Demise and not quite dead!

Tarsem Singh Deogan

Social media is a double edged sword. One of the worst things about social media is unreliable information or the spreading of rumors. Especially rumours about death. Former minister of Finance and corporate affairs Arun Jaitely was the recent victim of online rumors. Before his death people had started sharing the news on various social network media –including WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter, without realizing how it would affect the person still alive or his family. Mr Jaitely is now no more. May the departed soul rest in peace.

I can feel the pain of Mr Jaitely and his family, as I have gone through a similar disturbing situation. Though, news of my death was not an unfounded rumor, but a case of confusion and mistaken identity.

This is how it unfolded. I prefer to wake up late on the weekend as I write till late in the night. On February 24 (Sunday) I woke up around 8.30am. As I wanted to enjoy the privilege of a warm quilt I decided to stay in bed for a few more minutes.

Frequent ringing messages on my mobile, which I found hard to locate, grabbed my attention. After frantically searching the entire bed finally I found my bleeping phone under my pillow.

As I opened WhatsApp, I received the shock of my life. In a WhatsApp group of authors and writers to which I belong, news of my own death was flashing.  Some had begun to post obituary messages. The news made me jump out of my bed.

When I logged in to Facebook, i found friends had written obituary messages on my wall. People who I met a day before, they posted in absolute shock.  They wrote they met me few hours ago and had found me fit and fine. I received calls from some close friends and relatives after they came to know about ‘my death’- thanks to social networking sites. Everyone was traumatized.  The news spread like wildfire and it caused shock and hurt. 

I took the thing lightly till my immediate family took notice of it. After seeing my mother and wife in tears I started digging into the origin of the rumor. I found that a Dr S Tarsem, a prominent figure in Punjabi Literature did actually die of cardiac arrest. Someone shared news of his demise in a WhatsApp group with a message that writer and Author S Tarsem is no more. As I share my name with Dr S Tarsem and i also have a Punjabi book to my credit, people mistook me for the late author.

For conveying the message that I am indeed alive and in the pink of health I shared my latest photos on all my social media accounts to convince people that I was fine.

Well the grieving mourners deleted their obituary messages themselves that they posted on social networking sites ‘remembering me’. Half of the day was eaten up trying to convey news that I am alive.

Veteran Bollywood star Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachhan, Mumtaz, Hollywood actor Rowan Atkinson, (famous as Mr Bean), Megan Fox, all have suffered similar rumours. Before his death there were several rumors of Shashi Kapoor’s demise. The list is long.

Let us be more sensitive and verify such things before sharing it. We should only die once, in real life and in our virtual presence. 

A little can inspire

You can never know from where you can get inspiration. I am writing this piece for my blog after very long time. I was busy writing Punjabi short stories, as I wanted to compile a book (The book is in press now). Honestly, in the wake of publishing a book, I almost forgotten about that I have a blog too and I have to feed it too with writings, until a girl has reminded me about it.

As i was binding up to leave after finishing up my office work, all of a sudden, a girl in her twenties appeared in the office to meet my boss. She expressed her deep urge to write.

She wanted to know if she can write for the newspaper. Well, she was naive in writing, so the boss suggested her to create a blog and start writing for it, as the blogs have follower ship and readership too.

The girl, who is a banker, was not much aware about the blogs. Boss has introduced her to me and asked me to teach her about the blogs.

I told her about how to create a blog, how to add tags, etc. I have also shown her my blogs too (that I had almost forgotten). She suddenly asked me, why I have stopped writing blogs, if you have follower ship. I had no answer.

However, she was naive, but she inspired me for writing again.

I have learned three things:

1.      Sometimes, life inspired us in surprising way.

2.      You can learn from anyone, anything.

3.      A little thing or a little moment can inspire you.

Remembering Amrita

You see, I thought to myself for a very long time...I must write about the journalist Amrita Chowdhary. She left us in a sudden dreadful road mishap on the 21st October 2012. It was a tragedy as we lost a brave journalist as well as a good human being.
I wanted to write a piece about her in my blogs, but somehow I was procrastinating due to laziness or fatigue or a lack of words to describe a talent - a personality, whatever the reason may be, but after around four months of her untimely demise a sudden instinct made me write about her today.
I was crossing the road in front of Sri Durga Mata Mandir near Jagraon Bridge, as it is my route to reach my office. I saw the lion face gate of the shrine and suddenly Amrita Chowdhary struck in my mind.
I can very well recall the head line of the story (Lalaji, it is an enchrochment) that Amrita had written in local edition of the Indian Express in 2001. She had filed the story about the encroachment made by the Mandir Committee. The Municipal Corporation had demolished that encroachment and the disciples were fuming over the issue. Former Member of Parliament, Late Lala Lajpat Rai was the then head of the management committee of the shrine. Lala ji had made some statements against the action taken by the MC and on very next day Amrita’s story was appeared in the newspaper.
I was working for vernaculars at the time. The story nailed itself to my mind and that’s why I can recall the story ...word for word even after 11 long years.
I met her for the last time face to face in Jagraon SSP in May or June last year. We both had gone there to attend a press conference. She was asking me about my experience as I had recently shifted from vernacular media to an English newspaper.
I had replied, though I was enjoying working for an English newspaper, but i felt like I was being boycotted.  Some of my good friends had started avoiding me suddenly (can’t understand why, but don’t want to discuss it here). Well, Amrita smiled and said, don’t worry, it is yet another phase of life, except it. Then she said calmly, ‘koi na tu mainu phone kar leya kar je tere dost tainu nahi bulande’ (don’t worry, you can call me if you feel like that your friends keep their distance from you.)
That was the last conversation I had face to face with Amrita.
Amrita, today I want to talk to you, tell me what number I need to dial…

Perform your duty and be a hero

In my childhood the Super Heroes like Superman, Spider Man and Indian versions like Super Commando Dhruva, Nagraj, Doga etc fascinated me and I dearly wished to be one of them, like every child of my age. I longed to do extra ordinary stuff - flying like superman, stop a running train with my bare hands, pin the bad guys at top of the tallest tower of the city. I wanted to be the real hero of the city.

As I grew up with the time I realized super hero action could be the peculiar fantasy of a child, but it was not a realistic aim. I used to think about doing something extra ordinary to grab the attention of people that would elevate me to the status of a hero overnight.

But my misapprehension about becoming a caped crusader, a lone hero performing extra ordinary work etc quickly disappeared with the recent episode of the episode of a young IPS officer Swapan Sharma (Assistant Police Commissioner of Traffic, Ludhiana) who had become a real life hero of my city. The young officer was extremely fair and square and devoted to his duty and vision.

He initiated tow-away drive in the city to punish reckless drivers who used to create problems by parking their cars carelessly anywhere on the road. Though the tow-away drive was criticized by some, it was hugely appreciated by the masses. His initiative made Ludhiana a safer place to drive in. He busted gangs who roamed fearlessly and executed misdeeds by using political connections and by flashing money as bribes to stop any legal actions.

Swapan Sharma took a strong stand, and made these offences count. Initiating a drive against assembled and illegal three-wheelers, a major headache for the city, was another feather in his cap.

What Sharma did, was not one bit 'extra ordinary' - but part of his role as an honest policeman which he performed to perfection. He became a hero, and the city folk were jubilant that someone was finally enforcing the law. People viewed his actions as extra ordinary. Rarely do bureaucrats (or govt. officials in any rank) perform their actual duties and take any initiative, or if they do, they quickly give up before the will of corrupt politicians higher up in the food chain.

It is determination of the young IPS and commitment towards his duty that he became a real life hero for the city in days. In September people were shocked as his transfer orders landed in the city police headquarters. The news has evoked a response in the residents of this city who love and admire Swapan Sharma for his conduct and courage. The official pages of Ludhiana police and Ludhiana traffic police on facebook were flooded with messages of people that want him to remain in the city to carry out his good work.

Fortunately Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister was in the city on that particular day. Several delegations of city denizens pleaded before the CM for a rethink on the decision of transferring the young officer. The CM graciously nodded and immediately cancelled the transfer orders.

Well, news of his transfer had also pinched me a little. I wanted him to remain and to continue reforming the dilapidated condition of traffic control, to improve conditions for everyone who lives and commutes in Ludhiana.

As far my memory goes, in my 12 years of journalism I have rarely filed any news item personally appreciating the good conduct of a cop, but being a regular critic I do appreciate good work when I see it. In September 2012, I wrote an article in the local pages of The Hindustan Times about his ‘ordinary’ extra ordinary work and gave him a moniker ‘the tow-away man’. Long may this superhero 'tow away man' continue to tow away the negative and corrupt elements of policing in my city, and may I have many more opportunities to salute his courage, good sense, and honest integrity.

Hope never dies…

Being a journalist I have to roam around the city hunting for news. In my city Ludhiana, the Manchester of India, the six laning project of
Ludhiana-Ferozepur highway is on full swing. The constructor has cut down many huge trees which were growing on the pavements. As a nature loving person, the destruction of trees was a painful moment. On the road I put a stop to the ignition of my bike, parked it and went near the debris of fallen trees to console them. I was sorry the constructor thought the cutting down of trees was necessary for widening of the road.
What I saw there, left my eyes open wide. I saw new saplings growing from the mown down trunks of the fallen trees.
Ahh… what a feeling. I can’t express it in words. But I got a lesson from the saplings. Never ever give up, even if you are fully destroyed. There is always hope to grow and achieve your heights again. Only if you are willing to do so.

Smallest matter most

In my childhood I was always fascinated by small ants roaming around the house. They keep on running about and also touch each
other with their small antennae. Sometimes I set up obstacles on their path, but they always found their way through it all.

Today as the man of the house, earning bread and butter for my family, I still remember those ants. I realise now that they are not just ants but also my mentors, I have learnt many lifelessons observing their behaviour.

Sometimes I get so frustrated by obstacles or unfavourable situations, I tend to rest my head on my desk - feeling completely helpless. The only thing that comes to mind is that I cannot do anything in this situation. Not just me, but thousands like me express their frustration in the samy way during hard times. Remember the mischief of barring the way of ants by setting up obstacles in their way? Do they stop? No way! They never give up and find their way through barriers.

As a child I was fascinated by the behaviour of ants. I found them to be very interesting and I used to see them enlarged under a magnifying glass. I found they always seemed busy, rushing here and there for food. I found crossing each other they would stop for a fraction of a second and tap each other’s head with their antennae . During my high school I learnt that ants do actually have a way of communicating by tapping their antennas. I grabbed a lesson here - no matter how busy we are in our daily routine, we must find time to communicate with our friends and those who do care for us.

Planning for the future is another lesson I have learned from the little ants. Ants keep collecting food and store it for rainy days. This is their attempt at future planning. Gives us humans a clear indication to also plan for our future. Remember the old story of the ants and the grasshopper? Remember the ants ~ smallest matter most!