Monday, 14 March 2022 | Pooja Poddar Marwah | Dehradun
A monologue by India’s leading comedian caused a furore in the country, with netizens quick to take sides between right and wrong. Needless to say that they left no scope for any room for grey, should it have been necessary to know the truth.
Nothing that oration had was a lie, no part of it misrepresented the vibrancy of India. In fact, what it did, was list out stark candid depictions of the country we live in. And I am going to candidly say, that it is a sad truth each of us is guilty of hiding behind! How many times in life have you chosen to support something you know is wrong simply because it’s the easier thing to do? How much of your value system did you have to bend just so that you could accommodate another’s falsified image? It takes nerves of steel to stand up in front of hundreds of people and openly state the truth but Vir Das did it single-handedly. It didn’t matter if the crowd jeered or clapped. He was already aware of the wrath he would face back in India, but that didn’t come close to averting his decision to speak. He wanted to portray reality and bare he did, irrespective of anything or anyone! And he did it, standing alone.
In life, we often are faced with lies that are sugar coated as truth. They are presented to us in ways that we know are wrong but for popularity’s sake, we believe it as the truth. And over time, as the popularity increases, the coating appears to be an inherent part of the lie, oops.. truth! Why do we prefer to hide behind a lie? Why don’t we have the guts to call a spade a spade? Why is it that a fake air of hypocrisy descends, when inwardly you believe the truth but outwardly stand up against it?
India is what it is and there is nothing incorrect that was said and yet there are undercurrents of his fate! So basically, we are now gearing up to be a society that prefers to harbour deceit and watch the show, rather than stand up for the right thing. Having been on the other side, I have absolutely no holds barred as I say this – It is easier to sail where the winds blow, for only a select few will have the strength to manoeuvre a yacht in the eye of the storm. And it is those few that come out of the storm, probably a little scathed and bruised but victorious! To quote Murakami, “When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive… When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”
Knowing the truth is one thing but standing up for it against all odds, takes integrity. I believe that there are always shades of grey just as there are two sides to a story but taking the one that enhances your beliefs as an individual is what makes you stand apart. Integrity indeed helps you tide over every storm and emerge a better person. Stand up for the harder right instead of the easier wrong, even if you have to stand alone for no matter how much you try and twist the truth. The truth is that it will always bounce back, as truth!
(The writer is an award winning author and blogger who writes on life, relationships and contemporary living. Views expressed are personal)
