What Is Modesty?

What is Modesty?
Pranab Mukherjee’s book launch was held some months back at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library’s hall. Inspite of high security and lack of space everyone found space, they sat on the floors or stood against the walls, but stayed for the event nevertheless.

Former PM, Manmohan Singh, walked into the room in his evergreen humble demeanor and greeted all three blocks of the audience with folded hands. Everyone stood up and smiled.Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were present.

The high point of the evening was undeniably Dr Manmohan Singh’s speech on his old friend and colleague, Pranab Da. The former PM of India took to the stage and spoke of 2004 when he was asked to be Prime Minister by the party. Manmohan Singh said:

“Pranab da was much more qualified than me to become the Prime Minister and had every reason to feel a grievance. However, everyone knows I had no say in the matter.””

Every one enjoyed the statement and particularly the good relationship maintained by both inspite of the unexpected turn of events.This I would say, was the height of modesty exemplified byan eminent economist who occupied the highest position of the country.Compare this with a dozen prime ministerial candidates with pedestrian attributes unabashedly proclaiming that they would be willing to be PMS,if mandated by the electorate.
Lord Chesterfield said that modesty is only sure bait when you angle for praise”.
Known for his penchant for his acerbic comments,Winston Churchil said that” Mr Atlee is a modest man.Indeed he has a lot to be modest about”Thomas A.Edison when complimented on his invention said that he was only a sponge,absorb ideas from every source and improve them till they became of some value..

Shri.Lal Bahadur Shastri, on one occasion when he was PM, his sons had used his office car to go on a drive. The next day Shastri swiftly deposited money into the government account to pay for the distance travelled by the car for personal use.

Reportedly, when Lal Bahadur Shastri passed away in 1966 he had no house on his name, nor any land in his possession. He had only left behind a government loan which he had taken to buy a Fiat car after he became prime minister. After his death the bank asked his wife, Lalita Shastri for the repayment of the loan, which she repaid from the family pension.

Let us compare this lofty humility to some of the utterances by those who want to boast but hide behind feigned modesty.A friend in his early forties stated that he scolded his son when he got only 1160 out of 1200 marks in his PUC exam..The listeners scolded him for not appreciating his son for getting good marks.His reply was, this was not enough considering his pedigree.

My Friends son in his late forties gave us a party on his twentieth wedding anniversary.By the side of the shamiana was a shining Land Rover costing around Rs.50 lakhs.With a feigned guilty expression, he announced” this car is my humble gift to my wife for having tolerated me for twenty years.This is all what I could afford”. His wife rushed to him and gave a peck on his cheek ans said that better times are yet to come.Every body clapped hiding different emotions on the modesty or immodesty of the individual.This was arrogance by stealth masquerading as modesty.

School drop out is another status statement by individuals who have made a success of their lives. They are a poor imitation of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs,reported to be drop outs.Taking a sabbatical and looking after a number of properties,when you have lost your job is another ruse to fool the gullible.

Modesty is about revealing our dignity. Biceps and tattoos with arms away or undulating movements exhibiting the contours of the body is not modesty,looking at another aspect of the term.Those who boast about their modesty are only covering themselves with fig leaves.

 

Dear Amulet, Something happened recently which triggered my anger and the resultant snippet.All of us like to share our achievements but decency demands underplay.
Regards
SLN

 

Dear Satchi,
I still recall his flight to Goa in economy class in a budget airline dumping the official official jet he was entitled to..Tamil proverb says that fully filled pot does not spill.We are on the other hand horrified by the ostentatious and vulgar display of wealth[quite often ill gotten wealth].Parents should practise modesty and lead by example.
Regards
SLN

 

Dear Amulet,
Insinuation by the name of the car as Rover is an original idea from a fertile brain.This is what makes this exercise intellectually stimulating.Congrats.Experience belongs to the past but imagination belongs to the future.
Being 82 and having faced trials and tribulations of life including the loss of my wife after 42 years of friendly partnership,my threshold level of tolerance is high but being a human,the level gets breached now and then only to be restored after letting off steam.
Regards-SLN