Truth - it is not the happening thing in India and elsewhere
Truth - it is not the happening thing in India and elsewhere
Truth it is not the happening thing.
When my father asked me what I wanted on my birthday, a number of years ago, I said, "Give me truth." He looked at me stunned. Anger of disbelief in his eyes and an expression that did not match with the words that came out, "What's that are you gone nuts," and walked away without any answer.
I was joking then but then forty years later, I found that it was the most difficult question that had accidentally slipped out my mouth ripping apart the basic scaffold of a personality of a man. In this case, it was my father. Too polite to retaliate and too polished to acknowledge his ignorance. My upbringing up till then prevented me from entering into an argument.
And now when I am almost his age, I wonder what truth is. The answer is still evasive.
But the difference between me and my father is that I am in search of it while he was not. For he died American though born Indian . The truth for him was that India is a country that hindered in his prosperity. And foreign shores were better. I would reserve my comments until gaining first hand information. I am happy to stay in the country that I was born in. My motherland.
Truth is something that we have locked in some vault and the key to it has been misplaced. And for long we have been living with falsities , dishonesty and taken them as truth. This may sound weird but is true.
From politicians to shanty owners, from small time industrialists' to big time hawkers, from young beauties to youth at the discos, all have but churned out definitions that are sheer disappointments. Truth to be known is truth to be understood.
People, who died not long ago,(when technology was not finely bloomed), while defining culture gave values a key role and in it lay the truth of patterned way of thinking, feeling and reacting. So we enticed less in rigmaroles of the society then. We jumbled ourselves less then. We were not novices in understanding our brethren. Our hearts throbbed loud and clear for others and we yearned for laurels earned sincerely.
Now, of course, the times have changed. We yearn for shortcuts and many of us have found them too and we receive accolades for the work that we have not really toiled for. Yet we enjoy the false glory and sleep well too. Nothing to loose. Really.
We hear brave speeches from politicians who are hardly brave in real life. After the 26/11 Mumbai attack in India, it was fun' watching the filmy news' that TV channels had made out of a serious affair. Flushing out the terrorists holed up in TajMahal hotel and bringing home to safety the stranded hapless guys in there was a task assigned to the security forces and we, lying down comfortably in the security of our homes, enjoyed the thrills of the visuals. It was indeed like watching a suspense movie. Paisa vasool. (Hindi the meaning is money's worth). Did we ever think at that moment of the life that those stranded inside were actually suffering? No. Who had the time to think. But when it came to exchanging notes on telephone with people, we faked our concern. We talked about the brave soldiers who were trying to get even with the tormentors. We used up all the emotive sentences to express solidarity with those whose kith and kin were directly involved in the episode.
Not to forget the Indian politicians who had made a beeline on umpteen TV news channels to reach millions of urban viewers. Some called it horrifying, another set of political leaders termed it as a savage attack and yet another group talked of how the state government had collapsed in maintaining law and order. But were they actually horrified and went without food or any among them reached a medical recovery hospital to come out of the trauma. No, there were no such reports. They were just being dishonest. That's it. They used words that made a good copy but lacked to relish the taste of the depth or the accurate meaning of the word that these leaders so extravagantly used.
Irony is that Indians have a penchant for mixing up things. Anything personal is social too but not necessarily political and political cannot be personal at any cost. Christianity explains this particular disequilibrium (dimorphism) in simpler way: render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are god's but here we are all the more delighted to mix everything and feel disheartened to own the mess that we create, though it is often out of ignorance. We fail in our depth to understand the things better and often falter in rectifying ourselves. We are also in the habit of not reaching out to the accuracy of the meaning of the words that we often roll out of our mouths to impress upon our societal circle. In the vortex of our desires, we tread on another path other than truth.
Wilful self deception is a ground that most of us hold tightly to. When in despair, we strengthen ourselves in contenance and body language to give a reverse impression. But this way, the damage is more and so is the burden on our head. Leading two lives at the same time is not only dangerous but troublesome too.
We are quick to make ourselves heroes and victims, changing our attitude and concepts in ratio to the gainful benefits and are ready to swallow as much dirt and grime of the environment and people if only we can remain glued to the seat of power.
I am sure you will agree that we all have acquired the acumen of disgracing ourselves internally while moving gracefully in public and are fully equipped with abstract thoughts satisfying ourselves with a make-believe world that we hopefully think is the best for us but in the process, we have forgotten that we are actually bolting our happiness and one fine morning we shall be in the gas chamber that we are not able to see or feel now. The brave die once but we have practiced dying everyday. The pangs of pain are much more we expect yet we inch our way to disaster.
For a name in media, Kuch Bhi Karega. Change religion, marry, say talak' thrice. Spill the beans in public. Wash the dirty linen in public. Become a star and then hop for some stupid stage-managed show which people feel in calling a reality show. India will always remain shining but Indians do not. It is only the feel good' factor by which you only feel good and none else.
Be indecent. It pays more.
Now what. We can't change. We may resist people calling us men having headpieces filled with straw but inwardly we know how fake and dishonest we have become. Not a single control-booth functions in us.
We are miles away from the meaning of what we actually are and often tend to exhibit ourselves as honest, caring, loving and considerate Indians who are out to turn the nation into a force that shall reckon with the world. But faking does not help a proof that we are still witnessing caste and creed discrimination, communal disharmony and no moral education.
Dishonesty never ceased within us as we have found greed a better alternative to launch our dreams. Boys slitting each other's throats for culminating their dreams. Girls eyeing the wealth of old sheikhs or money strapped wealthy sharks in a bid to lead a secured life more than in lavish style. And old and clumsy riding on dubious methods to etch a living.
We are not noticeably deranged or hysterical but most of our actions are. A minor dismeneour on the road between two vehicles and on display are verbal and physical clashes. A minor argument and knives are out. A minor domestic disharmony and divorce papers are made. A minor reprimanding in the class rooms and threats are hurled at the educators. A minor difference of opinion in House (Indian Parliament) and scuffles in the Well. We do not actually understand the meaning of the minor. Had we understood, we would have happily ignored minor skirmishes and not elasticized it. But we seldom doubt our judgement and minor issues turn into major bone of contention and we all contribute to it a lot. Minor issues, small matters, things of less consequence are just offshoots of the language but the feeling to ignore, forgive and forget just do not breed.
Embarking upon excuses is yet another practice that Indians have learnt without really being schooled in the subject. Eyebrows shrink when excuses come as harmless pranks but once the motive is to cheat, the matter becomes grave and excuses are to be abhorred. Eyebrows are sure to be raised. Politicial leaders and gangsters display a fine display of their historics when cornered. They come out with justifications, generally clichd, and ultimately skirt the issue blaming others for trying to disrepute them. Sometimes it is the members of the opposition camp, at times it is referred as a malicious campaign by some foreign powers.
We all like it. We know he is speaking lies but we take everything lying down voiceless. That is what we are made of. A bunch of idiots. A bunch of jokers. A bunch of incompetent johnies. Or just a bunch of impotent guys not having anything to produce. Arise, awake or forever be fallen. I think it is safe to lie fallen. Lying gives us solace.
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