Friday, April 15, 2016

Greatefulness

When you look back – as I do – at various stages of your life, whether professional or otherwise, you will invariably find that there is someone who has quite gratuitously, without expecting anything at all in return, helped you along the way. I have had the experience on several occasions, and can name all the people who have, without much active effort, helped me along life’s path. It is as if you are climbing a steep hill; you slip on some cobblestones, and someone (out of the blue) offers you a hand. And you take it.

-- Before Memory Fades: An Autobiography by Fali S. Nariman

I have been very fortunate in this aspect. Helpful people show up from nowhere and help me out even without asking. I remember all of them but need to make it a point let them know how grateful I am to all those who helped me along the way. Many times such good Samaritans were total strangers. I believe it is just the inherent goodness in humans that made them help me. There is no way I can pay them back and even if I try they won't need the help. As somebody said, best way to return goodwill is to pass it along to others. All of us can try to do that.

FYI:  Fali S. Nariman is an eminent Indian lawyer. He is credited to be the one and the only one civil servant (i.e. government employee) to have resigned from his government service in protest when Indira Gandhi imposed illegal emergency in 1975. He was the assistant attorney general of India back then. Can you believe it, only one civil servant had the guts and mortal strength to resign in protest? Hats off. In private, Indira Gandhi reportedly made fun of how quiet the so called intelligentsia was and how timidly the whole country put up with emergency without much protest. She was apparently very surprised as she had not expected such an easy going!

Part of this post copied from my Facebook status.

2 comments:

sunaath said...

Yes, Mahesh. The govt. servants and the press bent before Indira Gandhi during the ill-famous emergency. Mr. Niren De, the Adv. Gen. of India (Indira!) argued before the Supreme Court that all rights of a citizen are suspended during the emergency including the right to live. This means a policeman can shoot and kill anyone in an emergency very much legally. All the learned (!) judges of the Supreme Court succumbed to the Dictator except H R Khanna. So also the Press except Indian Express and The Statesman. L.K.Advani commented that "When Mrs. Gandhi asked the Media to bend, it crawled."
The 4G of the Nehru-Gandhi family now blurts that there is emergency-like situation in India today! He is adept in exhibiting his ignorance anytime, anywhere.

Mahesh Hegade said...

Thanks Sunaath Sir. Nariman was Niren De's subordinate then. You are right. The shock of the emergency was so much so that people just froze and thankfully before they came back to senses, emergency had been over and there was temporary reprieve from IG.