Everything that occurs to us, every event, every accident, every failure and every emotion, we point that to a reason. Once we have pointed that out to a reason, it's like a word quiz you have completed. We find a placeholder for that "reasoning" and leave that file there and move on. There are days on which we look back at that locked closet and look at all those dispositions, we open them again and ask, was it really destiny, was it really my effort, was it really what it was? More often than not, we end up closing that "file" for a similar reason and close it one more time. Like everyone else, I have a few "files" I have never been able to close with my self-conviction. Truth be told, I do wander to find the right answer. I do park them with the best available answer till I stumble upon a better one.
Today, I will share some such answers that I have now concluded. One about the Soul, a much-discussed term, with very little insights. The second point is about emotional hygiene and as always, in the end, a rare Ghazal sung by Jagjit Singh, Ek tere kareeb aane se ....
Person, Persona and the Soul: I have now concluded that there are three layers of existence and we know every living being at three level. It must be observed that I am calling the Soul as a living being. They aren't three stages of evolution, they are just three entities and three distinct states of being. The basic and most primitive state is that of a "person," where do hear this word often, in the word VIP perhaps or in the expression the missing person. The "important" in the VIP (very important person) is often the person's job or status or a title by birth. We may like a person without knowing them much, like a model who appears to be visually appealing or a juggler whose act is impressive. Often when we introduce ourselves, we speak of our "person" layer, Name, age, education, ethnic background and status in society, all of which is at a "person" level. Over 80% of all people we know, or we are aware of, are at a "person" level.
Persona: In Latin, persona originally meant "mask" but often it is the character established by an author one in whose voice all or part of a narrative takes place. Persona for me has a slightly more deeper meaning. The shades this character are the persona, they are his or her traits beyond what's obvious. It's not just the mask, it is the person , his beliefs, his actions, his convictions, his values and how they appear in the narrative. Persona and personality are close, but I will rather use persona to describe what's the second layer of the "person". When we see a film star, it is often his or her looks, the appearance and the role they play. It is never about their real character. The real persona is not often seen and felt. How these people behave in situations to uphold human values, ethics, bravery or even their basic ability to survive. An example is Sushmita Sen and Mahie Gill. At a "person: level a lot of individuals know Sushmita for being Miss Universe at age 19. Both Mahie and Sushmita are 1975 born. While Sushmita won the Miss Universe Title and then acted in a few movies, nothing other than her decision to adopt two girls has ever come to light which speaks of her "persona." Looks are fine, may be she was born with that she accidentally happened to be at right place right time to win the title. After 1994, other than some failed relationships with producers (Vikram Bhatt), struggling actors (Randeep Hooda and cricketer Wasim Akram, I have never seen an article by her, a piece of wisdom in an interview or even act of kindness. For reasons only known to mankind, she has been given some Mother Teresa award also. On the other hand, Mahie has an awe-inspiring persona, a personality which has proved all her critics wrong. She was no Miss Universe or ever did modeling. In fact, she belongs to an orthodox Jat Family and after a failed arranged marriage, she stepped into Bollywood and after 5 years of struggle, got her first break was at age 34 in DevD. She chose to do parallel cinema and Punjabi Movies, and in all these years, she suffered alcohol addiction and many other setbacks. Despite her struggles, I am enamored with her "persona". What people say means nothing, how people look also means nothing, what they do, how they do and when they do and how they make other people feel matters and that is persona to me.
Soul: Have you ever fallen in love with a character you haven't met, has no description in person or in persona. Have you seen how Karna looked or how Mirza of Mirza Sahiba looked in real life, how they spoke or how they were in real life? These are sketches whose presence makes us feel in a certain way, that's soul to me. Every year people celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna in the same old fashion, with stories of his life re-enacted, and his statue worshiped. However, the real worship of Krishna is not just in assigning him a place in mythology, but giving him space in our psychology, and imbibing the qualities he stands for. Krishna is not a myth of the past; Krishna represents a lifestyle we would do well to adopt today. His luxurious living, his playfulness, his depth in sharing the immortal Geeta, while on the other hand his frolics with gopis; the Krishna who plays flute also holds a Sudarshan Chakra and destroys evil: All these contradictions have made him a whole being, a "purna purush". In fact all that people know of Krishna and Karna is through the portrayal of B.R Chopra's TV series Mahabharata . In real life, you will meet people who will trigger a soul stir, not because of their looks or persona by their sheer aura. People often confuse soul with the personalities who trigger hormones, they have nothing to do with testosterone or estrogen or Dopamine. Souls aren not chocolate, single malts or orgasms. They are experiences which leave an indelible mark on you, whose presence makes you feel that the crowd does not matter. They are calm, insightful and wise beyond their years, the soul perceives the world with ancient eyes, feels the world with a loving heart, and comprehends the world with a timeless point of view. These souls connect with your inner solitude and are able to listen to your increasing detachment from the transitory world, they are the great prophetic voices in the wilderness and illuminating lanterns in the dark. Most of us have met at least one Old Soul during our lifetimes. These are the enlightening people who teach us lessons, lead by example and exhibit unending patience and wisdom.
Emotional Hygiene: Another childhood story to share, I must have heard it from someone in my family that the sky is always blue and the clouds don't decide the color of the sky. Learn to distinguish between weather and the sky. Weathers don't impact the sky, they are a layer of time. We often look at the clouds as the sky, they are the weather, it will change. Nothing is permanent but the sky. Souls are the sky , but we often surround ourselves with "persons" and Personas. Look at your phone book and facebook friends or even people who read this blog, who connects as a soul ? Its hygiene , lesser the persons the cleaner the place, look at the sky and not the clouds. When you find them, keep them close, you don't have to be in their close vicinity or meet them often but have them around. Their aura is infectious. Soul searching is what life is for, Make sure you have that Apocalypse ..don't borrow a search, make your own search, make it happen to you .
and now the Ghazal
एक तेरे क़रीब आने से , दूर हम हो गए ज़माने से
जाने क्यों बिजलियों को रंजिश है, सिर्फ़ मेरे ही आशियाने से
आग दिल की सुलगती रहने दो, और भड़केगी ये बुझाने से
इश्क़ ही एक राज़ है ऐसा, फ़ाश होता है जो छुपाने से
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