Sunday, June 26, 2005

Brains.Yea.Heart.Nopes.

B.C Roy memorial Library , IIM C looks real big.They have got many dull books and journals in there.I think if we somehow use some kind of reverse engineering to reconvert all that paper in trees , we can have enough wood to make a zillion matchsticks.A couple of days earlier , as me and a friend were returning from the 'sales and distribution management' class , god decided to pee .It started to rain.Since no umbrella company's distribution channel reached the spot where we were caught , we had to run towards the library and get in there.I have watched a lot of hindi movies over my years.Escape the rain on a stormy evening and take shelter in a big ancient looking construction , there is a 72% chance you shall be greeted by a shaky lamp wielding "Ramu Kaka" who has been dead for the last twenty or so years.But not being in a movie , I was greeted by a grumpy watchman who looked at me like I was trying to smuggle three surface to air missiles and a couple of rifles into the library.

Anyways , me and my friend pretended like we were really interested in reading things like Harvard Business Reviews and got in and grabbed some glossy health magazines and fashion magazines to pass time.As a sidenote, this guy who was with me is a typical girl-chaser, desperate , dying to impress girls type of guy.If he goes to somebody's condolence meeting and meets the deceased's daughter there , he would tell her shes looking pretty in the white saree and ask for her telephone number and ask her out to a coffee.
And as we chatted in the library as the rain pelted outside ,he tells me he wants to move away from his parents after he gets married.He tells me parents have to realise that kids have their lives and flying away to better pastures is life.He tells me life is about enjoying and about pretty girls and luxury cars.He tells me all he wants is to enjoy life and grab all the luxuries of life.I should not have found it strange.In a way , he reflected a part of most of us.Anyways , the rain ceased , we got back to the hostel and the day ended without me getting murdered.
The next morning ,the Times Of India carried a news about a baby girl left crying on a Kolkata street while her mother boarded a city bus and left the poor child behind.The mother abandoned the little girl and the baby would be now taken in by some state welfare society unless someone adopts her.
And suddenly , all the talk in the library about being successful , rich , and corporate bigwigs came together with this news about an abandoned baby.And it was a restless combination.Imagine Rabri Devi and Laloo Yadav addressing a packed press conference.Suddenly Rabri stands up , throws herself into Laloo's lap, grabs him by the hair on his ears and kisses him passionately on his lips.If this is unsettling , I suddenly felt super-unsettled.
Now we guys cracked CAT and got into IIM Calcutta , so our collective IQ is higher than that of a bathroom slipper.After some years , most would be found in some air conditioned office , happily working on a laptop with a pretty secretary .Even I may manage an office with a rickety ceiling fan and a pentium II and a fat male secretary.Most of our lives may turn out to be about selling fairness creams which cause terrible skin burns to girls wanting to look like Nicole Kidman.

And in a way , we are so worthless and incapable.Now as a student of one of the nation's coolest business schools and a so called academic achiever ( not considering the one time i flunked in the class III hindi grammar test),that one cry of the little girl which must be resounding in some small room of Kolkata right now makes me feel so worthless.
We read about the baby in the newspaper over breakfast at the mess.We finish the tea , grumble about the potatoes in the dosa being half baked , wash hands and get back to room , listen to music,sing in bathrooms , attend lectures,do the assignments due for the next class , chat around , play table tennis in the evening and the next morning , the newspaper is thrown in a corner of the room.We are all brains who would pull out our hearts for smooth girls ,but not for a little wailing baby in need.
To be a leader in a true sense , we need a set of noble values more than a bright mind.A good heart than a fast brain.But the education system values a bright mind.The set of values is left behind in the little nursery books which carried innocent tales preaching love and brotherhood.The education system checks if you know how to light a bulb.It never checks if you WANT to fight the darkness.
If some person adopts that girl and takes care of her to help her grow into a self sufficient and happy lady, that man deserves to be in the papers more than the guys who pass out of business schools and spend their lives building soaps and condoms and shaving creams business. All I have done and achieved till now is for myself and my family.Will my sphere of contribution be limited to such a miniscule part of mankind ? I may have the brains to pull off a decent career, but when will I have the heart to move towards a meaningful life ?
Why am I unable to do anything to help her ? Maybe the fact that I am still dependant on my parents holds me back.Maybe I dont feel about it so strongly.Maybe I am just trying to fake how sensitive I am.Maybe all I want to do is write about it in this blog and slip the next movie in the CD player.I dont know.But any resemblance of meaning in this 'all brains no heart' life would appear only on the day I actually go ahead and do something to help such a baby in need.God.Sometimes all this seems as frustrating as having to watch Osama Bin Laden trim the hair in his nose.Someday Ill just have to break out and do what I want.

52 comments:

Nidhi said...

if u reallyhave such a strong urge. go help that child man !!

n if u cant take sucha big step. try doin it in small wayz.. help others.. join some nego.. there r may wayz u can help others.. n start living a "meaning ful" life :)

bey tc
really nice post :)
nidhi

Nidhi said...

*ngo

Ashish Gupta said...

how nicely you raised the point abhi! the last para puts my heart out! I wish to get so frustated someday that I just break off from the shell and be off for some noble cause :-?

reminds me instantly of this post by Mr. Dilip
http://dcubed.blogspot.com/2004/11/why-shes-here.html

may the force be with you

Anonymous said...

wat abt da othr lakhs of children who r left in da streets everyday..wat abt da lakhs of children who r handicappped/mentally retartd n who have no one 2 take care of dem..wat abt da lakhs of chlidren who go 2 bed hungry everyday..wat abt da lakhs of children who polish people's shoes but dont know abt stars n galaxies n telescopes n microscopes..wat abt old helpless pepl left in dingy old age homes by dere so cald children..wat abt RIGHT 2 HAPPINESS..dis world is cruel abhinav..if u think abt all dis den u wud evn 4get 2 smile..so abhinav rite now just concentrate on ur studies..be da best in watevr u r doin..dere r a zillion wayz 2 heal dis world..once u get into a job u can alwayz give a part of ur salary 2 organisations like CRY..u can take time out on weekends n teach poor children..get assosiatd with NGOs..its not dat difficult abhinav..if dat urge n intent is dere u can do wat u want..

Anonymous said...

may god give u da courage n da stregth to follow ur dreamz..

Abhi said...

@ Nidhi : yeah , just this stupid inertia of not havin dun any of this till now and absence of friends with similar intents.but its hi time .im really plannin sumthing concrete this time.

@Ashish : Thanx buddy. i read that post by Mr.Dilip.man , the world will be a more beautiful place if we have more people like him.

@ Smita : yeah smita , in a way i am still away frm all the spikes in this world.I agree the world is a lot more than i know.i know its more about my indifference than anything really stopping me.but im trying to get my priorities real straight. n just one lil point of disagreemnt , i wont stop smiling even after facing all that.coz thats also wat those guys need , a smile.

amit said...

yeah abhinav
in this fast changing world, we r just absorbed in thinking wht we n our families demand. we dont think of helping society anymore...

but small steps can help these people. now u r in 2nd yr...wud be hving a lot of time on ur disposal. try joinin any ngo ( i m sure there r certainly sum people in iimc who r already doin their bit).

meanwhile my session at iima starts tomorrow. now i need to go to sleep.

Anonymous said...

I can only WISH that every successful B-schooler thinks the same way.That is the least we can do to the society.Students educated in IITs and IIMs pursue their dreams in some distant land forgetting the very reason they were given the seat in those institutes. These instis were setup to support India's growth post- independence.But unfortunately their excellency proved a curse to India's cause.

Anonymous said...

BTW, it is a great post :-)

Enchantica said...

munnu bhai..i admire u now for ur thinking...but dont just think..Do...

I know u are dependent on ur parents now..but 2 yrs down the line u will be self sufficient..lets see what difference u are going to bring...if u want my help just drop a line :) Always ready to help orphans and poor children.

Ships

LovingAndLosing said...

Talking about it is the first step. Trust me, most of the youth today just doesn't even care. The next step is to do. Hopefully, you'll get there too. I myself want to adopt a kid. I hope I feel the same when I'm actually capable. It's so easy to say things and even genuinely feel things, but when it is time to take the step to do something about it, we hesitate for a variety of reasons.

This post made me smile. There is still hope for mankind :)

Tipsy Topsy said...

All the best :)

Jam said...

Hey there Abhinav,

I agree with Ms V when she sez that talking about it is the first step in the right direction.

I can't think of too many of us who even stop and give a second thought to things and people like these, but then you my friend, are a true and welcome exception.

Am sure you'll find a way to make peace with your inability to help all these people right now.

BTW, all your recent posts are simply getting closer to the heart dood (not that they weren't earlier). Absolutely love coming to the blog nowadays.

Cheers.......Jam

Anonymous said...

HI Cartoon n.w,

kaisa hai bidu??

well remembr once u decided 2 adopt a kid,well dis was the most noblest thot a person can have, if u really wnna do sumthng grt dan do sumthng regardng dis........

n also i knw how vella u r in ur 2nd yr , n how much u study,so bettr get connctd 2 sum ngo n do sum work rathr dan dancng 2 govinda ke silly songs.

bi n take care,

i hope u dnt mind my commntng, i dnt got a chance 2 chk my mail since past week.

n keep smiling

neha.

Abhi said...

@Amit : Yeah Lakho , the second year aint exactly hard. n anyways , i can always cut down on movies to find time.And all teh best fr A man , go rock it.nsit zindabad.;)

@shiva : thanx man.but im still not happy just thinking about it.But yeah , thers this NGO called parivaar which has been set up by an IIM C alumnus.im trying to find out more about it.

@Shipra : yeah i know all i have are words.But i really hope to do somthing this time around.watch out fr more news.Atleast un baccho ke kapde to dho hi sakta hai , but no henko !;)

@Ms V : yeah vidya , even i wanna adopt a kid.n im sure im gonna do that. i havent dun a single selfless thing till now.Just hope this doesnt end up as another post.n something tells me it wont.hows ur spider bite ?;)

@ TT : Ok.u r gettin real polite these days.tabiyat theek hai ? ;)n ur family is a real fun family.including you.

@Jam : Hey buddy.yeah something it jus hits me that how god has given has 9 , but we are still running after the 10th.while there r kids without a 1.anyways , know wat , fr some strange reason , ur blog doesnt allow me to post a comment.

@Neha :Hi doordarshan.yea im fine.n no govinda songs now.only mithun "ma kasam" chakraborty.n buddy , im really gonna do sumthing this time.ull know soon.work hard fr CAT.keep at it.a lotta people believe in u.

Pictarter said...

Nice place you have here, like your writing style.

LovingAndLosing said...

Well, I haven't been able to spin webs yet or climb up walls, so I guess I'm safe :p

Tipsy Topsy said...

padhai ne sar paka diya hai yaar. and thanks for the compliment. :)

Vidhi said...

hi abhinav...noble thought...i feel the same myself, so many times...

Anonymous said...

every one seems to have a prolem with the scheme of things in india be it poverty or politics but no one does anything bout it. nobody ever takes an initiative. we always wait for some one else to take the lead. i think people like u should really go ahead and do something u have the brain,the will power and the resources will follow ,if not now then in the years to come. the problem with us is that we have a very short memory span our and priorities change every day. i hope u can sustain ur interest in a cause. and always remember better late than never.

Anonymous said...

hi abhinav

life is like that...v all want to do so mch for the society,me for the young children out there...probably waiting for the rite day to do sumthing big...but i found out evn in small ways v can mk mch difference in their lives...imagine a young child( he makes 'bhutta' at the roadside) askd for water around my neighbours bt my gud gudy neighbours said they dnt hv water...damn i felt so bad...gv him water n askd him to cum at my place wenevr he needed water to drink...
sonika

Abhi said...

Chakshu:Thanx dost.I dnt think I have any style as such , but if u liked something , its as good.n i love the way u spot life thru pics.

@Ms.V : And I thought you were crawling around sky scrapers and rescuing kidnapped babies and fighting world crime.

@TT : Are is umar mein padai ? Chachi jee kuch choola chauka seekho.pad likh kar kya collector banoge ?:p.all the best.study well.

@Vidhi : Yea Vidhi I know how you feel.A long time ago , when people knew you as V , I made a post abt adoption of babies n u too felt strongly abt it.and no post at ur place in a long time , blog pe dhool jam rahi hai!

@Divya:yeah , i make the post , sleep , get up the next day n the purpose of my life seems in watching the next movie , but I used the moment of feeling it and started upon something concrete.will tell ya as soon as i get a positive response.atb fr exams.

@Sonika :Yeeah sonika.after all a few lil good deeds get together to be a big good one.offering water , helping old people cross the street ,the ways to do a lil good are all around us.we just need to look and feel.and am glad people like u do:).wich one ? nsit/IP ?

Abhi said...

@LS :wow.amd almost evry girl i meet thinks so.dont we have anything better to do than dream of girls all day ? know wat ,females just need to come down to earth,they aint so special that every boy has just one purpose in life : to impress girls.i for one , am not the one to flatter anybdy.u r a human b4 a girl or a guy.relax.:)no offence meant.jus that this male branding is too evident these days ! :)

Rupa (BNB) said...

Hey great thought dude. But adopting child can not be possible at this stage, But there are ways to help out street kids who really need some help.

You Can make use of your brain too to help these kids. Make a small team of ur group & teach Maths & English or any subject, Counsell regarding career. Show them a right path. Ask them how they fare in their exam, appriciate them. This can change their lives. These things one can do too.

sona said...

hi abhinav
glad2cu agree with me...:)
who else can b so nice but NSITIAN who can surely mk a diff to the world...:)
sonika m

Vaibhav said...

Hey Dude,
had a busy (and stressful) week at work so couldn't reply earlier...

Ya, even I feel pretty rotten when i think of all the people in the world who don't have the same oppurtunities that I am lucky enough to have.

And honestly, one CAN do something about it... its not "impossible" for example to try and help some child begging on the streets, who realistically speaking, is highly unlikely to pull himself out of the poverty/suffering that he is living in and is likely to live in forever.

Honestly, it is something of our own selfish nature stops us... I am not using the word "selfish" in a negative sense here. I am just being realistic... that most of us (despite feeling rotten) CHOOSE not to go against our materialistic instincts.

The world is never going to be perfect, we should be grateful for our own goodluck. and who knows... its a complicated world, One Day we just might make a difference by pursuing our own success... ( I am serious, Developmental Economics does not ask for us to renunciate materialism but rather to be just in our actions...

Abhi said...

@BB : yeah i agree. n ive made a small start.will let ye know as soon as it gets more real.

@sonika: I shud have guessed.nsit zindabaad.

Abhi said...

donno how it will turn out.theres this ngo called parivaar run by an IIM C alumnus here at calcutta.have contacted those guys.nuthing concrete till now , jus hope it ends up with something.but that girl was adopted by a lady.

V said...

ppl rant endlessly about the jobs. the thing is that it gives you - the pgdm i mean - a good range of choices of career. as long as you arent doing 20hrs in an ibank, there's still hope of doing something with life.

Anonymous said...

so any progresssssssssssss?!!!
or still thinkin of joinin som ngo
one can do samll things that would affect more no of children than mere adopting one babay
u can give clothes, food , blankets to the streetside children by speding the money that u spend on movies n other luxuries
wt say?
am not preachin here- also feel the same way- n have found this sol to console myself

Anonymous said...

hey if there r ppl who think like u, the world suddenly seems a better place to live in :) do what u want to..God be with you!

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