Festival of fools

A former Supreme Court judge once said that 90 per cent of Indians were idiots who could easily be incited in the name of religion Having commented on the lack of reasoning in the Indian psyche he later apologised for his ldquoharshrdquo remark and retracted it after backlashMany centuries before this remark and quite unlike the judge Maharashtrarsquos saintpoets called out the fools of their times rather candidly Without mincing their words these wise men and women outlined the many characteristics and idiosyncrasies of foolsmdashwords that continue to be insightful on this April Foolsrsquo DayThis columnist revisits some timeless quotable definitions of fools in public and private spheres especially the ones articulated by Samarth Ramdas with academic rigour His iconic treatise Dasbodh 1654 houses various tribes of fools classified into three distinct categoriesmdashMoorkhlakshan Kuvidyalakshan and PadhatmoorkhThe first category features silly individuals who are identified in most moral science guides of the world as people who have bad hygiene habits and unkempt teeth eyes and feet Daytime sleepers ldquodivasa zakile dolerdquo are fools as are those who eat while walking ldquomarge jaay khat khatrdquo or put off taking medicines and ignore dietary restrictions in times of illness ldquoaushadh ne ghe ason vethardquo They rub shoulders with lazy simpletons with a tendency to overeat who are also devoid of discernmentMoorkhlakshan harshly critiques people who donrsquot conduct themselves well in publicmdashbe it laughing loudly or mocking people around them In this context the loud revellers in many religious festivals across faiths who are intolerant of othersrsquo right to peace and harmony fit perfectly Such fools can be slotted with sadists who seek pleasure in someone elsersquos pain Moorkhlakshan describes them as dangerous companyTherersquos also an emphasis on smooth talkers for whom handing out a hard sell is a way of life Samarth Ramdas casts aspersions on fools who talk nonsense ldquojyache mukhi bhund ubhundrdquo and those who boast despite modest contributions ldquokari thode bole pharrdquo In Kuvidyalakshan the nincompoop has worse attributes which are a recipe for disaster A shorttempered irritable and argumentative nerd is captured in a beautiful alliterative rhyme ldquoSpardha khatpat aani chatpat tarhe zatpat aani vatvat sada khatpat aani latpat param vetha kuvidyardquo I am reminded of many competitive boastful presentday fools operating with ferocity on social media These Iknowbetter fools spoil any occasion by the sheer overestimation of their existenceSamarth Ramdas terms Padhatmoorkhs as being the most superior fools because these are individuals who know better but canrsquot do better For instance the nitpicker who is on a faultfinding mission or the acidtongued allknowing soul who studies ldquosakal vidyardquo but cannot touch or soothe peoplersquos hearts ldquojayacheni shabde man modeyrdquo or offer a solution to the needy Those who are high achievers and assume a largerthanlife advisorseer role ldquobhavishya sango laage jagirdquo are also foolish in a sense because they claim way too much authority and controlPadhatmoorkhs are sharp in matters of academics but lack social skills They donrsquot lend themselves to others in their lives Often these fools are in a rush to pass judgements ldquoSamool granth pahilyavin ugach thevi jo dushanrdquo translates to ldquothe one who finds faults without having read the bookrdquo This description applies perfectly to armchair commentators who freely troll writers artists and performers without actually engaging with their work Many a public debate and row of our times could have been averted if agendadriven padhatmoorkhs hadnrsquot jumped on populist bandwagons A similar threat to society within the padhatmoorkh category is the ldquovakta adhikarevinrdquo an orator who creates social unrest by raising issues or stirring controversies they donrsquot have a grasp over It doesnrsquot take a social scientist to count the number of occasions in the last few decades when irresponsible insensitive public speakers have sparked riots and communal discord Interestingly Saint Tukaram Samarth Ramdasrsquo contemporary also warns against the lsquoknowledgersquo held by fools ldquoGavharache dnyan avagha rajogunrdquo he wrote which translates to ldquoA foolrsquos knowledge leads to a path of bodily pleasuresrdquo The saint warns against a foolrsquos inner desire to decimate the learned soul without realising how it lowers the bar and goes against the good of societyIt is interesting that while both saints are followed by people on opposing sides of the social spectrum in contemporary Maharashtra their definitions of a fool are similar In Tukaram Gatha a moorkh is the one who brags without reason ldquokelyavin parakram sangerdquo Dasbodh highlights a similar personality trait of fools who heaps praises on the undeserving ldquokirtivin stuti karirdquo Saint Namdev describes a moorkh of another hue who boasts of their fatherrsquos achievements rather than their own as an allaccess pass to a good life ldquovadilanchi kirti bhog sangerdquo These fools are antisocial elements because they discourage genuine workers and achievers in workplace environments They are not team playersSaint Eknath also calls out the windbag who mouths his or her lists of accomplishments ldquoswamukhe kirtirdquo while adding another layer to the foolrsquos armour He describes the dehabhimani who takes immense pride in physical attributes In present times this quality manifests in the showing off of tresses triceps nail art or skin glow Saint Dnyaneshwar the 13thcentury poetphilosopher who influenced a number of saints in the generations after him defines the moorkh as someone who doesnrsquot prepare or think things through before an important task The saint says the moorkh hopes to swim through the ocean by tying a millstone around his neck and then meets an early death ldquoBandhoniya shila pohu jata Sindhurdquo The analogy reminds this columnist of those who invite fatal accidents through their demonstrated foolishnessmdashdrunken drivers and bravadofilled explorers who donrsquot heed safety instructionsThe common man in India perennially feels cheated and fooled by the powersthatbe Be it election season or everyday governance the citizen is at a loss for solutions Every political outfit uses enticing language to fool the voter with promises of acche din to come The year 2024 is one of many elections in India only time will tell if voters allow themselves to be fooled again by election rhetoric and hyperbole Will they question every partyrsquos grand manifestomdashpromising the creation of two crore jobs allowances for the unemployed issuance of free railway passes for senior citizens and so on If we the people repeat our follies even in the 76th year of Independence donrsquot we qualify as padhatmoorkhs who donrsquot learn from their mistakesSumedha RaikarMhatre is a culture columnist in search of the subtext You can reach her at sumedharaikarmiddaycom