It has always
been my passion to see myself: Standing in front of crowd, giving them a talk
about: Right and Wrong of Life (Though everyone else is aware of the same
better than me); Management Ideas to keep the System Sustainable and
Progressive at the same time (This is something most Simple and a salt of
common sense is required).
I do visualize
sometimes: Having loads of followers and they cheering/applauding for each and
every word of what I say from the stage. Sounds like a
dreamy affair :)
Way back, when I
started this blog on 2nd June, 2010, I really never expected to have
61 followers. Did create Facebook page, but, in terms of future prospects, and it
got around 41 people known to me liking the same.
Sometimes, I do
feel proud about the same, though there are millions of Blogs and Facebook
Pages, which have Fan Following and Likes uncountable, and the reality is: I
don’t stand anywhere in the crowd, let then my dream of standing in front of
the crowd.
But, at the same
time, a question arises at the threshold of my brain and it pops up: Does mere
listening/applauding to someone’s talk or appreciating someone’s work make you
a follower of the same, or is it walking on the same path as of your role
model, which in true sense makes you a committed student of his/her.
Now, again don’t
misunderstand the concept of: Walking on the same path. Most of you must be
having your role model as: Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, or someone else.
But, it doesn’t apply that you should take up your career as: Acting or Sports,
etc.
Rather it would
mean, to perceive the passion of fighting back from dire circumstances of life,
slowly, but, diligently, as most of our role models (including the 2 listed
above) have done in their life, be then that related to personal or professional
trauma.
A talk on this
title had seeds sown, during the recent drive of ‘Anna Hazare against
Corruption in India’. As they say: ‘Charity begins at home’, the first person
to receive criticism on the concept of ‘Followers/Likes’ from me was my father
only.
Now, my father
is a 55 year old person, who has fought his own battle through lows of life and
who better than his son would be a witness for the same. He has always kept
pace with modern times and is ardent user of Social Networking sites for
spreading of ‘Philosophical Messages/Criticism of Government Policies’ etc.
One fine day, I
just checked out him visiting the Facebook Page of ‘Anna Hazare’ and ‘Quit
Corruption India’, and while this was happening with lakhs of supporters of the
grand old man fighting for the noble cause of the country, I gave it a thought.
Does Liking the
Facebook Page/Follower of Blogs, in relation to or by your role model, make you
a person of Integrity, and Character as same as of your role model? How can you
guarantee a person pressing Like button on Facebook, is not indulging
him/herself in corrupt practices in his/her real life. Also I don’t want to
criticize the person for his/her past deeds of corruption, as it is always good
to start at some point of your life, but, are these people or so called
followers were/are following the same path, which Anna was/is asking the
Government of India to follow. I want to question the same to all of those who
did the same by just Liking that Networking Site’s Page or certain Blog on the
topic or even to them who participated in huge rallies conducted across India.
I am not against
the usage of Social Networking Sites for spreading messages, which I am also
using nearly from last 1 and half year period, but, I am against the mentality
which is driving us today. At the end of every day I like to question myself,
if I have followed what I have written in my Blog.
‘Gandhigiri’
doesn’t mean just having a Wall Paper/Wall Portrait of Father of Nation in our home
or office, but, to follow the path of Truth in each and every act and word of
our life.
As rightly
quoted in one of the Scenes of: Lage Raho Munnabhai:
“Woh naujawan ke
haath main patthar dene ka, aur bolne ka ke bapu ka full putla gira do… Yeh
full country main bapu ka jitna bhi putla hain na, sab ko gira do… Bapu ki
jitni bhi tasveer diwar pe latkeli hain na, sab ko hata do… Woh kya hain ke har
building, note, board, road se bapu ka naam nikal do… Agar bapu ko rakhne ka
hich hain, toh apne dil main rakho na… Samjha kya idhar rakhna mangta heart
main heart main… Arey kya nahi kiya usne apun ke liye, jail gaya, fasting kiya,
ek dhoti pehen ke akhey country ka round mara, goli bhi khaya idhar idhar… Aur
apun ne uske liye kya kiya, ek tasveer banakar diwar pe latka diya, aur uske niche
aaram se rishvat leta hain”
While reading
one of the posts on HBR (Harvard Business Review) Blog, I came across a recent
article, which was written after tragic death of the legend Steve Jobs. I would
sincerely recommend all of you to go through that post once, and you would then
only be able to appreciate the thinking which I am trying to imbibe in your
mind.
Link: http://blogs.hbr.org/hbreditors/2011/10/on_dr_ralph_steinman_and_steve.html
In the post,
there is one particular paragraph, which captures the essence of that article
and most probably of this one also, which goes like this:
And somehow, Dr.
Steinman is not someone we’d choose. Maybe this says more about the perfunctory*
nature of social media and its ability to create an echo chamber of thoughtless
attempts to be part of the conversation. What does it cost me, really to click
like, or swap out a picture, or link to a YouTube video, or profess to the
world that a phone has fundamentally changed my existence?
(*The word Perfunctory means: Unthinking)
