Prose

An ode to the kite

FOR the little child across the globe, there may not be anything as enchanting as the kite dancing -- sometimes indolently sometimes violently -- on the breeze ! The child in me has refused to die in all these taxing decades just because long, long ago, a bright red-and-blue-and-white kite had promised to take me into the unknown depths of the sky, floating at the end of the tenuous thread, merrily or morosely -- craning the neck to look beyond and beyond ...! That promise is yet to be fulfilled -- ..

Of the artist’s profound humility

ABSOLUTELY typical mindset of a -- any -- maestro ! You are not the creator of the music. You are not the master of the ‘raga’. You are only a medium through which the music expresses itself. Or, in other words, music chooses you to be its medium -- every music maestro reminds self all along, every waking or sleeping moment. On this count, there is no compromise. True, there are some music masters who are extremely proud of their art, their mastery. Some of them also appear to be extremely arrogant, ..

Of inventing one’s own God !

“Si Dieu n’extait pas, it faudrait l’inventer.” (If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him) - translated into English from French. - François-Marie Arouet Voltaire, French enlightenment philosopher, in an Epistle (long advisory note) to the author of a book that sought to debunk founders of abrahamic religion..

Of seeing the whole picture

THIS basic truth is often missed in the humdrum of life. But even a little scratching beneath the surface brings us to its awareness. Of course, Salman Rushdie has talked of a tough reality -- of how one really knows the truth. This is almost universally right -- for if one wants to take a good look at the complete picture, then one must step out of the picture, walk some distance away from it, turn back and then pan one’s eyes from this side to that and up and down to take in the whole scene, the ..

Of poetry and prose

WHO would know better than Virginia Woolf the difference between poetry and prose -- or poetry and good prose ? A stark -- and dark -- prose apart, good prose is almost always full of poetic touch, poetic expression, poetic nuances. Many writers of prose excel even while writing technical papers even on sciences. Good prose always flows like a smooth stream, clear and vigorous -- at times calm, at times storm, at times warm, and at times cold. Yet, in whatever form it appears, good prose often offers ..

Of the urge to merge ... !!! - I

After the tumult At the shoreline -- Jostling, hustling, Wrestling, writhing, Heaving and hissing, Sighing and nighing And sinking Into soft sands -- In themselves merge The ocean waves !..

Of the urge to merge ... !!!

THAT early November morn, the eastern sea was truly boisterous -- as if eager to converse with anyone who was willing. ‘So much I hold within’, He meant to say. ‘So much I want to emote’, He added. And then suddenly, He fell silent -- as if dipped in deep ponder. Then came the roar -- of waves heaving and sighing and hissing and rising and surging on the soft, wet sands, drenching those who stood on the beach. In the distance, two grey and hazy outlines of ships breached horizontal line where the ..

Of the eternal truth

ONLY an Emily Dickinson can handle such paradoxes ! And what a connect she attains in these simple words -- spiritually ! Human soul ! -- Atman, Brahman, the emotional core, being carried forward in a frugal chariot, so to say ! So fine this ‘soul’ is that it also can move on on the strength of what a book wants to say, or even what a poem has to suggest in a fine nuance ! But the poem is about ‘A Book’ -- and, naturally, its power as a spiritual thruster. It also treats a poem as a courser -- that ..

Of the evening’s memory file !

“Shaam utari fir ahate mein (The evening descends on the yard) Jism par roushani ke ghaav liye” (Carrying the hurt of the light on her being) – Bakul Dev, new genre Hindi poet ..

Of purpose of prayer

WHAT a profound and thought-provoking statement, this! Considered deeply, one does realise it has the power to alter the general perception about prayer. It proposes and defines the actual purpose of prayer -- as a step to self-discovery and subsequent self-recovery from whatever may be undesirable in one’s personality. So, if a prayer talks of sowing light where there is darkness, for example, the proposal is that the person who prays must step out of his or her shell or cocoon and light a lamp -- ..

Of true discovery of science

THAT most scientists realise that spirituality is the core of science, is common knowledge. However, when Professor Albert Einstein talks of how the scientists get confronted with a higher spirit, then the words assume the power and strength and authority of a Vedic hymn. The point here is not about God as such. Of course, Nobel laureate Dr. John Mather had famously said, in effect, that even after isolating ‘God’ particle, the scientists felt that they were still missing something -- “and that must ..

Of science and spirituality

QUITE a complex and deep observation linking science and spirituality! But why Fritjof Capra alone, countless other scientists also have reached more or less similar conclusions about oneness of the universe that cannot be understood by segmenting it into different parts. But Fritjof Capra takes the comprehension to another level -- including the observer as integral to the complex web of the universe. In his deep and lifelong consideration of physics, Capra arrives at an invariable conclusion that ..

Of mortality and immortality

Amrutam chaiva mrutyuscha dwayam dehe pratishthitam/ Mohadyutpatye mrutyuh satyenotpadyute amrutam// (Immortality and death both reside in the body/ Death comes from temptation and immortality from the truth//)..