I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and non-violence are as old as the hills
- Mahatma Gandhi

It is easier to follow the path to Mount Everest than to follow the path of truth- Mamta Naidu

And here’s why

I read Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography a couple of months ago and as an aftereffect, I’ve decided not to lie.

If you ask me 95% of the time I managed to tell the truth and 5% of the time it’s just not in my control.

Whenever I spoke the truth I realized I got myself into deep-croc-poop.

For instance: I was supposed to attend a herpetology workshop.

Now my mother calls me almost every day to find out when I plan to marry.  In due course she will also find out my whereabouts, what I ate, if I was eating lunch with a boy, if he was single and if he was a Naidu boy and ok to marry me.

If I told her “I’m going to attend a herpetology workshop and I will be out of reach for some time and probably return married to a curator”, she will faint.

Perhaps my mother will end up thinking, all her poojas, fasting unto daughter’s marriage, visits to various temples is impacting me adversely. Therefore, she will visit several astrologers and ask them to align all the planets, satellites and other confusing cosmic stuff, one after the other so I become sane.

If I don’t tell her the truth I’m not following ‘the path of truth.” See what I mean?

Note: In this case, I partially told the truth and asked God for forgiveness.  I told my mother that I’m going to visit a zoo in Chennai to see some weird-looking Turtles they recently imported which by the way was true.

Another instance:

If I asked my boss, I needed a day off, for I have to go bird watching. My boss would say “would you mind if I placed you on hold for a couple of minutes” and disappear. While I’m waiting on the phone nervously biting my nails my boss in the background would share this joke with his family and guffaw his ass off, then wipe his tears and come back online and say, “ no, I can’t grant you a leave as there are more important things to attend to than watching some silly birds.

Had I said ‘cough, cough, I’m unwell, I can’t come to work tomorrow’ in a hoarse voice, he would say “no problem, take good rest and get well soon.”

It works!

I’m so glad we have the Ganges and other such rivers to atone for lying.

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