FIFTH COLUMN

No revenge

In these times of  aggresssion, retaliation and many other perversions, a sign in Hindi hung somewhere read, Badla Na lo, Badal Ke Dekhao - which literally translated means do not take revenge but prove yourself by transforming yourself.

But how would a poor soul suffering from many ghost calls day and night, act in peace? The ghost or ghosts revelled in not speaking. The ghost may have been a male or a female, for silence does not announce the gender. It was not possible to discern the gender from the panting sounds it made sometimes. Perhaps then it imagined itself to be a dog - a mad one for sure.

 It would have been easy to track down the offendors and confronting them, but it could easily be forecasted that the cornered would never admit to indulging in such a disgusting passion.

A well wisher advised that the calls could be traced after lodging a complaint with the telecom department. Somebody from the department advised on a method, but the offendor obviously savvy in his trade, was quick to sense it and would not take the bait. So what was the alternative? A thorough rewind of the people one knew, closely or remotely, and zeroing on the possible mischief  makers did yield one or two suspects taking into consideration their weird nature and a few tips from the grapevine. A strong warning was sent out in the language understood by such brand of people through a reliable grapevine and the calls stopped.

But not for long. This was irritating and a sheer waste of time. So a peaceful option of transforming oneself translated itself in changing the telephone number and taking it off the enquiry board and the telephone directory. That brought the sordid story to its end. Thus, changing oneself or one’s telephone number did solve the problem. Going after the weirdos would only have meant a total waste of time and energy. Perhaps it takes a weirdo to track down another which luckily was not the case here.

The no revenge tactic also works well when you are confounded with many stupid tales about yourself doing its rounds amidst sleazy circles. It would serve you well to know the old saying that the more successful you become, the more enemies you  have. In this case too, you would only drive yourself up the wall if you try to track down who said what, where, why, when and how. The five Ws and one H is better utilised in investigative stories where matters concerning the nation or the world are at a stake. The tongue waggers are only seeking attention, any feedback would only encourage them more. Ignoring them might seem tough but it is a bitter medicine that works.

In matters more weighty, more sublime, revenge does not serve a purpose either. Revenge breeds hatred, that taints the roots of each human being, each culture. Sooner or later, it rears it ugly head to strike back again to assuage its never ending firy thirst.