October 31. The birth anniversary of Sardar Patel and the death anniversary of Indira Gandhi! Well, across wapp groups, there was a tsunami of messages. Mostly highly judgemental, that is to say, proving that most wapp message makers (actually 'forward' pushers) thought they are the judge, mental actually most of them appeared!
To be extremely honest and frank, I have never understood such blame game. Very sincerely I do think that all of us are made by our times. This rule applies even to a great genius. The field could be anything, literature or science. In other words, in his own unique way, Shakespeare is very much a product of his times, the European Renaissance, and so is Galileo.
Unmistakable are the signature tunes the Renaissance plays in their oeuvre. Similarly, as per their own contexts, those who understand them, interpret them. Hence we have as many Shakespearean plays as there are readers. Similarly, till an Einstein re-interpreted it, reality was Newtonian, and much was achieved thus, too, right?
None must ever forget that it is easy to be judgemental in hindsight. When XYZ is living in that ABC moment, in that particular LMN context, one behaves in a certain way, most often as nobly and hopefully as ideally as is possible to them then, is my belief. In hindsight, anyone can find thousand faults and million errors because both the person and the context are long-lost! Remember, only the person who wears it knows where the shoe pinches!
So why be judge(-n-)mental? Public loves this irresponsible idiosyncratic ignorant game though. Want thereof a proof from close quaters? Look at the way each generation finds faults with forefathers! A grandfather is always a villain to a father whose son considers him a Hitler. Not much different is it with the feminine version.
My real problem with this nitpicking fault-finding is that in the entire process, most people totally forget the positivities, the unmistakable achievements, right? In the familial fold, for example, children, who constantly crib, forget how the parents sacrificed a thousand moments for them, how they tried the best that was then possible for their progeny. Well, most all see the mote in others' eyes, while completely ignoring the beam in their own!
A classic case of throwing boulders at others while living in a glass palace is the judge(-n-) mental behaviour in my opinion. So why waste time on such (intellectually) lazy time-pass? Let me share a very touching memory of October 31.
Jimmy, our childhood companion, had to stay in the Katraj Zoo animal shelter as we all were to go to Aarey Colony at Prakash Mama's place for Diwali. Sanju and I left Mumbai the morning after Bhaubheej to get him home as early as possible.
Jimu's joy when he saw us after a separation of four days was beyond description. Well, while he was heavenly happy in the plastic basket in which we carried him home, Sanju and I found the absolutely empty streets rather funny.
We reached home, and then we knew! Sure, the Pune context was not as gory as Delhi then. Yet we were terribly tense till Aai-Papa reached home by the evening. Raju was sailing, safely away from all the trouble.
Yet each time I think of October 31, and of Jimu, I remember Sanju and I getting him back in that plastic basket, Jimmy boy feeling supremely secure, and I cannot forget the eerie silence in the very air then. Well, personal precedes the political!
Pratima@ Why throw stones at others unthinkingly? Well, when you judge others, letting loose unthinking opinions, you are not defiling them, you are defining yourself!
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