Don’t call me Didi

We read about good people in books and seldom meet them. People say that it is difficult to find them. Is it really difficult to find them, or we, just, don’t recognize them? This is yet again a two sided question. For most of us, after living in this materialistic world, the word good has shaped a very different meaning altogether, which would mean, serving our purpose. Now, not being selfish, there are a few qualities that we look for, ranging from humbleness to simplicity and generosity to philanthropy.

The reason, I am writing this blog is, a person, whom I met recently and she has, made a big impact on my life, given a new perspective to my mission. She’s, had there been a word in English to give respect; I would have used that, a teacher in one of the schools in Mumbai. I met her in an annual school function. Once I mentioned the name of our NGO, Anuthi, I could very well see spark in her eyes, the one that’s seen in the eyes of a child as he sees an exotic toy. Smile on face and a helping hand seems to be her mascot, which she altogether, carries very well.

Her humbleness and simplicity is very well reflected every time she says to me, “Don’t call me Didi” and “Please don’t thank me”. Her persistent efforts to get us a breakthrough, in the new step taken by Anuthi to explore a new vista of Educational Institutes in helping the Specially Abled Ones, induces a lot of enthusiasm in me and reminds me that still there are people who are ready to go an extra mile to do something for others and that too without any self interest.

At this point I understand, if you give some one respect whole heartedly, even the thought of the person becomes energizing. It’s still difficult for me to call her by name and I persistently hear from her, “Don’t call me Didi”.

Perception Is Reality

Few days back, rather I should say months, I was having a discussion with my colleagues on a very vague topic, “Perception Is Reality”, which arose from nowhere. All of us were defending, read offending, our points. In the end I was left with a few very valuable snippets of the conversation. Perception is always a perception, whether it’s a reality or not, often, depends on an individual. It is a, false yet strong, sphere that we create around our self and look the world through that sphere. It is so strong and is so indigenously imbibed in our mind that, it seems to be true. It’s a brave man’s act to break free of the perception and look the world without adjudging it. That will bring an end to our fears and anxieties. A kid is often told by his parents of a ghost, which penalizes a naughty child. The large-tree-behind ghost is so much assimilated into the child that he starts believing in the monster, it takes him courage, gathered in the next 10 – 12 years, to realize that it was just a mental image created by him. Once that perception is broken, he sees the tree as a God’s green gift for sustaining life and not as a monster home. It’s the environment, including surrounding situations, people, activities, which organizes some vague images in our mind. These situations when contemplated, even in subconscious mind, forms distinct thoughts, which are, then, taken up by us. Our beliefs and values become the links and this perception breaks the thin line to become conviction. All these steadily add up to shape our personality, our attitude and at times our faith and gradually our destiny. Whether perception is reality or not, depends on the inner strength of the person. Though it seems easy but it’s hard to persevere ones perception and it’s even tougher to break free your perception and enter into a world as it is meant to be.