Nellai Suresh puts in black and white

This is a mail from a very young friend of mine
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When people who wallow in gutters scream for help, it doesn't necessarily mean they want to be rescued. Instead in many cases, when someone on firm ground reaches out compassionately but naively, they get dragged into the muck themselves. And what does one do then? You first swim away from the person who dragged you down, since as long as you are next to them, they'll never let you get out. Once you are at a safe distance, you pull yourself out, cleanup, and move forward. The next time someone else reaches out, don't ignore the person; don't lose out on your compassion. Instead look for the signs to determine if the person genuinely wants to be rescued; and if you can't figure it out, err on the side of compassion rather than caution. But make sure that you are smarter this time and have your feet firmly on the ground, so that if you start feeling dragged, you can pull away before it happens. Of course there's a possibility that the person is very strong and you end up getting dragged despite your best efforts. Go through the process again since the person will loosen the grip on you when they find somebody else to drag; and rest assured they'll find another one.

I do not believe or disbelieve in God as of today. But if I was a believer, then I would also like to believe that God took the form of these people so that he could be my teacher. And I bow down and salute them for making me realize that I'm not as intelligent or strong or wise as I think, and pushing me in the direction of being a better human being in all these respects. And I'm grateful to them that most of my hurt has been emotional - not financial, physical, social, or legal. Because, as of today, I feel that only with emotional hurt comes a strong guarantee that it can be overcome.
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This is not from any book - this is a thought which has germinated in my mind as I'm trying my best to forgive some people whom I loved and cared for immensely, and who instead hurt me back because I was capable of giving. Though I'd never claim that this is a completely original idea - I'm very convinced that years of reading, listening, pondering, and conversing have lead to this moment. I'm hoping this will help me overcome my current sense of loss, and the pain from my past which still lingers.

The last para of an article by M J Akbar in TOI dated 08.03.2009 detailing how the state of Pakistan failed.
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On the day that terrorists attacked Sri Lankan cricketers, I had a previously arranged speaking engagement at a university in Delhi before largely Muslim students. I began with the suggestion that every Indian Muslim should offer a special, public prayer of thanks to the Almighty Allah for His extraordinary benevolence - for the mercy He had shown by preventing us from ending up in Pakistan in 1947. The suggestion was received with startled amusement, instinctive applause and a palpable sense of sheer relief.
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I exclaimed twice when the TV bludgeoned that Gandhiji's memrablia had been purchased by the Liquor Baron Vijay Mallya and that they would be given to the government. Once, after knowing the amount (just $1.8 m or INR 90m), because there was not one soul in this country who could afford this much of money for saving a memory whereas parties spent billions in elections and advertisements. The Congress Party which had the greatest opportunity of claiming Gandhiji as its own just did not wink an eyelid. The government was mired in its bureacracy and lethargy rather than acting quickly. No other businessman who has amassed wealth from this country could think of shelling out just 90m rupees or was not willing.

I shouted the second time because the saviour is none other than the industrialist Vijay Mallya and the irony is that most of his income comes from the liquor business which Gandhiji wanted people to move away from. As the Tamil proverb goes, the money got by selling a dog will not bark. But more than that by such an act, can we treat Mallya to have wiped out a significant part of what we consider as 'Sin' of manufacturing liquor? My biggest cheer for this man is that he did it without publicity and very discreetly whereas many chatter boxes were making huge noise of participating in the auction and bidding for the items. Hats off to you Mallya or will this be better --- Three cheers to you Mallya!!!!

(The writer is a teetotaller but has moved a lot among 'drinkers')

When I look at the late night news, Ambika Soni, the Culture (definitely not Cultured) Minister says that The Indian Government was always in touch with Mallya's representatives and got it executed through him. Promptly comes the denial that no one ever contacted him before or after the auction. Just like he took back Tipu's sword, out of his own interest, Mallya has taken this. Shameless creatures, these!!!

==== Article by Santosh Desai in TOI dated 8th Mar 2009
"Now that India is affluent, who dare buy our ancestral heritage even if we do not fully care about it personally? Gandhi is ours to ignore, and by god, we shall put good money to protect that right."
"We treat Gandhi as many parts of the world treat their women, with an air of proprietary indifference"
"For there is no question that we have no particular desire to be reminded of Gandhi and his ideas. Buying back his glasses for crores of rupees is an act of naked tokenism. But the manner of doing so is richly symbolic. As it turns out, what this symbol points to has nothing to do with Gandhi. Could we have bought back Gandhi’s things and sold Gandhi down the river? "