So,how much land do you have ?

All men are born equal but they don’t stay as such . A very correct philosophical statement. I feel like using it with some modification for those in govt jobs. As a bunch of youngsters you along with batch mates go into the jobs at the same point of time. For some years you stay as a close knit group sharing your joys and sufferings. Joining marriage of colleagues and the celebrating birthdays of newborns remains a regular feature of your social life for some years . But with passage of time the sense of oneness is gradually diminished as different individuals chart out different paths for their journey of life , based on respective interpretation of human values. The equality as individuals is no longer there at one point of time. Those who moved form one plum assignment to another consider themselves as a cut above the rest. Those who have managed to cultivate a few political godfathers or have acquired halo of godmen due to their familiarization with art of palmistry or numerology have less enthusiasm for sharing company of those who are just plain humans. The level of economic prosperity within the supposedly same financial resources varies form one person to another. While some may still be struggling with repayment of first housing loans there would be others who are concerned about the value of commercial plot not having appreciated sufficiently ! Off course goddess of prosperity does not bless everyone with equal affection. For some the proverbial opportunity said to knock once only seems to have kept on hammering at their doors with regular frequency. And so after a decade or so the bunch of equals has nothing equal except the age group and the gap seems to go on widening.

While ruminating over the scenario another famous phrase flashes into mind. ‘How much land does a man require ? ”. The title of a famous short story beautifully sums up the essence of the story and the basic philosophy of life. The story describes the plight of a human being who while chasing more and more ambitions still ends up unsatisfied and is buried below two yards of land which is the size of land which he actually required for last rites. So how much of land have these extraordinary cohorts acquired and was it so essential? The acquisition of recognition and economic prosperity by reckless climbing and pushing must have not been without sacrificing a few moral values. The constant running after the so called prime posts could not have been possible without spending a few sleepless nights for tactical planning. And then the constant vigil against encroachers on your acquisitions must have given you so many anxious moments. The financial prosperity… has it not added to feeling of insecurity against the fear of losing it ? Have the shining assets not created a false sense of prosperity in your offspring making them extravagant and wasteful ? Will they be able to hold your creations after you are not there ? So many questions but do they have time to stop and think ?