It was launched in January, 2003, with a
purpose to express the need for balance in a CA’s life. It is meant to cover
topics that are strictly non technical and non professional but high on deeper
aspects of life such as values and spirituality. The first Namaskar was written
by Narayan Varma and since then countless people belonging to a wide spectrum
of backgrounds have written Namaskaars.
Two compilations of Namaskaars titled
Namaskar ki Bhet were published in 2011 and 2015 respectively. BCAJ owes a shaashtang
namaskar (full prostration) to Pradip A Shah who has written more than fifty
Namaskars. K C Narang has been reviewing them for a long time. To the
contributors – past, present and future – our Namaskaars!
FRIENDSHIP
Sukha ke saba saathi, Dukha me na koy goes a popular Hindi song meaning – All give you company in your
happiness but in your adversity, all shun away!
The English proverb – ‘A friend in need
is a friend indeed’ is often quoted. But this ‘friendship’ has got another
angle in today’s materialistic world of competition, ego and one-upmanship.
About three to four generations back, the
intellectual middle-class lacked resources. They were struggling to settle in
cities after coming from villages and small towns. Most of the successful people
today in industry, films, performing arts or even in civil or corporate
services, have come from average financial background. They struggled together
to come up in life. They willingly shared their difficulties, doubts and
anxieties. They helped each other and there was an unwritten bond between them.
They suffered and rejoiced together.
Many of the business fields and professional
careers were virgin or untapped. Therefore, everybody had a scope to grow as
virtually there was no competition. The author believes that even today
opportunities are available to everyone as the cake is growing. However, some
of us perceive differently.
However, in last two or three decades,
middle-class has arrived at a different level. By and large, they are
resourceful. There is competition in every sphere of operation. In addition due
to technology, people have become isolated like islands. Now the ‘friendship’
is mainly on social media.
Ego, envy, jealousy and competition have
replaced love, affection and understanding. Competition is fierce. The real
questions are :
- Whether one rejoices in the
success and achievements of another person?
- Does one really feel happy
when one learns about another’s progress?
For example :
There was a group of poets who were very
close to each other. One of them got nominated for a national award. The other
members of the group virtually abandoned him. As luck would have it, he did not
receive the award (as some other nominee got it!) all the members of the group
again joined him!
In another instance three friends and
colleagues working under a not-so-good boss helped each other in work and in
solving issues. However, when one of them got promoted, the other two were
upset! They stopped helping him. Is this friendship!
This has become a common occurrence.
Although in public, we praise a winner or achiever, in private, we often
criticise him or comment on his defects. We may even express surprise as to how
he succeeded although, he did not deserve it!
Today’s scene is so vitiated that doubts are
always expressed about the sanctity of success. When an award or honour is
conferred, people feel ‘it is managed?’ They believe that it is
more attributable to factors other than merit.
There are instances where even a mentor is jealous
about his disciple’s success; and even father is jealous of his son. Sibling
rivalry has always existed and is more pronounced today.
In this situation, it is difficult to find a
person who stands by you in difficulty and shares your pain and pleasure – a
real `well-wisher’.
In Sanskrit Subhashit, one of the
attributes of a good friend is the one who really rejoices in your success!
Hence in the author’s view one is blessed to have a friend and one must always
reckon and remember the good old saying :
‘to
have a friend be a friend’
