Month: February 2017

Love , in its Diversity

Love , in its Diversity

equal-music
Last week was Valentine’s day week .Commercialization has brought this day more  into our awareness.There are various versions in the history of this day but the most popular version being that Saint Valentine was a martyr, who was beheaded by the then Roman Emperor in around 4th century BC,for getting Christian couples married .

Love, as an emotion , has multitude of definitions .As per science , there are definitely some chemical interactions going on in the brain that brings about this constant state of elation, when one is in love.

Parental love is unconditional as parents accept their offspring holistically .This is the highest and purest form of love which can be compared to divine love .

But true and equal love between two adult people sometimes become all consuming .

In the same context , I would like to recommend a book , ” An Equal Music ” by author Vikram Seth .Though the first edition was published almost twenty years ago , it is an evergreen read .I read it for the second time and I would not mind reading it again .Author Vikram Seth has many best sellers to his credit and this is surely one .

In the novel , author weaves his story around two music students in Vienna , where they t are training themselves in Western Classical music .They find true love in each other but on account of some rash and unwise decision , he decides to leave Vienna and her .

For the next ten years , he tries to find her but always reaches a wall .Eventually , he traces her in London ,but some life changing events had  happened  to her by then .They reignite their love but she cannot handle the guilt that accompanies with the changed circumstances.

Author Vikram Seth is beautiful in his art , as always .In the novel , we not only appreciate beautiful vistas of Europe but also the intricate realms of Western classical music world.Like all artists , musicians have a sensitive and fragile world of their own .Our real world is incongruous and unfathomable to them .However , hard they try to ens con  themselves from it , it subsequently over powers them .

Similarly , in love , people have their own beautiful world away from every thing else .Love is one of the strongest emotion and it can make or break a person .Not every body in this world is lucky enough to experience it and one is doubly lucky if it is reciprocated .

Love also faces the most restrictions , some self inflicted and some societal .For love to be ongoing , it needs to happen at the right time  and a right place and preferably with a right person .

In Love , joy of togetherness is immense and mundanity of  life can be overcome .If right chords are struck then wisdom says try to continue  the music for as long as it lasts .

 

Election season

Election season

election

India is currently witnessing another election season with its own distinct flavor .India would be going to polls for  State Legislative assembly seats in seven states in these coming months.The attraction of power and its accessory is so great that one gets to see all kind of gimmicks year after year .We see the predictable party hopping , incredulous coalitions ,false election promises etc ,etc. Politicians normally do not like to carry any ethical baggage so they keep themselves free from any contract of credibility with their electorate .Electorate is also well conditioned ,so the drill can be played year after year .

One of the recent books that I have read, is very relevant to the present scenario.Author Manju Kapur, in her latest release ” BROTHERS” takes us on a journey of a political novice from the hinterlands of a northern state of India , Rajasthan .He dreams of a future above and beyond that is destined for him .He defies the traditional laws of the land ,denies the relationships that binds him to his land and seeks opportunity in the adjacent city .As he makes the right moves and goes up in the ladder of success ,so does the feeling of entitlement in the younger brother .Unfortunately ,these expectations are not met with.

Her novel also depicted a very realistic treatment of the women from the pre independent era to the present times .The story  has a rural backdrop and over the time we see that as the milieu of the country changes so the female characters .Women become more emancipated and empowered.Men of the household who are used to complete subjugation from their women folk ,find it very difficult to deal with these new age women who are ready to shoulder responsibility as equal.

As evident in today’s world ,the novel gives us a picture of the inner mechanics of the political world.The devious route to the top is full of road bumps specially if its not your family business.Opportunism , cunning ,sycophancy ,deceit are some of the qualities that are needed to survive in these terrains .It is a very interesting read , as are her other novels.

There is no yard stick to assess these people who vie for the highest offices in the country .Their falsehood and lack of credibility is never detrimental .Each is busy blowing their own trumpet and berating the other .

Gone are the days when people sacrificed everything for their motherland .We live in the times when everything and everybody is sacrificed who prove to be an obstacle in the paths of our great leaders.