What do you define fame as?
Is it having a Google doodle as your name? Or a front–page feature extolling your greatness splashed across a leading tabloid?
“Fame is a fickle friend”. However fickle a friend may be, it's still a friend. And friends have to be earned.
 |
| What more fame could anyone wish for? |
“The Father of India”.
“Mahatma” Gandhi.
“Father of non violence”.
These and innumerable other titles are attributed to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Yet,...
I don’t respect him. I don’t feel proud to be his countryman. I firmly believe that he was not a milestone in our struggle for independence, but was a stone to Bhagat Singh and other revolutionaries who advocated the path of violent revolution.
 |
| Beloved Leader. Is the 2nd word mot juste'?I think not |
You will, definitely think I’m wrong over here. But, read on…
I respect him for one reason and one reason only: he was a magnificent orator.
That’s about all there is. We ended up losing a part of our country to Pakistan, and another part to Bangladesh. All under his prime-ministership. He could have done so much more as the country's 1st prime minister. But he didn't.
 |
| Stopped the partition of Bengal. Why is he here? |
“Where the mind is without fear
and the head is held high,
where knowledge is free.
and the head is held high,
where knowledge is free.
where tireless striving stretches its arms toward perfection.
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost it's way
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost it's way
In to that heaven of freedom, my father,
LET MY COUNTRY AWAKE!”
LET MY COUNTRY AWAKE!”
Just an excerpt from his famous compilation of his own poems. Made famous because he received the Nobel prize in Literature for it. He didn't have to accept the Nobel Prize did he? But, like any writer, it played a bright light to his insect: irresistible.
This is the only grease mark on his otherwise spotless life.
All of these people did have that most fickle of friends, fame. But, did they earn it? (Side note: “Bhagat Singh” has squiggly lines under it. All the other names don’t. MS word, which generally thinks Indian names are spelling mistakes, is recognizing these names. More proof of their fame.)
If you do define fame as having a Google doodle as your name, or a front – page feature extolling your greatness splashed across a leading tabloid, then everyone listed above is famous. (Except Bhagat Singh.)
Yet......
They do not provoke the feeling of pride in being their fellow countryman. Nor do they inspire me, however fleetingly.
However......
There is one man, who fails on both counts, but makes me proud to be an Indian, and has my undying respect.
A child genius, in a time where such a thing was virtually unknown. Seeking god in his teenage years. Went on to mesmerize a foreign audience with his words alone. Inspired countless youth to join the freedom struggle.
An idealist, spiritualist, loyalist. A monk. And a brilliant philosopher and an orator par excellence.
Obviously, as you might have guessed eons ago, this person is Swami Vivekananda. It’s his 150th anniversary today. Apart from a few festivities, this day has gone by virtually unnoticed.
No politicians trying to get in the public eye, making speeches about how they’re following his vision.
Apart from few events few and far between, no commemoration for him.
And, most noticeably, no Google doodle.
I am sure that whatever I try to write about him, will fail to be adequate. Either in the department of eloquence, inspiration, or simplicity. To put it in a nutshell, whatever I try to write about this great man will not be perfect. And he deserves perfection. I’m giving below, what I consider to be his best quotes, which cover a huge area. Do take the time out to read them. If you can’t stomach them all, at least go through the “Guidelines” part.
On God:
1) This is no world. It is God Himself. In delusion we call it world.
2) God is self-evident, impersonal, omniscient, the Knower and the Master of nature, the Lord of all. He is behind all worship and it is being done according to Him, whether we know it or not.
3) God is merciful to those whom He sees struggling heart and soul for realization. But remain idle, without any struggle, and you will see that His grace will never come.
On Our Culture:
1) If there is one word that you find coming out like a bomb from the Upanishads, bursting like a bombshell upon masses of ignorance, it is the word “fearlessness.”
2) The essence of Vedanta is that there is but one Being and that every soul is that Being in full, not a part of that Being.
3) He whom the sages have been seeking in all these places is in our own hearts; the voice that you heard was right, says Vedanta, but the direction you gave to the voice was wrong.
On Undesirable Aspects of Life:
1) Why are people so afraid? The answer is that they have made themselves helpless and dependent on others. We are so lazy, we do not want to do anything ourselves. We want a Personal God, a Savior or a Prophet to do everything for us.
2) Fear is death, fear is sin, fear is hell, fear is unrighteousness, fear is wrong life. All the negative thoughts and ideas that are in the world have proceeded from this evil spirit of fear.
3) Astrology and all these mystical things are generally signs of a weak mind; therefore as soon as they are becoming prominent in our minds, we should see a physician, take good food, and rest.
4) Superstition is our great enemy, but bigotry is worse.
5) We came to enjoy; we are being enjoyed. We came to rule; we are being ruled. We came to work; we are being worked. All the time, we find that. And this comes into every detail of our life.
6) Desire, ignorance, and inequality—this is the trinity of bondage.
Guidelines:
1) First, believe in the world—that there is meaning behind everything.
2) Tell the truth boldly, whether it hurts or not. Never pander to weakness. If truth is too much for intelligent people and sweeps them away, let them go; the sooner the better.
3) This is the first lesson to learn: be determined not to curse anything outside, not to lay the blame upon anyone outside, but stand up, lay the blame on yourself. You will find that is always true. Get hold of yourself.
4) Those who are overcautious about themselves fall into dangers at every step; those who are afraid of losing honor and respect, get only disgrace; and those who are always afraid of loss, always lose.
5) Fill the brain with high thoughts, highest ideals, place them day and night before you, and out of that will come great work.
6) Great work requires great and persistent effort for a long time. … Character has to be established through a thousand stumbles.
7) Even the greatest fool can accomplish a task if it were after his or her heart. But the intelligent ones are those who can convert every work into one that suits their taste.
8) Knowledge can only be got in one way, the way of experience; there is no other way to know.
9) Fill the brain with high thoughts, highest ideals, place them day and night before you, and out of that will come great work.
10) Perfection does not come from belief or faith. Talk does not count for anything. Parrots can do that. Perfection comes through selfless work.
He led his life in a very simple manner. It was precisely that no-nonsense demeanor and aura of knowledge, confidence and purity about him that enabled him to pull of the line “Brothers and sisters of America” like no one ever could.
My conclusion will also be a quote: the quote.
"Arise, Awake, and stop not till the goal is reached!"
No comments:
Post a Comment