Column

An episode from days ago, comprising merely a compliment or two from a relatively unknown person, opened my eyes as to why words are called the precursors of action — positive or negative. As a matter of routine, I was walking down the lane near my house with my dog Pixie, a cute little bundle of flesh and fur, when this gentleman, a neighbour, crossed my path accompanied by his huge, masterly Alsatian. “Know what, your little one keeps greeting me every day from your balcony, as if she were inviting me for a cup of coffee. Why don’t we catch up over coffee some day? I stay in the building next to yours,” said Mr X, before disappearing with a generous smile.

I haven’t met Mr X in the past 48 hours. His name I do not know, the reason I respectfully refer to him as Mr X. But his words left an indelible mark on my mind — a couple of utterances that formed an instant bond between two strangers. Those few words brought him so close to me, I feel as if I have known him for ages. I remember Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw’s simile on words being like postage stamps, delivering the object for you to unwrap. It being a matter of interpretation, spoken words need caution. If Varun Gandhi’s reckless speech whipped up a storm, Lalu Yadav’s unwittingly impetuous reference to a roller did little to help settle the dust and ruffled more feathers in the bargain.

Years ago, my grandmother told me a story. Two children were playing on a tree when the weather got worse. The mother of the first kid screamed: “Hold the branch properly or you will fall.” The second kid’s mother said patiently: “Hold the branch properly, son, so that you don’t fall.” The first kid couldn’t resist the strong wind and fell. The second held on to a branch for 45 minutes till the storm blew over. The way the mothers spoke created two distinct frames of mind. The first kid heard his mother being negative, while the second found his mother’s words reassuring, which gave him strength.

Former CBI director Joginder Singh is writing his new book — to which I am privy — in which he says that you can’t always think positively all the time, nor can you always prevent negative thoughts. But one must perpetually make an earnest attempt to keep negative thoughts at bay and watch one’s mouth. Remember, words can bring souls together as forcefully as they can shear them apart. Let’s take heart in what former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill said: “By swallowing evil words unsaid, no one has ever harmed his stomach.”