THERE IS NO PILLOW AS SOFT AS A CLEAR CONSCIENCE
“None can destroy iron,
but its own rust can.
Likewise, none can destroy a person,
but his own his own
mindset can.”
Ratan Naval Tata
Following
the demolition of Babri Masjid (on 6th December, 1992), communal
riots broke out in Mumbai (Bombay) and destroyed the delicate social fabric of brotherhood…
Scores of lives were lost and crores of rupees, too…
Communal clashes
are clashes between two communities – who follow two different faiths. But,
imagine, you and I burning down each other’s homes, killing each other’s families,
looting, raping, lynching – imagine getting reduced to such levels, just
because we are instigated against one another…
It's the worst
form of living… The darkest form of worship!
The communal riots
had left so many citizens, who truly loved the secular spirit of this city, deeply
moved. Mr. Ratan Tata, who was young and
energetic then, wrote a moving piece in a leading English daily – visibly shaken
and saddened.
From my side, just 34 then, I had poured my angst in a small book titled - ‘The Forgotten Tenets’. It carried some passages/verses about how my heart was feeling on witnessing the mayhem and madness in our beloved city… I wish to share a couple of those passages in this Blog:
“Where was Ram actually born?
Was it in Ayodhya or in a
human heart?”
“They fight over a mosque and
a temple…
Why don’t they fight over
the sun, the moon, the
stars, the rain and the wind?”
“It doesn’t matter,
if I do not worship a God;
It doesn’t matter,
if I do not go to a temple
or a mosque…
But, certainly, it does
matter,
if I don’t respect God’s
living image
on this earth: MAN.”
“There can never, never, never
be a Holy War
as long as Life remains sacred…
It can be even your most
bitter enemy’s…
The force that binds is Religion;
the force that forgives is
Religion;
the force that shows
compassion is Religion;
the force that divides,
that hates, that kills –
can never, never, never be Religion.”
“God created not only man,
but also, birds, animals,
flowers,
bees, plants, fishes,
snakes and
so many other creatures.
Still, man alone worships
God,
he alone has religions.
What do you think:
the other creatures aren’t
thankful to God?”
These
were just a few of the passages from my little book – ‘The Forgotten Tenet’.
On reading Mr.
Ratan Tata’s moving article on the English daily, I instantly posted a copy of
my book to his Bombay House address. I did it, because what he wrote in his
rare article was similar in spirit to what I had written in my book… It was
similar to what millions of us were feeling in our hearts.
I was touched
when I received a letter signed by the great man appreciating what I had conveyed
through my little book…
Mr. Ratan Tata
was a man of clear conscience… To me, it was his personal and professional legacy.
Let me place my wreath, an old French
proverb spelt on it:
“There is no
pillow so soft as a clear conscience.”
GERALD
D’CUNHA
Pic’s: 1. www.euroschoolindia.com
2. www.amazon
ae
3. www.pngmart.com
Video: Ravish Kumar
Official
Comments