"Lesson from Shashi Kapoor" :D

Heaveno!!

I am writing a post after a long period and by now I think that “I am Lazy” kind of jocular starts to a post are no more amusing to the reader. Anyways, If you have read any of my earlier posts, you will be surely acquainted with the ‘authenticity’ of these beginnings. I have accepted my laziness  as an inherent part of my personality and apart from missing a few morning classes(boring),it hasn’t  cost me much and by God’s grace ,everything seems to be running smoothly. I have, in this period, discovered a name for this kind of laziness-“Writer’s Block” is what they call it. Sounds Good!! It’s the same feeling of greatness you get if your arm is paining and someone tells you that you’ve got ‘Tennis Elbow’.  Now  that’s what you call a disease! Cough, Cold and fever are pedestrian diseases. J

After the faith series, I was looking for something to write but I couldn’t find a topic that appealed me and so this blog went to a dormant phase and also there is always an element of indolence involved.

 I have always believed that if you want to say something from your heart(and want people to listen to it),you must be honest in your purpose .It is not always necessary that everything you express must be RIGHT in everyone’s perspective, but it is of paramount importance that you should not be even remotely dubious about the righteousness of your purpose. Say whatever YOU feel is right. Rhetorical works may fetch you the audience but not satisfaction. This leads to the clarity in thoughts and eventually reflects what you desire to express ,effortlessly.

While reading my past posts, I have often thought  that  they might appear to be preachy and when there is everything going wrong in the society(ranging from corruption to heinous crimes against women),I am writing about faith and virtues. When I reversed my self-critic mode, I thought that there are other people and media doing exceptionally well to combat these perils, why not take out a single moment  for ourselves and focus on the nuances of life on which we hardly pay any attention.This may appear to be selfish on superficial level but if you delve deeper(with your oxygen masks ofcourse!!),you will realize that when you focus on yourself, your  inner being, your spiritual being, then you are in a way practicing spiritual Kaizen. And when you improve yourself, you are in turn,improving the whole Zoo(Man is a social animal).Comprehending why the word ‘Zoo’ is used in place of a ‘forest’ is left to the reader.

The topic I wanted to write about today is Hypocrisy. It is inherently embedded in our characters. As an old proverb goes-“Practice what you preach”. The bitter truth is that we hardly do!!Here it is not implied that we are morally corrupt by nature but what I intend to say that we subconsciously act in a way that is defined as hypocrisy in most of the standard dictionaries. We have double standards. We measure our actions and that of others on different scales. For instance everyone in protests against the Delhi Rape case was not  reverent to women or everyone in protests against corruption was not honest.

I want to relate an allegory in this context:

Rajiv was a general manager in a reputed organization in Mumbai. He was an Amitabh Bachchan aficionado. His favourite movie was ‘Deewar’(The same movie which contains the epic dialogue-“Mere paas Maa hai”) and it is the biggest irony in this story. One day, Mohit, his college friend visited his house. Mohit  lived in Calcutta and had his own business.  Busy  in their professions, they rarely met but  kept in touch by means of telephone and internet. Mohit  was on a business trip to Mumbai so he decided to pay a visit to his old friend.

Rajiv: ” Brother! It’s great to see you after such a long time. You look the same apart from your hairstyle   ”

Mohit: ” Its great to see you too and change is good isn’t it?”

Rajiv: “In your case change is great brother!! Your previous hairstyle was awful”

Both  burst  into a chortle.

After exchanging niceties both of them sat down and started talking about their good old days and the atmosphere in the house turned nostalgic. They talked for a long time until they started to feel unbearably hungry. They ordered their all time favourite dish from a restaurant and ate gluttonously.

 Mohit started to leave after dinner but Rajiv requested him to stay for the night, to which he first refused  as he had planned to complete some pending tasks but then agreed reluctantly because he too didn’t want to leave.

As both of them were engaged in stock trading,Rajiv switched on the television for Stock updates. Mohit  too, was paying attention. When the bulletin was over,Rajiv started flipping  channels and somehow remote batteries wore out at Zee Cinema. Deewar was being telecasted and even if the remote worked, nothing could have changed the channel as it was Rajiv’s favourite film. Mohit  too started watching.

There was a scene in which Shashi Kapoor’s character  goes for an interview for a job  and is almost selected for the position. But ,in the midst of the ongoing interview, the interviewer receives a call from his boss who asks him to recruit one of his relatives for a job. Shashi Kapoor’s character is politely refused the job. He walks out and dejectedly asks a fellow job seeker waiting for his turn “I have the necessary competency, degrees ,skills  and certificates but no recommendation by a person in power.Do you have one?”

Boy replies” no”

Shashi: “Then you are wasting your time here. There is no job for people like us here”

As already mentioned, Rajiv  loves this movie and unsurprisingly  he was moved by this scene. He passionately said” I hate this practice of nepotism. It  deprives the deserving  ones  of  the opportunities  to succeed. It  is like murdering their hard work and perseverance. ”

Mohit silently nodded.

After sometime the television was switched off and they chatted till late night and then went to sleep. Both of them had to leave early for their official commitments.

In the morning,while getting ready to leave, Rajiv had a phone call. He had a long conversation on phone and then took down a number. When  he hung up the phone, Mohit asked him about the call.

Rajiv” It was my uncle’s call. His son is appearing for an interview in my company today and one of my colleagues  is in the interview panel. I’ll make sure he gets selected. After all, he’s like my younger brother!!”

Shashi Kapoor’s image holding a folder containing his degrees  and certificates crept up in Mohit’s mind.His face had an inscrutable smile as they moved out of the house.