The Brave Pedestrian

And when did we meet? And when did we part? And what did you say That troubled my heart? And why did you smile? And why did you frown? And why do I feel That I have let you down? And why do I feel That a shadow now stands Between me and my God And is forcing my hands? Did a blade swiftly slash Where I stood, through my breast? Now the warmth of my blood Seeks the earth where I rest. I am mind, I am mud. I am thirst, you are flood. What have I that you seek? I am drained as I speak. Having nothing to give, Having nothing to gain, I crawl like a child. Crawling deadens the pain.

July 28, 2009:  What they don’t teach you at school is that being a winner in life isn’t about winning in all that you do, but about building a good relationship of friendly give-and-take with the universe. How do you do that? Well, mostly by trusting and being trustworthy. You set out every morning trusting that the world and its creatures will treat you right, and play fair. You cultivate a habit of casting a generally benign eye at everything and everyone. Without necessarily becoming a do-gooder or busybody, you should generally feel that if the call to serve comes (whatever that means in any particular context), you will serve honestly and give of yourself generously, without pulling back. It is this sort of vague but firm belief that we have in our key relationships — with our parents, siblings, spouses, children and close friends. In the absence of this promise to the world, your relationship with the world and all that lives in it,  including yourself , is o...

July 28, 2009:  Some years ago, an uncle of mine who was in the business of producing TV serials told me and my wife — young couple with stars in our eyes — “If you want to do something in the world  of television, just ask!  Aawaz do, hum saath hain!”  Taking his word at face value. we made a couple of trips to his office at Filmcity, and were quite disappointed to see that he didn’t really mean to help us at all.  Which brings me to the question of what family ties are all about. I believe that being family means that we all have an unspoken contract of  aawaz do hum saath hain!  By this, I mean that we have a confidence that our father, mother, brother, sister, husband, wife, son, daughter will “be there for us when we need them,” whatever that means.  Everybody interprets the when-we-need-them clause in whatever way it suits them. I think very few interpret it honestly and deeply. Most people mean it as, “If you are ill, I will definitel...

Like I said in an earlier post, a crucial thing that they don’t teach you at school is that being a winner in life isn’t about winning in all that you do, but about building a good relationship of give-and-take with the world around you. How do you do that? Well, mostly by trusting and being trustworthy. You set out every morning trusting that the world and its creatures will treat you right, and play fair by you. You make a habit of casting a generally benign eye at everything and everyone. Without necessarily setting out to be a do-gooder, you must generally cultivate the feeling that if the call to serve comes (whatever that may mean in that particular context), you will serve honestly without holding back for any reason. That’s the sort of vague but firm belief that we have in our key relationships — with our parents, siblings, spouses, children and close friends. In the absence of this promise to the world, your relationship with the world and all that lives in it,  including...