Tumhare paaon ke neeche koi zamin nahin
kamal ye hai ki phir bhi tumhein yaqin nahin

– Dushyant Kumar

(There is no ground beneath your feet,
the wonder is, you still refuse to believe it.)

Humans have a remarkable capacity to remain convinced that everything is perfectly fine, even when the ground beneath their feet has begun to shift. We may be hanging on by a thread, clinging to the nearest branch, or suspended somewhere between certainty and disaster. Yet we carry on with the confidence of someone standing on solid ground.

Perhaps it is not the loss of ground that unsettles us most, but the possibility of having to acknowledge it. We can dismiss warning signs, brush aside inconvenient questions, and give reality a more agreeable interpretation. A willing chorus is always ready to help. A section of the media can turn every stumble into a triumph, while sycophants assure that the view from the top has never been better. Anyone pointing to the cracks is simply accused of looking at things from the wrong angle.

Kabir had an effective prescription for this situation:

Nindak niyare raakhiye, aangan kuti chhavaay.

Bin paani, saabun bina, nirmal kare subhaay.

(Keep your critics close; build a little hut for them in your courtyard. Without water or soap, they cleanse your nature and purify your character)

Keep your critics close, he advised, give them a place in your courtyard. They might help you see what praise and flattery conceal. It is advice worth remembering, especially by those who have surrounded themselves with people who applaud every step, even when it leads them closer to the edge.

The ground keeps shifting, the applause continues, and confidence remains unshaken. When everyone around you insists that you are standing tall, why bother looking down?

Photos and text by Prerna Jain.