At the Tip of the Tongue

Which one is the most important organ in a human body? Opinions may differ. Heart could be one answer, as most death certificates suggest that the life went out because heart stopped functioning. The intellectuals may argue that it is the brain. Lungs are indeed important as well. Hands may compete with other organs as most of the work is done with them. Legs are not far behind as they carry all other organs wherever they go. Medicos use the term vital organs for a collection of various organs. One way to answer this question could be to remove one organ after another till a body dies. Even then what we get is a technical answer which does not address the real question. Mere living is not enough. Life has to be meaningful. There should be some achievement to show at the end of one's life. Otherwise it is a beastly life, say many a valued and revered texts.

Some people are very popular with others. Wherever they go, they are respected. Others flock to them and would like to spend some time with them. There are some others who make people run away from them. Some bosses are loved. There are some other bosses who are feared. There are some more bosses who are simply hated. There are administrators who are loved even after they vacate their chairs. There are other administrators who are feared when they are in power but ignored and treated with contempt when they lose their seats. When in trouble and in need of help, people try to find someone to confide and seek advice. These are persons who are liked by all friends and relatives. There are persons who are hated by all friends and relatives. Some succeed in managing and persuading others even in difficult circumstances. What makes these distinctions? Why there is such difference among people around us? This indeed is an interesting question.

The word "Tongue" has as many as 37 meanings in online dictionary, including 'slip of tongue' and 'tongue in cheek'. It is one of the organs in the body that has multiple functions. It is an important member of the digestive system. Life would never be the same if tongue were not to identify taste of the food items. It is one of the five sensory organs and we realise its value when we lose taste temporarily due to sickness. Tongue is also a tool for communication. It's value is known to those who cannot speak. Salesmen know the best use of tongue for achieving their targets. An ancient text "Subhashita Ratna Bhaandaagara", in one of its verses, proclaims that tongue is the most important organ of the human body. Not just the body, but it is the tongue around which the whole life of a person revolves.  

Accumulation of wealth and its uses stand on the tongue. For earning and building wealth, one needs to interact with people. It is not only for earning but also enjoying the fruits of the wealth that is accumulated over time. Tip of the tongue is the place where Mother Lakshmi, Godess of Wealth resides. Just as the sweet and positive words help in developing relationships and earn wealth, bitter and negative words drive away relationships and wealth. The process of earning, developing, retaining and enjoying wealth stands on the tip of the tongue just as driving away the same wealth also is at the tip of the same tongue. A key opens a lock as well as closes it. Entry and exit of wealth are by the use of the same tip of the tongue that acts as a key.

Saint Purandaradasa says that one should be like jaggery (sugar-like) while dealing with relatives and friends (ಬೆಲ್ಲವಾಗಿರಬೇಕು ಬಂಧುಜನರೊಳಗೆ). Dealing with near and dear ones should be with compassion and aid relationship building; not relation breaking. It does not mean that one should be untruthful; truth can be couched in palatable language. Many people pride themselves as being cut-and-dried in dealing with others. It only drives away others. Purpose of life is not to do this; it is for co-existence. Again, it is the tip of the tongue that ensures that friends and relatives stay with you or desert you.

The tongue is the organ that exposes us and often ends up in our being in undesirable situations. There are innumerable stories and anecdotes where uttering wrong things at the wrong time resulted in persons being arrested and imprisoned. Many a criminals got away from their crimes and might never have been caught but for their boasting of their exploits or blurting out the truth in an unguarded moment. There are many examples of innocent people as well going to jail by speaking unwanted or unnecessary things at wrong times and places. The tip of the tongue can free us or imprison us as well.

Life can come to an abrupt end due to the tip of the tongue. We are witnesses to many a road rage cases where due to some words spoken in the heat of the moment, someone is killed. When getting into arguments with others, real issues take a back seat and a wrong word spoken or interpreted wrongly enhances the tension and may even result in death of someone. Tip of the tongue brings in death as well in such situations.

All this is simplified and explained in this verse from Subhashita Ratna Bhaandaagara:

लक्ष्मिर्वसति जिह्वाग्रे जिह्वाग्रे मित्र बान्धवाः|

जिह्वाग्रे बन्धनं प्राप्तं जिह्वाग्रे मरणं ध्रुवम् ||

Lakshmeervasati Jihvaagre Jihvaagre Mitra Bandhavaah|

Jihvaagre bhandhanam praaptam Jihvaagre Maranam Dhruvam||

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There is an old story about a fight between the tongue and teeth. Teeth threatened the tongue that they will cut it if it does not behave. Tongue is said to have replied thus: "Don't ever threaten me; one wrong word from me will ensure the end of all of you!".

Teeth are safe as long as tongue is in check. When tongue misbehaves, consequences can be disastrous. Tip of the tongue is indeed the most important organ of the human body!

Not Just For Walking

Many words are easy to understand but difficult to define. We have to take the help of dictionary to find a proper definition for such words. The word "Footpath" is not one among such words. It is probably easy to define and its dictionary meaning is also quite simple. Dictionary meaning of the word footpath is "A path for people going on foot". Another definition is "a narrow path for walkers only". Both these definitions make two things very clear; the size and use of footpath. It is expected to be narrow and it is reserved to be used only by walkers. It is also to be used only by people going on foot.

There were days when footpath was considered safe for people going on foot as they need not worry about other modes of transport, usually heavy and fast, going on the road. The road part and the footpath existed side by side. As Panchasheel is being suddenly remembered today, after fifty years, we could as well say that footpaths and the roads had a time of peaceful co-existence. Not any longer. The density of vehicle population is overtaking human population and hence it has become important to increase the size of the road and reduce the extent of footpath. In addition to the reduction in size of the footpath, it has found many other uses as well. Even gods have chosen to make their homes on footpath. Shops have come up there. They started on temporary basis but became permanent in due course. There are even "Footpath Merchants Associations" to fight for the rights of selling on footpath. Of course, there is no footpath walkers association. In cities like Bangalore it is common to see traffic police chiding two wheeler drivers for running their vehicles on the road. "Why do you come here? Can't you see so much of space is available on footpath?", they say!

Some areas of Seattle city are excellent examples of alternate uses of a footpath. Seattle is an important city in the Pacific Northwest and is growing faster than many others due to some of the growing companies operating from there as headquarters. The old city still maintains its charms. Each house is different in these residential areas; there are no multi-storied buildings and concrete monsters. The houses stand in the middle of landscaped gardens withe each having a different type of pathway leading to the main door. There are flowers galore and fruit bearing trees around the house. Most of them are not fenced and yet the gardens are perfectly safe. It is a city where you may find an apple tree full of red ready-to-eat apples during your evening walk on the side of footpath and still find them that way after two days. Vegetables are grown in the garden around the house and there is no danger of theft or being eaten away by free roaming cattle. Footpath is strict for pedestrians only. The vehicles on the road stop and allow a person on foot the right of way to cross the road. In short, roads and footpath have a wonderful and peaceful co-existence.

There is a picture given at the top here. A newcomer to the city would wonder what this is. It is a footpath library. Residents of the area have put up such structures in front of their houses. The books purchased and read are later kept in such library shelves on the footpath. Anybody going on the street can check the books in the shelf, decide what is to be read and take the book with them for reading. The shelves have doors but no locks. If you have books that you do not need at home, you could also add to the collection. There are no accounts kept and there is no need to return the book at all. A book taken from one shelf can be returned to another shelf elsewhere, if one wants. It is a wonderful community service centre and they are always full of books. They are used regularly but there is no vandalism or theft in the regular sense of the words.

Another use of footpath and median can also be seen in Seattle. For orderly and safe vehicular traffic, most roads are provided with median space to divide traffic on the two directions. Space available on medians is not used for walking. We can find some plants in such space all round the world. But Seattle has something more than this. In many median space, vegetables are grown. Cabbage, tomato, eggplant (brinjal), lettuce, and other similar vegetables are grown here. A picture of such median garden is given alongside. A regular checking of these gardens for a full month showed that somebody was watering them regularly and de-weeding them. The vegetables were allowed to grow to their full potential without being taken away by somebody in the middle of day or night. There are flower gardens as well and the beauty of the flowers in them is a delight to watch whether you are walking on the footpath or driving along the road. 

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An extension of usage of surplus resource has been highlighted in the press here last week. Dr Issa Fathima Jasmine of Beasant Nagar, Chennai (See photograph on the right) had a problem of disposal of remaining food items each day. She was giving it away to an old lady sitting in her street corner. Then she thought of many others who need food like that old lady. But one does not know whom to offer as some may get offended when it is offered to them. It is also a difficult proposition to wait for someone with food in the hands leaving aside other work one has at home or at office. Dr Fathima has solved this problem by keeping a community refrigerator outside the Besant Nagar Tennis Club. The initiative is called "Ayyamittu Unn". Avvayars (meaning respectable lady) are a series of Tamil poets who have enriched the literature by their valued works. One collection of poems titled Aathichoodi of Avaviyar has a poem, the first stanza refers to "share the food with the needy before you eat". The food sharing has now got extended to clothes and other items as well.

In fact, this is not something totally new. It is reported that there are community fridge system in Mumbai and other cities as well. The idea of sharing or giving away something which still has some value for others has been there for generations in our country. More and more organized efforts are now finding expressions in different forms.

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The world is always a better place to live with co-existence. "Love the life you Live; Live the life you Love", says a mural (a large painting on the wall of a building on roadside) in Seattle.