WHO WANTS TO SHAKE THE EARTH, ANYWAY?

"Talent is like a flower;

you have to fully tend to it,

if you want something beautiful.”

Marinela Reka

Now that we all have enough time in hand, right?

“No time” has, always, been our favourite excuse… We hid behind it. But, now, there is no way we can hide… The truth is wide in the open:  All of us have excess time in hand, yes, to do whatever we wanted to, but couldn’t… complaining - ‘No time’!

The sunnier side of this lockdown is, that so many are using their time to showcase their talents: they make interesting videos to showcase their talents – songs, dance, music, poetry, drawing, painting, cooking, yoga, fitness, motivation, blogging, mentoring, coaching etc. And, what a way to make the most of these, otherwise, gloomy days at our disposal!

“Every adversity brings with it a seed of equal or greater opportunity.” Heard it before? You have to, in deed, believe in it. Else, the adversity becomes even a bigger excuse for our laid-back attitude in life!

Today, this lockdown has offered all of us the same proverbial ‘lemon’… the sour lemon. And, those who see in the lemon an opportunity, they invariably end up making delicious lemonade out of it. On the other hand, those who see only sourness in the lemon, remain on their couches and beds, still complaining – ‘No time’… ‘Bad time’!

I, for one, have, always, believed, that God has placed a talent or two in each one of us. Some of us are lucky to have parents, relatives, teachers and friends to help us discover our talents, believe in ourselves and motivate us to pursue them. And, some of us, may not be so lucky. But, lucky we are for the grace of God in waking us up to our talents, in believing in ourselves and self-motivating to pursue them. It’s the age-old analogy of two schools of success – the school which Arjuna belonged and the school which Ekalavya belonged. The latter is the school of self-development, the school of the underdogs… the underprivileged.

But, let me tell you this: whichever school you belong, to be an Arjuna or to be an Ekalavya, you need that self-discipline, passion, dedication, determination and perseverance… The fire in the belly, as it’s called!

Soumya Nair is the college-going daughter (only daughter) of our family friends – Sanjeev and Sandya. We live in the same housing society. Right since Soumya was a little baby, her parents had recognized her talent for singing and encouraged her to pursue it. They encouraged her to stay focused on long hours of training in classical singing, to take part in every singing opportunity – however small it might be… and reinforced in her the belief, that she was good, she could shine!

So, today, like everyone else, when Soumya, too, has excess time in hand, she has chosen to record some of her favourite songs – Hindi, English, Malayalam – sitting right inside in her room!

Yes, what Soumya is doing, almost every day during these lockdown days, is what many young kids like her are doing. Why young kids – even adults and elderly are doing! They have recognized that seed of opportunity in the adversity… They have seen the possibility of making a sweet lemonade when Life hands them with a sour lemon!

Nothing earthshaking, yes, I know. But, who wants to shake the earth, anyway?

“In  this make-believe world of  high-technology, it’s a pure delight to watch and listen to you,” I wrote to Soumya after watching a couple of her YouTube videos, “Just sitting in your room, with sheer talent and undiluted beauty of your voice, you amaze us in so many dialects. True music transcends all boundaries… Just sing your heart out, without worrying about what is in store for you… What deserves to shine, will shine! Loads of love and wishes.”

Tomorrow will be Easter. I remember what Jesus had said about talents: “No one lights a lamp and then hides it under a basket. Instead, the lamp is placed on a stand, so that it gives light to those who enter the house.”

What I do, here, through my daily Blogs, and what Soumya has decided to do through her daily YouTube songs – and what tens and thousands of people like us are doing today in this lockdown – yes, is what Jesus had asked us to do: To Light a lamp and place it high up on the stand…

Light is what is needed today, more than anything else!

GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic.: www.istockphoto.com

Videos: Soumya Nair