The Animal in Us!

I was having coffee at the Cafe Coffee Day outlet on 100 feet road with Pradeep, a friend of mine. It was supposed to be a quiet evening in Bangalore for me after a busy 10 days of travel to Kolkota. Ten minutes into our conversation we hear a commotion outside. Two of the customers were beating a third one with his girlfriend alongside pleading that they be left alone. (I later learnt that the girlfriend had complained to her scrawny boyfriend that the two hefty guys at the next table were staring at her. The scrawny boyfriend had in a fit of madness demanded that they refrain from the same; maybe in a not so polite way). Anyways the scrawny boyfriend was getting thrashed by these well dressed goondas as passers-by and cafe coffee day executives tried to prevent further violence. One of the goondas got hold of a garbage lid as a weapon. The poor boy was bleeding profusely. I had by then also gone out to help sort this out. Just when we thought all had quietened down and I had returned to my chair, it erupted again. The two men threatened an auto driver with dire consequences if he spirited the couple away. Finally one clenched fist uppercut knocked the poor guy into a ditch. By then the two guys were also spent and the couple caught a auto quickly and made good their escape. Personally I thought that I could have done a lot more than I did to stop that violence. But the apathy of the elite educated crowd sitting in the cafe, coolly sipping coffee and watching the violence unfold in front of their eyes will always be etched in my mind as an uncaring numbness that paralyzes our knees when the time comes to stand up and aid a fellow human in need. But the lesson that stood out that day was the realization that there is an animal in us, that believes in violence than the power of dialogue, an animal that is lurking in the dark recesses of an uncharted mind; that has the capability to unleash mayhem and hurt on all those around in a selfish act of self-preservation. The evening had too much energy for me and I was in a contemplative mood on my way home. I felt secure in my space, with a book in my hand.

Crossroads

Every now & then, one is faced with a few major decisions to make in life, the outcome of which could take the protagonist down any one of multiple uncertain paths. My first showdown at the crossroads was when I had to decide if I would stay on in St.Stephens, Delhi, to pursue a B.Sc Physics (Hons) degree or come back to base at Chennai to pursue an engineering degree in a nondescript local college. I favoured the former about a decade back and here I am, having done my MBA consequently and working in a Software firm in Bangalore. It wasn't scary at that time 'coz I knew that I would be doing a MBA eventually. But it was a big decision nevertheless for a 16 year old to make. The crossroad dilemna is much more stark when one talks about relocation, marriage, career changes etc. A friend of mine has got all three of them now at one shot and its hard to imagine his thought process. It takes some gumption to take hold of the reins in one's life & steer one way or another. Iron clad conviction is rare I guess, but hope & determination more than make up for that. Sometimes the very act of making a decision at the crossroads can be a defining moment. I learnt at my crossroad to be responsible for my decisions, my actions and that went a long way in standing on my own legs & being independent. But somewhere down that path, some of us toy with the 'What Ifs'. John could ask himself- 'What if I had accepted that job offer?' Sharon could ask herself- 'What if she had said yes to Murphy for marriage'. I asked myself a question sometime back, when reflecting on the years of struggle after b-school. I asked myself- "What if I had accepted the job offers I had got on campus, instead of gambling it away". But then I realized that it just doesn't make sense. You can only weigh in wisdom the consequences of your decisions & go ahead. Sometimes they turn out great, sometimes just about fine & sometimes bad. You just live with that and probably at the next crossroad, the deal may be favorable to you or maybe someone UP there who loves you may light up your runway as you take off.