Why have I ceased to care about the world? Why is my commitment vanishing? Fifteen years ago if I saw blind person struggling to cross the road, I would jump off my bicycle to help him cross, and make a mental note on how I will change public transport. Now I watch my watch and glide away hoping someone will do my job for me.
I wonder today if I cared then since I did not have a care in the world. Caring parents, carefree friends and a careless school set the imagination free. The body did not need much, and five rupees a week bought me all that I wanted. In a city that did not care how I dressed, in a school that did not care if I topped the exam, and with friends who did not care if I drove a bicycle or a BMW I could hatch endless plans to change the world.
The journey from endless plans to an end to plans has not taken long. This body has to take care of itself and that dictates my imagination today. Not long ago I thought of savings and investment only when I thought of India’s five year plans. These five year plans seem less important than my retirement today, symbolic of how my imagination on the whole has gone from public to private. I care today about my body, dress, home and bed today like I never have and have ceased in the process to care about the world…and I wonder now, if I cared about the world then only because I did not have a care in the world.
You may also be interested in:
- Age is the greatest fire extinguisher Rumblings of an ex-activist in his early 30s It seems like a short while ago when no dream seemed like just a dream. Making a...
- Child care – American style I was sauntering around in Toys R Us at Time Square in the Christmas season. Anyone who has been there around this time knows of...
- On narrowing focus for dissertation proposal One of the biggest challenges in writing a proposal is to narrow down our interests to choose a topic In three days, I would have...
- We are a pair-o’-docs Thoughts on similarities and differences from a man on the verge of getting married....
- Salsa in Madras: Social dance in a conservative city Madras is one of those conservative cities that likes to keep its boys and girls at a safe distance. To take an example, parents clamour...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Vivek
I noticed your interests – have you read the chapter on Tamilnadu – in The Rise of the Plebeians by Jafferlot?
MARA