THE SOURCE OF OUR UGLINESS







The fact, that my family has not been watching TV at home for years now, makes no difference at all: we get everything on our cell-phone screens. Yes, we miss nothing!

Yesterday, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh – the extra-colourful guru – was to be sentenced around 2.30 Indian noontime. I was curious to watch the online news. And, like a fool, I spent an hour or two getting all the ‘breaking news’… from every possible TV channel that was. Of course, the loudest and the most colorful of all being Arnab’s Republic TV!

At the end of that one hour or two, I asked the question: “So, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been sent to jail for 10 (or 20?) years now… What difference does it make to the quality of my life?”

Judging someone like Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh comes easily to all of us. At present, he is a villain, an ugly character. You and I haven’t met him and will never meet him. Whatever sins he has committed, he has committed in his ashram or in his ‘Gufa’. Your life and mine are not affected. Still, you and I are obsessed to know about this man’s fate and we get a cheap thrill when he is bashed by the media and others.

There is ugliness in all of us. In my view, this ugliness comes from only one source, only one drive - our incessant ambition to ‘make it big’. I do not find any other source, any other drive… Be it Ram Rahim, a political leader or any businessman, be it a religious organization, a political party or a TV channel – yes, all can turn ugly because of the incessant pursuit to ‘grow big’…

During that one hour or two, last afternoon, alone, one could see how desperate each mainstream TV channel was to ‘break the news first’. ‘The first to break the news’… This means what?

The ‘Number-1 Game that is… The age-old desire to stand first!

Now that Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been sent off to jail. The TV channels will forget him in a day or two and will go after someone else… What about you and me, the fools – the gullible?

I repeat, the source of ugliness is same in all of us – our blind ambition. I want to grow big, you want to grow big… just the way a politician and his party, a guru and his organization, a businessman and his company… yes, anyone and everyone – wants to grow.

Then, why am I obsessed with Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh?

Am I aware of my own ugliness?

When will be my verdict?


GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic.: Anil Bedi

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