Nostalgia plays a very important role in our lives. Certain memories bring tears to eyes while some of them help us smile in the solitude of self presence. Most of us can easily recall that the first thing that we are asked to write about when we enter into our “academic” life. “School-The temple of Learning”. Most of us have shared our views and penned our feelings regarding the same. Those were the days when we were as fresh as the morning dew and delicate as a budding flower. First day to school is something that we all revere and remember, mainly for two good reasons
1) The day marks the time when we are on a threshold of a New Life-A life that would take us away from the fancy colorful world of toys towards a life full of paper books.
2) Well you can remember those good old days because they aren’t as tough as your Law Notes….
Let us carry ourselves back in time. We all would admit that it is not the school where we start with the process of learning. We learn at every step of our lives from childhood. Our Parents are our prominent teachers. Their lectures precede or admission in the temple of learning. One phrase that most of us would acknowledge as being one of the first one to be heard is-“Honesty is the Best Policy”. But how far was that lesson true? Was it just an ephemeral truth? You can rightly argue that Truth cannot be temporary. We have no qualms about taking those lectures seriously and learning them by heart. But as and when one grows, life presents to him a different picture altogether. Honesty no longer remains the best policy. “Saying Truth” is reduced to suit conditions where there is a necessity for the same. “Stealing” was described to as a pusillanimous act, and we vocalize ourselves to stand united against the evil. But on self introspecting, don’t you think that we steal our own Integrity of character by certain wrong doings? We learn to lie and never hesitate to make it perfect by subsequent practicing. We lie to our teachers for not doing the Homework. We lie to ourselves when we assume our potentials to be limited and attribute the same for not challenging the Best. That is but an obnoxious juvenile. I am no Confucius to recognize the level of Honesty. “To err is Human”. I do not say that one should not commit errors; neither do I say that one who repeats them should be wiped off from the face of Planet Earth. What I want to say is that we should know or at least attempt to know the consequences of our present day deed. Consequences in terms of the Country, Family and ourselves. Not sticking to Honesty, breeds corrupt politicians and vulturous administrators. A person given to lying can Never be trusted. Would you ever choose someone as your representative on whom your trust cannot reside?
By stealing the pure and nascent feelings from our “immature” brains and replacing them with so called “Matured” practical thoughts, do not we corrupt ourselves? Little acts such as cheating in exams for a mark or two pollute our mind and attitude. In the long run it leads to violation of duty, breach of trust, cheating the society, loss of respect for others, doing away with transparency and prioritization of self interest. Well some people would then stop me and say “Isn’t self help the best help? Did your mom not teach you that?” Silence with a subtle smile of sarcasm would be the best way to reply to such people. When we talk about incompetence in others, we want them to correct those and see no reason why they won’t be able to do so, but when we are questioned about ours, we find some kind of a “suitable” camouflage for ourselves. For absolutely no reason we berate ourselves from the cardinal virtues of life. We are but obdurate sinners Do we know or even care to know as to who pays for the sins that we commit? They are those people who not only took their mumma’s lecture to heart but also made sure that those lessons circulate through their veins. Here, I must mention the name of Late Shri Satyendra Dubey. He was a project manager on the Gaya segment of the Golden Quadrilateral project. He wrote to the PMO ,a letter regarding the prevalent corruption. What followed next pinches my heart to a mournful agony. He was silenced. On November,2003,he was Murdered. When we talk of such patriots, the name of Shanmugam Manjunath cannot be overlooked. The 27 year old IIM-L graduate was a sales officer with Indian Oil Corporation. He had sealed the Mittal automobile petrol pump at Gola, Lakhimpur Kheeri district for adulteration of Petrol. He had also recommended the cancellation of that petrol pump’s license. He was murdered on November 20th 2005.He ignored threats and refused bribes. Is that how we have learnt to pay the respectful? If these incidents do not wail your eyes with tears think of all those who have sacrificed their lives for noble causes. They chose not to escape from their duty and service.
There are two types of forces that work day and night for us. One of them being the “Defense Forces” who protect us from the external aggressions and other is the “Dexter forces” who save us from the internal tyranny of red-tapism. The latter refers to the brave souls who stand erect in the tides of time and leave indelible footprints for the apprentice to follow. Our freedom fighters said-“Winning Independence is a task which is easier than maintaining the same”. These honest men are trying to maintain our Independence. So, in a way are they not above our revolutionaries? They are no less for sure. Reward assures repeat of activity. We should make sure that good virtues are instilled in the generations to come. Even if one is intoxicated with the drug of evil,one would choose to be a Galahad and not a Casanova. Abraham Lincoln defined democracy in Gettysburg more than a century ago as-“to the people, for the people and by the people”. Let us at least try to maintain democracy in the same form. I f we don’t make ourselves strong and develop a feeling of selfless service for the motherland, a day would come when some leader in some speech of his would define democracy as “To the officials, for the Politician and by the blockheads!” Our National Emblem reads “Satyamev Jayate” which means Truth Only Triumphs. Let us work for that-Let us wake from the slumber to a new dawn in which the youthful energy is channalised for the greater good of mankind. Amen!
