I know that you won’t be able to digest the above title just like that nor will you realize the meaning of this post until you read till end. Add the word ‘You‘ before ‘are‘ and ‘can‘ separately and maybe you can understand what I really intend to mean. Still confused? It’s simple. It’s all about what ‘You are‘ and what ‘You can.’ Both the words have one common thing and is ‘You.’ Difference seems to be between ‘are‘ and ‘can‘ but let me tell you that, that difference is much bigger than you can think of.
Tell me one thing honestly. When you discuss your some new idea or concept with someone who you know for years, how will he judge you? In most of the cases, you will be judged based on what you ‘are‘ or even in some cases based on what you ‘were‘ but never or rather very rarely you will be judged based on what you ‘can.’ Does this sound relative?
This is the bloody scenario with our society. They don’t want to forget what we were or what we are. They just keep looking at us based on our past and present. They never tend to understand that there is a future too where ‘can‘ exists. They just can’t believe that we can do something which we haven’t done so far. But nope, they know us as we are and as we were not as we can be.
If you’re close to me, you very well know that I keep bursting with bloody new ideas and concepts often, both commercial and creative. Earlier due to fear of rejection I used to keep them to myself only. But now, sometimes I do share them with the like minded people. If it’s a commercial concept, I do share it with the financier/investor/donor or if it’s a creative idea, I do share it with like minded person who I believe has the balls to understand. In most of the cases, their first approach is negative despite they like the idea. And the very reason for such thinking is their fix-view on me based on my past and present activities which they’re aware about. They bloody don’t get to believe what I ‘can‘ do. I mean, there is never a guarantee for anything that is thought to be done. It can fail too. Point is not that. Point is to make people think differently about yourself that you are a brand new person everyday.
Mahatma Gandhi
M. K. Gandhi was a young blood when he went to South Africa. After completion of the case, he was to return to INDIA. By his client, a small party was arranged for his welfare. During that party, he read this short note in a local newspaper which talked about rights of Indians living in South Africa. He sensed the future threat to Indians through that note. He shared the same with other Indians who were in that party. He shared his view that if nothing is done against this note; great damage will be done to rights of Indians living in South Africa. Listening this he was asked to stay for further time and fight for their rights. Remember, he wasn’t Mahatma of Gandhiji at that time. He was just a young barrister who was struggling to settle his career. So the point is, hadn’t he been given the faith, chance and belief by the then Indian community living in South Africa, had he become the father of nation?
Srinivas Ramanujan
To judge a person from his past and present but future is the most insulting way a human can have. That way, you limit someone’s creativity and potential. Heard of Srinivasa Ramanujan, the self taught mathematician? Had he received the honor hadn’t he been recognized and invited by G. H. Hardy at Cambridge? We as Indians sometimes feel pride for the noble prize that Indian born NRIs have achieved. But then we tend to forget the bloody fact that, the kind of atmosphere their creativity needed was allotted by other country and not India. We don’t feel shame about it. But when it comes to taking pride, aah! We walk fist. But we walk back when it comes to support someone’s creativity. Shame shame!
Dinesh Tilva
There is a common man living in Rajkot whose name is Dinesh Tilva. I am sure, you haven’t heard his name and that’s just because he too is judged by what he was and what he is, not what he can do. He runs a small printing house. He has immense knowledge in his field, no doubt about that. But apart from that, he has knowledge on almost everything. You give him a subject of ‘Pippal Tree‘ to talk about and I guarantee that you will faint listening his non-stop knowledge about it. I am pretty much sure that, he highly deserves a Ph.D’s degree for his research on ‘Pippal Tree’, but he won’t get it, why? The simple but stupid reason being that he isn’t a graduate. He went to the Saurashtra University to find out a way if he can enroll for Ph.D. but as you know our education system which believes more in certificates than the knowledge, he was refused and rather advised to do the graduation. This is something like asking Mahatma Gandhi to first learn politics and then fight for Indian freedom! I mean, there are few things which are natural in all of us, which doesn’t need any certificate.
I am pretty much confident that, someday Dinesh Tilva’s knowledge will be recognized by an university of other country. And then as usual, our Indian media, educational institutions and the people of India will feel pride of it. I mean, that’s how we celebrate someone’s recognition. We first don’t give someone a chance to grow and rather kick him out, but when he grows with the support of other country, we become the first to say “We are proud of him as he is an INDIAN.” Proud, my foot!
Apart from his knowledge on Pippal Tree, he owns great knowledge on various businesses. He is a great consultant. He has helped (yes, pure help, without charging a single dime) many people to learn a way to earn with their talent and skill that they wouldn’t have realized in years hadn’t had they met him. I strongly believe that if he is given an opportunity by the Government of Gujarat to start up an Entrepreneurship Development Department exclusively headed by him, without any limitation, theoretical syllabus, force or favors, he can create hundreds and thousands of successful entrepreneurs. He has this magic touch that even uneducated but skillful person can become a hit. Hence, if an educated as well as skillful person gets his support, he can make wonders. No single doubt about that. I know that Government runs Entrepreneurship Development Departments and Agencies. I myself have visited one of them and what I have experienced is that, there is nothing but the bunch of theories and high-figh funda talks. They advise you to do this and that, but they don’t make you to achieve that. Where as if Dinesh Tilva’s skills are invested by the Government then society can be filled with more and more successful people. But we all know, it’s next to impossible to believe for several reasons; one of them being he is not a graduate because government recruits only certified (not necessarily educated!) heads!
Vishal Nagani
Vishal Nagani is a human calculator living in Rajkot. He too is a college drop out. But the talent that he has, not one out of one lakh has. He can do the multiplication of figures of crores into tables of 10 in flash of couple of seconds. For example, answer this. How many is it 25485963 X 8=? Don’t use calculator and try answering that. Mostly, you won’t find the answer and end up with a calculator. He can do other amazing calculations too such as addition, subtraction, division etc. etc. Once my cousin met him on a road in Rajkot where he was sharing his talent with public. People used to enjoy his talent and add couple of claps at the end, that’s it. My cousin sent him to visit me. Instantly, I found his talent to be fantastic. I searched Limca Book of records for a similar record and found out that the one existing was no where near to what Vishal was capable of doing. I did all correspondence with the Editor of Limca Book of Records, and finally his talent was recognized by them.
Summary of Vishal’s story is that, despite having such a powerful brain, he is not given the kind of support he should’ve received. He has met leading local politicians, visited leading schools etc. etc. but utmost he has ended up with a certificate from them. What’s he gonna do with it? Eat them? I am constantly working out to find a way that he earns with his talent. I am even planning to shoot a documentary on him. I’m done with the research and now writing the script. Also looking for a donor who can donate for the documentary expenses, which I’m pretty sure, I won’t get. It’s the routine experience. But I will do it somehow. It will take more time that way, but let it be because he is not less talented than the renowned human calculators Rudiger Gamm of Germany and Scott Flansburg.
Dushyanth Goswamy
Let me tell you that, I am also planning to make a short film based on a Gujarati short story written by Dr. Navin Vibhakar. Has received his consent too. Has also finalized the location and cast. Now almost done with the script writing too. As usual, this too will require some little fund too, approx 10,000 Indian rupees. And as usual, no one would donate for this cause because it’s about creativity. Forget me. Even the highly talented and deserve to be a film maker like Dushyanth Goswamy hasn’t received the financial support for his creativity. People do spend lakhs of rupees for festival celebration, donate in multiple zeros to religious organizations (and never come to know how they use it) but won’t donate few thousands of lakhs to such talents.
The Donor Trio
It’s not that, everybody is the same. There are supporters I know like Sureshbhai Jani, Captain Narendra and Qasimbhai Abbas who have donated to SpeakBindas for its various missions; video interviews being major of them. Their donation may not be enough or say huge in figures but their support is. Sometimes mere support is needed and sometimes mere finance/donation.
And when it comes to donation, consciously or subconsciously donor expects to be honored, highlighted, appreciated and to worst name & fame. For example if someone donates a big amount to an established religious sect, he receives name and fame there. Rather he chooses the big organization for the fame purpose only. But if he does so to a small organization, it doesn’t happen. I mean, above listed donors who donated to SpeakBindas, never were appreciated in Public, nor they expected so. I must appreciate their bravery today for donating for CREATIVITY which very rare can do. I am not against respecting the donor, rather I believe strongly in appreciating even a tiny donation because who knows that it can make a vast difference. The point is about ‘why‘ they donate?
I know many other talented people except Dushyanth Goswamy, Vishal Nagani and Dinesh Tilva who deserve a chance, but If I go on listing out their names and stories, this post will end up being a book! But I am sure that I have successfully conveyed my message, haven’t I?
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P.S.: Isn’t it a good idea to write a book on such talented but yet under-estimated and highly deserving people from our society and tell their story to the world? How about an added video interview too? (This is one more idea which has popped out of this article! Any donor for publication and video interview??? He he he….)
Devang Vibhakar is the Founder and Editor of www.SpeakBindas.com. He has interviewed more than 350 people. His effort was recognized by Limca Book of Records, twice. He has been to Scotland as well as Germany as part of vocational & cultural exchange programs and has compiled five books so far. He's passionate about bringing forth interesting stories & interviews of entrepreneurs to avid readers of SpeakBindas. He can be reached 
Previous comments:
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Preeti Chaturvedi March 17, 2010 at 12:07 pm
You are right Devang, when you say that our society apprecaites the certified Idiots and cares a fig about the natural talent, which perhaps is god’s gift! I would really appeal on your behalf to all those rich pockets to finance you for either video interview or publication…
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Ankur Gupta March 17, 2010 at 12:40 pm
You have touched a raw nerve in me 🙂 I am from IIMA but based on my own life experiences as well as the talents I have come across in my life I align myself with your logic on “You Are” and “You Can”.
Isn’t it funny that nobody will drive a car looking only at the rear-view or side-view mirrors, instead of the front-screen yet while dealing with talent they only look at the past and/or certification. Reminds me of Dr. John Nash in A Beautiful Mind.. Who determines who is insane? similarly I am also reminded of our very own Shashi Kapoor who when invited to be on the Cannes jury declined saying that how can one creative person sit in judgement on another creative person’s output.
So this is something you have initiated a very appropriate discussion on and remove the “blinker” approach of most people. The experience is given more prominence rather than the potential!!!
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vikas March 17, 2010 at 1:13 pm
I could imagine you writing this!!!I know that you haven’t mentioned your name, Devangbhai, but surely you can be put in this list of stories, if I write this…Very frankly speaking, I believe that these are the hurdle to the Great people have to go through.(it sounds bit philosophical, but its true). Shrimad Bhagavad Gita ko bhi mention kar dete hai- Karm kiye ja, phal ki chinta mat kar…
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Varun Reply:
March 18th, 2010 at 10:48 am
“Karm kiye ja, phal ki chinta mat kar”
The most misunderstood sentence of “Geeta”.
This sentence has nothing to do with future at all.
This sentence is all about doing ‘Karm’ in present.
It says that our ‘Karm’ is only our ‘Phal’.
Whatever we do, we should do it with so intensity, with so much of joy that this joy becomes our ‘phal’.
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William March 17, 2010 at 4:34 pm
Too long an article for my tired eyes.
But for sure ARE. I am. Then you can.
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Devang Vibhakar Reply:
March 17th, 2010 at 8:16 pm
William,
Try again with fresh eyes. You won’t be disappointed. Need your creative comment.
Devang Vibhakar´s last blog ..What’s more bloody important, Can or Are? My ComLuv Profile
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raj goswami March 17, 2010 at 7:57 pm
Your potential is the possible you. Very few of us focus our energy enough to discover the outer edge of our capabilities. You are much more than you know yourself to be.
In 2007 movie ‘Evan Almighty’,the character of Morgan Freeman says, “Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?”
similarly, in 2006 flick ‘Flicka’ Alison Lohman says, “I believe there is a force in this world that lives beneath the surface, something primitive and wild that awakens when you need an extra push just to survive, like wildflowers that bloom after fire turns the forest black. Most people are afraid of it, and keep it buried deep inside themselves. But there will always be a few people who have the courage to love what is untamed inside us.”
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Jennifer Smith March 17, 2010 at 8:14 pm
Great post, Devang. The ability to see more than we can currently see is vital to progress. Anything great that’s been achieved in the world started with an idea.
Jennifer Smith´s last blog ..taking a step back My ComLuv Profile
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Neal Lathia March 17, 2010 at 11:25 pm
CAN is your soul (inner self), ARE is your body.
You need to prove your CAN while ARE is what people already know or can see.
So, by doing what we CAN constantly magnifies or beautifies our ARE.
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Varun March 18, 2010 at 10:41 am
i believe that there is not such a difference between ‘what you are’ and ‘what you can’.
You are what u can. You cant be what can not, never.
The fight starts when we expect the things to b happened what ‘we can not’ do.
When we seek recognization in very impractical way, the problem arises.
An extraordinary painter can make beautiful paintings, but if he doesn’t have any marketing skill he can not sell his paintings. So he can not be recognized in the market. It doesn’t mean at all that he’s not a good painter. But for his/her recognization in market, he has to take some help from another person who ‘can’ do marketing of the paintings.
So..the thing is he is a painter, not a marketing guy. So he ‘can’ paint but ‘cant’ sell.
This very understanding should be there if one wants to be recognized by the society.
One should know his/her “can” and “cant”.
You ‘are’, what you ‘can’.
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Ankur Gupta March 18, 2010 at 11:02 am
Consider :
You are what u can. You can’t be what can not, never…
What about some food for thought here..
Are you what you ‘could’?
If not then you ’should’.
Accordingly you will be what you can be and then…
You are what you can 🙂
“I can’t” is more a state of mind which is thrust upon an individual by his conscious self whereas it is our sub-conscious which drives us to do whatever we do.
If this was not the case then there would have been no evolution whatsoever!
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romila March 18, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Devang, you have written a good piece to read, along with good real examples. For me are and can are co-related. Both are needed. You ‘can’ achieve, if you ‘are’ someone with dreams and confidence to make them reality. If you ‘are’ not someone than you ‘cant’ become someone. There are many moments in my life where ‘you are’ has made ‘you can’ possible for me. Take examples of my writing, I wrote and become a writer, becoming a writer- I wanted to win accolades in my work and I did because I believe in the motto ‘I can’ and I strive hard to reach it.
It’s a different story that society is biased and they don’t see the zeal in the person who wants to make it big but again on the other side there are people [financially capable] who can make others dreams come true, but it depends on time when such people come across your life.
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ALOK KUMAR SINGH March 18, 2010 at 5:50 pm
Dear Devang,
The debate -What’s more bloody important, Can or Are?
That is Philosophy—-
and
Philosophies live for ever.
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Ekta March 18, 2010 at 6:20 pm
Devang: I think you make an excellent point here; it’s one that has been debated and discussed in various forms here in the States. Unfortunately humans have flaws, and one of our flaws is that it’s impossible for us to look past the information in front of us so we can assess the potential of a person. I’m sure everyone has been prone to this mistake in small or large ways at some point or another. But your post is a reminder to all of us not to judge a book by its cover. More importantly, it’s a reminder to pass that message along to others when such a situation arises. Along with human flaws, we also have the potential to rise above them.
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navin vibhakar Reply:
March 19th, 2010 at 5:40 pm
devang,
ar real insight is yr article. i just gsve a talk at florida federation theosophical society convention about WHO WE ARE AND WHAT CAN U DO . it is apt with what ur saying. a wonderful article.
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Shivo- The Playful Mystic March 20, 2010 at 12:58 pm
Dear Devang,
Your article has raised some great points on how our society views the non linear insights.
It is not just in India, but all across the world, original creativity takes a long time to be recognized. Today we highly acclaim Jesus, Socrates, Galileo, Einstein and many more, but we should know that they all faced great struggles in their lives. Some of them lived their whole life in difficulties and even got punished for their great deeds.
The problem is that anyone tapping the higher intelligence lives in a raised consciousness and society cant understand that. It takes a long time for society to catch up with their level of understanding. However, I can say that such radical people, be it Jesus, Socrates or Galileo lived their lives (and died too) in great joy, irrespective of how the society treated them. They never wanted any rewards, rather the joy they received out of tapping into the intelligence was their reward.
In my understanding, one of the greatest mistakes insightful, creative people can make is to get restless and start demanding rewards. They should continue to enjoy what they are doing and the success may (or may not) follow them. They should know that they live in a beautiful space of deep satisfaction, which is different from the space of frustrations in which a normal person lives. Such a living also activates the intuitive connections, raising his intelligence and also bringing the like minded people in touch with divine interference. Getting restless can only create the obstacles in the path of unfolding of further creativity.
One can talk about how society should deal with such creative people, but such and activism is not of much use, as society has its own pace of evolution.
I would continue to live life of your choice and enjoy what you are doing. Excel in every moment and leave the rewards to divine.
Shivo- The Playful Mystic´s last blog ..Why Do We Re-incarnate? My ComLuv Profile
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Harnish Jani March 23, 2010 at 10:33 pm
Bhai Devang- I read your article- I just see a frustrated young man- The incident you mentioned about Gandhiji-is notable for his Character-He was supposed to leave next day for India-He read that news in paper- It was not the other Indians who insisted him to stay-First Gandhiji who insisted them to do something for it-Otherwise Indians will loose their identity in SA- The whole act was based on individual’s courage and character- How many of us would cancel any kind of the trip next day?
My point is One should not look at others for any kind of help-He/she should act positively-and to do so One should develop one’s character.
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Devang Vibhakar Reply:
March 24th, 2010 at 6:37 pm
All over the article I have tried mentioning that creativity needs support. Had Panther Panchali of Satyajit Ray been finished, if it hadn’t received monetary support from the then Government? I don’t intend to say to start beg like few NGOs do for various so called ’causes.’ My message is clear “Creativity too needs support.”
If people can donate lakhs for the celebration of a religious festival, why not few hundreds for creativity too?
Devang Vibhakar´s last blog ..Short story: Dancing with the Timeless Beast My ComLuv Profile
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Ankur Gupta March 25, 2010 at 9:38 am
Correction : It is Pather Panchali – Bengal : Pôther Pãchali (Song of the Little Road)
In response to your views perhaps the creative brigade needs to make the aam junta aware that helping fuel creativity is perhaps the best ode to the ultimate Creator so that the religious brigand can be kept at bay