Monday, August 24, 2009

The country of "No"!

For the first time applied some brain in writing and the resultant was not as pleasing! Sad but true-'Heart works better than Brain'!

"India is the country of No. That 'no' is your test. You have to get past it. It is India's great wall; it keeps out foreign invaders. Pursuing it energetically and vanquishing it is your challenge."- excerpts from Maximum city - Suketu Mehta.

To pursue the challenge and start living with a little more enthusiasm in a country where every 'no' seems easier than 'yes', it is very essential to analyze everything minutely.Consider a hypothetical yet a typical day in a grown up person's life residing in any city of India. Early morning he wakes up-alarmed and disgusted, yet another day to start with!!!!Prepares himself to face the world ahead. He puts up a mask on his face which would protect and hide his real true self from the world. He wears a plastic smile-in accordance with the concrete surrounding around him. People will recognize him, socialize with him, if he has some material wealth stuffed in his pocket or bank, try to be good for him. Otherwise they will ignore!

Ignore him for being too modest in spending, a miser -till the time he is considered a bankrupt, and then left to live on other's benevolence. Rather, even if we avoid such extreme hypothesis, he dresses up elegantly-he knows that he has some shortcomings that cannot be hidden under wraps of power dressing, yet he does that because the confidence fostered due to this is sufficient to keep him alive and rocking! He ties up his shoe laces and has an inner wish to keep all world tied onto it.For a simple telephone/mobile connection ,he knows he will have to encounter innumerable 'no' before he is actually granted one. Everywhere he is faced with a long queue, whether he goes for a Gas cylinder, milk, grocery, or the water from Kuwait," Petroleum” !

Sometimes, his pocket size doesn't allows him to do things at the first instant, and some other times the wide mouthed giant of price hikes.Whatever the case may be he goes on putting up that mask, To the whole world he seems to be a perfect gentleman with a nice home-be it built on a high interest bank loan, a high salaried job-be it nominal with loads of debts to pay, nice lifestyle- to support which, he will one day sell himself, and a happy family-who can never remain at peace with their half fulfilled dreams and aspirations.

But the question is what is that ,without having which his life is as incomplete as a flower without a bee to hover upon it. Is it money? No, something like that is out of question since money is so deliquescent in nature that it can never remain static in a single place, it flows and flows on. Then is it ignorance? No, even that can be got rid of by being in constant contact with the outside social world, then what is it?May be it is the ambition or the ever prosperous desires that were or rather would be never hit by any type of recession. It increases, day after day, moment after moment, it makes the man awe and gasp for the un-achieved!

This awed reverence results in creation of further more dreams and aspirations along with unavailability of resources to suffice the needs.So, here comes the urge, the necessity to wear a mask, to have a deception point, wherein his simple being is underneath layers of social pretentiousness. He needs to show off and flaunt something that he doesn't actually have.Consequently, a vigor to live originates, although the whole building is built on a null and void base yet, the building starts taking shape, and the person is considered fit to survive in forest of social dogmas. He has successfully created his niche place ,who knows how wide a hiatus has he created between his natural soul and the outward appearance.Now he can breathe in the free air which replenishes his nostrils every time with fresh air of rights to continue living in a country like ours!

6 comments:

sujata sengupta said...

So true, all of us have a mask we wear. At times we are so used to this mask, that we end up masking our true feelings to even ourselves. It takes a lot of courage and self will to be one's own self under all circumstances, and yet if schieved, its the state that can give us peace and real happiness. A very thought provoking subject posted Shivi. Great topic, loved it.

Abhinav said...

Great Post
The mask is such that you are sitting with you Boss in a classical music concert, but you have never listended other than metal in your life.

Few days ago, was talking to a friend about traveling , the answer was it is a faishon so it doesn't matter whether I enjoy or not in travelling, a perfect example of social pretentiousness.

Shivangi Shaily said...

@ Sujata di
that takes a lot of will power to remain the same all throughout.
thanks for appreciating

Shivangi Shaily said...

@ Abhinav
thanx, social living becomes so difficult sometimes. I liked the music example u gave :)

tit bits said...

You have analyzed this fact very well. I think I have worn so many masks that I have forgotten that how my face looks.

Shivangi Shaily said...

Ryt its true for me too.