Talking Shop: Quite the mockery

“Every man has his own secret

sorrows which the world knows

not; and often times we call a

man cold when he is only sad.”

― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

As a young journalist sitting behind my office desk in New Delhi in the early 1990s, I saw gory pictures from a state assembly down South, with many of our elected Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) dealing in body blows and resorting to fisticuffs to bring down the ‘enemy’. They grabbed chairs, microphones, paper-weights, slippers and other weapons of crass destruction in a frenzied bid to emerge as the winner of the appalling skirmish. Some minutes later, the few who did stumble out of that haloed house on their own two feet were bleeding profusely, using their torn and shredded dhotis (veshtis) and angavastrams to cover their bleeding body parts, delicate or otherwise, for that was the result of the mayhem inside. It was reprehensible, unreal and unbelievable.

Today, 30 years later, the unbelievable has not just become believable, but commonplace. As a truly self-determining nation, we have chosen to emulate that feat of 30 years back countrywide with disgorged regularity, with similar incidents being reported in most houses of chosen and elected congregations. The latest was in New Delhi a few days back, when a meeting of the newly-elected Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) saw leaders of the two leading political parties have a go at each other with anything that came to hand and mouth, hurling physical and verbal missiles when things went against their way of thinking. Similar incidents have been witnessed over the last many years in other geographies in our country. I shall not waste newsprint naming them all, for we all know the drill now.

PS: The moral of the story is that the next time we go to cast our very sacred ballot, we should think before we use our blessed index finger, for the ones we have already sent to office don’t appear to think too much before they unleash their fingers, hands, feet or legs.

Heart attacks under 25

In the past few months alone, there have been several shocking stories of people suddenly collapsing and, in some cases, passing on to the maker. Experts are concerned too, having warned us of the increasing episodes of sudden cardiac deaths. Just this Friday, two such incidents were reported from Hyderabad; a 24-year-old constable collapsed in a gymnasium and a 40-year-old during a ‘haldi’ ceremony. This disturbing trend is not restricted to India, with similar incidents being reported from around the world, due to which #heartattack has become a trending topic on social media sites, especially since many, many impacted include people in their 20s and early 30s.

The growing instances of cardiac arrests in youngsters are causing concern around the world. For instance, on social media sites, a doctor in China can be seen helping a young woman just after she suffers a heart attack in a cinema hall. The video shows the woman recovering two minutes after she is given cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Footage from Hyderabad shows a policeman save the life of a man after he collapses on the road due to a heart attack. Another video goes viral after showing an auto-rickshaw driver in Navi Mumbai collapse due to a heart attack during a ride. Another auto driver tries to revive him by giving CPR, but his efforts go in vain.

Data from the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) shows that one-fifth of all deaths in India are caused by heart attacks, cardiac arrests and strokes, including in the younger population. Some reports have linked it to pollution too, but doctors say there are myriad causes, such as a family history of heart disease, coexisting medical conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, lifestyle problems, obesity, stress and lack of exercise. Some even blame the COVID-19 vaccines for the sudden surge in such incidents, and I shudder to even consider that possibility. Whatever be the grim reality, it is cause for apprehension.

Cricketing dream waned

After a humdinger of a match, the Indian Women’s Cricket Team just about failed to pull off an incredible win in the T20 World Cup semi-finals against Australia. They tried their best and almost beat the Aussies, falling short by only 5 runs while chasing a heady target. That’s fine. What’s not fine, though, is that thousands took to social media and abused and tried to tear these ladies apart, though they had performed like rock-stars through the tournament. Get a load of this; the India women’s team’s T20 captain was not even sure to play in this match as she was indisposed for a few days and was a doubtful starter, but she eventually did and performed admirably.

More on the captain while we are at it... When some of the ‘abusers’ on social media were taken on head-on and asked who the captain of the Indian team is, they had no clue. Asked about the names of the openers—batters or bowlers—they were found similarly wanting. Asked which part of their growing up gave them access to such creative swear-words and abuses, they chose not to comment or just logged out.

To me, at least, this feels eerily familiar; rave, rant and shout about topics and experiences that you have no clue about or expertise in, and when asked even basic questions, scamper for cover and simply disappear into the mist of the World Wide Web, perhaps not knowing (and certainly not caring about) the damage that has already been done to people who not just gave their best, but are now silently grieving in their own personal space.

PS: Incidentally, for the information of all the haters and ramblers, the name of India’s T20 women’s team captain is Harmanpreet Kaur.

A light has moved on

Last week was also crippling due to the passing away of Tony Jesudasan, my first boss in the late 1980s and, coincidentally, also my last when I hung up my professional boots a few years ago. Most knew Tony as one of the best Corporate Communications and Corporate Affairs professionals in the country. Those that worked with him also knew him as a close friend, a confidante and a calming influence in the most trying of times. “Don’t worry, I am here, leave it to me,” he would oft tell us. He would then offer us a pristine shot of espresso and light up a cigar as he smiled. Suddenly, all would indeed be calm.

Tony never let the team down and continues to be an inspiration for all of us, and will always be so. Sure, he made our life miserable by pushing us to achieve what we thought we couldn’t, and that made him all the more loveable when misery turned to celebration. A boss beyond compare, he was a rock to many. Our rock may have rolled on, but the thunder shall always remain. The quote that follows is for Tony—from all his friends, admirers and me, penned by Jasmine Warga—“You’re like a grey sky. You’re beautiful, even though you don’t want to be.”

Tony will be dearly and sorely missed. We can only thank him for having been so much for so many for so long.

The writer is a veteran journalist and communications specialist. He can be reached on narayanrajeev2006@gmail.com. Views expressed are personal