Truth & Tact

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There was this piquant news item that when he heard Sharad Pawar was handed a slap in public, Annajee blurted out:

"Only One?"

And he had to dissimulate and dissemble instead of defending himself...rather unconvincingly.

This recalled many such tactless but perhaps true utterances. It is tough to say if one should spell out the truth as one sees it in so many words or keep silent or do it with tact.

One of my Aunties is rather famous for her openness. She had a college-going daughter at Nagpur, and she invited my sister to stay with her in her Nagpur home when my sister was looking for jobs there. During the very first dinner night my truthful Auntie told my sister in public:

"Look...don't go comparing the treatment I give you with what my daughter gets...she is after all MY daughter while you are only my sister's daughter."

My sister packed up the next morning and returned to Gudur. I mean, there was no need to spell out the obvious.

There was this Kanjoos-Bachelor (KB) at KGP in our Faculty Hostel Days. He was living alone in a Qrs and everyone knew that he spends about 10% of the salary he gets and saves the rest. And he gives hand-loans to the needy among his bachelor friends like me who tend to be spendthrifts. One fine morning one of our friends wanted Rs 100 badly and he asked me to accompany him to KB's digs. He was in his verandah reading a book when we landed up there. And my friend explained in so many words that he needs Rs 100 badly because of this and that and hither and thither... Upon which KB said:

"You don't have to tell lies. I will give you the cash you need."

Both of us were relieved and were accompanying him into his Hall. He then said:

"Please stay in the verandah. It is my policy that I don't encourage people to see where I hide my money."

My friend didn't relish the treatment he got but took the loan nevertheless. I must add KB shocked all of us into silence by donating all his savings to foot the terminal treatment of one of his colleagues who was struck down by the Emperor of All Maladies.

Everyone knows that sound advice Feynman got from his Guru how to patao waitresses in bars. Like a good student he followed the teaching of his bar-guru with splendid results. And he extended the theory to cases other than bar-girls. With equal success. But then he went gloating in his book in cold print and got into hot water.

Even Weinberg who was so 'to the point' in his youthful First Three Minutes is said to have gotten into trouble later when he made a comment in print that the more he looks at it, the more the Universe seems pointless...the objection was that Physicists ought not make value-added comments in their Physics writings...sort of. I beg to be corrected.

One of my brilliant Project Students was giving his Final Year Grand Viva. He was known to be walking away with all the gold and silver medals and had a wee chip on his shoulder. And thought that Solid State Physics that was taught to him was below par. And whenever any question on SSP was asked he would shrug his shoulders and say:

"I don't know"

even before the Teacher finished his question. After a couple of such responses I had to chide him:

"Too many 'I Don't Know's mean: 'I Don't Care'."

He came to attention and that rebuke saved both of us.

And there was this Prof SKDR who shifted from Physics and built a wonderful Liquid Nitrogen Plant in the Cryogenics Dept. One evening, he was talking to an RS of his in the Street and stopped me. And went on explaining the several advantages researchers get from a captive LNP. After a long few minutes I said:

"Oh, yes, Physics Profs can now repeat all their room temperature experiments pushing their old samples into flasks kept at 77K."

He said: "Exactly!"

And then chased me hundred meters in the dark alleys of the Campus...I was 15 years younger and athletic...

Finally...one Monday evening I walked into SDM's room to show my latest calculations and he said, smiling:

"My friends at the SINP were asking me if it is true that I have a Non-Bengali Scholar"

That was SDM and his famous tact...the very Annaji of Physics...


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