In the modern age, silence does not serve any purpose---that is what the politicians advice us. So we have to decide whether silence is indeed golden or not. Some think silence means patience. We have to keep silence for good chance. Sometimes silence proves harmful to us. For example, when the Chinese, invaded India, they were eloquent in justifying their cause. Their diplomatic agents, in various countries of the world, were busy in making public speeches as well as building up huge pyramids of propaganda against India. Should India remain silent, and our spokesmen do not utter anything to falsify the Chinese propaganda?

The attack on Kargil and the hijacking of the Indian airlines aircraft manifest their deliberate attempt to propagate violence in India. Indeed, in such cases, as stated above, silence is not advisable to do so. This silence cannot be called ‘golden’. But sometime we used the maxim in a different sense. Maxim means certain people have an inborn tendency to go on talking. If they are censured, they would redouble their bickering.

The maxim can be used in yet another sense. If one abuses you or calls of you by filthy name, it is better to remain silent than to return such abuses and filthy names. Great prophets of the world, like Jesus Christ, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu adopted this golden way of behavior with wicked persons and bad persons, and at last those wicked persons repented for their evil deeds and were reformed. A man who remains silent, does not have any enemy.

Silence may be ‘golden’, therefore, in certain cases, while under certain circumstances it proves injurious to one’s own interest. But, finally, I opine that silence defeats all kinds of aggression and violence. Mahatma Gandhi also taught us the same noble lesson. Silence, again it must be noted, does not indicate any sign of cowardice or timidity.