People who live in glass houses…. 

Old proverb ..new versions 

There is a famous proverb which goes thus :” People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” 

What is the literal meaning of this proverb ? This is actually a warning against hypocrisy. Before you go accusing someone of some wrong doing, make sure that you are not guilty as well because your accusation could come back and get you. 

Now you will wonder why this question today ? Well yesterday I saw the old movie “Waqt” (1965) The famous actor Raj Kumar had a lovely role in it.The senior readers like me, must be aware that  Raj Kumar had a unique style of dialogue delivery; very stylish in his own way and unmatchable which went on to become his trademark. Apart from his unique style of dialogue delivery, he was known for his show or scene stealing abilities. He has delivered some of very few memorable and famous dialogues in Bollywood. He is no more with us but will always be remembered for his roles and his deep voice.

Now, if you recall, one of Raj Kumar’s famous dialogue from the movie was :” Chinoy Seth..Jinke apne ghar sheeshe ke hon woh doosron par paththar nahi phenka karte..” 

I tried to put the above dialogue in a proper form :“Chinoy Seth,sheeshey key gharon mein rehne waaley doosron par paththar nahin fenka kartey…” 

This set me thinking as to whether our perceptions change over a period of time.(It is now 45 years since that “Waqt” dialogue first became a rage)    

I asked some of my friends to come out with better and funnier versions. Here are some of their responses : 

1. People who live in glass houses should not throw parties !

2. People who live in glass houses must dress in the basement !

3. Glass breaks very easily. So they should make houses from plexiglass. People who live in plexi glass houses, will probably get away with throwing stones to their heart’s content.

4. A glass house may be beautiful to live in, but there are other transparent   materials that are stronger than glass.

5. A song from a Hindi movie goes thus :

    “Sheesha ho ya dil ho, Aakhir toot jaata hai !

     Lab tak aate aate haathon sey sagar chchoot jaata hai !

     Sheesha ho ya dil ho, Aakhir toot jaata hai ! “

     So it is clear that people should not live in glass houses.

6. The way it was explained to me by my late father, this means, don’t go  throwing stones at other people’s houses ,because if they retaliate in  kind, your house will be very easily destroyed too. The non-literal meaning, is that whatever you use against other people can easily be used against you, so be careful how you treat others in order to avoid  consequences.

Dear readers, I would love to have your take on this proverb-and the funnier, the better ! 

By the way, Raj Kumar’s other famous dialogue from “Waqt” was :”Yeh bachchon ke khelney kee cheez nahin,haath katt jaayey tau khoon bhi nikal aata hai.”  

I hope you remember what he was referring to when he said :”Yeh” ? A knife. But more of that- later!

E..n..j..o..y…