If You Can Dear Sir!
Dr. Rajasingham Narendran
(With apologies to Rudyard Kipling)
If you CAN tell you about the Truth When All
Are Lying On in Your name and the IT people blame you,
you are If you expose dishonest and good Men,
Pause to explore whether you CAN be honest;
If you follow the Rules and not CAN be tired by what IT takes,
Or if lied about, do not deal in lies,
Or being hated, do not give Way to hating,
And Yet Look to ACT do not too good, nor talk to Rouse Hate: If you CAN Dream a Vision-and let the people know;
If you think CAN-Your thoughts and think through;
If you CAN meet with Triumph and Disaster,
And those Treat Two impostors just the same;
If you CAN hear the lies you to Bear ' ve spoken,
Are Lying On in Your name and the IT people blame you,
you are If you expose dishonest and good Men,
Pause to explore whether you CAN be honest;
If you follow the Rules and not CAN be tired by what IT takes,
Or if lied about, do not deal in lies,
Or being hated, do not give Way to hating,
And Yet Look to ACT do not too good, nor talk to Rouse Hate: If you CAN Dream a Vision-and let the people know;
If you think CAN-Your thoughts and think through;
If you CAN meet with Triumph and Disaster,
And those Treat Two impostors just the same;
If you CAN hear the lies you to Bear ' ve spoken,
Exposed by the braves to make people know the Truth,
Or Watch Their votes for the promises people gave, Broken,
And Kommission and Remedy 'em up with Honesty: If you heap of All Your One CAN make mistakes,
admit to them in And One Turn of pitch-and-toss,
And gain, to start Again at Your beginnings,
And be honest about Correcting Your mistakes;
If you CAN Force Your Heart and nerve and sinew
To leave a country respected Long after you are gone,
And not Hold On When there is nothing good to give,
Except the Will to say to the people, "Good bye!": If you CAN talk with crowds and be honest,
Or Walk with Kings and not lose Your head,
If neither base fellow, nor kin Fair weather friends CAN hurt you,
And All citizens count with you, but None too much;
If you CAN fill the unforgiving Time given to you,
With KC and honest service,
Yours is the Earth and Everything that's in IT,
And-which is more-you'll be a Man, Dear Sir!
Or Watch Their votes for the promises people gave, Broken,
And Kommission and Remedy 'em up with Honesty: If you heap of All Your One CAN make mistakes,
admit to them in And One Turn of pitch-and-toss,
And gain, to start Again at Your beginnings,
And be honest about Correcting Your mistakes;
If you CAN Force Your Heart and nerve and sinew
To leave a country respected Long after you are gone,
And not Hold On When there is nothing good to give,
Except the Will to say to the people, "Good bye!": If you CAN talk with crowds and be honest,
Or Walk with Kings and not lose Your head,
If neither base fellow, nor kin Fair weather friends CAN hurt you,
And All citizens count with you, but None too much;
If you CAN fill the unforgiving Time given to you,
With KC and honest service,
Yours is the Earth and Everything that's in IT,
And-which is more-you'll be a Man, Dear Sir!
* The intro - (With Apologies to Rudyard Kipling) - of the earlier version of the poem was mistakenly edited out above. We apologize to our readers and to the author.
