15 minutes of fame

“I never expected this from a person like G V Ramesh.” One could see disappointment in the voice of Robin Wockhardt.
“And to make myself clear, that I am not in a state of gripe, I must say that a repetition of such an act reflects poorly on his sincerity and the lackluster attitude of your government in handling an issue of global importance.” Robin was more vociferous than he had ever been, which was quite unbecoming for the situation on hand.
“Here, we assemble with all our sincerity to find solution to a problem fast becoming a menace for the whole world. But such a lackadaisical attitude on his part is highly unfortunate. I hope your government revisits its list of chosen delegates and makes sure that we get an arresting representation next year. I am really very peeved.” Mr. Wockhardt shot back in almost the same vein.

Manav stood there just looking at the lip movements of Robin. He hoped that he could do something in his capacity to pacify Mr. Robin. But, he too was a rookie representing India at the IFEI (International forum for Environmental Issues), Estonia. He blamed his luck for his presence in this unknown place. If the rains wouldn’t have lashed so hard in Kolkata that day, he would have been calling his mom from San Francisco by now. His flight was canceled and as he was about to enjoy this welcome break, a phone rang chanting with its entire might. The voice at the other end of the call was of Ramesh.

“Hi Manav. You are not going to believe this. You have been presented with a golden opportunity in a very nascent stage of your career. San Francisco can wait but Estonia can’t. ICGW (Indian council for Global warming) has identified in you a leader who is quite capable of putting forward India’s concern on this front at the global stage. You shouldn’t step back. I know you don’t need to pack your bags, so you are flying in two days time to Estonia. You need not worry for anything. Our representative there will brief you about the agenda of the meet and will present to you the draft of our viewpoint. So, here’s wishing you all the luck in this world for a successful venture.”
Manav wished he had the veto power for only once in his entire lifetime and at that very moment. It’s inexplicably frustrating to set out for a journey to an unknown land when you had been building castles in your mind about the life at the place of your choice.

“Most of the guys representing this year are known to me because they had represented last year as well. It’s very important to establish resonance in such important events. Before the start of the meet itself, I can rest assured of their major concerns and assist them accordingly. But, Ramesh had a different reason last year as well to justify his absence. I am really sorry, I should not be involving you in this, but I can’t really help it.
Anyways that you are here, I am sure you would do justice to your role.”

Manav had managed to carry himself well till now and didn’t want others to notice his sagging and ever dropping spirits. Manav was the guy you can bank on when it comes to giving more than 100 percent towards the problem on hand. But, today it was quite strange. It was not Manav’s idea of ambience and he knew it. But, this was what he loved the most. If challenges weren’t there, world would have been so boring, he thought.

It was quarter past 12, but sleep eluded Manav. The restricted movements he was allowed to carry out in his bed had become too monotonous. So, he jumped out of his bed and went into the balcony with the agenda and draft in his hand. He was all too serious and he wanted to focus only on one thing at that moment: the forum he was supposed to attend tomorrow.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are quite honored to have with us the gracious presence of Mr. Manav Bakshi from India. I would like him to come over and present his views in this forum.” These words seemed to make little sense to Manav as he took his strides hurriedly towards the dais. His heart was pounding at the rate of knots.

“Ladies and gentlemen. I thank you all for gathering here in support of a noble cause. We may be thousands of miles away from our homes, but what brings us together is the feeling of oneness. This feeling arises typically from a common feeling of guilt, which makes us do our bit in earnest. I am quite thankful towards my government to have chosen me to represent at this council. It’s an honor for me to carry the concerns of a billion Indians and to express that in a forum which expects better things from us. This is one front where each country would like to take leadership and would appreciate if others volunteer too. As I stand here today and deliver my speech within the confines of this cozy air-conditioned room, sun will be beating down hard in other parts of the world. It’s a gift bestowed on us by our mother nature. But there is a hole somewhere up which is not that good. I don’t have to bother much because that hole is not going to bother us or our families. But what about others who are directly affected? What about our children who got that hole as their legacy. They definitely had no hand in making that hole, then why should they be facing its repercussions? It is for the coming generation that I stand here. It is not for me or for that matter anyone sitting here in this hall. It is for the future. The future which sees itself manifested in the form of our children. We had no business in making this world a smoky place. But still we did it! Who shall we put the blame on? It’s time we stop finding scapegoats. It’s the time to act. I am sure all those gathered here, either coming from the vast extend of treacherous Saharan desert or from the snow clad Finland, our agenda is same. We have to stop plains getting converted into arid lands, islands swept away in water, glaciers melting, so on and so forth. The list is endless as far as the calamities are concerned. For this we need a collective effort. We have to transgress personal bickering and collate our efforts so that our children can breathe in fresh air.”

“I am not here to do justice to my role. My role here is that of a helper, a contributor and definitely not of a mute spectator. I don’t know if others feel so intensely about what not they are capable of accumulating for their children, but I surely do know that a better place to live in is the least I can guarantee for them. We work day in and day out to help realize others’ dreams. It’s our family and our children. If we get out of our comfort zone and try to look beyond, we can at least manage to get a feel of the things to come. A futuristic society is not going to be governed by what is being traded in its territories, but what’s there to lead a happy living. Unless or until we are convinced radically about apocalypse in our minds, we can’t see our children suffer. You as a parent can’t ignore the call of your duty. We may even have to go out of it.”

“Man has always managed to change the way we live. We, sitting at the top of the pyramid, are a testimony to this fact. A good reason remains good unless you stop thinking about that. Are we thinking now as we go about mindlessly pursuing our dreams? Have we ever taken some time out to think where are we going? Mind says whatever you are doing will take you into the annals of the history. That is too big an incentive to let go by. But have we ever left us with some time to heed to our inner call. Our heart says that what we are doing may not be totally appropriate. But do we have the courage to take corrective measures midway? Can we forgo our passions for the voice of our inner call? Please be reminded that you would end up buying the right idea and notion every time you take pains to listen to that voice. I hope everyone out here is convinced in his mind that we should not let this change take place. The way we live in future has to be decided by us. The things which we do today will be things of past in the future. But, it’s always the past which affects your future. So, let’s all make this a past to remember. History records other things as well. A change is what we are hoping to bring. A change that will change the future!”

Manav left the dais with everyone asking a question to themselves. It lasted roughly 15 minutes but left them with several questions to contemplate on. A trip to San Francisco was definitely not this worthy. A sense of pride was deeply embedded into a notion of future. Manav Bakshi couldn’t have asked anything better than Ramesh’s absence. Mr. Worckhardt too seemed to ponder over a question. I think you too, must.

I think every one must long for his 15 minutes of fame!