Critics

There is no shortage of critics... If we learn it in a 'structured' way, it is rewarding.... Film critics get paid! If that anchor/compere/reporter can think of a good punch line, which looks like a criticism, but it gives the celebrity an 'opportunity' to clarify for all appearance, but in fact gives, adequate 'free' publicity (the monetary consideration goes in 'black' , as bank-blance at some swiss-account, .... well, .... nothing like it!).

I as a common man (the aam aadmi), was enjoying the comforting thought that nobody even cares to look at me, as I walk in that crowd, the crowd that engulfs me as soon as I step out of the house! (So, where do I come under the scanner of any verbal criticism? At office, hire and fire is the order of the day, so is attrition-rate as a reverse-mortgage weapon!). Only at home, criticism abounds! And that it what a 'homely' atmosphere is, as a left over of the traditional joint families, reduced to micro sized ones!

One day, my mind wandered astray, leaving that 'witnessing' aspect within me to gape blankly at everything on my way, as I stepped out of the house... It is the memory of that mute 'witness' (which did not have the capability to reply or protest), which became a scape-goat of heavy criticism, of everything, from everything, animate, and inanimate! That witness within simply passed on the data, file, memory, to my mind, as if to say, “now it is your baby.... take it or leave it... or do what ever you like”! I might have been hallucinating, or maybe something 'possessed me' during that brief absence of my own mind, etc... it does not matter..... but the data seemed strange, and 'factual' (truth is our interpretation, of course, which ever way it suits us! )...

Those funny criticisms were like these (a few sample-items from that maze...)

..

The endless litter of plastic waste lying all along the road side said “when this civilisation will be dug out of ruins some thousand years later, that man then... if at all the generation continues till then, or else a re-generation happens, would see how we littered this planet with so much junk, plastic, broken gadgets like used mobiles, electronic junk, etc....

The choking air around said “ excellent! You managed to poison in a very short time, with those smoking vehicles, factories, airconditioners, and what not, the air which was kept pure, fresh and energising, by some thousands of generations of your ancestors!”

That tap water dripping from a roadside pipe said... “ I am talking to you in a flowing motion.... what a waste, since there is no tap, and I go untapped, while somewhere else there are people struggling for a drop of me! And you call me a 'public tap'.... where is the tap or the tapper?”...

Those crows seemed to send only a long-distance criticism from high sky “ there is nothing for me, the nature's scavanger of yester years! Everything is synthetic junk.... no natural waste to peck!”

That noise all over shreiked at the top of its voice ..... “Noise pollution.... entirely from man made sources... I was so beautiful, years ago, when birds chirped, wind whispered through the rustle of leaves of those trees, ....”

I paused, tried to look up, hoping that staring into vacant sky might divert my attention into some far away space... but a shout came from there, just waiting for me to look up... “Thou shall not send any more satellite without fearing me.... I am the junk of old obselete satellites, wandering in the orbit immediately above that ozone hole above you! You are hearing me only because of that ozone hole... I will crash into anything else you try to put up!”...

(these were the few stray samples....)

My mind, with lots of inputs from politics that I hear day in and out, through our 'idiot-box' simply muffled(muted) the 'play-back' of within, and very politically, very diplomatically, referred to ancient past, to dig out the criticism(from anybody) of the ancient days!..... Yes I got it! The kings then had to 'appoint' a critic.... He was given a licence to criticise even the king... Some called him the court jester, some called him 'vikata-kavi' (some kind of critic-poet)... etc.... The 'aam aadmi' lived quite peacefully.... there was nothing 'worth' criticising..... just stray instances of nature's fury, some natural calamities, which were handled by the society with adequate mutual love, sacrifice, etc... as a matter of 'routine'! Spirituality was all around... It was a normal, common feature that 'Perceptions were beyond sensory level too'! (As if to confirm this, we have that author of recent years, the author of “Vedic Mathematics” who 'heard' it, a play-back, through meditative process, after having created an all time record of academic brilliance by scoring the highest marks in all the subjects in an exam conducted in a foreign school!The introduction part of that book says it all!). Action was a consequence, a response, never a reaction! The thought-process (even the non-verbal thoughts....???? yes, they were aware of such things too!) were mostly non-commercial! (today, we can trace out some commercial value to 99% of our thoughts, words, and deeds!... fortunately, no criticism on this ! It is a matter of 'personal' choice!).... Elders retained their most of their emotional capability and very little logic was needed.... just to handle that simple material aspect of life.... they were wise... they deliberately kept life simple, so that the logic did not rule the mind... Today, the worst of old-age miseries is the unstoppable, uncohesive logic, that climbs up incessantly (thanks to the new concept of old-age-homes.... the children are spared the spew of outdated-logical-stubborness of elders!)...

So that's it....

(I woke up there after.... Thank goodness, everything was just a dream! But... that nagging thought remains..... I have to do my little bit, to at least not add up anymore to the 'junk', if not to reduce the litter!)

psn(17^th January, 2012)