MIYAN KI DAUD MASJID TAK

 



“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.”

William Shakespeare, ‘All’s Well That Ends Well’

 

Are we all these little frogs blissfully living in our ponds?

One of my pet phrases, with which I often find myself trying to motivate my students, is ‘Don’t be a frog in the pond’…

Obviously, when I put it so forcefully, my intention is good: I want my students to go beyond the books… Think practical, be in touch with what’s happening around them, etc., etc., etc.

Some of my near and dear ones – including my wife and son – often tell it on my face: “Yours is a one-way traffic… You preach, and your students listen to you, mutely.”

Only those who love you, know you and care for you, can tell it on your face… It doesn’t mean, my students don’t love me, care for me and know me… They just don’t want to ‘invite trouble’ by telling it on their teacher’s face… They know what a ‘great frog’ their teacher is… particularly when it comes to the ‘information technology’!

I was of their age – 17-18 - when I started writing my ‘notes’ in my private diaries. I was pathologically shy and nervous to express my thoughts before anyone… I was filled with fear and self-doubts. So, I began to write my feelings and thoughts in private… Slowly I showed them to those who I trusted… When they said, ‘They are so beautiful’, I began to trust my own heart – and kept writing every day, everything…

Tomorrow, I will be completing 63. Imagine writing every day, everything for, for over 45 years! Writing has become a daily need for me, just like breathing… I find immense joy and fulfilment in this process… I expect nothing in return from this process… Maybe, that’s why I am still able to write…

Well, let me bring myself back to my well… I didn’t know how to put a computer on or off till 2008! I depended on my Man Friday for every little thing relating to it… So, I never bothered to learn it. Then, one fine day, he got a better job, and bid me ‘good-bye’. That’s when some of my dear students – now great friends – nudged me, pushed me, mocked me to learn computer. One of them was Mehul, an absolute Geek and who is long settled in the US – another one was my fried, Sundar, who is no more now, another friend was Manjeet – these people who loved me, cared for me and knew me well – kept saying what I am saying to my students – ‘Don’t be a frog in the pond’.

Thus, I began to type my daily ‘Notes’ directly into the computer… Facebook (my only social platform other than WhatsApp ) came much later. Again, my dear student – and now a dear friend, Pooja – literally started teaching me from the most basic things… “Sir, your Blogs should reach many, many students and friends of yours who are scattered all over the world” – my well-wishers like Pooja kept nudging me…Thus, began my FB adventure. The only reason why I came in and am still there was to share my daily blog posts – my ‘private notes’!





I remember what my son – who was about 17-18 then – saying, “What dad, when we guys are quitting FB, you are joining it.”

There was merit in what my son was telling me on my face. I woke up late for everything in life… including Information Technology… I still run to my son and students for every little technical hitch… “Frog in the pond – Who?”

What goes around comes around!

Why am I doing this confession, today?

As many of you know, a young geek – with a crooked mind – who had created a fake FB id – ‘Gerald D’ – and contacted several of my friends for money! Thanks to many of my friends - who loved me, cared for me and knew me –  alerted me promptly and helped me come out of my pond, or, shall I say ‘to woke me up from my sleep’… Many of them reported the matter to FB, and many of them gave me tips to safeguard myself. At home, when I told this to my son, he got wild… “Let me check what stupid privacy settings you have,” he blasted.

“O my God! How did you survive like this for so many years?” Those were the exact words of the ‘sage at home’…

Apparently, my son has fixed it, and his father seems to be safe, now!





Jokes apart, it’s a serious issue. A thousand passwords to remember, a thousand OTPs not to be shared with anyone… Everything changes so fast and every day… How are oldies like me to cope with this frantic pace? How are we supposed to look outside our ponds?

“Miyan ki daud masjid tak”… What does that mean?

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic’s: pixabay

 

Video: BRIGHT SIDE

 


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