On the New Year

It may seem odd to write something on the New Year when the year is shedding one of its twelve legs. I understand that this perspective applies to the English new year, as there are many other new years which are yet to come – the Chinese celebrate it on 5th of February, the Hindus some time in March, etc. In that sense all these celebrations, if I may say, fall into a cycle – the cycle of new years or what I call the cycle of life. 

When I am talking about life, my mind goes to the saying of one of India’s celebrated philosopher, social servant and freedom fighter – Gopabandhu Dash. Dash (1877-1928) was fiercely independent in mind and spirit and despite having university degrees in those days and having opportunities to enjoy the life of high class preferred to be a dhoti-clad social reformer going from door to door to serve the poor. When the devastating flood affected the coastal Orissa Dash came out of his house to distribute relief to the victims. At that time his only son was bedridden with serious illness (those days medical facilities were horrible). His wife requested Dash not to leave their sick son on the verge of death, to which he replied (and I paraphrase), ‘thousands of my sons are afflicted by flood – whom should I serve: to this son or those thousands of sons suffering outside home?’ Gopabandhu left for serving the victims, and his son died. 

This is a brief background of Gopabandhu’s life – I have no intention to go into detail of his life, which is available in internet. I want to quote his message, which is quite apt for the New Year. Dash wrote in his poetic style, manav jeevan nuhain kevala barsha masa dina danda, karme jien nara karma eka tara jeevanara manadanda. To translate: the human life (and its worth) can not be measured by years, months or moments (which he lives), but only by the work (used broadly service to society) because human life can only be measured by the work he has done when alive. Dash not only wrote this but also walked his writing. I had already given one example. There are thousand such examples in his life. In the Gandhian language – his life was his message. He lived his philosophy. 

By bringing Gopabandhu to life on the occasion of the New Year I intend to do one thing – to remind myself and to my friends who read this – to think how far can we think and act in his way? How do we live our life worthy of a vision which we cherish – and which our successors will proudly remember and say that this person lived a worthy life – the life of a Gandhi, or Gopabandhu or Mandela or King Jr, or Newton, Einstein, or Wittgenstein – the examples are numerous. We may not want to be one of these worthy offsprings of the world, but we can be creative, productive, and humble in our own way. To argue in a lighter way, I bring here the famous song acted by Raj Kapoor, ek din bik jayega mati ke mol jag mein rah jayenge pyare teri bol, duje ke hontho ko dekar apne geet koi nisani chhod phir duniya se bol…(roughly translated - one day this fragile body will melt away (meaning death), but your actions will stay. Share others’ joy and pain, and in that do something for the world). Another song, acted by Kapoor, kisi ki muskurahaton pe ho nisar kisika dard mil sake to le udhar, kisiki vaste ho tere dil mein pyar jina isika naam hai bears similar message. Come here Swami Vivekananda who mightily pronounces: as you are born a human – leave an indelible mark on earth. 

I am reminded here the English film Death Has Become Her, which I watched few years ago. In that movie one of the protagonists Ernest denounces a magic potion, a drink of which makes human being immortal. There is a famous dialogue – Ernest to the prodding to drink the potion says I do not want to live artificially; rather I would live my life and die. These are not the exact words but something like which he said to his opponents. This is like Socratic way of saying (when the Greek philosopher Socrates was administered hemlock to die without his fault) – by dying I will remain alive and this jury will die while alive. There are many hilarious moments in the movie. (If I remember correctly) one of the women who had drunk potion met an accident and her body became scattered, she then collected her body into one. A movie full of comedies but with messages.

This is in brief my New Year reflections. I do not recommend that everybody must follow the example of Gopabandhu ditto – that is not the message. It is also not possible. The idea is to follow the spirit that guided Gopabandhu or Gandhi or Newton. If we can follow their examples in our own way and remain active, vigilant with seriousness to our work and surrounding and with compassion towards all, we can reasonably say that we can effect something positive in our life as well as for the world. I strongly reject the spirit of fatalism or a lazy attitude to life and in believing that a superior power will do everything for us – that is something I call negativism. Also, God does not help them who do not know how to help them. 

When I look at India, the place of my birth, I find (using the language of biology) malnutrition of these great spirits and surfeit of evil spirits – in terms of corruption and corrupt leaders, crime, religious orthodoxy, class and caste antagonisms. Field a few of Gandhis, Gopabandhus and Vivekanandas – all these problems and problem makers will vanish. There are attempts in this direction in recent months. We need more vigorous attempts. I am optimistic and positive about India’s future. Did not the great philosopher Sri Aurobindo proclaim during his message on the eve of India’s Independence that India is destined to be the Guru (leader) of the world? That leadership is the spiritual leadership, not a leadership backed by gun.

When I write these things on the New Year I may appear to lecture or give sermons – I actually look at things in a different way. These are messages to me as well. Human beings need guides like Gandhi but Gandhi can not lead human beings unless the human being wills to be led or to be changed. What I mean is: social transformation or change in the world is a collective effort, in which all, including I, have acts to perform.

A Small Animal Trotting on the Globe

While walking from my residence to the university department where I work, an idea suddenly crept into my mind. I was walking on the road and then the idea came. Perhaps the circumstances of that particular time induced me to think that way. That was the working hour in the university. I was walking on the road, so also many other people including students, staff and others with different vocations and aims. Seeing so many people, walking different ways, with different ambitions, and then some people walking on feet, some riding on bicycles or motor cycles, and some others on the four wheelers including cars and buses – and then the idea extended, and suddenly this sentence ‘a small animal trotting on the globe’ spurted in my mind.

Obviously when I say a small animal, I refer to myself, or like me others. Extending, it refers to all individual human beings. Man is an animal, or what the philosopher says, man is a social animal, as he lives in a society, is both empowered as well as restrained by the society. I will not deal here the aspects of society as it is beyond the current scope, I will deal with this animal, or rather the human animal that trots on the globe.

Referring to myself, I am also a human animal, and behave as normal as other human beings. While walking on the road, the footsteps go forward, one after another, and with the steps, also move the thinking mind, and also the aspiring heart, it is all a great combination, and this same process, with different ambitions and in different contexts and extents, goes on in all human beings. But look at the result! The result is oceanic. The small animal may not at sight have achieved wonders or have all the great or small things, but its steps, in all dimensions, could make the human life possible, also make possible almost everything in society, its arts and architecture, science and technology and also the living life in accordance with laws it made.

While thinking about this small animal, many other things came to mind. Human animal is obviously a small animal, average height of human being in India is five feet six inches, it may vary in other countries, but in comparison with, say, giraffe or elephant, human being is a small animal. But this small animal is a marvellous creator, because it is also an idea bearer and also creator of things based on his ideas. The man created the things by scrutinizing, by analysing or by measuring nature and this was possible because it was an idea creator, and also the implementer of ideas.

Hence, I was thinking, when the idea spreads, it spreads to zillions. In fact ideas are contagious like some diseases, or it may be faster. Like we say that there are about 600 (?) faces in the world with which we can identify more or less exactly the six billion people’s faces, similarly there are similar peoples in terms of thinking, and when one idea spurts in this small human being, it spreads to hundreds, thousands, or even millions similar thinking human beings. Mahatma Gandhi walked on the earth (whom Einstein called a miracle for future generations) and evoked the ideas of truth and non-violence, gave it the personal Midas touch, and spread it through the whole world. King caught this idea in America, and Mandela in Africa, and so on. So the ideas spread over time and space, and that can span beyond our conceivable imaginations.

This small global trotting animal in its present evolution, and in this age of globalisation and IT and wider thinking, indicates towards a human future in which there will be no more divisions but harmony and reconciliation.