Random Thoughts on Random Words - Day 8 Happiness

Courtesy: Image by shekharchopra85 from Pixabay

It was the year 1981 or was it 1982? I was a young management trainee  at VISL Bhadravati.  I overheard my DGM tell his colleague  in the lobby - " I thought when I buy my car I will be happy, then when we built our house I believed I will be happy... but..."  The words didn't mean much to me at that time.or rather I did not  understand  the depth of  what he was talking about. At that point of time, we had just joined our first job-  Enjoying the process of  fitting in,  and having a bachelor status without  a  care in the world was itself  a matter of  "happiness".  

I guess in earlier times, we did not elaborately plan to be happy.  We were busy living our life and it had some happy moments, just as there were difficult moments. There is this  famous quote which says "Life is neither a bed of roses nor one of thorns. It is what we make of it."  The quote tends to suggest that happiness is a state of mind. If we want to be grumpy and complain, we can focus on the thorns and be unhappy. We have the choice instead to focus on the roses and be happy. 

I remember studying in  high school, an essay written by novelist D.H. Lawrence. His father was working in a  mine and they lived in the coal mining town of Eastwood Nottinghamshire. Lawrence recollects that the life of the mining community was simple. Although, the actual working conditions in the mine were tough, they were happy to come back in the evening to a few drinks  and some dancing in the weekends. This was enough to keep them happy. Social workers visiting  the area, would ask them if they were happy. If the answers was "Yes" the good Samaritans would take  pains to explain in detail why they shouldn't be happy and made them aware of the hardships they were undergoing. Thus it was a situation of the visitors manufacturing discontent and  unhappiness in a place where the people by themselves were "happy". 

In the 1980s, I came across a  translated version of a short story, written by the Tamil novelist Sivasankari  . Here, the leading character of the story is a young women happily married for 3 to 4 years. One day a woman clad in a simple cotton saree, turns up at her house. She reminds her that they had been classmates in college. The house wife welcomes her home; they were meeting  after many years. The visitor had never married. she was presently occupied  with activities related to  social work and women's rights activism. During the conversation, she asks her married friend whether she was happy?. On being answered in the affirmative she starts probing deeper with questions such as  "When is last time he gave you an impromptu present?"   Does he always remember your birthday? Does he buy you a saree every month, take you out for dinner ? By the time the visitor says good bye and  leave doubts have been sown in the mind of our leading lady "Does my husband really love me now, as much as he used to earlier?"  

It appears that with more and more exposure to the western culture and more money coming into the hands of people post globalization, Indians have started associating happiness more and more  to material gains. If the DGM in our initial example seemed to have come to the conclusion that happiness is elusive,  today's generation seem to be convinced that the golden key to happiness is to collect more and more  things. This reminds me of a newspaper report in the seventies when a foreign  lady visiting India had come with a preconceived notion that India being a poor country most of the people would be sad  and have worried expressions most of the time. She was shocked to see little children in small gullies playing, laughing, and seemingly having a great time. She also found Indian women in the villages smiling a lot even though they had their challenges in day to day life. Ironically, it could be  now when we are enjoying so much more prosperity that  a foreigner finds worried expressions among the population. 

From our discussion thus far, it is clear that happiness cannot be ensured by material prosperity alone. Never in the history of our country  has so many people been plagued with relationship issues leading to higher rates of divorces. According to the second law of the seven spiritual laws explained by Dr Deepak Chopra in his book of the same name, "If you want something, give it". This means if you want love, you need to give love first to the other person. If you want respect you have to give it first. Today , everyone wants to get-  Get first, before they are willing to give. Although living under the same roof, each  member  of the family  is  busy in his/her own world tapping away at their cell phones.   

A sense of gratitude for the many things that we already have instead of sulking about the things we do not have will go a long way in enhancing our happiness levels. Another thing we can do is to avoid the "Keeping up with the Joneses" syndrome. Living your life without comparing with others in terms of  material possessions, occupational progress in the form of promotions etc or thoughts like "I have only five books published, He/she has  fifty published books " will go a long way in keeping unhappiness at bay. when you get into such traps, energy is wasted in  negative emotions like envy and  you are unable to enjoy your own success and engage in things that you truly love. 

I would like to conclude this post by sharing a children's short film "Two" by the veteran director Satyajit Ray. It  draws attention to the fact that simple things can bring us pleasure and happiness in life.  An attitude of  competition and envy can be a big dampener to happiness!  we would all do well to have an introspection as to the percentage of  time  we spent on things that give us happiness and take corrective steps,  allocating sufficient  time  for  "our  favourite things".  

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Random Thoughts on Random Words - Day 7 Greatness

We are now standing before an upper primary Government school in a small town in India. Yes, it has a deserted look even now as only the schools for higher secondary students  situated a little way across the street has reopened after  the pandemic. But if we were to  imagine that we are visiting the school in the times prior to the pandemic, we would see enthusiastic kids running out from the class rooms on hearing the bell for the lunch break. Taking a cue from today's topic"Greatness", If we were to ask them about what and whom they would like to become  when they grow up,  they would confidently answer  "Doctor", "Engineer". "Teacher", "Pilot" and so on. The minds of these children are yet to be robbed of  its innocence and the spirit of possibility.  If you were to cross over the street and ask the older children, they may not sound as confident. 

But surely "Greatness" is a lot more than acquiring a profession or position that the society deems as important?  Yes, it is not just about managing to get into a profession. it involves   " a state of superiority affecting a person or object in a particular place or area. It is  attributed to individuals who possess a natural ability to be better than all others. This is why you are not called great by getting into the Indian cricket team (an achievement in itself, no doubt) but only when you exhibit that superiority in that area as in the case of  Sachin Tendulkar , Kapil Dev or Dhoni. We can think of different people in different areas whether it is statesmen, scientists, artists, healers,  soldiers, industrialists, professionals who can be called great.  The word is usually reserved for the best of the best, battle tested heroes.  

This brings us to the question "Is greatness the prerogative only of the 'superior' people capable of being 'better than all others' Do the children from the Government schools that we discussed in the beginning of this post stand any chance of becoming great? American Rapper Common outlined  three steps to 'Greatness' while addressing students of Mont Clair State University namely (1) Find your path (2) Believe in your path and (3) Live your path. Here finding your path involves having an end goal, believing in the path is all about not doubting your decision which will ruin your confidence and living your path by having persistence and not giving up.    

Now let us examine the popular quote of William Shakespeare on 'Greatness' :-  

" Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them" 

My initial understanding of the quote was faulty. I believed that the quote meant that the  first two categories  of people deserved to be called great and that the third 'some' in the quote referred to those who occupied glorious positions or obtained coveted awards through manipulative moves. However, I now understand that the third "Some" in the quote refers to those who did not aspire for greatness but were caught in difficult  circumstances which they handled bravely and effectively  resulting in their greatness. 

In the award winning 1969  Hindi film "Saat Hindustani"  in which Amitabh Bachan made his debut, he was one of seven people from various walks of life who volunteered to participate in an operation to liberate Goa from the Portuguese colonial  rule . Amitabh's character at the beginning of the film is the weakest link, a person with lot of self doubts about his own courage and ability. However, at the end with others not available, he is compelled to take initiative exhibit  extraordinary bravery to achieve greatness.  

According to American civil rights activist,  Dorothy Height "Greatness is not measured by what a man or woman accomplishes but by the opposition he or she has overcome to reach the goals."  Perceived in this manner,  where would  we  place  cricketer Eknath Solkar Visvis  the Nawab of Pataudi, his team mate and Captain of the Indian team?  Solkar  started off as the ball picker during practice sessions, to become an expert fieldsman in close catching positions responsible for the success of our famed spin quartet.  Would the journey to the Rashtrapathi Bhavan  be seen as  the same for K.R.Narayanan and Abdul J,Kalam on the one side and Sanjeeva Reddy and R. Venkatraman on the other. The former two made it to where they did from impoverished backgrounds.

My random thoughts motivate me to suggest that "Greatness" is perhaps far  beyond the scope of how we have known it traditionally. We all have different and unique circumstances. How far ahead a person has traveled from the initial position  would reflect his/her  greatness or otherwise. Here, other things remaining equal,  women  combat a lot more tough obstacles than a man and to that extent  her claim to greatness is a lot more.

In the first company that I started my career,  VISL Bhadravati we had a gentleman by name Venkatesh working in our office. The steel plant was huge situated on acres of land and the departments/plants were  situated at a  distance from each other.    Venkatesh's  job was to deliver correspondence cycling his way far and wide come rain or hot sun!  At times, he would have just come back sweating and tired from a long  ride and be told to go and deliver another 'tapal' that is urgent. You never heard Venkatesh making even a feeble protest. He just was too committed to his vocation to notice the inconveniences. Now, wouldn't such a man find a place in our list of great people? There are so many people whom we hardly notice being seen as 'ordinary' people. They could be  great in their own way. 

There are many other thoughts distinct from the traditional view of greatness. As for example "You are on the path of greatness if you are getting better day by day, not in comparison to others but to yourself."  Another quote goes like this  "Your greatness is not what you have. It's what you give."  Russian author,   Leo Tolstoy says "There is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness and truth."  Then we have the tongue in cheek quote so apt for our present times given by American Hisorian  Daniel.J.Boorstin  by tweaking the popular quote of Shakespeare that we discussed earlier: "  Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some hire public relations officers".  

I would like to end this post by sharing with readers this video "What's your definition of Greatness?" that contains some diverse thoughts on  the subject". Have a great day and aspire to be great! After all, it is all about becoming a better and better version of ourselves...

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Random Thoughts on Random Words - Day 6 Fast Food

A young man got off a bus at a busy bus depot of a town in the state of Karnataka, India. He rushed to look for a place to eat. He was told that there was  a bus leaving for his native place in the next half hour. Therefore, his mission was to eat fast, return as fast as possible to not only be able to catch the bus but also to get a window seat in the front so that his journey would be comfortable.  He had gone a little distance when he noticed an eating place that seemed to be run by a woman in her fifties. 

Our Hero immediately went up to her and asked "Amma, can you serve me meals in ten minutes? I have to catch my bus.It is urgent! 

The lady replied "Son, you please go elsewhere. There is no food available here for a person like you"   

The youth was surprised. "But why ? his eyes seemed to ask as he looked up at her for an explanation. 

The lady continued " I have put in hours of effort to prepare these meals with love. I don't want anyone gulping down my food hastily without savouring each morsel and  providing delight to their taste buds..."  

Of course such a food related philosophy,  may not be  be appreciated today by people accustomed to fast food and are dependent on it to cater to  three out of four meals they eat in a day. What then is this fast food? what is its lure, that youngsters simply love it so much and seem unable to live without it ?  Fast food can be understood as  tasty food made available fast - precooked meals kept in readiness for a customer's arrival. Here, priority is placed on the speed of service. It started in the west basically as a take away service . One could drive in, pick up the food immediately, eat in the car or drive away. It was envisaged for customers who do not have the time to sit down in a restaurant and wait for their meal. 

The history of fast food goes a fairly long way back to the UK ( first started in 1860 offering fish and chips) and the US. However  in India  fast food became popular only in the late 90s  when Mc Donald's first arrived in  the country in 1996. I remember that it was not fashionable to visit a restaurant even in a  prominent town like Ernakulam in Kerala in the sixties and seventies. It was those poor guys who were either  bachelors or ones whose family was not residing with them,  who went to restaurants as they had no alternative. It was only when I came to a big city like Madras in 1975  that I observed people visiting restaurants as a family for a pleasurable outing/visit. I am discussing a little bit of history here to underscore the fact that people mostly ate home cooked  nutritious food in earlier times.   

Fast food is popular because the food is inexpensive, convenient, and tastes good. While the hotel proprietors of earlier times tried to save as much money as possible  using the minimum basic requirements of oil and other ingredients, today the hotelier in urban India has a different clientele who can afford to pay more. Therefore, the  main aim of restaurants is to get the palate of  their  customers hooked to ensure that  they come back again and again. This means throwing in a lot more oil, salt or sugar than is required so as to  trigger the pleasure centers in the customer's  brains, making them feel oh-so-yummy-good and wanting to keep eating. Once in Chennai, I spoke to the proprietor of a hotel and showed him how oil was literally flowing down from the upuma I had ordered. I told him naively that he could save a lot of money if less oil was used and as a customer my health could also be protected. 

The fact is with the opening up of the economy and  more of FDI coming into the country, pricing has ceased to be  a big factor. . Our youngsters had  begun  to earn handsome salaries that their parents managed to get only after long years of service. Today, rather than money, what is important is the taste of food, convenience and fast service. It is a fact though that high consumption of  fast food has thrown up grave  concerns as well.  Fast food is   known to be associated with many life style diseases like cardiovascular disease, colorectal cancer, obesity, high cholesterol, conditions of insulin resistance and depression. I had written a  poem  titled " One Little Question"  on 28th September 2015, exhorting  our  youngsters to exercise caution and be wary of  the  obsession for  junk food.  ( https://rajeevianlinesandverses.blogspot.com/2015/09/one-little-question.html )

When we ape the US,we should also be aware that America over the years is experiencing big challenges. Today,  half of their monthly food budgets are being spent by American families on restaurants. ( as against 38% in 1977). The fast food eaten is high in calories but low in nutrients  which is the reason they are also called junk foods. The youth have a soft corner for potato chips, chocolates/candy and soft drinks. Obesity is increasing steadily amongst the general population and in children in particular. America's health care system is also expected to be adversely affected by this unhealthy trend. 

Presently the entire world is connected by the internet and people  are influenced by  lifestyles of one another. What is popular tends to be replicated all over the world. Therefore it may not be practical to expect people  to give up fast food all together. Further, fast food  also has its advantages that we have discussed. What we need to do is to create awareness about the need to go in for healthy choices within fast food options. Awareness programs need to be massive and ongoing, particularly targeting schools and colleges. After all, smoking which was prevalent in a big way in earlier times, has lost a lot of its charm for young people,

The outlets should be encouraged to promote fruits and vegetables  and use food stuffs containing more fiber in their products. Countries like Israel, Norway, Singapore, Australia have healthier lifestyles in terms of diet-  rich in vegetables, fish and unsaturated fat. If we have to copy others, let us copy what is good and desirable. Perhaps, with suitable modifications, fast food will lose its junk food tag and turn out to be not only tasty but healthy as well!   

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Random Thoughts on Random Words - Day 5 Ego Talk

So we have come to 'E",  the fifth alphabet of the English language  and the fifth day of the A2Z challenge.Today we will engage in a chat on "Ego", a star word that immediately attracts  everyone's attention. You may love  being  egotistic, you may hate the ego and what it stands for,  but you simply can't ignore it. After all, haven't we heard lines to the effect that we  cannot  pretend to the nonexistence of ego. Now, where did I read this seemingly popular line? -  "Show me a man without ego and I will show you a woman without vanity." Oh never mind, suffice it  to for us to  understand that ego simply exists and cannot be wished away; similar to, what is said about HABIT. Even if you get rid of the "H "a bit" will remain and if you manage to do away with the "A" as well, bit will remain. If you go one step further and destroy the "B" also, it will still remain!  

This brings us to the question " Is ego a bad thing? Is it supposed to be 100% a negative thing ? Should a  strict No, no policy be followed in respect of it? Well,  many of the quotes we hear about on the ego seems to suggest so. In the Eastern culture particularly, people tend to have a bias against anyone  even remotely showing signs of ego. But then this could  also be because of our incorrect  understanding of what exactly  ego is. Ego has such a bad name that often we find it being treated as an acronym with its expansion being  read as "Edging God out". 

 We associate ego  with being entitled, arrogant , proud or selfish without an iota of humility. That is the reason ego is seen as an enemy that needs to got rid of at the earliest. Yet the fact remains that if we look at ego as equivalent to self confidence and self esteem, it would be seen as a basic necessity for effective living. It is our ego that propels our self confidence, our drive for success and our optimism. A healthy ego undermines self doubts and boosts one's self esteem and self confidence. A person with a healthy ego may likely say " I don't respect those who don't respect me. You call it ego. I call it respect."  

When I was working in a small sized company for a brief period in the early nineties, a junior manager used to come and complain to me (the HR manager) that his boss frequently used bullying tactics raising his voice in the open hall and even hurling files at him. I could see that the junior manager was very timid ( for our understanding, bereft of ego) and the boss was  taking advantage of this weakness to belittle and harass him. I told him  that if he wanted a long lasting solution to the problem he would have to, without becoming emotional,  talk to the boss  politely and firmly " sorry sir, but this is not acceptable. If there is a mistake from my side, I assure you that it will not happen again but shouting loudly like this is not the  done thing" 

I told him jokingly that it appeared from the vibes that he was sending out that an invisible sign was pasted on his back that read  in bold words "Kick me"!  When  this happens on a regular basis,  not only this boss but even a less aggressive person may be tempted to give him a kick. What we are trying to emphasize here is that a healthy ego is not a disadvantage; on the contrary it is an essential requirement to safeguard one's interests.  An ego is in a healthy state when you are the master and the ego  is in your control. Your ego becomes a problem when you have begun to  lose control and  a  desire takes over to be perceived as the best boss of the company, the most loved mom, the best negotiator, the most creative writer, the best  administrator of a literary group and so on. This will lead to comparisons. You don't want anyone else to be seen as better . You become self absorbed and make everything to be about "me,me, me! "

When this happens thoughts like "Not even a leaf shall move in my 'kingdom' without my knowledge or wish" begin to take hold. Any criticism is taken personally and the person feels that his/her  very identity is at risk. People are willing to lie, kill, cheat, hide, or steal to protect their ego boundaries and preserving that perfect image becomes a matter of  life and  death. Research has revealed that many negative human traits like criticizing and judging others, acting manipulative, being inflexible and rigid, having severe mood swings, having a constant need for praise and approval, having the need to feel superior to everyone around can be traced to ego in its unhealthy form. 

Our discussion thus far does veer towards a conclusion that problem is not with the ego itself but our illusion about the self. If we can be on our guard and not permit ego to become the master, it would be in its  healthy state which enables us  to ensure that we are not being taken for granted on the one hand while being able to accept victory and defeat in a gracious manner on the other. It is all about the balance.

 However, I would like to conclude this post  leaving with you ideas/ learning shared by Ms Anita Moorjani  author of "Dying to be Me", (who had an NDE) about  whom we discussed in the last post. She says that our problem is not so much about our being selfish and self obsessed, only a small percentage of narcissists in the population fall into that category. It is because of the fact that many narcissists manage to assume leadership position whether in politics, industry and other places of power that  there is a general feeling that most people are selfish. self obsessed and under the influence of the negative aspects of ego that we discussed. 

A majority of the population have a healthy ego with a good balance between self love and concern for others. In fact around 15-20% or Earth's population (According to Dr Elaine Aron from the Foundation for the study of highly sensitive persons) are empaths. Empaths are highly sensitive individuals who have a keen ability to sense what people around them are thinking and feeling. Their empathy levels can be so high to the point of taking on the pain of others at their own expense. As it is, empaths are  people pleasers who tend to put themselves last when it comes to others.

Therefore, advising empaths or influencing their psyche with statements  such as "Do not be selfish/ proud/ materialistic" etc  can damage their already injured ego to marginalized levels. According to Anita " Self love" or loving yourself is the first and important step to an effective living. ( not applicable to the narcissists of course!).  The love should  fill you totally  and overflow to others!It is not about extending love to others  by denying it to yourself. Her latest book "Sensitive is the new Strong"  which has just been released ( yet to be read by me)  discusses how empaths can nourish themselves and serve the world better. Anita believes that in order to make the world a better place more and more empaths should move to leadership and influential positions.  

Now, wouldn't that be great?  

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Random Thoughts on Random Words - Day 4 Death

On 20th September 2020, I had written a poem titled  "Music, Dear Music"  extolling the virtues of music, what she means to me and the important role that she has played in my life. Towards the end, the lines read 

" Would love it, if in my last days

I got to listen to you, oh music divine

Even as I leave this world

And travel to the other world...  " 

Although the poem itself was liked by many readers, a blogger friend  commented " Why think of the last moment when we can enjoy music in the present?". One  can understand as to what prompted  her to make such a remark. We generally tend to see "Death" as  unpleasant, something not to be discussed. Yet, we know that death is certain for everyone who has taken birth on earth. In a person's life there are many events like joining school/college, getting married, becoming a mother/father, meeting with an accident or being felicitated on a promotion. Death is also one such event.

But in our reluctance to acknowledge or discuss it,  we have given it a bigger status over other events, something to be feared. Traditionally, it is seen  in our culture and in cultures all over the world that  there were/ are  rituals associated with death. Mourning, participating in a  funeral procession, engaging in the associated ceremonies etc. made death real and happening around us.  While some cultures focus on mourning the loss of a loved one, others focus on celebrating the life of the individual who passed away. They rejoice in knowing that their loved one has moved on. One of Mexico's biggest and most widely known traditions is 'Día de los Muertos' which means 'Day of the Dead. In India also we have a day every year  for remembering our ancestors, seeking their blessings  and performing related rituals.

When we see death happening before our eyes and  participate in a 13th day ceremony ( तेरहवीं in North India )  or 16th day ceremony as  in Kerala, we are coming to terms with death and accepting it as a normal part of life itself. It is in the changed circumstances of modern living with nuclear families replacing joint families and the family members living in various parts of the country and the world,  that often times all family members are unable to be present during the funeral or see the dead body of their loved one. "Death" slowly has  become  more and more distant as happening to "someone else" and not to "us." 

Interestingly in the same year ( 1st October 2020) I ended up writing a poem "Departing" conveying some of the things discussed above and suggesting that we prepare ourselves for the event by ironing out relationships, preparing wills etc and see death as merely a transition to the next state of existence ( You can read the poem here:   https://rajeevianlinesandverses.blogspot.com/2020/10/departing.html  ). One of the reasons for fear of death  is that almost all religions say that you have to account for your deeds during the  life on earth  and pay for the sins which includes rotting in hell .  Interestingly, if we are from a hot country "hell" is described as 'burning hot'  and if from a cold country as 'freezing cold' so that you are sufficiently  miserable and scared about the consequences. 

It was in the year 1981 that I came across the 1975 book "Life after Life" written by Raymond Moody  which is based on a  qualitative study of 150 persons from diverse backgrounds who had undergone Near Death Experiences (NDE)**. All of them reported an overwhelming feeling of peace and well being including freedom from pain on leaving their body.  They also reported  coming into contact with a bright, compassionate and benevolent light (which they referred to as Jesus, Allah or Jehovah depending on the religion practiced by them) that  interacted with them with love and compassion. None of them had experienced anything like "hell". At that time  I remember being fascinated by the revelations in the book. 

In recent times I have been following Anita Moorjani, a cancer beater whom the doctors had given no chance for survival. She had an NDE experience the details of which are  shared in her Newyork Times Best Seller book "Dying to be me" . The book was followed by a second book "What if This is Heaven?". Her latest book "Sensitive is the New Strong" has just been released. From her experience Anita makes it clear that there is nothing to fear about death. In fact, the climate is so loving  and inclusive in the other realm that her father who had bitter differences with her when he was alive was unconditionally loving and compassionate on the other side. Unlike as  in the past, now more and more people with NDE experiences are coming forward to  speak up and dispel the fears associated with death. Their interviews including those of Anita   can be watched on "Passion Harvest" and other channels on you tube.  

This then, is the thought dear readers  that I would like to leave you with as I conclude. Do not fear or be unduly obsessed with death. What we should be engaging with is living- Living with the focus on "Love" which is the universal energy that drives the universe. In fact I had written  a poem titled "On the Eternal Journey on 2nd January of this year on similar lines.  ( https://rajeevianlinesandverses.blogspot.com/2021/01/on-eternal-journey.html  )  

** In an NDE Experience, a person who is clinically pronounced dead (all outward signs of life such as heart beat and functioning of vital organs stop) is revived and comes back to life after remaining in a condition of being 'dead' for some time.

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Random Thoughts on Random Words - Day 3 Creativity

Creativity is talked about a lot these days.It is no longer thought of  as  "Good to have" but increasingly felt most essential  for the very survival in a world that is becoming increasingly competitive.It is all about the "Survival of the fittest and most innovative". According to the dictionary definition, creativity is " the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination:the need for creativity in modern industry; creativity in the performing arts.".

 The next question that naturally  comes up is "If creativity is all that important can we acquire and develop it like a skill or is it a personality trait that you are born with ? " The academicians seem to be divided in their opinion. Some believe it is a personality trait, a talent  that you are born with. Others suggest that creativity is a skill like any other which can be cultivated and developed over a period of time. A third view advises you to  just keep looking at things with an aim to learn something new, get fresh ideas and more ways to solve problems instead of thinking there is only one way. When you do this, creativity will follow and you will realize that creativity is not really a skill or a talent, it is both. Parents can play a big role in encouraging and supporting their children to be creative.  

Creative thinkers tend to be risk takers who have a "dare to fail" attitude. They are not scared of being different from others, could be impulsive and change their minds often. In an industrial scenario, converting the creative ideas to practical application (innovation) is the key. "There is a need for creativity to be intentional with a framework" says   Mr Sanjay Chandel, SrVP(HR), Sterling. Readers may like to read my blog " Curiosity  creates Creativity" for more on this. ( https://hrdian.blogspot.com/2021/03/curiosity-creates-creativity.html )

Now, let us take a look at the climate for creativity. Do we have more avenues now for expressing ourselves be it in respect of  literary activities or in terms of support from organizations at work? Clearly the opportunities are a lot more. Unlike as of old, people don't start work and retire in the same company. Opportunities have increased manifold. A person can today simply quit an organization that stifles or does not provide ample scope for his/her creativity as many are waiting in the wings to grab talent with a creative bent of mind. 

With respect to opportunities for creative writing, I remember that in my youth there were very few magazines and it was very difficult to get your short story or poem published. People gave up after receiving  many regret notes from editors. The youngsters today have so many more options. You can publish in your own blog, post in literary groups or on the multiple  online journals available.Further self publishing has taken the sting out of the woes of getting a book published by a traditional publisher. I myself had an interesting experience in recent times. I had written a poem on a  call given by a literary group for inclusion in an anthology which was to  be physically released followed by poetry recitation at a function in Thiruvanathapuram, Kerala. I had completed  composing the poem but hadn't yet sent it when the organizers announced that owing to the arrival of  Covid 19 , the process stands postponed. However, Covid 19 stayed longer than the two weeks we had anticipated and the project itself was shelved. 

In the meanwhile, I got intimation from our  local poetry circle in which I am a member since inception that they are planning to bring out an anthology of world class for which contributions are  invited from poets all over the country and that the poems would be judged by a secret panel to whom the names of poets would not be revealed. One would have thought that the maiden anthology of a local poetry circle would provide opportunity to its own  members to be heard. After all, it is this  handful of active poets that keep the forum going month after month. No doubt it was a very ambitious project by the three members who conceived the project, designed the cover and the guidelines, all by themselves. However the period  for submission was around two weeks, comparatively a short deadline by normal practice.  Poems could be on any subject. There was one rider though. Poets were to refrain from writing anything on the impact of Covid 19 on themselves or the society. 

I found this a big barrier as I  normally write about what is happening around me. It was a time when our migrant population were walking long distances along with their families battling fatigue, exhaustion and starvation on the way. I was not in the mood to write a fresh poem . My non participation would also have been awkward being a member of the group from its birth. I decided to send the poem "Weapon" unused and readily available with me. The poem however did  not have  the content  usually associated with poetry. It discussed about using weapons sparingly- Like a teacher/parent caning a child , strikes/lockouts being used in industries or spouses using denial of sex as weapon. When used excessively the weapon is no longer effective and ceases to serve as a "weapon'. 

 My poem obviously did not appeal to the secret panel of judges as it was not selected.  Within a couple of days of the decision being announced , I saw a call on face book for participation in an international online poetry meet and promptly submitted my unused, readily available poem. I have since been  continuously presenting poems in this forum  which has poets from all over the world. The point I am making is that today, a rejection is not the end of the world. You have umpteen opportunities to showcase your creativity.  

If earlier the problem was not having opportunity or access to the resources for your creative work to see the light of day, today the criticism has been that the quality of writing has gone down considerably with every Tom, Dick and Harry aspiring to write. In fact some speak in a derisive manner about poets/writers publishing their work in literary groups on Face book. The are referred to as "Face book poets". To my mind such generalization is unfair. Not all the publications on FB are substandard. On the contrary, they encourage writers who start small to improve considerably with time and support received  from group members. Further, why should we worry so much and decide who should write and who should not. If a person is not writing quality stuff, he/she will eventually wither away without a trace.  

I am reminded of events that happened in the Malayalam film industry. a decade after the start of the new millennium  The super stars of the industry Mammooty and Mohanlal  used to play a wide variety of roles and gained acclaim over the years. However, slowly  they wanted to emulate the super stars of other industries like Bollywood and other regional cinema  with big budgets and  a larger than life persona. This included driving swanky cars and  mouthing  lines of long monologues. Where do we speak like this in day to day life? Yet, being superstars with a committed fan base they began to feel that anything goes if they are in the film.

 Some youngsters noticing that these stars were doing movies no different from their counterparts in other industries started watching and becoming fans of actors  like Allu arjun in Telugu/  as also Tamil actors who were a lot younger than the aging stars and could do the dancing and fight sequences a lot more convincingly. It was at this time that a person by name Santosh Pandit came on the scene in 2011. He produced a film "Krishnanum Radheyum" at the cost of only Rs five Lacs as claimed by him. He acted, wrote lyrics, gave music and handled many other technical departments himself to save money. As admitted by him, he did not have  any training what so ever in film making.

 The strange thing was that this movie became a super hit. People came to the theatre to hurl abuses , sway to the the sound of badly written dialogues and substandard music. The aim was to just have a good time like in a bawdy high decibel pub in cities, the primary aim not being to enjoy the movie. At that time, there was a lot of  hue and cry and a call to Santhosh to get out of the industry. To my mind though,  Santosh Pandit was simply showing the mirror to the Malayalam film  industry. His message was very clear. I make trash in five lacs, you make the same trash spending crores of rupees. Therefore I am a lot better than you. What actually happened was,  accepting the wake up call, Malayalam films changed tack , returned to realistic story telling with many young directors and actors joining the industry. The super stars were also compelled to choose better films. Like we discussed earlier, substandard stuff will vanish with time. There is no need to get agitated by it. This is what happened to santosh Pandit as well.  He produced a handful more of films which did not enjoy the initial success and  is clearly on his way out.   

If we had the right to decide who should and should not write, then perhaps only professors of language departments would enjoy the privilege. A tribal poet like Lok Kabi, Ratna Haldhar Nag from Odisha who writes in the Sambalpuri dialect , would have been lost to the poetic world. The sixteenth century poet and devotee of Lord Guruvayurappan, Poonthanam Namboothiri  was initially not given his due as he wrote in Malayalam unlike his contemporary Melpathur Narayana Bhatathiri who wrote in the Devabhasha, Viz sanskrit. 

Legend has it that the Lord himself was annoyed with Melpathur when  he refused to read and give his feedback to a request of Poonthanam  as his  work  "Gnanapana" was not in Sanskrit .  I would like to end this piece by reiterating that creativity should not be stifled. Let the present generation with their multiple options be encouraged to showcase their best. If it is good, it will survive the test of time.  The bad will die out on its own. Why kill creativity in the womb itself?  

NB: This is powered by Blog Chatter's # A2Z Challenge   Blogchatter A2Z Challenge 2021 

Random Thoughts on Random Words - Day 2 Boldness

Preamble:  I am very happy and thrilled to be participating in the  Blogchatter challenge this year. The writer is required to write one blog per day every day of the month (excluding Sundays) of April

As is clear from the title that  I am writing randomly on random words. Hopefully,  these words and my take on them would reflect the way I see the world and readers would be able to perceive the "inside of Rajeev" . Soliciting encouragement and support from you, dear readers in the form of comments/feedback,  whole through the journey ending 30th April 2021.   

Day 2 - Boldness     

As we take birth and live our lives on this earth, there are certain qualities that are innate and we tend to exhibit them often, even when not  being consciously aware of what we are doing. "Boldness" can be said to be one such quality. There are some people who have no difficulty in expressing their viewpoint while others are diffident and reluctant to express their true feelings. We have seen movies wherein the hero becomes tongue tied in the presence of the heroine and is unable to express his love for her. Sometimes, people spend an entire lifetime unable to express their true feelings on any matter. 

The ones who are not bold find themselves unable to speak out in a departmental meeting. As one from a corporate background, I would suggest that  it is the responsibility of the leader who is chairing the meeting to ensure that all voices are heard. He /she needs to do whatever it takes to achieve this objective whether by prodding, encouraging or preventing unfair criticism by others in the meeting.  People also tend to  take advantage of  a person who is  seen as 'weak' and  unable to exhibit the minimum boldness in a situation. Therefore it may be necessary to consciously practice 'Boldness' in our to day life as deemed necessary for  the situation. 

Lack of boldness can be exhibited in any area of our life including taking financial decisions. We have heard of people who had the foresight to buy property when property prices were low  to make big gains when the value rose in a few years. Of course one has to be bold to take that decision when many are scared to do so.  I came across such  a person who was literally scared to take decisions. Consequent to tendering my resignation sometime in 2008 from a company in Mysore I took a decision  to sell my Maruti 800 car as the new job required me to move to  far away Bellary. 

I was happy that an Assistant Manger Finance of the company came forward to buy the  car . I believed then that dealing with an officer would be smooth and without hassles. We discussed the price and the condition of the car which was driven all along  by  a single owner, me and maintained in good condition.  Now and then  during the month of my notice period the gentleman would seek reassurance that he was making the correct decision. At one such discussion, I opined that he must be having problems with other financial decisions as well in spite of  the fact that he was working in the Finance department. He admitted that this was indeed so and that he had been unable to buy a house although he had been planning for it for years. To cut the story short, at the last minute, the gentleman backed out and I had to run around searching for an alternative buyer.   

It is one thing to be bold and a totally different thing to be aggressive. You don't need to be like a bull in a China shop to prove that you are bold . Some people claim that they always call a spade a spade or that they tell things as it is. Being bold does not mean being rude or  insensitive. In a corporate scenario parlance , there is a clear distinction between being assertive and aggressive. While being submissive can go against your interests, being aggressive can also lead up to the same result. It is only when you are assertive without being affected by excessive emotions that you can get the best results. 

While working for BEML Ltd, I saw this play out quite plainly  when dealing with two office bearers of the union who had different styles of operation. One of them would resort to shouting and intimidation leading to tension between us. However, this was not translating into his getting his way most of the time. On the contrary, I realized the other office bearer who was calm and appealed to logic and fair play was able to convince me to agree to his requests on many occasions. Further, if we look around and observe life around us, it would be amply clear that being bold just for the sake of being bold can be  a form of  foolishness.  

Some times people tend to get carried away by the labeling and feel pressurized to live up to the labels put on them. As for example in India,  fathers in earlier days (perhaps even now in villages)  were expected to be tough, aloof and not exhibit outward expressions of love to their children. When Indira Gandhi of India and Margaret Thatcher of UK were to meet in 1976, the press of both countries hyped up the label of their leader being an "Iron lady" meaning there were projected as being  tough as nails. When the ladies met, initially they tended to play out the mental images that were created for them and initial interaction was cold and matter of fact. It is another matter that they later warmed up to each other and both had a grudging respect for the other, with Thatcher paying rich tributes on the assassination of the Indian prime minister. 

This brings us back once again  to the core of our discussion. While 'Boldness"  is an essential requirement of life, it need not be artificial .  If you do not feel the confidence inside, an  artificially manufactured  trait may evaporate at a crucial time when you need it most.  Not everyone may be fortunate enough to posses this quality  as an  innate  ability from birth.  If you happen to be such a fortunate one,  care should be taken to employ it  effectively for the appropriate causes and needs. If  however the quality is lacking, it needs to be nurtured and developed over a period of time  so that it becomes an authentic part of oneself.  The effort is worth it; after all, boldness is the very essence of living a satisfying and meaningful life.   

NB: This is powered by Blog Chatter's # A2Z Challenge   Blogchatter A2Z Challenge 2021