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Journalism of Courage
It8217;s time there is a distinction made in being 8216;religious8217; and 8216;good8217;. The two necessarily don8217;t go together. It8217;s absurd to assume that people who visit religious places, go chanting scriptures, muttering on beads, adorn their heads and foreheads with various colourful motifs are good people. In the garb of all these frills they could be causing physical and emotional dents and yet that camouflage of religion shields them. And our psyches are so corrupted that we tolerate the nonsense they unleash. If you sit back and ponder, most honest people around do not claim to be religious but they are people with a definite personality, who live by a set of principles and are not to be bullied by the corrupt political nexus at work and voice their opinion against all odds. I can8217;t think of a better example than that of Khushwant Singh. Our famous writer man who turns 88 years today August 15 is definitely not religious by the hackneyed definition yet the man lives and swears by a certain set of principles. Most men and women crumble 8212; in every sense of the term 8212; by the time they are in their seventies and eighties but Khushwant continues to sit in an upright position.
Why? Because the man is not scared of those in power, the man lives by no contradictions 8212; if he loves his whisky he says so, and one can discuss just about anything with him 8212; right from the political devils at work to the lovely damsels around and hear his ruthlessly honest opinion about them. And unlike the so-called religious people who can spend endless hours in praying and chanting and muttering, Khushwant can spend hours trying to listen and sort out your problems. A well-known social activist swears by the support he has given to her NGO: 8216;8216;If it hadn8217;t been for him I wouldn8217;t have been able to reach out to the thousands of the terminally ill.8217;8217; Recounts a socialite friend of his,8216;8216;Earlier I used to spend every evening partying but Khushwant pointed to me the importance of every minute8230;it8217;s this once sentence from him 8212; 8216;remember you have only one life to lead so make the best of it8217; that has changed my thinking and I try to spend time more constructively.8217;8217;
Yes, every minute ticking by is so important for Khushwant that it8217;s almost a sin for him to let it slip by wastefully. In a meticulously planned routine he has time for work, for play, for recreation, for friends.
His eyes relay all emotions and he never really tries to camouflage a single emotion 8212;the definite sign of a man who still remains childlike and honest even when he turns 88. In fact, if all the self-proclaimed religious men and women of India turn 8216;good8217; 8212; that is honest in every sense of the term 8212; we would be better equipped to tackle the political mafia in our midst.
