Perspective - Seeing things differently

Come May and the blog sees day!

Rather routine-like isn't it? Past four years of college life and since the inception of this blog, that’s how the dice been rolling. Did I just say - Past" four years of college life?! The rollercoaster ride has moved from to the next stage as I bid au revoir to another phase of my life - with ups and downs but I am still tethered to the ride screaming "Bring it on". Fun filled, Friends I made, the decisions I took, the challenges I faced, the triumphs and the defeats all now pages of some book at the back of my head. No doubt, years down the line, every time I glance down memory lane, am sure it will fill with youthful exuberance yackety yak yak. No time to be philosophical now. This might be my last care free vacation in life except when I finally retire. It all falls into perspective and how differently you see everything. An optimist's perspective, a pessimist's perspective, a kid's perspective, an adult's perspective, all different viewpoints to the same thing. [Note to myself: Check out Vantage Point- its all about perspectives]

Perspective is so dependent on time, space and numerous other factors for the same thing. As my train pulled away from Tiruchirappalli junction, it felt different. I have done this ride umpteenth number of times but this time was different. Somewhere in there, I knew, this might be the last time I would be doing it. Obviously, every time one does it, it can be the last time yet this time perspective changed. It’s all in the head. The special LAST TIMES at Octagon, Raju Anna, Meridien, Sangeethas, Room, Hostel, Sports centre, Bus No. 128 ride, and numerous other things. College life in itself. Banana Leaf Restaurant was also a last time in second year itself. But that’s a different last time, thanks to perspective.

Our view/perspective of people too can change thanks to the situation. Ever noticed how glad you feel when you see a sub continental (whether Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Indian or Sri Lankan) when you walk down the streets of Turkey or Belgium, but you don't care to give them a second glance if you were in the subcontinent itself. We are so proud when Kalpana Chawla goes to space, Mahendra Singh Dhoni carries aloft the Twenty 20 World Cup or Vijay Mallya brings back to India the sword of Tipu Sultan. Yet, when hundreds die in a riot, or a bridge collapses or those numerous other mishaps that litter the front pages of our daily newspaper, they are the UNKNOWNS. Hundreds of people die everyday and we skip the page, thousands die on a single day and we launch relief efforts. Why does humanity need a jolt or a shock to proceed into action? Why this inertia towards doing good? We all are busy with our lives and there is too much red tape. I guess that is an answer that most of us will pop up, even me. Every time there is a massive tragedy, billions are collected, even you and me give our bit to help the unfortunate by writing a cheque, money transfer or something similar yet we brush aside the poor kid that nags us all the way till our car to give a bit to keep himself alive. Giving away your hard earned cash is not easy, and it is brave of each one of us to even give away a cheque to these relief efforts. But is it money well spent? Does this money reach those who deserve it? Does our act of charity end with that signed cheque or should we do more? I bring out this question for only one reason. Till today, there is not one place where the scars of a tragedy have not been wiped out. Just because media doesn’t show it doesn’t mean alls well. Bhuj has seen cosmetic shake ups but when you hear that tents for people were being used by government babus as covers for their cars, I have serious doubts about the cash that you and I gave. Is there no way we can ascertain that our money has reached the rightful beneficiaries of our goodwill? Perspective?

Every once in a blue moon, one hears of geniuses, men who thought differently, had a different perspective to offer, saw things differently and made this world a better place. In these fast times, showers are what most of us get while we dream of tub baths where we can switch off and relax. Archimedes had other ideas in his bath tub and Eureka! A hungry Newton could have just picked up, polished and eaten the apple but he had other ideas. James Watt could have just drunk the steaming hot tea being prepared in the kettle to Robert Bruce just ignoring the spider that built and re built its web. They all could have seen it otherwise but fortunately they didn’t. Perspective again! Socrates and his lot were troubled, many others burnt at the stake because they thought otherwise. The Earth is not the centre of the Universe said some, the Indo-Arabic numerals with its zero were a better alternative to Roman numerals said others. Those who think differently have been branded weird, mad and crazy to heretics in human society. Even today, we may be more open to change yet somewhere in there; we still keep those who think differently away from us. Corporates spend millions on workshops titled “Creativity” and “Think Out of the Box” yet in our educational systems, students who are forced to be uniform in terms of their thinking and their answers. You cannot have 5 subjects where answers different from the textbook or notes are punished and then push in one subject where you extol students on the values of being imaginative and coming up with creative answers.

Its all perspective and how you see it – optical illusions in the real life?

I end with a bird's eye (make that a paraglider's) perspective of my home J - thanks to wikimapia which sure is a great tool to use – whether its Aditya coaxing all of us to use it and mark our places on the world map to showing my friends where I studied to where I stayed in my childhood days. For the uninitiated- Adil Centre is The building

Ps: Sprite- Dikhave par mat jao apni akal lagao J