The Mahatma effect

I am not aware if any study or experiment has been conducted anywhere to determine the extent to which a person's profession affects, modi...

I am not aware if any study or experiment has been conducted anywhere to determine the extent to which a person8217;s profession affects, modifies or transforms his personality. In what measure is a person8217;s character, speech or general behaviour controlled by his vocation? How much a judge or a doctor is a judge or a doctor in his private life? Does a cheat also cheat at home? Does a thief steal things from his own house too? Would it be right to say that what you do you become? If you believe that a person8217;s profession does affect a person8217;s character, then what is the extent of this effect?

Perhaps it wouldn8217;t be fair to make a sweeping statement in answer to any of these questions. But a part of the personality of a judge or a doctor or a teacher does manifest itself in his attitudes, actions, maturity of thoughts and behaviour in his private life. Cheats are known to have often cheated their friends and relatives. And a thief might steal from his own house. Instances of a thief stealing from a friend8217;s or a relative8217;s house are indeed many.

When you have played a character too long, even on the stage, you might imbibe some of the traits, fears or apprehensions of that particular character.

My father had an interesting incident to recount in this connection. He was then posted as the station master at a wayside railway station in Quetta division now in Pakistan. The station was at a distance of a mile from the city, and the road leading to the city was generally desolate and deserted.

One evening a well-known stage actor of the city came to see my father. Since he played only female roles on the stage, he sported long hair and was ridiculously feminine in his gestures and general behaviour. As he sat talking that evening, he lost count of time. By the time he got up to leave, it had got quite late. Outside it was pitch dark. After going a few yards, he returned. He looked scared, pale and nervous. 8220;Sir,8221; he said to my father, 8220;it has got dark and the road is lonely. I8217;m terribly afraid of going along.8221;

My father instructed the chowkidar to escort him to the city. Years later, my father used to relate this incident: 8220;Women never ventured out alone those days. Women at night especially always had to be escorted by some male member of the family. This man behaved like a woman that night. His role on the stage had affected his personality, and like most women of those days, he had become timid.8221;

I was reminded of this by a somewhat similar incident relating to a student of our school. He was quite an aggressive and violent type of youth. He was frequently involved in brawls. We had come to regard him as a typical problem boy. Then a strange thing happened. Our art teacher was looking for someone whom he could present as Mahatma Gandhi on the stage. His eyes fell on this boy. He perceived a striking resemblance between his and the Mahatma8217;s face.

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When he finally appeared on the stage we all gasped. The transformation was so complete. He become our most prized exhibit and we presented him on the stage in several inter-school competitions, little realising that all through these displays the boy was undergoing an inner change. He started showing a marked change in his behaviour. He was no longer violent. He didn8217;t fight nor did he get involved in brawls. Instead of being rowdy, he become sober and mild mannered.

But the climax came when one day some students beat him up. They gave him a bleeding nose but he didn8217;t hit back even once!