Tuesday, September 6, 2011

THE MASK OF HAPPINESS


The Inside and The Outside - Food for Thought

INSIDE and OUTSIDE
A Story
By
VIKRAM KARVE
Here is an apocryphal story I heard once:

THE MASK OF HAPPINESS

A certain man made an appointment to see a counsellor.

He arrived at the psychotherapist’s office and said to him, "Sir, please help me. I always feel depressed. No matter what I do I still feel depressed. I just don’t know what to do..."

The counsellor looked at the depressed man and said to him, "Come with me to the window..."

The patient followed the therapist to the window. 

The counsellor pointed outside and said, "Do you see that tent over there in the distance...?"

"Yes," the depressed man answered.

"Well, there is a circus in town and it is really good. There are lots of acts to watch, especially the clown acts. And there is one clown in particular who is extremely funny. He wears all sorts of costumes and masks and performs hilarious antics. He will make you rock with side-splitting laughter over and over again. Go and see that clown and I guarantee you that your depression will disappear..." the psychotherapist advised the depressed man.

The depressed man turned to the counsellor with sad eyes and said, "Sir, I am that Clown...!!!"

Moral of the Story No. 1: The Inside and the Outside may be vastly different and deep inside things may not be as they seem from the outside.

Moral of the Story No. 2: Don’t wear a mask. It may affect your health in the long run.

Do tell me if you liked this story

VIKRAM KARVE

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.


Did you like this story? I am sure you will like the stories in my recently published book COCKTAIL comprising twenty seven short stories about relationships. To order the book please click the links below:
http://www.flipkart.com/cocktail-vikram-karve-short-stories-book-8191091844?affid=nme

About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and he is currently working on his novel. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles in magazines and journals for many years before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for almost 14 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts. 

Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@sify.com          

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
 




2 comments:

Akhil Dua said...

Ah, nice! Take the mask off and face life as it comes. Winter only makes us appreciate summer more..thanks for sharing Vikramji.

Rahul Bhatia said...

Reminds me of the mask scene enacted by Kiran Bedi at Ramlila Ground!!