25 Dec 2015

Why We Will Keep Hearing "Humara Kuch Nahi Ho Sakta"

Modi should do this, Jaitley should do that. The government should do this, the judiciary should do that. Businessmen should do this, Bollywoodsters should do that. Dhoni should do this, Saina (not Raina) should do that. India should do this, Pakistan should do that.

Swacch Bharat Abhiyan will fail because Modi does not put in effort. Corruption will not be eradicated because Kejriwal’s honesty is being questioned (LOL!). Crime rates will not fall because the police does not care about the law. News channels will never sell honest news because they simply care about ratings and money.

"Swacch Bharat Abhiyan is novel idea", I tell my friend. But Modi is not doing enough to make it a success. He simply wanted to make the headlines - that attention-seeking globetrotter (by the way, here are some facts about his trips and devices). While saying this, I pop a chocolate in my mouth and throw the wrapper on the street. “Iss desh ka kuch nahi ho sakta,” I lisp while savoring the chocolate.

I want people to read my blog posts, share them, comment on them, and make me a star. But I will not engage with other bloggers. I will not write something that people like to read. I will write mediocre posts purely for myself and expect people to discover my posts and swoon over them. I will reciprocate only to people who engage with me first. And I will call popular bloggers snooty because they do not praise my writing.

I want the government to build better roads and flyovers. But when they are built, I will drive on the wrong side to avoid the 5 additional seconds added to my travel time because the route. If I accidentally get on a flyover, I will reverse rather than take the longer route - inconvenience caused to traffic be damned. As a pedestrian, I want vehicles to stop for me. But even when I see them coming at high speeds, I will cross the road, mentally challenging them not to slow down. Let's see who blinks first.

I want people (family, colleagues, subordinates, domestic help) to listen to me, but I will talk to them like a jerk. I will behave like a self-professed know-it-all, without even an iota of achievement to my name.

I want… I demand… I want… I demand…



My friend, when will you start doing something? Every change starts from within.

Added luxuries have made us more cocky and stubborn. We want conditions around us to improve without our quality of life being affected in the tiniest way. Not everyone can be pleased every time. Sometimes you lose a little, sometimes others do. All of it contributes to the bigger picture of inclusive growth - in your family, at work, or in your country. We know this, but still behave like street dogs. By being pig-headed in compromise, we stifle growth in society. We may be happy to have got what we wanted, but it hurts us in the long run. By demanding that others do what we want the way we want it, we display entitlement and selfishness, compromising humanity along the way. Then we complain that humanity is dead.

Change starts with you. And it doesn't have to be a turnaround in life that we have come to associate the word with. Can you cross the road quickly, or wait a few seconds for the vehicle to pass to ensure that it is not inconvenienced? Can you place an empty Bisleri bottle or chips wrapper in your bag, or throw it in a dustbin when you find one, rather than littering on the road and complaining that there is no dustbin around? Can you be kind to a stranger who can do nothing for you? Can you be respectful of other people without expecting them to reciprocate? Can you calm your mind when it is clamoring about daily events the most? Yes. Will you? That's a different question.

Like My Era, I'll leave you with a song. I hope you start with the Man in the Mirror and ask him to change his ways.


R.I.P. Michael. God knows we need you more than ever today.


14 comments :

  1. I know the feeling. A helpless anger. A sense of hopelessness. What can I do about it. And does it matter if only I do something about it? Questions and more questions. Most of us have become brashen enough to ignore these questions. We prefer to ignore and look the other way.....isn't it easier that way. Challenge laws and people, who wants to take it on? And those who have the guts to take it on, will be pulled down by those below! Sach me lagta he hamaara kuch nahi ho sakta. I am one of the guilty as charged. Part and victim of the system. An onlooker always.

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    Replies
    1. We are not entitled to be angry helplessly, Kala. And there is not just 1 way of contributing. There are various other ways. Let's do our bit to make things better and let the universe do what it has to. Mein akela kya kar sakta hoon has 2 connotations - idealistic and pragmatic. This post is about the latter.

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  2. That's a fantastic post Vishal :)
    This is the bitter truth of the era we live in. Answer to everything you mentioned lies with us and still we choose to make excuses and try to do what should be done.
    The worst bit is, we are so engrossed in pointing fingers at others that the time that could be invested in bringing about a positive change is spent solely in whining.
    I loved the way you added the scene in the blogosphere right in the middle of this post :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's true ME. We associate change with something mammoth, which comes around in a day. But like the Titanic took time to change direction, something positive (or negative) comes around after long. There are no overnight successes or failures. We must be patient and contribute however we can, whether in small ways or large.

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  3. Blaming others is easy whereas working on ourselves requires effort, sometimes even a total upheaval in our psychological thought processes. Inspiring read, Vishal! I am currently reading a book 'Freedom from the known' and I came across a verse echoing similar sentiments. Also reminds me of a doha by Kabir: Bura Jo Dekhan Main Chala, Bura Naa Milya Koye, Jo Munn Khoja Apnaa, To Mujhse Bura Naa Koye.

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    Replies
    1. Such an apt doha, Arti. Everything that we look for lies within us.

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  4. Absolutely with you. I am happy that i am working on improving on this aspect. I do keep wrappers in my pocket sometimes and throw them in trash at home :)

    Everybody has some kind of an excuse, but then that is what they are good at!
    Beautiful post, for beauty lies within!

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    Replies
    1. That's wonderful Alok. We respect laws of all nations we visit, especially the ones regarding their sanity and environment.

      Just wish that most of our country people would do the same in our own country rather than rebelling while coming up with reasons to say why a rule will fail.

      Happy 2016.

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