Monday, September 8, 2014

Where The Mind Is Without Fear

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.


It was early morning, as fresh and pure as the lines above. My clock raised an alarm at 6 o’clock like it does every day but I was already awake. I did not sleep at all the last night. Seven days to go for my final interview for admission into my favorite B-school and I was nervous. Evey night I dreamt of an interview panel bombarding me with numerous posers and every morning, I woke up with some vague answers. This morning, I was trying to mug up the poem as my reply in case I am asked to quote some inspiring poet. These lines must have inspired millions of people by now as they have always motivated me and made me proud of my origins. The sweetness of the words was being marred by some kind of sour sensation on my tongue which I presumed was due to indigestion caused by the lack of sleep. Hence, I decided to go on a short walk and treat myself with a 5-star- nothing as mood lifting as a bar of chocolate. Overlooking the fact that diabetes runs in my family line, I love to indulge in chocolaty sins.

There was a small kiranastore across the road. I often wondered despite of Easy Day, Reliance Fresh and Spencers in the vicinity, how these shops set up in small huts can make business? But the thronging crowd nullifies my doubts. The shop is owned by a middle-aged couple. The man is an average-heighted, pot-bellied, semi-bald, talkative and cribbing uncle while the woman is a remnant of a beautiful young lady, soft spoken and cheerful aunt. What a clichéd coincidence.

I was strolling along the bushes on the roadside muttering and reciting the lines. As usual, the shop was bustling with a variety of customers.
  
……… Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls……

There was a smart and suave old gentleman. He was wearing a business suit and was checking mails on his BlackBerry mobile with one hand, He had a twenty rupee note in the other hand which he used to gesture to uncle to make it quickly. He was visibly too embarrassed to take his eyes off his mobile. The shopkeeper was apparently very humbled by the mere presence of a millionaire. As though bound by some duty, he explained to other customers, “Look at these unfaithful servants nowadays, they don’t even have shame. Last night, both the servants ran away without informing anyone. Thank God, they did not steal anything but the gates were unlocked. Anything could have happened. Sahebis so humble and down to earth. He came himself to purchase the bread and milk. Sir, please take my mobile number in case you need in future.” Disinterested, the million dollar man stared helplessly at his red colored Honda City wondering whether it would have been less torturous had he drove to the shop instead of walking. Just across the road stood his magnificent bungalow glistening against the blue sky, Right on the left side of the boundary was a heap of bricks arranged carefully to form a cuboidal structure. Whether there was any cement involved in binding the bricks together or not was difficult to tell but a sheet of tin balanced over three and half walls of bricks presented a picture of not a very safe haven. Of course Gurgaon winters were harsher and this make shift house uglier than an igloo definitely provided some comfort. Suddenly, the polythene sheet dangling on a stick at the entrance of the hut moved and a woman emerged with three children of ages in arithmetic progression of one year. The infant one was sleeping peacefully on her shoulders. The elder one was walking along her with faltered steps. The eldest one was guiding them to the shop. “They must be the daily wage workers engaged in the construction activity.”, I thought.

……..Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high……

Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr……… a man riding on a scooter with a deafening decibel level sound just avoided colliding with a bench placed outside the shop. He was around six feet tall, healthy and muscular with fiery red eyes and bushy eyebrows- reminded me of the Yamaraj in the Snapdeal ad. “You live only once so better watch it…..”, I could imagine him saying with a clenched fist pointing to my face. He was a milkman and wanted around 5 kgs of milk. The humbleness on the shopkeeper’s face changed into a forced smile, he mumbled, “Sir, just give me a moment. I will bring your milk from the cold storage.”“Don’t waste my time. I am a regular customer. Isn’t it? You know my time then why don’t you hurry?”, the man replied while folding his sleeves. Shopkeeper was smart enough to understand his priorities. He went inside to bring the milk immediately.

…… Where knowledge is free…..

The poor mother was guided to the shop. She asked the shopkeeper for the bun that costs Rupees 2. “In this consumer-driven era, poor people still don’t understand brands, they identify a product through its cost.”, I wondered.
Amma!Please I want a packet of chips”- the small boy asked his mother. She shoved him away and asked him to keep quite. I looked at her. How young she looked- around 16-17 years old. In no case, she could be older than 18. Ahh! Don’t they realize that marrying at such an early age is not only illegal but also dangerous to the physical and mental health of the woman? While I was trying to guess her son’s age, a cycle was just about to run into me. There was a boy of about 12 years. He hurled a one rupee coin towards the poor shopkeeper who was having a hard time and grabbed a small pouch of gutkha(tobacco) from a strip of pouches hanging from the door. The shopkeeper did curse him for his bad manners but for his bad habits. “They need a lot of education”- I thought.

……..Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection…………

Although the shopkeeper was bugged, he was not frustrated. After all he was earning but the man standing in front of him was not. He had come to the shop to settle his monthly account. He appeared to be a fresh graduate, trying to get a good government job. Frustrated by innumerous tests, interviews and rejections, he was trying to apply his convincing power and negotiation skills on the shopkeeper- “When did I buy these things? They are worth Rs 500. I never had that amount of money. I don’t remember. Why did not you ask me to sign then? Where is my sign?”.
“Please don’t test my patience. No one questions while buying items. Why are you asking now? I have been selling to your family since you were child. Go and ask your father. Yes sir, how can I help you?....” The young unemployed man was on the verge of pulling off his hair, “Why is everyone disturbing me? I can’t even concentrate on calculating the bill amount.”

……..Where the mind is led forward thee…. Into ever-widening thought and action…….

While the shopkeeper was busy dealing with the affluent, the powerful and the coaxing customers, there was a group of lesser mortals waiting for its turn. The young mother, tired of being cajoled by her little son and hurt by rejecting his pleas several times, turned around in an action as if slapping him but quickly picked up a packet of chips from the stall and hid it under her shawl.
……..Where words come out from the depth of truth…….
The young woman hid the packet under her shawl but she had money in one hand and in the other, she was carrying the child. So she handed the packet quickly to her crying son. When she handed a two rupee coin to the shopkeeper, he asked, “What about the chips?” “I already bought it from the other shop.”, she replied and hurried away with her kids.

……….Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit……

“But, I don’t think any other shop nearby sells these chips and I can see one of the packets missing.”, the shopkeeper screamed. “Its just a matter of five rupees. We are getting late. Please.”, a mixture of voices said but the shopkeeper was too restless. He shouted and cursed the young lady, her children, the labour class, the poor, the homeless, the beggars, the thieves, the servants etc. and followed the poor family to their hut.

…….. Into the heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake……