Centuries back, Goswami Tulsidas asserted –‘Samrath Ko Nahin Dosh Gosaain’, namely, the mighty is always right, no-one can find any fault with him. Today when a major portion of my life is over, I can do nothing but agree to him in full. We are accustomed to hearing and reading things like –‘Boss is always right’. Why ? Because that ‘BOSS’ possesses the power to make or break your career or welfare. ‘Might is Right’ is called the law of the jungle but it is equally applicable to the so-called civilized societies, institutions and the world at large.
I am very fond of children and if I really love someone in the world (in addition to the animals because I am an animal-lover also), it’s the children. The innocent ones. The trusting ones. The clean-hearts. I bestow my blessings upon every child on the Earth. But what should be the true blessing ? After picking common threads from a variety of experiences got by me over the past few decades of my life, I render only one blessing to him / her. He / She should be Samarth because in this materialistic world, Saamarthya is the ultimate thing to survive and prosper. The Darwinian principle –‘Survival of the fittest’ seems to have comprehended almost all the spheres of the world.
Since the children are like clean-slate and trusting whatever is told or taught to them, they are the most cheated ones too. They are taught nice things through books, songs and talks. The children who mentally grow up early and become able to differentiate properly between the knowledge passed on to them by the ‘nice and significant’ elders and the reality of the world, are able to survive the troubles and get their due. They become the ‘go-getters’ in their lives. Whereas the truly innocent ones who keep on trusting the elders and the books for a longer period, find themselves at the receiving end of everything in the later years of their lives. I am one such child only who could not grow up well-in-time; kept on trusting upon the virtues, the ethics, the traits of benevolence and kindness; remained nice to all and sundry and did not do anything except doing his duty diligently and sincerely. And in return, I got the losses and losses only, ending up as a loser. Almost everywhere ! My sensitivity and trait of caring for others’ feelings and interests have cost me heavily regarding my own happiness and interests.
In my discussion in the room of Hotel Nandhini, Bengaluru on 20.05.2012; my friend and esteemed reviewer and blogger, Mazhar Nawaz had asserted a harsh truth which one should never forget if at all he / she has to live a satisfactory worldly life –‘Duniya Ko Isse Koi Matlab Nahin Ki Aapki Kashti Ne Kitne Toofaan Jhele, Usse To Is Baat Se Matlab Hai Ki Woh Saahil Par Pahunchi Ya Nahin’( the world does not care for the number of storms faced by your boat while drifting on the waters, the world only checks whether it finally reached the shore or not) . A person’s struggle gets appreciation only when it culminates into success. Tangible success ! Materialistic success ! Recognizable success ! Else the struggle loses its meaning as far as the world or the society is concerned. You may be having a heart of gold but so does a hard-boiled egg also. Virtues and capabilities of people are appreciated only when they are associated with success. A failed person may be kind and benevolent. Who cares? A failed person may be virtuous and a man (or woman) of principles. Who cares ? A failed person may be highly meritorious and talented. Who cares ? But once one succeeds in whatever manner possible, virtues and qualifications are discovered in his / her personality by the world even when they are actually not there) . The world does not see who you are. It only sees what you have gained or achieved. It bows before success and might. But the innocent ones confuse success with virtues because the books and the teaching people misguide them like that only. A failed one becomes the object of ridicule with every Tom, Dick, Harry trying to become a preacher for him. Why do the successful ones or those holding powerful chairs consider it their right to preach those who could not be like them or who could not gain what they have gained ? No wonder, the wise generation of today has made ‘Success at any cost’ the mantra of its life.
I am not using the words like might or wealth or authority because these indicate only a particular aspect of the thing I am referring to. I am not getting an appropriate word for that in English. But in Sanskrit / Hindi / other vernacular, we have a perfect word – Saamarthya. A Samarth person or one having Saamarthya only gets his due recognition from the world. Successful people write bestseller books telling the secrets (mostly false) of their success. Such books do not become bestsellers because they are very good in quality but because their authors are celebrities, having already attained the acceptable level of success in their lives. Nothing succeeds like success and nothing fails like failure.
An innocent child is taught –‘One for all and all for one’. By trusting it and acting upon it, he loses and loses only in different fields and one fine morning he comes across the blunt reality of ‘To each his own’. An innocent child is taught the significance and desirableness of giving. But one fine morning he comes to realize that the teaching ones have ensured enough for themselves by using people like him and gaining at their cost. An innocent child is taught that to err is human and to forgive is divine and so he should forgive everybody doing wrong to him (for the sake of his own peace of mind) because an eye for an eye will make the whole world blind. But one fine morning he sees that because of the innocent and the aggrieved only following this principle, the rogues are ruling the roost.
Rancho (Aamir Khan) declared in 3 Idiots (2009) –‘Kaabil Bano, Kaamyaabi To Jhak Maarkar Peechhe Aayegi’ (be deserving, success will follow you anyway) . What a lie ! What a lie it is ! Again the same misguiding sermon for the trusting innocents. Kaabiliyat (deservingness) and Kaamyaabi (success) are two entirely different things. The day-to-day life furnishes dozens and dozens of examples underscoring this fact. The deserving one may not succeed but the successful one is considered the deserving one. The truly deserving one who suffers only knows it in the true sense. It’s his pain which he only feels.
The flower like innocent children are actually the most deceived ones in the world. And by cheating them and snatching their innocence, the so-called mature ones complete their ‘socialization’ and ‘growing up’ And by molding the generation next this way, they blow the trumpet to make this world a better place to live !
In the words of an eminent Shaayar Janaab Fikr Lakhnavi Saaheb – Hasrat To Unn Gunchon Pe Hai Jo Bin Khile Murjha Gaye (I feel sorry for those buds who withered out without blooming properly) . There are several innocent buds in this world who could not bloom and found themselves as perishing in dust. I relate to them. My heart weeps for them. I again bless every child to gain Saamarthya. Everything comes after that only in the practical life.
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