KATHA

Camels are ‘collectivists’. They love their homes. It is difficult for them to leave their herd. They are quieter, gentler, more inquisitive, affectionate, attention seeking, and emotional. They take mistreatment more personally. Horses are ‘individualists’. An abused horse is ‘nervous and distrustful’. An abused camel is ‘mean and unpleasant’. Situations that could panic a horse will scarcely cause any concern for a camel. Camels more easily come out of the uncertain situation than horses; when tangled in a rope, a horse struggles violently to come out, whereas a camel tries to get out of the situation sitting quietly. Camels can travel for days without food and water, whereas horses need regular refuelling. A horse ride, thus, shouldn’t be equated with a camel safari. One is peaceful, while the other is not. If it is steep, rocky trails, horses are preferred. For deserts and water scarce zones, camels are preferred. It is not wise to expect a horse to work as a camel, and vice versa. Trying to transform a camel into a horse is also not a good idea. Camels can’t become horses, nor would they want to become one.

It is not wise to transform a tortoise into a rabbit. The rabbit lost the race because it took the tortoise’s challenge lightly. It did not see the merit in the tortoise’s weakness. The rabbit lost because of over-confidence. Remember the film Katha! In the film, Farookh Sheikh is the sly rabbit. The nice guy Naseeruddin Shah does not always finish last.

Present day rabbits are learning the tricks of the tortoises. Some tortoises are winning the race. We love to see them winning but we don’t want to become tortoises. No one finds it interesting to chase the tortoises. Chasing rabbits is a lot of fun. It is good to be slow and steady. It is also good to be fast and consistent. We need the instincts of both tortoise and rabbit to win the race. Transforming someone into a person who is diametrically opposite is a waste of time. It is usually better to build our strength than to correct a weakness. All are not equally strong. If the survival of the fittest holds true, survival of the least fit is also a necessity.