Sometimes you do things only to make a show! It is done only for satisfaction! Absolutely nothing is changed but the person who demands or requests these changes feels better!
An interesting story in the book 48 laws of power tell about how once Michelangelo was showing his latest statue to a patron who was in all fairness not artistically inclined!
From afar he saw the statue and told Michelangelo that the nose was a little big! Michelangelo had a little hammer with him and his hands were dusty with the marble dust since he was working. He told the patron to come up while he made the necessary corrections.
He took the hammer and corrected the nose! Now the patron was happy with the final outcome!
So what you may ask!?
well! As the patron came close Michelangelo in fact he did nothing! He simply made an act of ‘modification’ and that’s that!
The patron simply saw the dust on Michelangelo’s hands and thought that some work was done!
All when Michelangelo did actually do nothing other than pamper the ego of a critic who had no inkling of art! Sometimes the best way to do stuff is to pretend to do it!
Once while working in a company as a medical writer, our senior whose knowledge of ‘medicine’ and ‘English’ was questionable asked me to rewrite the document with ‘his’ modifications; I simply made an act of rearranging the sentences! In fact I had changed only the first and last line of the whole document! I also remarked how ‘his’ ‘observation’ was spot on! This was because he was less qualified than me and he of course needed an ego boost! Though I did not know the law of power at that time, I at least knew the laws of corporate life! He was happy and I was spared for another day!
This is actually a very common occurrence all over the market! When you send the food to make the taste a little better or when you tell the dress to be altered just a little bit! Or when you tell the barber to trim a little bit more! By and large, the ‘modifications’ done would be so minute or in many cases none! The whole show is only to pamper your senior and his or her fragile ego!
Then once in a while you have seniors who make you be yourself! They like your honest opinion; in fact they want to listen to your opinion! They do not need an ego boost! They may not even appreciate your praise thinking it is a butter attempt! They read a lot and are knowledgeable but still are eager to learn everyday!
One such legend was Dr N K Majumder; I used to eagerly wait for his replies in our Whatsapp group since it would be full of his wide experience but his humorous take on everything was the cherry on the cake! Once while mentioning about the Cochlear Implant program and stating that there is a need for more rehab teachers he mentioned how, “Wishes can be enormous but they should have wings to fly!”
Well read and articulate with a command over language which would even make Tharoor proud! All when he was only 90 years…young!
There would be no ENT who does not know him! He will be missed but his legacy will be forever!
Heartfelt condolences to Professor Nirmalaya Kumar Majumder!
Om Shanthi…
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