TWO GRAVES
"Before you embark on the journey of revenge,
dig two graves.”
Just flashed on TV before a movie....
Really made me think...Revenge is nothing but death of relations. Instead, dig one grave and bury the feelings of revenge, hatred and anger deep into it.
Just flashed on TV before a movie....
Really made me think...Revenge is nothing but death of relations. Instead, dig one grave and bury the feelings of revenge, hatred and anger deep into it.
Well, before you embark on this Post, let me
confess: Pinky, a friend of mine, shared the above thoughts on her FB Status,
last evening. It immediately caught my attention, and, I assured her that I
would be writing on this subject. And, here I go…
Now, I
liked the idea of digging two graves. But, for whom?
Obviously,
one for my enemy… whose pound of flesh I seek…
The
other?
Pinky
has suggested, only one grave is enough: to bury our feelings of anger, hatred and revenge.
I agree with her. Because, if we bury our feelings of anger, hatred and revenge in one grave,
before we go on our war-path, what is the other grave for?
I
really, started thinking, last night.
The
journey of revenge is a blind pursuit. It is quite difficult – almost impossible
– to come back once we embark upon it!
We can
check and find out if it is true or not…
The
journey is miserably isolating, self-defeating… It is a suicide!
Yes,
we all are human. We have our feelings… Like Shylock in ‘Merchant of Venice, we
too, justify and reason out as to why we are hell-bent on having the ‘pound of
flesh’ of our enemy… our tormentor… who, has hurt us, who has cheated us, who
has caused us sorrow. “Don’t’ you cry, if I prick you? Don’t you giggle, if I
tickle you?”
The
logic of revenge has, always, been primitive: “An eye for an eye!”
But,
if I pluck your eye
just because you have plucked mine,
how will it restore
mine?
How will it help me?
It is
madness. Blindness!
Two
graves are for my own sake…
In one,
to bury by my anger, hatred and revenge, as my friend, Pinky has suggested…
In the
other, to bury my peace!
Yes,
before embarking upon the journey of revenge, we all have to make this choice:
Where to rest what?
Many years ago, when I
had just come to Mumbai, I was staying with my uncle's family. They had a small
house, and, I used to sleep in the hall-room. Every night, after the lights
were off, a small rat would enter from the hall-room window, walk into the
kitchen, mess-up things and go back. In the morning, my aunt would scream, “Oh,
not again!”
This would take place every night and we all were fed-up.
Even the rat-trap proved useless!
One night, I decided to take control of the situation and
finish him off, once and for all. So, after the lights were off, I decided not
to sleep, instead, watch and wait for him. Someone must have tipped-off to him
about my plan, and, so, he did not appear for a long time, that night. I was
impatient, restless and frustrated. And, suddenly, I saw, in the darkness, he
entering in. I swung into action, right away. I was ready, you see: I grabbed
the leather sandal of my uncle, quickly, and started hammering the tormentor…
so hard, and so long… shouting, “Take it, take it, take it… you rascal!”
Woken up by the commotion, my uncle, aunt and my little nephew
and niece – all of them stormed into the hall-room. “What
is going on?” they asked, almost half-dead with panic!
“Finally, I have just killed the rat, the rascal!” I announced
my joy, beaming through the darkness, and holding high-up my uncle’s sandal… Oh yes, like the
Tipu Sultan’s sword!
“Good riddance!” my aunt was extremely happy, proud and
relieved.
My uncle switched the lights on to see the dead-body!
And, behold! There it was: my dear uncle’s smashed, dead and
shapeless other sandal!
“Take it, take it, take it… you rascal…” I wanted to destroy
my enemy, my tormentor, once and for all!
Maybe, Pinky… I say, just maybe… the two graves
are to bury my poor uncle’s two sandals: the ‘Victorious’ and the ‘Vanquished’!
GERALD
D’CUNHA
Pics.: Manoj Nair
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