LOST BENEVOLENCE

A usual afternoon, after tight lunch, I resumed my work, boatful which was, that awaited me. I started working upon it, reluctantly, as I did not feel a bit like working, but continued as my mind drew this portrait of my superior reproaching me. The thought itself was horrible and I knew that I could not stand the scenic view to turn out into reality. But since mind is self-governing, it strolled and rambled until I glided into the world of vibrant thoughts.


I leaped from one thought to another, thinking about stuff ranging from movie, to home, to college, to girls (I would be biased if I didn’t mention this), to office and suddenly I remembered a quote which I had read during lunch which said something like “We haven’t had our food today, please don’t waste”. As I brooded over it, I could recall a lean, old lady with a boy, in almost same feeble state, standing next to her in the pic. The most stimulating thing about that picture was the eyes, of both of them, which urged in such a way that had they been there I would not have hesitated to help them in whatever manner I could. At this point several memories and feelings thumped inside my head and I started wondering about what, who, how, why and several other things of this facade, which I had never given so much of attention, that obviously were stirring me then.

I remembered several instances of bumping into so many such people who pleaded for help and tried to recollect all the occasions when I had helped and when I had acted like a selfish bugger. I tried to portray all such people, who begged for food, who were physically challenged, who cleaned train coaches or toilets or roads, who collected garbage from various streets or dump areas, who didn’t have shelter and above all who struggled daily to survive. I felt ashamed of myself and filled with remorse for my self-centered conduct. I started to think about the reason that led to such circumstances and the reason that came to my mind that moment was ‘Lost Benevolence’.

But then it would be very erroneous if one sees just one side of the coin and come to a decision. Even the most basic rule in science says “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction”. Or if said in a different style regarding this context it would be ‘For every reaction there must have been some action’. So, what could be the possible reasons that led to such adversity? On some analysis one can easily come up with some very basic but strong reasons, for such state of affairs, which may vary from one person to another.

But the most significant reasons that have come into picture lately are
• There are some who make begging a profession and are collecting money fraudulently.
• Other beggars have drug-abuse related problems and the money they get from well-meaning citizens very often goes to buy drugs.

And one can simply say these as the central reasons that has resulted largely in the distrust or rather the ‘Loss of Kindness (lost benevolence)’ from the hearts of people, which in turn has resulted into the situation.


Today if one sees some one needy or poor; especially a beggar approaching, the first doubt one get is about their authenticity. Instantaneously the logical part, the brain, stimulates one or more chain of reactions that leads one to scrutinize the person as if he were a terrorist whose pic was shown in the national news. A series of analysis followed by general discussions, inside it, as if it were a parliament and one part has to oppose the other no matter what the point is, about the possibility of the person, pleading for help, genuine or fake. Is he really needy or is just faking? He seems fit, why can’t he work? And so many and yet so (un)important queries ramp up and by the time it reaches a conclusion the person, may be a fake or legitimate, had already disappeared. Some people won’t even care, especially the wealthier ones or rather should I say the so called ‘sophisticated socialized’ people who would rather love to care about the things most unworthy that such circumstances seem trivial to them. And once the person is gone who gives a damn where did he go or what would happen to him. Some people may be so shameless as to even say “Chalo aacha hai, gaya saala!!”

Some people may say that it isn’t wrong at all, with reason like these people deserve such terrible a fate or nothing can be done for them or they are fine-tuned to it. For the sake of argument let’s say that it may not be wrong to some extent but it’s definitely not the right way.

That moment the questions that surrounded me were ‘What happened to the kindness, the generosity, the sympathy, the benevolence and on the whole to the humanity that once blessed us?’ ‘What if the people whom we saw disgustedly were genuine in their plea for help?’ ‘What difference would it make if we showed some compassion and helped those people?’ ‘How much will we lose if we gave some alms to those?’ ‘How will we face our architect if we could not carry out his teachings?’

I tried to trace the details, but I sensed someone gazing at me steadily. As I turned backside I was alarmed to see my superior, whose look and gesture were definitely not benevolent. In a fix I centered myself towards the computer screen and haphazardly started on the work. While he left I could still feel the swirl that was in me. As I went on with my work, I was sure of one thing that Definitely ‘benevolence’ wouldn’t solve the problem, but it would surely, I believe, assist them and us, of course, till the time we find a way out, a key, an answer above all a manner to resolve such issues completely.



If you are still with me, I would request you all not to lose the benevolence inside you. Just believe in one thing “Together We can and we will make a difference”.



With this, signing off for now. This is your friend always.

MV :)

GuSALKhaana

GUSALKHAANA

Hi People,

For those of you who are new to the word, let me introduce you to the very meaning of the title.

GuSalKhaana – considered to be of ‘Urdu’ origin meaning TO-LET (‘-‘replaced by the letter ‘I’).

Kindly note: I’ll justify myself on the usage of this notation after a short while.

Now, some of you might have begun to think as to why have I chosen such a heading to begin writing my 1^st blog. You see, I’ve been thinking for quite a while about writing rather expressing, I should say, myself but I never knew where to start from. One fine morning an idea struck me and here is the result as you see it. And that was because of the same place, the Gusalkhaana. So, in an attempt of admiration for the place, I pay a tribute to it by the means of this blog. Now that I’ve finally understood the TAG line ‘An IDEA can change your life’, I say to myself “What an idea sirji” (‘sirji’ addressing the Gusalkhaana).

So, today I want to divert your attention to a very important part of our lives which is ‘time’, the time that we spend in Gusalkhaana. I believe that there are several thoughts that come to most of us, to our minds while we are inside ‘the place’, the place considered to be one of the most relieving of all places, the place called ‘Gusalkhaana’.

By the recent research, done by me of course (nobody else can be such a jerk to do all such stuff), I’ve got to observe one very important feature of ‘the place’ itself and that is while all the turning and churning is going on inside the body at ‘the time’ (the time when we are depressurizing ourselves) our brain also starts to depressurize (I could not find the reason but I guess may be due to the gases emitted during the process that might have caused the chemical commotion of the brain or may be due to the noise pollution or due to the feeling itself, whatever be the reason) a load of thoughts or ideas descent or vulgar (who knows) dawn but they don’t receive the proper effort to come to actuality and pass away quietly. Most of us ignore them, a few might actually value them, but in general endorsement is not their fate.

That fine morning (the same day when the idea struck me) when I was delighted by ‘the process’, I thought of all the genius, brains, heads that gave up those theories that forms the base of today’s technology rather all our comforts (may be my brain was highly intoxicated as a result of the ‘gas house effect’, I guess, that’s the only reason I can think of why such thoughts like this would come to me). I thought where’d they (the masterminds) get such stimulations, where from such brilliant speculations would arrive and where the hell their theories would take shape.

While I was struggling to find their source of inspiration a sound rang in my mind “Golmal hai bhai sab golmal hai”, I imagined as if I was sunil shetty from the film ‘hera pheri’ but the damn ‘truck horn powwow… ruined it all, and suddenly I felt as if I’ve found it. I thought “Yes!!! Yes!!! I’ve got it. I’ve found the secret that lies behind.” I was so excited that I felt like going out yelling “EUREKA!! EUREKA!!” as it was no small discovery. But all of a sudden I remembered the condition I was in and thought what could happen if I went out like this and hold back.

Anyways the secret that I think and strongly believe, of their source of inspiration must be the place itself, the Gusalkhaana. I can claim it is gotta be this damn place. I mean, who knows that Einstein didn’t think of the Theory of relativity, E=mc² and other of his ideas in the Gusalkhaana. Who can tell that Edison’s bulb didn’t glow in the same place? Moreover the 1^st design of a plane by Wright brothers (I don’t mean to say that they went to ‘the place’ at the same time or together, but lets say assume it for the sake of argument), who knows that Picasso’s paintings were not one of those imagined at the same place or who can tell that ‘zero’ or say the value of ‘pi’ did not originate at ‘the place’. Who knows that the concept of’ hydro electricity’, ‘zero gravity’ or even ‘bio weapons’ was not established in the place, ‘Gusalkhaana’ because ‘the process’ ( of course the process inside the Gusalkhaana) involves activities that reflect high resemblance to the concept developed.

By stating all of this I just want people to value the ideas, the thoughts, the motivation that comes from the place, ‘the Gusalkhaana’. So, the next time you go to attend Nature’s call don’t just ignore the thoughts just ponder upon them and tell this to yourself “Together we can and we will make a difference”. Coming to the explanation for the usage of “TO-(I)LET”, I think Gusalkhaana is one of the places you can find to think freely (until you keep your nose sealed), it ‘allows’ one to have thoughts of any genus. And that justifies the name “TO-LET” i.e. “To ALLOW”.

Finally, as I sign off for now I just want to wish you a ‘joyful, releiving and thoughtful’ time in ‘the Gusalkhaana’.

Yours sincerely

MV J