MKG just popped into my head. I was trying to help India attain Independence all over again when I stumbled upon something that he said.
I am not sure how blogs really work. For me, the little writing I've done has always been personal. I used to write a diary, about 5 years ago for almost about a year. It ran into 3 volumes, but as time passed, I stopped writing. The need to express was felt less frequently. Then rarely, now, almost hardly. But when I see people writing blogs and publishing, I feel jealous. That people are writing. More importantly, that I m not writing. I used to write my Diary thinking that one day they'll be discovered after I am no more, and great meanings would be derived from those verses and words. (Ha! Ha!) I guess, each one of us, in some corner of our hearts want to feel 'great'. Not necessarily, famous. Feeling great about yourself is a special feeling-It makes you feel, 'Great'. I am not sure if the feeling is indeed 'jealousy'. Until much recently, 'writing' was a coveted art, known and done by only a 'gifted few'. In school, we us
I always admired the literary flavor in your writings since those days when you wrote debates either for or against. especially your deft usage of the popular idioms attracts us. now however the time has come when your readers can demand a little more than just what you have already exhibited. Get in to the complexities of ideas and intricacies of tales.
ReplyDeleteDev,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the generosity in praise for the potential. I shall however have you say more than just that. Could you give specific pointers?
hey, a nice read, this blog :)
ReplyDeleteWhatever little i have read of Gandhi, he himself detested of being called MAHATMA since he was acutely aware of his own shortcomings. But then he did use that tag to his benefit since he was a human being after all and a clever one at that.
I agree with your view that nothing is a selfless act. We are all utility maximizers. "Homo economicus" in the lexicon of Economics. But then the difference between a statesman and tyrant (both of whom are agents of change btw) is that the former never forgets the above fact. He might be a god to others but he is always aware himself that he his just human.
As for the rest of us, there is always a natural tendency to revel success as you just did in your latest blog about Dhoni. We all know what is it about him. But still we like to believe that there is some secret ingredient in the secret ingredient soup :).
Hey Bhanu,
ReplyDeleteI seem to agree with all of what you say. But, hey, don't say that the rest of us tend to revel in success and take away from us the chance of making it big ;-) At some level, there is also some craft involved in achieving greatness, what say?
And what's the harm in having a secret ingredient if makes a leader out of a fat wobbly panda?! ;-)
well written apples,okay here's where i disagree....the part where you said that in being selfless there is a greed in that people seek the rewards for the good being done.....firstly people like Gandhi had genuine love for the people of his country and that is what made him so consistent in his acts of selflessness,it is only people like you and me who actually yearn for a seat in heaven after doing rare and insignificant acts of selflessness,people like us devote time to ourselves and Gandhi devoted his life,energy,time to and for others,this is what prompted Tagore to call him a 'Mahatma',so when history books call someone selfless they dont call them for nothing,it is the consistency in doing good that divides us from those greater souls,...and if you're saying that history has been very kind to MKG you cant be more wrong,he is still blamed for the riots that occurred after India was partitioned,he is hated by some of my college mates for not 'kicking' the Britishers out,he is also blamed for not supporting Bhagat Singh enough(cos' he was a candidate with enough potential to 'kick' out the britishers)...you know what i disagree with the very essence of your piece :D,but still...the writing was 'ideal and flawless',even if it was sprinkled with a little 'vice'!!
ReplyDeleteGandhi is Mahatma, and people are not kind to him, Granted. But what prompted him in the first place to fight for Justice in South Africa? Was it not because he was meted out injustice? It hurt him first and then he saw others facing the same. Somewhere even selfless acts begin and persist for selfish reasons.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, selfishness isn't the entire truth, for, selflessness is as much part of human disposition. To the extent that selfishness exists, we are vain :-)
Your blogs keep the reader on her/his toes, :P, cos of the amount of juggling that you perform with your ideas. It makes some good work-out for the grey cells. Else, what can i say, i am neither a fan of MKG (cos i feel he delayed our independence) nor MSD (cos i feel we hype the sport and the players to seriously unearthly levels that ends up screwing everything else in the country). So, will post a good and, hopefully, argumentative comment on your next one. :)
ReplyDeleteCheers
but it ended too soon!
ReplyDeletethis is very well-written, Aparna.
sharp as a tack, and remarkably communicated.
i especially liked 'so we serve others...., and in doing so, we serve ourselves."
ah, now that is poetry. :-)
i believe i've never read quite enough of you, Aparna. stemming from the fact that this is the first time i've witnessed your blog of more than two years!
do keep writing,
and more over sharing,
for the better and the verse.