waves creating havoc in coastal areas, tsunami’s threatening to wipe away human race from coastal regions… the South Asia has been a major victim, and the nations who are responsible feel it is not entirely their business to do something about it.

It is alright for the nations to thrash the things over the table, but it is time for each one in the world to ask himself/herself : what can I do, on my personal capacity, to help shape a better world for tomorrow? Our tomorrow depends on our today, and until every person is involved in this global mission, after about 20 years, we may not be there to discuss the issue, nor find more than half the human population. Probably the slogan that should go rounds today in all our social gatherings is : ACT NOW! We do not need to do great things to make the world a better place for our posterity; small things matter, and we do not need to wait for someone to start the ball rolling. We could start here and now.

What am I doing today which may help ‘heal the world, make it a better place’, to borrow a phrase from that famous song! The emission level is said to be increasing at alarming speed, and I make it a point to walk as much as possible, instead of adding to the carbon di oxide emission. Being conscious of energy consumption is another area, where I keep my eyes and ears open. If I can walk the stairs, I do not require to use the elevator; most often people have the wrong notion that if there are things, they should be used. The tragedy is that we often do not inform people about these things; I have hardly seen any of our coworkers walking the stairs; even the sweeper and newspaper man would automatically go in to take the lift. I wish all families and institutions make it a point to abstain from the use of electricity or motor vehicles periordically, and teach children to do the same. These are some of the things that all of us can do easily.

Flowing with Time

At first I couldn't understand what she was saying; it took me a minute or two to really understand. She had been on the move in the city doing a lot of purchase all through the day, and was quite tired at the end of the day. But she was determined to finish the accounts before she went to bed. It might take a couple of hours for her to tally the figures, but would go to sleep only after seeing it through. At first she said, who knows if I will be alive tomorrow morning or not! If I don't, then it would create a lot of problem for others, she said laughing. Planning to do the accounts on the next day morning cannot amount to procrastination, but there was something beautiful in what she said later.

Why should I unnecessarily postpone the things that I can finish today, because tomorrow would come with its own share of toils and troubles. If I don't finish the troubles of this day, then the next day I will have to complete the works of the previous day, and may be forced to put off the day's work to the next day. In the process, the workload may keep accumulating, and there may come a time when it is beyond my capacity to wind up with all my responsibilities, and then may start the blame-game.

This is an ancient wisdom, which states, let me not postpone the things which I can do today. The secret power of the "now" is intrinsically embedded in this notion of going with the flow of the current, so that I am not stuck with unnecessary worries. But sadly, it is not at all easy for us to flow with our share of duties, commitments and responsibilities. It is because, the time that is at our disposal may seem like an endless ocean. We imagine that we are going to live for ever and ever. There is a simple way how we can train our minds to flow with the current of the day.

Let me take a sheet of paper, and write on the top, My Life Span! I will write the figure that comes to my mind, as the number of years I will live in this world. It may be 75 or 84 or even 96. Don't think too much, just put the number that first pops up in your mind. This is just a subjective figure for us to work on our life-cycle. Now let me deduct my present age. That means, I have still so many years to live. Does the years look too long, too many? Now multiply the number of years by 365; this gives the number of days I will live. If the remaining years of my life is 52, then I have 52 x 365 days to live. Let me further convert the days into hours: 52 x 365 x 24. It is here I begin to see the value of each passing hour. I may realize then that I cannot afford to waste even a single hour.

Today I would like to pause for a while and look at this day, from the moment when I first opened my eyes from sleep; it will benefit me, if I were to make a log of what I had done, minute by minute. I may be surprised to note that I had whiled away a lot of time, and have even wasted. Fortunately I don't need to pay for the time I spend, and therefore do not realize the cost of it all. If I were to do this exercise at the end of the day, then I may be able to realize that I had waste more than a few hours in useless things. Anything that is not helping me live a fuller life can be counted as a waste of time. If I do this exercise for a few days continuously, then probably I may become more conscious of the preciousness of the present, and may use it judiciously. It is then I may realize that my life span has doubled or tripled already!

Breaking the Benign

If we term a group of animals as ferocious, often we see that there is no greater ferocious animal than the human beings; it is only men and women who can be very ruthless, and heartless. Some are so hard hearted that nothing can move them. And that is a tragedy that is responsible for so much of terror and bloodshed in our world. We blame the circumstances, and even point an accusing finger at the up-bringing, but more than all, we cannot but blame the new-age value system, which still believes in survival of the fittest and the fastest (imagine the notion of speed that is at the helm of all present day advancements!). Anything can be dispensed with in order to soar high in the business ladder or to achieve the targeted goals. That includes even the life of innocent men and women, the voiceless, deaf-dumb-mute human beings, who cannot be given the dignity that befits them.

Three days ago, we got the news that one of our companions was going through a minor depression, and felt lonely. Some of the past events and incidents had aggravated a sense of loss and insecurity in him, that led him to think that he was not worthy of being what he had been for the past thirty years. He was in tears when he narrated to me how some of our friends had humiliated him in public, without even the least qualms of conscience. That this friend of mine could go to such a situation was something that I could not imagine. So some of our friends began to call him up to boost his morale and bring him back to a feeling that he was wanted and his past efforts to contribute to the institution he was attached to was worth its while. One of his regrets was that no one acknowledged how much he had given himself to build the institution where he had been for the past fourteen years. Instead of some good words, there were brickbats and accusations that chased him to take recourse in brooding and finally to minor depression.

It was quite surprising for me to hear from a close associate of mine, who said that one friend had told him, that the man undergoing depression was in fact feigning. Another important friend warned me not to give undue importance to him. I found it extremely difficult to understand how crude and hard we could be in the judgment of our companions. Many of us at sometime or other go through such moments when we feel that all our efforts were in vain, and it would be better to move out to some other place where we may at least be noticed. If I cannot be sympathetic towards my neighbor, how much of sympathy can I expect from others when I am in trouble? We all of us wish to be treated fairly, and is it not just that we too treat others in the same measure?

I am quite convinced that there are times in the life of persons, when we need to go across the boundaries of familiarity, friendship, relationship and legalities. When the very life of a person is at stake, we cannot afford to bargain with mean and silly issues and things. If we think that the life of a person can be sacrificed in order to prove a point right or wrong, then the time may not be far off for us to bear the consequences of such a notion. The modern society has taught us to be tough with ourselves and with the outside world, even encouraging us to be strict with our feelings and emotions. No wonder many of us turn out to be more of machines than lively human persons. That is where the danger lies; if we cannot look at others as an extension of myself, all my philosophies and world wisdom will be of no value. I am called primarily to be human, fully human, fully alive.

Today I take a few moments from my busy life, to quieten myself and enter into my inner self to look at the corners where I still carry certain amount of stones that can break a soul and shed blood. Let me look at them, and see them slowly transformed into soft, gentle wool. Let me also look in my mind all the people whom I had treated with ruthlessness and made them realize that they were not wanted, and deep down feel sorry for such moments. I also will think about the moments when I could have reacted differently to people and incidents, instead of going by the letters of the law. Let me see that the brother and sister whom I ill-treat or mis-treat is my extension, and they too demand the dignity that I claim for myself. It may not be possible that I am transformed into a different being in a day or two, but if I am aware that I have a heart that is capable of turning men and women into beasts, then there are chances that one day I may truly be able to enter into the shoes of others, and truly empathise with them. And that is the moment of self-victory for me!

Call to be Catalysts

If there is one news channel in the country which acutely feels the inadequacy in the systems that govern the lives of the people and initiate moves to remedy at least those which are within the purview of the audiences, it is undoubtedly the New Delhi Television (NDTV), headed by Dr Pronnoy Roy. I had a lot of admiration for the son of this soil, West Bengal, who today exerts a lot of respect in the national level, not only for his journalistic acumen, but more in the way he and his team puts across the news of the national level. It is not the so-called passive, indifferent news reporting; the different reporters of the channel break all myths of traditional journalism; they get involved in the scene, and would not hesitate to tell us how he/she felt at the time of the event... Barkha Dutt surely belongs to that category or fire-brand reporters.

But what caught my attention as I sat two days ago in front of the television to see the crude clippings of the siege of the Taj and Oberoi Trident in Mumbai, the team went behind the scenes to capture the sentiments of a wide spectrum of people; everyone had something to say about the events... what the channel does, though not directly, is building a healthy public opinion, to counter the vile attempts of the political parties to politicise every event possible. Until we dissociate events of the country from politics, there is no salvation. Rightly did the Mumbaites had the guts to tell the politicians to keep away from the scene... Could every citizen in the nation were to say that, we will have better peace and control in the country.

I was so delighted when anchoring the newscast two days ago in the evening at 9 o'clock news, Roy did two things that were quite unthinkable for a news channel : one minute of silence in the honor of the people who died in the encounter, and direct applause to the National Security Group for the commendable job they did in fighting back the attempts of terrorists to blow up the hotels. Giving due credit to all those who deserve will take us a long way in building a healthy atmosphere to fight against the evils that haunt our nation today.

While there are new news channels mushrooming every other day, a news channel of this kind is sure to contribute towards awakening the citizens from the slumber, created by politicians and pseudo intellectuals. In fact, each and every one can become a catalyst towards change within the circumstances we are placed. We are not expected to do something which is beyond our capacity, but if I feel the need to be a catalyst, then I will also find the ways and means of being one; it is not for self-glory or for priding that I need to be a catalyst in the society I live, but as a mark of my responsibility to the people I live with.

I am a teacher in a school, and how can I be a catalyst in my work place, in the school and in the family? It is not difficult to work out the ways how I can be a catalyst; think of the number of chances how I can educate my students on the need to respect one another, to go beyond "narrow domestic walls" of culture, religion and nationality. If every teacher becomes a catalyst in his/her school or college, then the future will be in safer hands. We may not need to face another siege of the Taj or any other place in the country. Today that is my prayer: to realise the need to come forward to take responsibility for the people with whom I live each day, and if I can do something for the good of the people before I leave the world, what more could I ever think of from this short life!