When we were children our Grandma was always around to tell us what to do. And whenever we asked her why, she always had some good logic for her answer. We were brought up on a basic cause and effect mantra, like: ‘Do good, (you will) reap good; ‘Work hard, (you will) achieve success’. But somewhere down the line this mantra became more of an enigma. We were not able to provide reasons for many ‘whys’, the way our Granny so easily could. I found this disconnect bothersome - especially that between talent and success. It should be logical to assume that those who use their talent and skills zealously, creatively and intelligently, should be successful. Instead, we often see that persons who can best be described as ‘copycat dodos’, with just average intelligence, snatch all the glory – while many of the deserving are left frustrated. Why does this happen? Granny might have had the answer - but I find it puzzling and baffling, to say the least. It does not fall into any of the logical frameworks that we grew up on. And when we are not able to find any coherent reason, we end up by saying, ‘It is Destiny’. I too thought this way…till recently.
I went to attend a book launch function of one of my classmates. I was quite surprised when I read the title of her book, ‘Global Warming’. I recalled that during the college days she had never shown even a vague interest in such issues, nor had she revealed any inclination or ability for writing. Even her tutorials would be a ‘copy-paste’ job. In fact I remembered her more for her habit of ‘cutting classes’ and forever sitting in coffee houses - chatting, gossiping and making new ‘friends’. She had to struggle hard to attain the minimum attendance required for sitting for the examinations. However, today I was happy for her. The Chief Guest, a renowned personality lauded nationally for his deep understanding of environmental issues, congratulated the author for writing a book relevant to the present times. He applauded her effort and made a passing reference about her brilliant academic record. I gasped and wondered what (or whom) he was referring to. The next morning’s newspapers carried a picture of her with the Chief Guest, holding the newly launched book. There were small write--ups too. In fact one of the papers carried rave reviews of the book. Wow! Here comes destiny again, I thought. I called her up to congratulate her. Said I, “Lucky you! Great destiny.” She giggled in her usual nonchalant style, “Yaar, what destiny. It happens. No big deal. Let us meet for coffee.” When we met she was as chirpy as ever, full of tales about our college mates. I was amazed to know that she had kept track of most of us. I was wondering how she finds time for this and, more importantly, how she gets information about who is doing what? I almost choked when she talked about the plays that I had written. She said, ”They are quite offbeat…almost brilliant. You deserved a lot more recognition.” “But then it is all one’s destiny,” said I. She giggled, ”Rubbish! What destiny? You know how I ‘managed’ during college days! I have just followed that habit consistently.” She chuckled, “You know, the smart thing is not the book, but its launch…and that too by a well-known personality. The media covered the event because of him and, naturally, they had to say something nice about the book too. Such an important person surely can’t launch an ordinary humdrum book.” She was enjoying telling me all this. She looked most happy when she added with a grin, “And all this of course helps in more copies of the book being sold.” All of it sounded ‘logical’, but this was quite unlike Granny’s logic. As I was trying to grasp this ‘new wave’ logic, I was reminded of my own experience. After having published my ‘offbeat’ plays, I had gone to invite a well-known theatre personality to be the Chief Guest at a seminar on ‘Contemporary Theatre’. I was rebuffed and my invitation was declined there and then. I desperately wished Granny had been around to explain this baffling logic. I was obviously brooding. As if reading my thoughts, my friend leaned closer and whispered, “You know, what you call destiny, I call networking. Take my advice. If you want to take charge of your destiny like me, make it a habit to attend any function that you are invited to. And the more you are seen, the more you are invited. You will soon be included in many guest lists. It’s a ‘virtuous circle’. Almost without any effort you will acquire a sort of celebrity status. And once that happens, everyone will seem to know you and you too will seem to know everyone. Your personal TRP will be on the rise and so will your popularity. All that you need to do is to invest in your wardrobe. And that too is no problem. Just go online - all the foreign brands are available.” Now there was a serious note in her otherwise chirpy chatter. “Had you not turned down all your invites, we would have met earlier. The ‘important’ people that you will meet are whom I call ‘Jacks’. When you acquire a celebrity status, the host makes it a point to introduce you to the Jacks present on the occasion. Once you start attending events, you will find one or the other Jack everywhere. And when some Jack himself organises an event, you will meet many more. Consider yourself lucky if you get an invite for this kind of event - whatever it may be.” She ordered two more coffees, as she was not done yet. “These Jacks are quick-fixers - instant problem fixers. Their ego feels good when they can oblige someone, especially if he or she happens to be a sort of celebrity. Besides, by becoming Chief Guests, for anything, their own status goes up. They are not concerned whether you are deserving or not. Heck, many of them aren’t too.” Her parting shot was, “Yaar, stop struggling with your pen and paper all the time. Leave enough space for the Invites in your life. Make the right choice at least now.”
Before leaving she gifted me an Invitation Card and said, “This one is high profile. Don’t miss it. There will be many Jacks there.” I felt woolly-headed. I wondered..am I drunk on two cups of coffee, or am I feeling dizzy from all that new logic that I just heard? Was Grandma wrong all along? As I bent to pick up the Invitation Card, I heard a voice say, “Hello, did I not see you at the book launch the other day? Aren’t you the one who wrote..........?” I smiled to myself, looked up and said, “Hello… Jack?”
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