Atal-ji, me and my complacency....

On the week-end I was just spending time at my parent’s place – this is the place where I grew up and spent most part of my life so far. I feel just great wandering around the place doing particularly nothing... In the living room showcase amongst other things I noticed a gold medal. While I kept gazing at it memories came flooding......

Must have been year 1980 or may be 1981...I remember I was in sixth standard. There was a State level elocution competition held at our school....it was a big occasion (or god knows Nostalgia is making it bigger...). I won the gold medal and the medal was presented to me by none other than Honourable Mr Atal Bihari Vajpeyee. Atal-ji had just stepped down as a Minister of External Affairs in Janata Government and had a huge fan following in the area where I grew up. Well...it was a big occasion and when we got my photograph with Atal-ji my mother was particularly ecstatic. As was the practice in those days she took me around the neighbourhood with the photograph and I basked in my glory happily..... As we went to one particular neighbour’s place, he held the photo and admiringly said, “Hmm... future prime minister” and I just blushed! Well, I knew I had won a big competition but this was little too much...... We came out of their house and as soon as the neighbours closed their door my mother whacked me, “You idiot.... they were talking about Atal-ji not you!!!” I remember that shocked expression on her face at the thought that I never ever thought that the other man in the photograph was little better qualified than me to become the Prime Minister of the Country.....!!!

I think this particular incident defines my overall approach to life which has not changed much over the years. Ill-effects of complacency are well-documented so let me put down something in defence of it especially when I feel I have not fared too badly (you are right this is one of the key symptoms!!) .....

Complacency helps you to think of yourself almost as a god’s gift to mankind and just as you may be oblivious to many critical things happening around you, you are also insulated from the scorn of the world!

Your ambitions almost always have a very romantic aura around them so while success does not affect you (you always deserved it right?...) even a failure is nicely engulfed into a romantic feeling that you get watching a well made tragedy film!

There is a fine line that divides complacency and arrogance..... in arrogance you think of others negatively....in complacency you are always so sure that others are fond of you that there is no question any negativity!

Complacency does not allow you to hurt anyone easily as that does not befit your overall self-image of a romantic hero!

You do not mind working hard simply because you generally are well aware of your importance to the world at large!

I do not know whether it was sheer luck or God’s own design(ya...I seriously think God has time to specifically design my destiny!) that landed me in the IT Industry at the beginning of my career and was so comfortable though out my stay there as I thrived amongst the Software Engineers – who pretty much like me have this feeling about themselves that they are God’s gift to mankind!

As I upload this post on my blog...I just wonder how much and how many folks are going to enjoy reading this!!!!!