Looking for a stress buster?

 

 

I have been in the business of selling books since last one and a half decade. While, I used to sell rare books, especially books on design, I came across one unique book that had a catchy title! “You are the instrument, You are the player!” a small but wonderful book (don’t even remember the author). It was a book on acting preparation. The book included expressions of well-known actors, what acting meant to them and what their acting philosophy was! It indeed was a good guide for students learning acting as a profession.

 

I entered into books distribution business with no background. It was purely love for books. So! I was never a good bookseller! I used to select books by visiting my vendors personally and spending days at their premises. It was soothing feeling to spend time with books for days together. When those books used to enter my I looked after them like I do for my children. And no sooner a customer would select a book would want to buy it, a corner of my heart wept secretly, like a father saying goodbye to his daughter after her wedding.

 

 

While in this business, I learned many things, like any other business to any other businessman! Every book has its own destiny. Not just that, every copy of every book has different destiny! Once I bought fifty copies of a wonderful book on product design! A very costly book- roughly 2500 rupees per copy! First thirty copies were sold like hot cake! Next five, I had to try to sell them. Further seven copies I had to try hard to sell. Further it took one year for a copy! Today I still have few copies! All the sold copies are resting in shelves of big libraries, design firms and with big shot product designers. Some are lying on hostel beds of design students! Same book from same author, same publisher, same distributor bought them on same date but are at different destinations today! A book seller can’t even determine the destiny of books he has in his custody! This should be true to all businesses, all products, all businessmen! You only have to try hard!

 

This Covid-19 pandemic period is making us think- Rethink. And think about our rethinking! We do not have any other thing to do. This over thinking makes us shiver! Makes us frustrate! Everything around us is a question mark. When we sit alone, fearful thoughts start dancing around us. Everyday makes us worry, every day a new hotspot, new containment, new restriction, scarcity of one or the other thing! Those insensitive information bombers keep on bombarding bigger uncontrollable figures of infections, positives, negatives and deaths! When will this end? It’s not just worry of tomorrow, it’s something more. Will this spare me and my family? Will every one beloved around me float safe from here?

 

This reminds me something! Every year we read in newspaper, thousands of people staying nearby Bramhputra Nad In the state of Assam (Yes, that’s correct; it’s called male river because of its hugeness!) are flown away and die during flood! Thousands and thousands every year! Pained with this news, my daughter asked me once, “Baba, but then why should they stay there?” The answer is, “They do not have any other option!” They have been staying there for centuries.

 

Their forefathers have been fighting this flood and surviving!” If the Bramhaputra had taken away everyone staying along, in last few years we wouldn’t have heard the news of anyone drifted in strong currents of the river. There are still many who survive and thrive! Every year the death comes hunting them, some people surrender yet many are still successful to hypnotize the GOD of Destruction! It is their land of their ancestors. They never surrender their

connect with their own place unless destiny snatches it from them. For sure, not out of fear of death!

 

Not many out there are well educated, not well placed, not having riches, not very fortunate ones. But they know how to bend, where to surrender and when to bend backwards! They know how to survive! But here in big metros, people are educated, well placed, minting fortunes! But unfortunately, they are just the students of Mrs. Information and Mr. Knowledge! They haven’t attended tuitions of Mr. Wisdom. But that induces unwarranted attitude. They are only taught to bend backwards. They feel they are the ones who shape their own destiny. They can design their life and deliver too! Sometimes they are able to deliver! They start believing, they are ‘Go Getters’! A funny, unrealistic, pampering term!

 

There’s a book with title ‘The Secret’ by Rhonda Byrne. Most of us have seen and read this book. A wonderful book! Business? OH! Wonderful business! I sold huge number of copies! This book solicits the wonderful power of visualization Technique. This book comes from US. No wonder, like any other books from Christian clergimen like Norman Vincent Peale and many others. These books are preaching Bible to the whole world through Sugar coated titles! Fantastic effort! Well, I don’t mind if it is working for the people of land from where it comes! Unfortunately, seems not working! Most of the western countries, the origins of these winning techniques and “Blah! Blah!! Blah!!!” have surrendered in front of this Pandemic. Why? Where’s that technique? Where’s that spirit? Where’s that attitude? That Self Esteem? The principles professed in those books, from prologue to The End?

 

Everyone must have heard a funny story of a dog! Initially dog is running behind a bullock cart! But then it becomes difficult to run behind because of the scorching Sun! So he starts running under the cart! He is relieved because of the shadow of the cart. After some time the cart starts rolling over a slanted road . So gets speed! To save from the Sun the dog also has to speed up. Great going! High speed! The dog is happy! He starts thinking that the cart is running fast because he is running faster! At one point he thinks with great attitude, if he stops running, he can make the cart stop! Suddenly he decides to stop. But there is no reason for the cart to halt. It keeps its pace and quickly leaves the dog behind to get roasted in hot sun!

 

There’s nothing indispensable on the back of this earth. Nothing and Nobody! Everything on this earth is organic. Things complement each other and things substitute each other. We all are like that dog! Having mightier attitude than necessary! Thinking that we are the ones, who run the show! We are indispensable! In reality we are only a small nut of a big machine! A small dot of a big design!

 

Actually this attitude creates huge stress! We think, “If I don’t do this, it will not happen!” “If I do this, then only that will happen!” Things will happen irrespective of ‘YOU’ being in picture! There is war of thoughts going on all the time within ourselves. A revered saint of Maharashtra, Sant Shri Tukaram Maharaj said it, “रात्रंदिन आम्हा युद्धाचा प्रसंग!” This is basically a dilemma we face between western and Hindu Thinking. Western philosophy says, “You are the Instrument, You are the Player!” This may be true for professional acting and not in real life! But our philosophy preaches, “I am an instrument, YOU are the Player!” This YOU is none other than Almighty God, Ishwar, Bhagvan! Everyone calls it the way one likes! Are we discreet enough to digest this? This is the only stress buster, especially in present situation.