Broken Nest...a novella that pierced through my heart!

There are certain books which take us to a different world through a few pages. We are transcended to a place where we can see the incidents in the books happening in front of us. The words used in such books pierce us and enter deep down to our soul.

 I completed reading the acclaimed novella, "Broken Nest" by Rabindranath Tagore this morning and I am tongue tied. A tornado of emotions seem to have enveloped me tight. The tender and delicate manner in which Tagore had painted the innermost feelings of a woman in this novella is break taking. The novel begins with Charu abandoned by her busy husband, Bhupati. Bhupati's cousin, Amal teaches her in his leisure and both of them share a great camaraderie. Their friendship intensifies when Charu discovers that Amal has a flair for writing. With Charu's encouragement, Amal becomes a famous writer and Amal's writings in turn inspire Charu to pen down her thoughts. Both of them enjoys literature. The difference is that Amal wants to write for the entire world and Charu wants to write for only Amal. The beautiful bond breaks when Amal moves to England after his marriage, leaving Charu secluded. The sensitive side of a woman is beautifully portrayed in the novella. The longing and the depth of a woman's love is painted magically with the hue of Tagore's words. The philosophical metaphors used in suitable places are extremely thought-provoking. The sudden change in Amal's behaviour, the monologues of Charu and the feelings of Bhupati when he discovers that his wife desires another man is flawlessly written. 

The helplessness of Charu almost moved me to tears. "Amal is in good health, yet he does not write. Charu wants to ask Amal this question and receive and answer, face to face, but there is an ocean in between-and no way to cross it. Cruel separation, helpless separation, beyond all questions, beyond all redress, separation." The agony which a person feels when she is abandoned suddenly without any explanation is marvellously expressed in the novella. I could feel every word and every sentence used in this book from the kernel of my heart.
Those who haven't read this novella has surely missed out a precious gem in the mine of literature. I feel blessed to have read this book.

Never let faith seclude your heart!

Whenever we face an adversity or a danger, we become hysterical and panic in trepidation. Our faith starts alleviating abruptly. We often forget that faith is our most precious armour, without which we are weak and debilitated.

I heard a story recently about faith which touched my heart. I thought to share with you all:

A man and his wife were crossing a river in a boat. Suddenly a fierce storm appeared out of nowhere. The waves of the river became gigantic and the boat started twirling dangerously. The wife started crying as the boat tossed and the waves hit her recklessly. She looked at her husband to find him in an absolute calm demeanour rowing the boat. After about thirty minutes, the intensity of the storm depreciated. 

The wife gave out a sigh of relief and asked her husband, "Are you a lunatic? We could have died any moment. How were you so calm?"

The husband took out his knife and pointed it towards his wife. He said, "Don't speak a word, else I will kill you."

The wife laughed in beguilement. She said, " Stop joking!"

The husband interrogated, "What makes you think that I am joking? What if I kill you?"

The wife spoke softly," Impossible! You can never kill me. I have that faith in you."

The husband smiled and replied, " The same way you have faith in me, I too have invincible faith in my Almighty. I knew that He will not kill us but rather He would pull us out of this danger. So, I was calm just like you, when I showed you the knife."

The wife understood and smiled in agreement.

It is easy to have faith in good times but having faith during an adversity is what redefines the intensity of your faith. The person who has faith is the most powerful of all. Also do remember that having faith in God is also about having faith in his timings. Never let faith seclude your heart. It is your strongest asset.

Cheers!

A book that bewitched me completely!!!

Blurb of the book: An intensely romantic story that unfolds in the beautiful hill station of Shillong in north-eastern India, The Last Poem (Shesher Kavita) is considered by many to be Rabindranath Tagore's finest prose work. Amit Ray travels to Shillong to escape from the drudgery of his middle-class existence, and finds himself ensnared instead in a web of passion and poetry with the elegant and enigmatic Lavanya. As the protagonists grow closer to each other in this unconventional love story, they also discover themselves, their strengths, ambitions and follies.

My Take on it:

An amazing and exceptional book is the one that you feel to re read once again from the 1st page after you have completed it. It is a very rare feeling which occurs to any reader after reading a book and Tagore's "The Last Poem" is one such gem. It is a saga, an epic love story. Tagore has brilliantly weaved poetry with prose and made every page of the book beautiful. The novel is deep, witty and extremely romantic. It is the type of book that will linger in the minds of the readers for long. 

The character of Amit is wonderfully etched out as we turn the pages of the book. His character of an eccentric, moody, poetic romantic soul metamorphoses to a matured, responsible, calm minded person. 

Similarly, the character of Lavanya which begins with a reserved, studious, strong hearted girl soon changes into a fragile, soft hearted romantic woman who craves for love. 

Amit and Lavanya complimented each other beautifully in the book as their camaraderie and moments helped each other to overcome the weaknesses they had.The two souls met each other in Shillong, fell in love, helped each other rediscover their inner self and then parted with a smile to settle down with different individuals. 

When Yati asked Amit whom he actually loves, I loved the metaphor used by Amit:"What binds me to Ketaki is love, but this love is like water in a vessel.I'll draw it and use it everyday. My love for Lavanya is like a lake, which can't be brought home in a vessel. My mind will swim in it."

The last poem is definitely the most poignant poem out of all the verses used in the book. It was thought provoking, touching and heart wrenching at the same time. The lines that touched me the most are:

"Grieve not on my account,
Wide is the world with many tasks.
My cup is not discarded
Shall fill again-
Let this sustain me forever.
I may yet be blessed
If there be one eager heart
Waiting for my footsteps.
I long to give myself to him
Who can see the compassion of love
The actual me, a blend of good and ill
Who can light up the dark night
With flowers plucked in moonlight."

The translator Dilip Basu has done a great work and the illustrations of Dinkar Kowshik added beauty to the book. I know I will surely read this book time and again as this is surely not a one time read. Lastly, I take a bow to convey my respect to Rabindranath Tagore, the genius.

I am absolutely bewitched by this book and I am still under it's spell. "The Last Poem" has definitely become one of my favorite books.

A must read for all literature lovers.

Euneirophrenia

There you were

Enveloped in fog,

Ogling at me

With your winsome smile.

I ran amidst the woods

My breaths laced with angst,

Desperation dipped in soft pleasure

To enhance our proximity.

With slightly trembling fingers

I brushed your cheek,

My eyes gently closed 

As I touched my dream.

My smile broadened

With your delicate whisper,

Your eyes hinted

Shades of woe and ecstasy.

Our pulsating heartbeats,

Inter weaved into one

The lilac sky

Embellished the dark silence.

With silent amazement

We intensified our embrace,

Till the second

I recognized my state of euneirophrenia.

What makes us like a person?

You meet an absolute stranger, interact with him/her and then come to a perception. Either you like that person or dislike him. 
I have been thinking of late what makes us like or dislike a person based on only a few interactions.
Looks, personality, talking style may catch our fancy soon but in the long run, these attributes will fade. You can't like a person throughout based on his/her looks or personality. In the similar fashion, you can't dislike a person forever owing to his/her shabby looks and lame personality.
There is something deep in human psychology to like or dislike a person you meet.
We tend to develop a liking for every such person who makes us feel good about our own self. In the presence of that person, you feel happy and proud about yourself. That person's words may encourage you or inspire you in ways unknown. You feel secured and you value yourself better. Every person who can manage to make us feel good about ourselves by even a simple tweet, message or post, we like that person.
On the contrary, we also have several people around us who makes us feel bad about ourselves. Being with them or seeing their updates, you wallow in self-pity, doubt and uneasiness. That person's words for you may feel sarcastic or their attitude may be indifferent towards your joy or achievements. They may try to pull you down often by providing you with criticism. Every person who makes us feel bad about ourselves earns a certain amount of disliking instantly.

The same goes for us too. If you notice there is someone who dislikes you, the reason may be any of the above. So, let us resolve to try our best to make everyone feel good about themselves to earn their liking for us. 
Cheers!

Rain...my beloved!!!

Rain...my beloved!!!
You put my heart beats into harmony
Make my soul sway in ecstasy;
I breathe a new life with your arrival,
The symphony of your music sets me in motion.
You heal my implacable scars
Make me one with Nature,
A love so pure and unconditional!

Rain...my beloved!!!
I don't own you, yet you are mine
I know we have to bid adieu after some time;
I am pure and reborn with your every touch,
The plants and me are now nothing but one.
The earth is a utopia this moment
And utopians revelling in the petrichor,
A love so peaceful and euphoric!

A beautiful morning

Beauty, ecstasy, happiness, pleasure and peace are associated deeply with Mother Nature. The beauty of nature makes you sway to the tune of your soul, leaving you rejuvenated and refreshed.

After days of scorching and unbearable heat, today's morning gifted the people of Kolkata with a windy and cloudy weather accompanied with few drizzles. All forms of life seemed to dance to the  melody of Nature today. I went to the terrace to watch the leaves and branches of trees swaying in joy, the birds flying with exhilaration and the animals moving around with ecstasy. A state of euphoria enveloped me every time the strong wind ruffled my hair which was left open, pampering my face. I was in a state of bliss and thanked the Almighty for this beautiful life. It was indeed a very beautiful morning today.

What is true success?

When can you consider yourself a truly successful person? It is not when you have acquired ample amount of money or have excelled in a particular field. Wealth and fame are slaves of desire. Once you become rich, you will strive to become richer and after becoming richer, your aim will be to be the richest. Similarly, the more fame you get, the more you will crave for. Fulfilling all these desires is like a never ending journey. This is because when one desire is fulfilled, another creeps in. Thus, the manifestation of true success cannot lie in money or fame.

True success is when you have attained the state of peace and happiness within. The richest person or the most famous person can commit a suicide but a happy person, even if he is devoid of luxuries and popularity won't think of such an act. Thus, the manifestation of true and real success lies in happiness and peace because unless your are happy, you can't enjoy your riches or fame wholeheartedly.

Here are the ingredients which we need to inculcate in order to attain the state of peace and happiness within.

1. Be compassionate.
2. Embrace creativity and surround yourself with more creative people.
3. Dream the impossible.
4. Be sincere in your efforts
5. Have such a deadly sense of humour that you will end up laughing at your own jokes.
6. Forgive others, for your own peace.
7. Be detached.
8. Share and care.
9. Make meditation a part of your life, even for five minutes a day.
10. Take responsibility.
11. Follow the truth.
12. Always have that zest and zeal to learn new things.
13. Never stop hoping.
14. Make others smile. It will brighten yours :)
    

The feeling associated with writing a short story

Time flies so fast. 2014 is going so busy for me that the first four months of the year just passed away in the blink of my eye. Today the fifth month of this year commenced and luckily, it started on a sweet note for me. The cover page of the most awaited anthology "Fusion-a mingled flavour mocktail"  released today which contains my story "Twilight". Twilight is the story of two middle-aged individuals separated by fate during their youth. They meet each other after a span of over two decades in a bus journey when the old flame of their love kindles again. 

This is the second anthology in this year,of which my story is a part of. The first anthology of which I am a part of is "Stories for your valentine" which was published on the Valentine's day of this year. My story "The gift of spring" talked about a bohemian painter who taught a divorced woman to love herself first in order to love others. You can download this beautiful anthology for free at  http://in.pageturnpublisher.com/

Writing short stories gives me the feeling of meeting the one I love for a limited amount of time. It is like enjoying the rain in summer when I transcend into a state of euphoria not realizing that the summer heat will take over the rain.There is an uncanny mixture of happiness and despair associated with each short story I write; the happiness of knowing and shaping lives of some characters and the despair of leaving them so soon.

I hope I get many such chances to enjoy this strange yet beautiful feeling.