KNOW YOUR OFFENSES

The air was pregnant with moisture as the outdoors beckoned. Bundling into my convertible, me along with a friend of mine decided to cruise the roads in our Metropolis. The clouds were ready to break the water, and the delicious scent of roasting corn tantalized all our olfactory senses.

As we were cruising away, I was suddenly halted by the traffic police. As an omen the rain started pouring. I was asked to lower my window to face an ominous looking policeman and present my license. I was blank... Pray when did going out for a drive become a traffic offense? 

 Looking at me, the policeman offered, `` You know. your offense dont you??'' Did I ever!! 

I stuttered and said that I didn't..

 `` See we never catch the wrong guys, you have committed the offense and you must pay the fine!'' he said. He was taking the moral high ground with me, and impressing upon me that I should definitely follow the tenets of `Crime and Punishment' to borrow from Fyodor Dostoevsky !. 

I told the traffic policeman, I truly had no clue on why I was being interrogated like a lowly criminal that `he ' thought I was. He enlightened me, ` Madam you were talking on your phone'. I looked at him agape! My phone was in my purse and the only person/s I was talking to were my friends. I tried to reason with him as best as I could. After all, arguing and haranguing with a Govt official in India, came with its own set of Punishments. I could be asked to come to the station for Obstruction of Justice ( the road and vehicular kinds) . He started scribbling on his traffic violation fee receipt book, a huge challan. Apart from carrying my credit card , I had no cash in person, and looking at my friends, community pooling of resources would not exactly help!. 

I ventured again, and suggested he check my phone .... just to determine again? He called his boss on his phone, and then proceeded to check my phone. The last call outwards was at 5.00pm. He looked befuddled. He had no option, but to give me the green signal... 

In the meanwhile, the real offender had zoomed away. ` You know your offense' the profound sentence that it was, however stayed with me in my head, as the rains lashed my windshields. Did'nt we all know our offenses ?? How many of us were mindful of the same, much less willing to pay the price for the same. However, a salute to the traffic policeman, who tried doing his duty to the best of his ability, never mind that the real offender drove past, while he was examining my license and I was examining myself inwardly. 

As I reached home that night , and lay in my bed, listening to the pitter patter outside, I knew my offenses, and while I did not look to punishing myself, I definitely looked to redeeming them and the excess baggage that I carried..

` Know your offenses' -this was my new mantra and mindfulness.. What Say?

PS Madhavan is a certified NLP Practitioner, Transformational Coach and Corporate Trainer and can be reached @ [email protected] for Coaching and Transformational Solutions, as well as Corporate Training Programmes.