A JOURNEYS END - from SECRETS OF THE SOUL

A JOURNEYS END

They told me that he lived,

At the end of this road,

A man no more but a God.

His eyes they said,

Like fire did glow,

And that he seldom spoke.

For does not silence,

More than speech show,

The power of the divine.

My desire mounting,

I trudged along,

To seek solace and belong,

To his heavenly home.

The road so devious,

Like a serpent ran,

Over vales, hills and deserts,

Rivers, lakes and oceans,

But the end nowhere in sight.

Undaunted I pushed on and on,

I walked, I ran, I crawled, I swam.

Here a thorn did prick my feet,

There I was burned by the blistering heat.

Battered and bruised,

Yet not beaten, though tired,

I fell asleep.

And in that sleep there arose,

A wondrous scene.

I could see no road ahead of me,

I had reached the end,

For there lay instead, as I could see,

A dimensionless void.

And as I peeped, there arose,

A face that was mine.

Now I knew, that it is I,

I am the divine.

I awoke and found myself,

Staring at that scene,

Which till now, I had thought

Was the product of a dream.

Headlong I plunged,

Into the void below;

I found myself in a stateless state,

So I remain now.

BOOK REVIEW - ROADS (A Journey with Verses) Vandana Bhasin & Smitha Vishwanath

BOOK REVIEW - ROADS (A Journey with Verses)

Vandana Bhasin & Smitha Vishwanath

Writing a review of a collection of poetry is a daunting task, for unless you try to understand the poet, a true interpretation of the poem and its imagery will not be possible. It is not a book where you can say I could finish it in two hours or a day and be done with it. It takes a long time for serious lovers of poetry to really get into the mind of the poet. I took a long time and felt guilty that I could not come out with a review fast enough, for I know that whether it is prose or poetry the author looks forward to the reader's reaction and it means a lot. And now here I was grappling with understanding the minds of two poets.

Smitha says ‘This book is serendipity’, a happy occurrence and hopes that the poems remind the reader of their own journey and inspire them to stay positive all the way. For Vandana it is ‘Like any other journey, all roads on this journey were full of exploration, learning, treasuring new relationships and rejoicing along the way’. She also says that writing helps to justify her existence and deepens her understanding of life.

Looking to the content of the book, the cover is very well-conceived and conveys the journey towards the distant horizon very much in sight but still a long way to go. The figure on the cover, that of a lady with her tresses gently blowing in the wind and walking alone on the road towards her destination (a surrealistic landscape) is both attractive and symbolic.

The structuring of the book into three broad sections – 1. Courage, Wisdom, Serenity 2. Love, Strength, Compassion 3. Joy, Hope, Gratitude, makes it easy for the reader to follow the trend of thought. If the book is a compilation written over the years by the authors separately and now arranged as per the sections indicated above, which I feel is the more obvious, taking into account that our thought processes do not occur in compartments, but are random, it is a massive effort of matching and compiling   and embarking together on this journey ‘Roads’.

A notable feature are the small passages, more in the nature of a preface at the start of each poem, help us appreciate the poet’s trend of thought conveyed in the poem.

Smitha comes out as more mellow and inclusive in expressing her feelings, Vandana is the quintessential votary of individual action. In the section on ‘Courage’-

Smitha writes in the poem ‘Hesitate and seal your fate’

‘Break the chains that hold you back

Shatter the walls that make you slack

Drop the baggage from your cart

It’s never too late to start.’

Vandana in her poem ‘I am the heroine of my life’ writes that she believes women are stronger than the dishonor meted out to them after the abuse, despite no fault of theirs –

‘Do not sympathize, for I am a phoenix

I have the prowess to recuperate from ashes

I will not relinquish, for I intend to revolutionize

I am not subservient to accede to sacrifice.’

In the section ‘Wisdom’ in the poem ‘Treasure the little pleasures’, Smitha writes –

‘Wisdom I gained, after a while

These were things that truly matter

The little joys that made me smile

All the rest, incidental clutter.’

Vandana in her poem ‘It’s all in the state of mind’

Ah! This pessimism is the toxin of my life

That has paralyzed the powers of my mind

If only I change my perspective

And just remember, ‘It’s all in the state of mind.’

A very interesting contrast comes out in the section on ‘Serenity’ 

Smitha in her poem ‘The sounds of the countryside’

‘A tranquility I feel in the countryside-

Nestled away from the chaos, the clamor of the city

In solitude, I gaze – no hurry, no rush; my time bide

A blissful serenity’

Vandana- in her poem ‘Solitude and Me’

‘In solitude, I seek my answers

When adrift in the labyrinth of life

Solitude show me light’

Both these poems captivated me since I have echoed similar thoughts in my poems ‘Tranquility’ and ‘Solitude’.

The poems are replete with each poet’s own individualistic view on the same subject matter. I would refrain from going into every poem and quoting for it would make this review too long. There is a strong connect with the father in two poems which as I age, I feel quite emotional and know that my daughters feel the same way –

Smitha in the small preface before her poem ‘Hush daddy! Don’t fear’ writes

– ‘Taking care of an ageing parent isn’t always easy. It’s a vicious cycle of guilt, duty, love and responsibility. As for the parent, there’s no refuting that ageing is an extremely difficult phase of life and a lonely journey.’

‘I watch you; a fraction of what you once used to be

Dread, loneliness and emptiness, in your eyes I see’

Vandana writes in the preface to her poem ‘A father’s shade’-

‘My father never told me how to live, but demonstrated it, by living it himself.

The pride they take in our success, is the most evident expression of selfless love’

I have read the poems and admire the sensitivity with which each poet (pardon me for not saying poetess for I do not believe in making distinctions. A poet is a poet) has penned her view of life and constant endeavor to understand and move towards the end of the ‘Road’.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

I used to be amused when people asked me how come a banker has taken to writing, but I have seen a number of them doing just that. So, it was with a sense of joy to note that two young ex-bankers are poets. I am going to restrict myself to what they have to say about themselves-

Smitha Vishwanath

She understands change is the only constant in life. With a ‘Never say die’ attitude, her writing is one of hope and courage. When not writing she enjoys painting, reading and spending time with family and friends.

Vandana Bhasin

She believes in making life more meaningful and rewarding by consciously choosing happiness and optimism over monotony and pessimism. She has won numerous accolades including Shree Atal Bihari Vajpayee Award018byArpita Foundation and Women of Influence Award 2019 by Garnet and Gold.

CONCLUSION

I walked down the ‘ROADS’ with the poets and I see in the horizon a bright light, a light that would illumine in dispelling the darkness that we fear will enfold us. Thank you.

A book to open and read and reread, a possession that should find a place on your bookshelf.

BOOK REVIEW- MY MANY TRYSTS WITH GOD by P.V. RAGHUNATHAN

BOOK REVIEW

MY MANY TRYSTS WITH GOD by P.V. RAGHUNATHAN

AN OVERVIEW

This autobiography is a monumental work. To say that the book is intense will be an understatement as Raghunathan takes us through the trials and tribulations that life had chalked out for him: an extraordinary journey of courage, pathos, success and finally towards enlightenment. The book has several poignant  moments which turn out to be tipping points in the author’s view of life – from a theist to an atheist, agnostic and finally acceptance of a greater power that guides the course of an individual’s life, brings out the author’s inherent strength of character and integrity, ready to face the truth and accept change as an instrument towards understanding life in all its hues.

The essence of the book is brought out in the last few lines where the author acknowledges the role played by those people who were all along with him in this journey of life.  

“I have thus had many trysts with God, who was always leading me to where I needed to reach – Wisdom dawned on me: after all I was not the hero I believed myself to be. I was just a zero, enhanced in value by so many angels prefixed to me.”

THE BOOK

Writing an autobiography is a very difficult proposition. Trying to recollect all that has happened in one’s life would be a gargantuan task. Yes, we do remember events that happened long ago and have been turning point in our lives, but it is very rare that we remember the minutest details; going back in time, the memories become hazy after a point. Another difficulty is that we may not remain true to the exact narration, in the process fill up fictional details. So, I was astounded by Raghunathan’s eye for details and going back in time till he was three years old. His description of his early years – born in a large lower middle-class family as one of eight children, he struggles through life through sheer grit and a belief in himself, qualities instilled in him by his father. The family bonding and the support they give each other throughout life without waning in intensity touches your heart. It is this bonding which keeps the author going in the face of adversity both in official as well as upheavals in personal life.

The one great influencer early in life his father, taught him how to look at life and these were values which he has retained throughout -

‘We fear the unknown. In darkness, since we do not know what is within, we fear darkness. But once we understand the reason for the darkness and the shadow, we do not fear them. So, son fear not the unknown; try to find out, understand and conquer fear’.

‘So, while belief in God should be with faith, belief should not be blind to rational thinking. Moreover, there is no absolute good or absolute evil.’

The major theme of the book is the author’s many trysts with God as he would like to term it, I found the following passages take us through the various stages of his search for a meaning in life –

‘Even as a child I was looking for God in key holes of doors, in pebbles of various sizes, among ants marching silently in a disciplined line, and the like.’

‘At this point in my life, my reverse search started. I started reading literature by rationalists criticizing the institution of God’

‘We went to Somnath temple. I did not worship God because I was cross with him after the demise of my father’

‘From that moment I became an unquestioning disciple of Maha Periyava. Theist as a child, atheist as a young man, God hating agnostic thereafter and then theist, my transformation was complete’

This transformation occurs following various traumatic events in his life. I leave it to the reader to go through the book and connect with the author through his journey.

A major portion of the book covers his years in the State Bank of India and the National Bank of Oman. The narration is interesting and exhaustive. These were the years that tested his mettle as a banker who trained and educated himself to be an authority in whichever position he found himself placed. Apart from his efficiency as a banker, what stands out is his ability to not buckle under even when there was pressure from superiors or politicians if he thought that the demand was not fair or unethical. A successful banker he bade adieu to his career on his own terms.

I could connect with his stint in SBI and the anecdotal references since I also served the same organization and in the same circle. Though I never had the opportunity to work with him, I knew him and was a distant admirer especially as a greenhorn who joined the bank six years later. Whether it was Baroda Industrial Estate branch or Jamnagar branch I knew what was going on.

But it is the smaller chapters tracing his growing up years till the time he leaves his job at the Madras Telex Exchange where he was a JE to join as a PO in the largest bank in the country, which brings to fore the molding of his personality – from an inquisitive childhood to growing up as a teenager harboring rebellious inclinations against social injustice and his early fascination with Napoleon and Hitler and the formation of the ‘Troika’ with two of his like minded friends all provide for an interesting read.

For me the most impactful chapters were the last two ‘Hibernation and Renascence’ and ‘My Many Trysts with God’ rounding up what is a fascinating look in to an individual who for all the steely exterior he presented is a very compassionate human being – a devoted child, a protective sibling, a successful careerist, a doting husband and a loving father.

The book by normal standards is voluminous and some may find the font size used does strain one’s eyes when continuously read. But I can understand the dilemma faced by the author and publisher from going in for a slightly increased font size for it would have extended the book by another hundred pages at least. The cover is well-conceived and looks good. The Kindle version of the book is also available.

The author’s language is scholarly and simple. This book is not to be rushed through. It is when we go through word by word that we experience the intensity of an extraordinary life.

In concluding I would like to quote the following lines from ‘Zen and the Art of Motor Cycle Maintenance’

You look at where you're going and where you are and it never makes much sense, but then you look back at where you've been and a pattern seems to emerge. And if you project forward from that pattern, then sometimes you can come up with something.

THE AUTHOR

This is the debut book of Raghunathan. He has in the past contributed short articles to some journals and some periodicals on subjects of social relevance. He is an avid reader and an intrepid traveler and trekker. A successful banker having served with the State bank of India and the National Bank of Oman, now settled in Gurgaon and has rediscovered his passion for writing.

A book highly recommended not only for reading and relishing, but as an adornment on your bookshelf.