With Malice Towards None by K. J. Thomas

With Malice Towards None

One cannot blame our Prime Minister when he compared Kerala with Somalia in Africa, in his election campaign at Thiruvanandapuram on 8^th May 2016. Various survey reports and researches show that about 42,000 Tribal population in Attapadi Block has been living in a very poor, animalistic conditions.  The infant death rate in the tribal block stands at 38, which is three times higher than the state average. The two main-stream political fronts namely the Left and the Congress sadly neglected the needs of the tribal people. Instead at every Assembly election these political parties tried to canvass votes from these poor people, politicizing the tribal issues.  A detailed study done by research scholars of Chittur College, Palakkad, analyzing the livelihood status of tribes in Attapadi block revealed that the Human Development Indices (HDI) of this tribal block and African countries like Somalia and Ethiopia area almost the same.  This is the case with many tribal and non-tribal areas in various parts of Kerala and these people silently suffer their pain and poverty in the midst of affluent and posh areas in the cities of Kerala. Jisha murder at Perumbavoor shows how carelessly the investigation of the murder case was handled by the police and the initial negligence led to the prolong delay in finding out the murderer, just because the Law student happened to be a poor Dalit woman living in utter poverty on the ‘puramboke’ area on the canal.  The law and order situation, unfortunately is fast declining in this “God’s own country’. In the light of these, one can agree with what the Prime Minister said.

 Instead of blaming the Prime Minister, the leaders of the various political parties search for the truth of the reality and join together for the development of Kerala.                                                    Kjt/12-05-2016

VISHU festival - by K. J. Thomas

Sweet thoughts of bygone days – Vishu festival

Today (14^th April 2016) falls VISHU, the New Year of all Keralites begins today. At the outset I wish all my readers a happy, prosperous VISHU and may God Almighty bless you all and your friends and family members on this auspicious occasion. I also dedicate this article as my ‘ Vishukkaineettam’ to all of you!

 For me, Vishu is not a mere Hindu festival, but one of important national festivals of Kerala and it is the occasion of ‘Vishukineettam’ for every Malayalee. It is the festival of light and prosperity. There are two stories related to the observance of Vishu. It is the day when Lord Krishna killed the demon Tharakasura and Vishu is observed as the victory of Virtue over Vice.

 The second is related to the demon king Ravana who had never allowed Surya deva (the Sun god) to rise up direct from the Eastern horizon. It was only after the death of Ravana that the Sun began to start his journey from the East. This is why Vishu is the day of light and prosperity symbolizing the rise of the Sun god!

All Keralites, irrespective of religion or politics or caste differences, believe in ‘Vishukkani’ and treat the day as very auspicious for the starting of a venture. They all know that the first impression is not only the best but also last for an  year, whether it is good or bad omen!

The living symbol of vishu for all Malayalees is the ‘konna maram’ (the tree of cassia fistula). You can see this tree softly dancing like the mohiniyattam of a malayalee girl on the way side to the song of her dear breeze, in the gardens and parks. Her golden flowers flutter in the April breeze is a wonderful sight.  We may think the inner dome of heaven had fallen on the earth pouring down the holy liquid gold!

 There is a story behind the birth of ‘Konnappovu’( cassia fistula ). Once there was a poor child who was an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna. In his dream he saw infant Krishna (kannan) had come to console him in his poverty and sorrow and gave him a tinkler from the gold girdle tied around His waist and disappeared. On waking, the child saw the gold tinkler lying on his bed. But his mother thought the child had stolen it and was beaten up. In deep sorrow and despair, the child cast away the gold tinkler, which hit the tree in his courtyard.  Suddenly thousands of golden coloured flowers blossomed in every branch of the tree. It was a miracle of miracles! The hut became a palace and they lived in comfort and prosperity!

 Ever since then ambitious Malayalees began to plant ‘konna tree’ in every courtyard. During the Vishu period it is a beautiful sight of konna trees stand majestically representing the cultural tradition of Kerala, with millions of gold flowers pouring pageantry of beauty and glory of our age old mythical culture and belief.

If you believe in these mythical stories or not, our Onam, Vishu,  Athapoo and Njattuvelappattu  reflect our cultural heritage transmitted from generation to generation to us on the wheels of time. These cultural values and traditions cement us into the miraculous symbolic universe called Malayalee whether you are Christian, or Muslim or any caste or political ideas to which you belong. These festivals reminds us of the golden bygone days when our forefathers who were farmers and lived in the lap of Nature and they loved flowers, rivers, ponds, water lilies, lotus and shoe flowers, green carpeted hills and valleys and meadows and even worshipped Nature as the gift of God and thought that ‘konnappoo’ had originally been the tinkler of the gold chain tied around the God’s waist and had come to us for our prosperity and comfort of life.  Their life was far better than our sophisticated, ultra-modern, electronic artificial and mobile communication culture covered with plastic ‘ konnappookkal’, plates and dishes. In ancient days our grand fathers had peace of mind. Their life was like the jungle brook bubbling with love and devotion.

 I wish to believe our forefathers’ superstitious ideas because these ideas protected our Natural resources and helped to grow our jungles and preserved our wild animals, flora and fauna. Now wild animals are in conflict with man and kill him whenever the pachyderm is beaten up mercilessly and forced the animal to do hard work for hours together in the timber mills and festivals. These poor innocent pachyderms are forced to parade in the temple processions and tortured with the devastating sound of loud explosions emitted from fire-works. It is high time that we went back to Nature. In this Vishu let’s take a pledge to love Nature, her flowers, green vegetables, animals and make arrangements to protect these wild animals in their habitat – that is jungle and we should not encroach their living place.                                                                                                                                                                           Kjt/14-04-2016                                                                

Yogitha Reghuvanshi - an extraordinary woman - by K. J. Thomas

I salute Yogitha Reghuvanshi , a lawyer who turns a truck driver for her survival. This time I am talking to you about Ms.Yogitha Reghuvanshi from Bhopal, a lean tall young woman. This unknown young lady is the epitome of feminine beauty and strength. A few years ago her husband Raj Bahadoor, who had been a truck driver was killed in a road accident. At that time Yogitha, the mother of two children had been doing her LLB course and was about to practice Law in the court. The death of Raj Bahadoor was a bolt from the blue for Yogitha as there was no one to help this poor middle class widow and soon she found that her lawyer’s profession could not give her enough financial assistance to run a big family of two children and her husband’s old parents and relations, who wanted costly medicines and hospital care. She had no time to beg or cry. She neither waited for the ‘freebees of the government or any other charitable institutions for help. Instead she thought of fighting for survival.

 As she was a novice in the Law court she had very few cases and could not earn enough money to run her family. So she thought of new ways to overcome her poverty and she had no hesitation to become a truck driver to make both ends meet. She learned to drive National Permit heavy vehicles. It was a Herculian task but she was determined. She put down the dark clown and put on kakkhi uniform and began to drive the heavy truck carrying average 1200 cases of liquor bottles regularly from Bhopal to Kerala covering over 2200 kilometers, passing through various states braving extreme climate  and, sometimes there are landslides, hartal, strikes, snow falling, heavy rain and thieves and robbers. Having overcome these odds, she always safely reaches destinations. She takes six days to reach Palakkadu in Kerala, all the way from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh.

She is happy that her children can continue their college studies and her in laws are quite hale and hearty, thanks to the hard work and determination of the iron lady of Bhopal. Her modus operandi is to collect beforehand as much details as possible about the states through which she is driving her truck. She would collect the telephone numbers of the hotels and motels on the way, details about the resting places, food in various states and the telephone numbers of nearest police stations on the high way. Months passed by and her truck reached the spot always in time and it pleased her clients.  Very soon her contracting company found her one of the best drivers, and her skill in the art of driving was noted by everyone in the field. Moreover she is sincere and a symbol of self reliance and Mahindra Company offered her a new vehicle as a gift and all possible help.

 This unknown, young mother of two children gives us inspiration to face the day to day difficulties of life. When she reaches home after a long drive lasting more than half a month, she writes about her new experiences of life, new friends and, strange places and events she had come across and felt, she says with an innocent smile. She also adds that her education and the knowledge of law always help her to a great extend, to overcome traffic and other problems in her driving career.

 After unloading the liquor bottles in the Beverage ware house at Cannanore, she drove her vehicle to Palakkad godown of the Beverage store. When the unloading was done, she sat again on the driving seat, turned the ignition key and the engine started with a roar, but when her light foot pressed on the accelerator, the truck, like an obedient child of a loving mother moved on along the National Highway to Bhilai, far far from Kerala, where in a small house, four souls anxiously waiting for the horn of Yogitha’s vehicle.  Yes. Ms Yogitha Reghuvanshi has promises to keep, And miles to go before sleep, And miles to go before sleep’. The wheels of her heavy vehicle roll on to a bright future far, far away. Don’t you think Yogitha the unknown young woman is the symbol of self-reliance?                            Kjt/27-05-2016

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill - book review by K. J. Thomas

THINK & GROW RICH                                                                                                   Napoleon Hill

The book titled “Think and Grow Rich” written by Napoleon Hill, a great American writer is an international best seller published in the year 1937. This book speaks about the magic formula of success. This formula was given to Napoleon Hill by Andrew Carnegie, the great American industrialist and philanthropist when the author interviewed the American millionaire in the year 1908.

 The author says,” All achievement, all earned riches, have their beginning in an IDEA!

An intense, burning desire for something definite is the first step towards riches. But your strong, intense desire must be mixed with your strong FAITH!

Remember that every adversity brings with it the seed of an equivalent advantage.  Therefore you need obstacles on your way to achieve your desire for wealth!

Desire backed by faith push reason aside and inspires one to achieve his goal!

FAITH means visualization of and belief in attainment of desire. This is the second step towards riches.

Among the emotions, there are only three most effective emotions which are FAITH, LOVE and SEX.

When these most effective positive emotions are blended together, have the power to strengthen our thoughts which reach our subconscious mind and develop into INFINITE INTELLIGENCE!

Faith and Love are spiritual whereas sex is physical. The mixing of these powerful positive emotions open communication between the finite thinking mind of man and Infinite Intelligence!

How can we develop our FAITH?   We can develop our faith by repeated instructions given to the subconscious mind because faith is a state of mind.

Repetition of positive and strong orders to our subconscious mind is the only method of developing the emotion of faith in human being!

You must remember that a mind dominated by only positive emotions is the best place for the birth of FAITH! Therefore one should always be    OPTIMISTIC in spite of hundreds of failures and obstacles!

AUTO-SUGGESTION: Faith can also be developed by ‘Auto-suggestion’. An Auto-suggestion is that one should believe that FAITH is the eternal elixir which gives, life, power, and action to the impulse of thought.  Therefore Faith is the starting point of all accumulation of riches!

One must write down on a paper very clearly what one wants to achieve. One must write down one’s major aim very clearly such as accumulation of riches and so on.

Secondly, one should repeat his/her thoughts twice in a day – in the morning as soon as one wakes up and just before one goes to bed at night!

Thirdly one needs self-confidence to put one’s plans into practical life. One needs, consistent and continuous action towards the achievement.

Through Auto-suggestion, one’s dreams can be converted into some practical means of attaining the aim!

“Life’s battles don’t always go

To the stronger for faster man,

Bjut soon or late the man who wins

Is the man who thinks he can!”

The emotion of LOVE, in human heart and brain, creates a favourable field of magnetic attraction, which causes an influx of the higher and finer vibrations which are afloat in the world. This is why all great men’s achievements were backed by the strong influence of WOMAN!

FAITH was the basis of all the miracles performed by Jesus Christ! 

This miraculous power of faith was reflected on the deeds and words of Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of Indian freedom struggle!

There are many shining examples of great men who put into practice this magical formula of attaining riches and I quote below only one among them! It is the miraculous story of an young man named Charles M. Schwab who was hardly 38 when he put into practice this magic formula- “All achievement, all earned riches have their beginning in an IDEA!” This philosophy was the warp and the woof of the entire transaction of the United States Steel Corporation which was formed in the year 1900.

First the idea of the United States Steel Corporation was born in the mind of a young man Schwab. His faith, his desire, his imagination, his persistence were the real ingredients that created the six hundred billion gigantic steel company in America! This idea was created by him alone through his imagination. Second, he mixed faith with his idea. Third, he formulated a PLAN for the transmutation of his IDEA into reality. Fourth, he put his plan into ACTION with his famous speech at the University Club where some millionaires including J.P. Morgan, John W. Gates and others. Fifth he applied his PLAN with PERSISTENCE and supported it with firm DECISION. Sixth, he made his way for success by a BURNING DESIRE.  When his speech convinced the millionaires, they were ready to buy the various small companies of Andrew Carnegie. Finally Schwab convinced Carnegie that the sale of his companies would give him a huge profit and Carnegie agreed to sell his steel companies for $400,000,000. All parties were happy and contented. The thirty eight old Schwab had his reward. He was made president of the new corporation and remained in control until 1930.

In order to convert our burning desire for attainment of riches or anything into reality, one must follow six steps which are given below.

1)      Fix in your mind the exact amount or the exact aim you desire.

2)      Decide exactly what you want to give in return for the money or aim you desire. One must remember that nothing important can be achieved without sacrifice. So you should give your hard work, persistsence and strong will power.

3)      Fix the date on which you achieve your aim or wealth

4)      Create a definite plan to achieve your aim.

5)      Write out clearly on a paper all the above steps such a making a brief statement of the exact amount of money you desire, the time limit and all other things you have planned.

6)      Read your written statement aloud, twice daily, just before going to bed and as soon as you wake up in the morning.

After doing these steps, you must see and feel yourself already in possession of the money/aim (as if you have already received the money or achieved the aim!) Thus you communicate the object of your burning desire directly to your SUBCONSCIOUS MIND in a spirit of ABSOLUTE FAITH!

Through the repeating of this procedure, you voluntarily create thought habits to convert your desire into its monetary equivalent.

Next step is organized planning. It is called ‘the crystallization of desire into action. Join with groups of people you may need for the creation and carrying out of your plan for the accumulation of money making use of the ‘Master Mind” principle.

One must avoid the bad habit of procrastination because it is the bitter enemy of decision. Procrastination leads to failures.

“If you are influenced by the opinions of others, you will have no desire of your own”.

Another quality to be encouraged is persistence. It is the sustained effort necessary to induce FAITH.

The basis of persistence is the power of will. Will power and desire, when properly combined, make a powerful pair.

One must remember that every failure brings with it the seed of an equivalent advantage.

The mystery of sex transmutation   : Sex desire is the most powerful of human desires.  When driven by this desire, human beings develop keenness of imagination, courage, will power, persistence and strong creative ability.   Transmutation of sex energy calls for exercise of will power. The desire for sexual expression is inborn and natural.  Therefore, the emotion of sex contains the secret of creative ability.

“The sixth sense is CREATIVE IMAGINATION. The faculty of creative imagination is the direct link between the finite mind of human being and Infinite Intelligence.

Whenever ideas or concepts flash into one’s mind through a hunch (inspiration), they come from the following sources:- 1) Infinite Intelligence

                                      2) One’s subconscious mind

                                      3) From the mind of some other person who has just released the thought, or

                                        Picture of the idea or concept.

                                     4) From other person’s subconscious store house.

One’s subconscious mind is a store house where every sense impression and thought impulse are kept. These waves have reached the brain through the five senses of human being.

What are the ten mind stimuli? They are 1) the desire for sex expression

2) Love

3) A burning desire for fame, power, finance and MONEY.

4) Music

5) Friendship between either of the same sex or those of the opposite sex.

6) A master mind alliance based upon the harmony of two or more people

7) Mutual suffering

8) Auto-suggestion

9) Fear

10)Narcotics and alcohol

Sex energy is the creative e energy of all genii.  All the great leaders in all fields of life were driven by the force of sex.

The mere possession of sex energy is no enough. This energy must be transmuted from desire for physical contact, into some other form of desire and action before it will lift one to the status of genius.

The Subconscious mind consists of a field of consciousness, in which every impulse of thought that reaches the mind through the five senses.

The subconscious mind works day and night, but conscious mind works only when we are wake up.

The subconscious mind is the connecting link between the finite mind of man and the Infinite Intelligence.

There are seven major positive emotions. They are

1)      The emotion of desire

2)      The emotion of Faith

3)      The emotion of Love

4)      The emotion of sex

5)      The emotion of enthusiasm

6)      The emotion of Romance

7)      The emotion of Hope.

There are seven major negative emotions. They are

1)      The emotion of Fear

2)      The emotion of Jealousy

3)      The emotion of Hatred

4)      The emotion of Revenge

5)      The emotion of Greed

6)      The emotion of Superstition

7)      The emotion of Anger.

One must remember that positive and negative emotions cannot occupy the human mind at the same time. Only one must dominate.

Every human brain is both a broadcasting and receiving station for the vibration of thoughts.

The creative imagination is the ‘receiving station’ of the brain, which receives thoughts, released by the brain of others.

The subconscious mind is the ‘sending station’ of the brain, through which the vibrations of thought are broadcast.

The sixth sense is the door of the temple of wisdom.

The sixth sense through which Infinite Intelligence will communicate voluntarily without any effort from the individual. This principle is the apex of this philosophy.

The sixth sense is a part of the subconscious mind and creative imagination. It can also be called as the ‘receiving set’ through which ideas, plans and thoughts flash into the mind. These flashes are called ‘hunches’ or inspirations.

The sixth sense is the medium of contact between the finite mind of man and the Infinite Intelligence.

“Through the aid of the sixth sense, you will be warned of Impending dangers in time to avoid them and notified of opportunities in time to embrace them”.

Thus your sixth sense is your “guardian angel”. Success comes to those who become success conscious.

If you pray for a thing, but have fear as you pray, that you may not receive it, or that your prayer will not be acted upon by Infinite Intelligence, your prayer will have been in vain!

Prayer does result in the realization of that for which one prays. If you have ever had the experience of receiving that for which you prayed,  your mind was free from fear and doubt and you must have had a robust faith that your prayer would be answered and actually, got it. There are no obstacles between the finite mind of man and Infinite Intelligence. The communication must be based on patience, faith, Persistence, understanding and a sincere desire to communicate and your prayer will be certainly answered in the positive manner!.

The subconscious mind is the intermediary, which translates one’s prayers into terms which Infinite Intelligence can recognize, presents the message and brings back the answer in the form of a definite plan or idea for procuring the object of the prayer.

Before your prayer will reach Infinite Intelligence, it probably is transformed (“stepped up”) from its original thought vibration into terms of spiritual vibration.  Faith is the only known agency which will give your thoughts a spiritual nature.  Remember FAITH and FEAR make poor bedfellows. Where one is found, the other cannot exist.                                                                                                                          Kjt/29-01-2017

Painful Thoughts - 2 - K. J. Thomas

Painful thoughts-2    Tragedy at Paravur Puttingal Devi temple

Mr.Prime Minister, you did an excellent job when you rushed to the Paravur Puttingal Devi Temple ground yesterday, to see for yourself the debris of the man-made inferno.  You reminded us of your sacred principles uttered by you at the swearing in ceremony, that “you would be pradhan sevak and not pradhan mantri”.  ( You said  “ I shall be the first servant and not the Prime Minister”).  We, people of Kerala bow to your dedication and love for us.

We all know that the tragedy at Puttingal Devi Temple ground was due to utter carelessness and negligence on the part of the organizers and politicians who flouted the order of the district collector.  The Kollam collector had denied permission for the Puttingal Devi Temple fireworks competition, but in the eleventh hour the local politicians put pressure on police officials to go ahead with the fireworks.  The illegal and the most devastating fireworks began around 12-30 and ended in the wee hours of 3.30 killing more than hundred people and more than 400 people were maimed, creating a man made inferno in the holy place.

Many years ago Sree Narayana Guru had foreseen the dangers of fire-works, and wanted to stop the firework display at temple.  He said, “Kariuym,  Karimarunnum Venda” ( we don’t want elephants and crackers), because it was not part of Hindu tradition

About ten years ago the Supreme Court had banned bursting of crackers at night. The Supreme Court in a judgment on July 18, 2005 imposed a total ban on the use of sound emitting firecrackers between 10 pm and 6 am. 

This dangerous situation had been foreseen by many residential people in the neighbourhood of the temple premises and had warned the concerned authorities beforehand but they all ignored these saner voices.  The neighbours had objected to the display of the firework competition, because every competitor wanted to outsmart his rival by using more and more deadly explosive chemicals including Pottasium Chlorate to make the display more effective and colourful and the fanatics wanted to enjoy this primitive, savage fun.

In the four hour long fire- works, the most awaited item was a ‘Sunflower’ (Sooraykanti poov)  the way colours would unravel in the open clear sky, resembling a sunflower field in full bloom. But the sunflower turned out to be the killer flower eating away more than hundred people in the wee hours of the tragic Sunday.

In various Christian church festivals, now a days display of fireworks is a must and a regular attraction drawing thousands of people. In many Christian church festivals, many competitors are there to conduct this sound and colour game and they use very powerful chemicals to defeat their rivals in this dangerous pastime, flouting all the laws and orders issued by the government. Those who oppose this cruel, primitive custom were ostracized by the people and even church authorities in Trichur district a few years ago. 

 Many scholars say that ‘vedikkettu ritual’ (fire work ritual) is a feudal hang over promoted by the kings and the elite class of the ancient time and it is not at all essential for the rituals either in the temple or in the churches and it must be banned.  This huge amount can be converted to be used for the welfare of the poor people in Kerala.

 Swami Chidanandapuri said that instead of lavishing on elephant processions and fire work display, if the money had been channelized to the various welfare activities, the Hindu society would have been greatly benefited by it. 

In the last three years alone, 451 people have died in Kerala in accidents related to fireworks. Hindu scholars say that word ‘Utsavam, which is a part of the Tantra Shastra, has been corrupted over a period of time. Utsavam is a six or 12-day kriya done to seek pardon for straying from the spiritual path. Nowhere in the ancient scriptures, it has been mentioned that temples need to burst crackers even as offering to gods. Temples in India appeared in the mythical ‘Dwaparaka Yuga and there was never a mention of usage of firecrackers in the Upanishads or Vedas.

Fireworks are not at all a part of Christian rituals. There is no mention of fireworks in the Bible. Jesus Christ taught his disciples the spiritual beauty of silent prayer and meditation. All other rituals are added later.

 Almost all the victims of the fireworks accident at the Puttingal Devi temple belonged to lower middle class and working class.     They are born to suffer while the rich and the powerful enjoy the benefit.                                                                                                                                                                                Kjt/12-04-2016

The Repentant Sinner - short story - by Leo Tolstoy

The Repentant Sinner                                             short story                                                    by Leo Tolstoy

‘The Repentant Sinner is a beautiful, thought-provoking short story written by Leo Tolstoy, who was a great Russian novelist and philosopher, thinker and moralist. This story is based on the 42, 43 lines of 23^rd Chapter of St. Luke’s Gospel in the Bible.

 When Jesus Christ was nailed on the cross between two thieves on the Golgotha mount, one of the thieves repented and, recognizing Jesus as the son of God, prayed to Him that he might also be remembered when Christ reached Heavenly Kingdom.  At once Christ replied that he would be with Jesus in Paradise that day itself. This golden offer of love amazes every reader of the Bible. This part of the Bible teaches everyone of the infinite love of God even to the repented sinners of the world at the last minute.

 The Bible proclaims ‘God is love’ which is a miraculous experience for every sinner because God knows the weakness of human beings.  Once there was a man who lived for seventy years in sin and fell ill but even then he did not repent. But when he was dying, he wept and repented and prayed to God to forgive him as He had forgiven the thief upon the cross.

The soul of the sinner believing in the mercy of God went to the gates of heaven and knocked. The voice of St. Peter told him that sinners were not allowed in Heaven. Then the soul of the repented sinner told St. Peter that Peter had the great fortune to hear the Bible teachings from the holy lips of Jesus Christ and Christ loved Peter and raised him to the status of the leader of the twelve disciples and Peter witnessed the miracles of Jesus.

 Yet, Peter betrayed Jesus on many a number of occasion.  When Jesus and his disciples were praying to God at the Getsamene garden, Christ saw Peter sleeping in spite of repeated requests of Christ to pray with him. Thus Apostle Peter disobeyed his master three times. Still Christ forgave Peter for his human weakness. Again when Jesus was arrested and taken to the High Priest for trial, Peter denied publicly three times that he did not know Jesus. When Christ was nailed to the cross, Peter and other disciples ran away in fear and took shelter in a safety place and thus Peter abandoned his loving master for his own safety.

 In spite of a life-long companionship and teaching from Christ, Peter the Apostle could not reform himself. Then it is natural the repented sinner could not do any good deed while he was on the earth. But these arguments and requests of the repented sinner did not make any impression upon the saint and the gate of heaven was not opened to him and the voice of Peter was silent.

 But the spirit of the repented sinner continued to knock on the gate and this time the voice of King David to get out because sinners were not allowed in Heaven. The spirit of the repented sinner said that the King of Israel committed many a number of sins.

 David was loved by God and made the dwarfish, illiterate shepherd was raised to the highest rank in Israel by crowning him as the country’s king. God blessed him in innumerable ways and was given wealth, beautiful wives and children.  Yet he coveted Uriave’s beautiful young wife Bethsheba. Uriave was David’s trusted soldier and was willing to die for his beloved King David. But ungrateful David killed the brave soldier in a treacherous manner and possessed his wife. While she was bathing, the King saw her and called her to his palace and slept with her and she became pregnant. So David wanted to possess her by any means. He sent Uriave to the battle and arrangements were made in secret to kill him in the battle. Then David made Bethsheba his wife.

 Yet Heavenly Father forgave David’s crimes, when he repented and allowed him a place in Heaven. When the repented sinner’s spirit explained how God’s mercy helped David and requested him to allow the spirit enter the Heavenly kingdom, the voice of David was silent.

 But the repented sinner was not disappointed and began to knock on the door a third time. This time it was the voice of John the Divine and the sinner was very glad. The sinner knew well that John the Divine was the most beloved disciple of Jesus Christ.  Among the four Gospels written by St. Matthew, St. Luke, St. Mark and St. John, only John’s Gospel begins with the sentence “In the beginning there was Word, Word was with God and Word was God. Similarly this is the only gospel where the reader can find the wonderful sentence “God is love”. Therefore the repented sinner requested St. John to let him enter the kingdom of Heaven, because John alone enjoyed the depth of God’s love.  At once the gate of Heaven was opened and the repented spirit entered.

1.What was the strange request of one the thieves on the cross to Jesus Christ?

2.What is the similarity of the request of the repented sinner and the request of the thief on the cross?

3.What is the amazing quality of Jesus response to one of the thieve’s request on the cross?

4.How many voices responded to the request of the repented sinner when he knocked on the gate of Heaven?

5.How Peter the Apostle disobeyed Jesus while praying at the Gethsameni garden.?

6.How Peter betrayed Jesus at the courtyard of the palace of the Chief Priest?

7.How Jesus was betrayed by Peter the Apostle when Jesus was nailed to the cross?

8.What are the crimes of David the King, according to the repented sinner?

9.What was the response of David to the request of the repented sinner?

10.Who is Bathsheba?

11.Who is the second son of Bathsheba?

12.What was the response of John the Divine to  the request of the repented sinner?

13.How many Gospels are there in the Bible and explain the uniqueness of St. John’s Gospel?

Kjt/22-02-2016

H

Notes on a story 'A Chronicle of the Peacocks' by Intizar Husain

1.       Portray the horrors of war as unfolded through the image of the peacock

2.       Attempt an appreciation of A Chronicle of the Peacocks, commenting on the liberal use of various myths and images.

  In this short story titled ‘A Chronicle of the Peacocks (Morenama)’, Intizar Husain, the great Pakistani Urdu probes into mythical and historical roots of the pluralistic, complex culture of India where he was born and brought up  and at the time of partition he went to Lahore and stayed there. He is well versed in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. He says that he always feels there is a Hindu sitting inside him. ‘A Chronicle of Peacocks is a brilliant story of partition, exile and lost memories. There is a liberal use of various images and myths.  The theme of the story is the futility of war. The author believes that we are all war criminals. Ashwatthama, the war criminal of Kurukshethra still lives in each of us. This is why war breaks out between India and Pakistan, between Iraqis and Kuwaitis, between Americans and Iraqis. The heroine of the story is the Peacock, the bird of beauty, innocent and royal grace. Once upon a time the peacock was the bird of heaven. But the poor bird helped the blind old man to enter the kingdom of heaven. The old man was none other than the Satan who prompted the Eve and Adam to eat the forbidden fruit and they were kicked out of heaven by God. Then God punished Peacock too and thus peacock has come to live on the earth. There is an allegorical touch in the story. The peacocks, the koel, the duck , the royal swan and all other birds are compared to the prophets of ancient times. Those saintly souls suffered for the destructive activities of human beings. Similarly now the flora and fauna of Nature are being destroyed by the destructive, criminal activities of man, the homosapiens. Every human being is a modern Aswatthama! Who destroys Nature through wars and other criminal activities.

Now these innocent birds suffer pain and destruction thanks to the criminal activities of man. Both Pakistan and India tested nuclear weapons. India’s nuclear test was conducted on the desert of Pokhran in Rajasthan. This terrible explosion killed hundreds of innocent peacocks and many of them flew away for life. This news saddened the author. A few years ago he had visited Jaipur and  had met thousands of peacocks at the guest house.. These birds had come there to welcome the author. He thought of himself in the very cradle of beauty, love and peace.

 On another vision the author saw a lonely duck covered with oil, dust and dirt. It had not eaten for many days, because the sea was covered with dirty oils coming from the battle field.  Wars are going on everywhere and thousands of civilians are killed, innocent beautiful birds are ruined. The author says that these birds suffer for the cruelties of man. They are like the prophets of ancient times. Once upon a time, there were innumerable lakes and streams and beautiful royal swans swam in the crystal clear water. All the lakes are dried up. Even the lakes at Manasarovar in the Himalayas have been dried up and the swans are perished.

The author came from Lahore to visit Delhi. He walked through Sravasthi and saw a peacock sitting on a green hill lost in thoughts. Mahatma Buddha had lived there a long time ago. In his imagination he moved down the ages and reached Indraprastha, the city of the Pandavas. There he saw and enjoyed the beauty of thousands of peacocks, the whistle of the Koel and the songs of various birds. He saw fruit trees. It was a golden age of prosperity and peace! Then he thought of the peacocks of Rajasthan and reached there. But on seeing him, those birds screamed in terror and rose from the hills and trees and flew away. Then he felt some one was walking beside him. It was the ghost of Ashwatthama, the great criminal of Kurukshetra who used the Brahmastra and destroyed the wombs of all Pandava women folk. Lord Krishna cursed him to wander alone for three thousand years. When Parikshit, the son of Uttara became the king at Hastinapur, he asked Vyasaji why the wise men of both the Pandavas and Kauravas did not think of the futility of war. Vyasaji replied that all human beings become selfish and do foolishness at the time of war.  The author says that Ashwatthama, the war criminal is still alive in the minds of every Indian and Pakistani,who are the present generation of Pandavas and Kauravas.  When the author crossed the border, he was happy that he had escaped from the war criminal. But when he reached his home at Lahore, he heard a footstep behind him and he saw the ghost of Ashwatthama!

FILMING INDIA                                                                                             Mrinal Sen

Mrinal Sen, the great film maker of Calcutta is the pioneer of parallel cinema movement in India. His first film was Raat Bhore (the Dawn) which was released in the year 1956. He gave a new sense of direction to the Indian cinema. Sen was influenced by the Italian neo-realistic cinema and also Satyajit Ray, the great film producer of India. He has been awarded ‘Padma Bhushan as well as the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest honour given to a film maker in India. His autobiography is titled “Always Being Born”. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    In his interview with Ramin Jahanbegloo, Mrinal Sen opens his mind and reveals how he became a film maker. He says that he is a film maker by accident. In the 1940s Mrinal Sen was a voracious reader and used to go to the National Library in Calcutta to read books. At that time he was not interested in film world. But one day he accidentally came across a book on cinema on its aesthetics and sociology. Its author was Rudolf Arnheim. This book captivated his heart and soul and began to enjoy many good films through Calcutta Film Society. Then he started writing on the aesthetics of cinema, on its philosophy and social importance. He was attracted to Soviet cinema, neo-realistic Italian cinema etc. Finally he made his first film ‘Raat Bhor’.

.His second film ‘Nil Akasher Niche’ won the appreciation of not only the film goers but also Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, who enjoyed the political content of the film. It was about a Chinese hawker selling opium and cheena silk in the streets of Calcutta. The film dated to 1930s when the militarist Japan attacked China and our  national poet Tagore condemned the attack. His next film ‘Akash Kusum’ was praised by many critics for its technical quality and there was a debate between Mrinal Sen and Satyajit Ray on the film which appeared in an English newspaper.  In the interview Mrinal Sen talked about his three films better known as Calcutta trilogy. They are: Interview, Calcutta-71 and Padatik..                                                                                                                                                                                                      His two films: ‘Ek Din Pratidin’ and Ekdin Achanak dealt with the social problems of the daily lives of Calcutta people. These two films so shocked the viewers of the city that they wanted to know what happened to the working girl and also the missing professor in ‘Ekdin Achanak’. He told them “Sorry I don’t know what happened to the working girl.   I made this film for you to disturb your mind. Only then these social problems could be solved” 

 Mrinal Sen made “Genesis” in 1986. The story of the film is about the growth, development and decay of civilization. The parable of the film is that two birds are flying with a single worm.. A hunter follows them, but does not shoot. A man asks the hunter why he does not shoot the birds. The hunter replies that he knows the birds will fight and be killed each other and he gets the worm. This is the way the rich always exploits the poor.

 Mrinal Sen became famous as a film director with the release of Bhuvan Shome in 1969. It is the story of an “honest” Indian bureaucrat in the Indian Railways. Buvan Shome is brought up in British education and tradition. He seemed to be a strict disciplinarian but he is corrupted at the end of the film. He meets a corrupt ticket collector in a railway station and wishes to correct him. But after receiving his hospitality and the gifts at his house, Bhuvan Shome forgives his corruption and he is promoted to a bigger station where he can make more money. The film is a satire on bureaucracy.

“Padatik” is the film of a young extremist who escapes from police custody and the political party gives him shelter. But he questions the leadership. Although he is loyal to the party, he thinks that the leadership is corrupted. This re-examination of the left extremist movement makes the film highly controversial.

Calcutta-71 is a film of many stories of poverty and exploitation. The film begins with a family suffering from poverty and flood in the monsoon of Calcutta. They suffer silently without much protest. In the last episode of the film the young protagonist protests against poverty and exploitation and gets killed. In this film Mrinal Sen shows the horror and ugliness of poverty.

Kjt/15-02-2017

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Notes on the poem - Sunrise on the Hills by H. W. Longfellow

SUNRISE ON THE HILLS                                                                                                                         H. W. Longfellow

The poem “Sunrise on the Hills” written by H.W. Longfellow describes the glory and beauty of Nature. Poets believe that Nature has a healing power over man and he is delighted in the presence of Nature. The musical quality of the poem is really praiseworthy. The poet has used beautiful figurative languages such as simile in order to make the poem sweet and effective. The poem gives us a great message that we should protect our Nature which contains flora and fauna. Unnecessary cutting of trees and deforestation will destroy our Nature. Finally Nature has a spiritual power with its rivers, trees, green carpeted meadows and sunlit valleys give us fresh energy and health and we must know that we are part of Nature and Nature is dead, human kind will be perished.

When the poet was standing upon the hills, the horizon looked like an arch with bright sunlight. It was the time of the returning march of the sun to the western horizon and the tall trees are shining brightly in the golden sunlight and the woods are dancing in the wind. The poet looks down to see the clouds bathed in the sunlight. It was a wonderful sight. Suddenly the bright light disappeared from the clouds and they are scattered like the defeated soldiers in the battle field. The top of the tall trees looked like shattered lance  and the pine trees looked dark in the mist.  Suddenly the veil of the cloud was removed and far below the poet sees the beautiful valley in bright golden light. There is a river flowing in the valley. It looked like a white cascade (waterfall) on the slope of the hills. The poet is overjoyed by the glorious sight of the Nature in front of him. He heard the music of a bird while flying over the valley.

The narrator heard the musical sound of the water fall in the distance. He also saw the blue like far away and its silver beach and the tall trees on the shore danced in the wind. He also heard the church bell in the village ringing in a musical tone and it echoes in all hills and valley. In tune with this beautiful sight and sound, the poet can see the smoke coming up from the village homes in silence through the branches of the trees. Thus the poet is immersed in the glorious beauty and music of Nature which the gift of God to man.

The poet tells us that if we are tired of work and sorrow of life, please come to the heart of Nature and stay with her enjoying the beauty and silence of Nature. Soon all your sorrows and pain will disappear and a fresh energy begin to flow in your blood and body and you are refreshed.

Quest for a Theory of Everything                                                                                                    Kitty Gail Ferguson

The profile of the great scientist Stephen William Hawking is a shining example for all of us to follow in our lives. His life history teaches us how to be unique in our own way fighting all difficulties and adversities and limitations. Now William Hawking is known as the ‘supernova’ of physics.

Stephen William Hawking was born of poor middle class parents in Oxford, England. Young Stephen was an ordinary English school boy. He was below average in his class. At the age of seventeen, Hawking went to Oxford to study natural science and to specialize in physics. He became popular among his class mates and he was lively, energetic and sociable. He wore his hair long and was famous for his wit. He enjoyed classical music, science fiction and took part in sports.  He applied to do a Ph.D. at Cambridge and was accepted on a condition that he got a ‘First’ from Oxford. But in the examination Hawking was on the borderline between a first and a second. But Hawking’s sharp wit helped him. He told the authorities at Oxford that ‘If I get a first, I shall go to Cambridge. If I receive a second, I remain at Oxford. So I expect you will give me a first”. They gave him his ‘First’ and he went to Cambridge. His first year at Cambridge was worse than that at Oxford. His poor mathematical back ground was the reason for it. He had fallen two times and he had difficulty in tying his shoes and talking. After his 21^st birth day, he contracted a rare disease ‘amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and there was no cure for it. It affected his nerve cells in the spinal cord and the brain. When he came out of hospital he dreamed that he was going to be killed. Another dream was that he must sacrifice his life to save others. His attitude shows that he is a philanthropist who loves his fellow beings and is willing to die helping others.

 At a New Year’s party at Saint Alban’s hospital, he met his future partner of life Jane Wilde, a teen aged shy, but serious minded girl who fell in love with the disheveled graduate student Hawking. She had strong faith in God and a belief that good can come out of any adversity which she inherited from her mother. Jane’s robust optimism deeply influenced the life of the young scientist. At the age of 23 Hawking received his research fellowship at Caius and they got married. At the university, Hawking was known as a genius, ‘another Einstein’. He wanted to study cosmology and quantum theory which had been begun by Einstein.

 In the 1960s, the young scientist Stephen William Hawking moved his way around the corridors with a cane, supporting himself against the wall. But he daringly asked unexpected and penetrating questions on cosmology and quantum theory while other great scientists from all over the world sat silently unable to answer his questions. Hawking’s book on the universe which contains answers to many interesting questions such as ‘where did the universe come from? If the universe infinite or has boundaries? And is there a beginning of Time? Could Time run back? The book begins with the theories of the cosmos from Newton to Einstein. This book is meant for the reading of common man who wants to know science. But misfortune continues to haunt the great scientist and he had undergone an operation on the throat to save his precious life. After many weeks of intensive care, Hawking came back to his home, wife and three children. “A Brief History of Time “ was published in the year 1988. The abridged version of the original book on the universe was published in 2005. There is a multitude of paradoxes in the book. You will learn that beginnings may be endings; cruel circumstances can lead to happiness and so on. It is a miracle that Stephen William Hawking has been able to achieve everything he has and he is still alive as the ‘ supernova’ of world physics.                                                               Kjt/22-08-2016

Notes on Joothan: A Dalit's Life by Omprakash Valmiki and 'My Dungeon Shook'- James Baldwin

Joothan: A Dalit’s Life                                                                     Omprakash Valmiki

Valmikiakash Valmiki is a great poet and short story writer in Hindi Dalit Literature.  “Joothan” is an autobiographical account of his miserable birth and life. Omprakash believes his lineage starts from Valmiki, the great author of Indian epic The Ramayana and says that even the great Rishi Valmiki is a Joothan (sweeper caste). “Joothan’ literally means scraps of food left on a plate. It is related to the word ‘jootha’ which means ‘polluted. The word reflects pain, humiliation and poverty of the untouchables.

Omprakash Valmiki’s family was in the colony of the village where the untouchables lived. ‘Chuhra, Chamar and Jhinwar are the caste names of these untouchables.  Tyagi, Taga are the upper caste people of both Hindus and Muslims. Valmiki’s home was in front of the stinking cowshed of an upper caste family. On the one side there was a pond and on the other side, there were high walls of the brick homes of the Tagas. In his family there were five members.  All of them worked hard, yet they couldn’t get two decent meals a day.  Most often they had no payment for their work. Instead, they got only abuse from the upper caste masters

Valmiki learned to read and write from Sewak Ram Masihi who was a Christian.  It was an open air school.  After that Valmiki’s father took him to the Basic Primary School. Valmiki’s father begged the master of the school to teach his son. Master asked him to come the next day, and Valmiki and his father kept going for several days and finally Valmiki was allowed to study there. Valmiki had to sit on the floor where there was not a mat even.  The children of the upper caste used to tease him by calling ‘Chuhre k’.   If he was thirsty, he would run to the hand-pump to drink water. All the teachers belonged to the upper caste and they hated the untouchable boys and Valmiki was often punished and insulted by the teachers and students of the school. If the untouchable boys dressed well, they would be laughed at and if they were shabbily dressed, others would ask them to get out because they were stinking!

When Valmiki reached fourth class, Kaliram, the headmaster  asked Valmiki to sweep every class room and the poor had to climb the teak tree and made a broom of its twigs and began to sweep. After that he was asked to sweep the school compound. The dust and heat entered his mouth and nostrils and he went on sweeping, while other students were studying in their class rooms! On the third day, while the boy was sweeping the school yard, his father passed by the school and saw what his son was doing. He called his son ‘Munshiji what are you doing?’ The boy burst out sobbing. Valmiki told everything to his father. Pithaji threw away the broom and shouted at the headmaster and called him ‘the progeny of Dronacharya.

 Pitaji went door to door of the upper caste people and begged them to let his son study in the same school. But they all shut their doors against the poor old man and his son Valmiki. Still he was not disappointed. Finally he walked to the house of the village Pradhan and explained to him about the cruelties of the headmaster and begged him to allow his son to be taught in the school. Pradhanji told Valmiki’s father not to worry about the past, but send his son to the same school and there would be no more trouble for him. Thus the determination of Valmiki’s father helped Valmiki to continue his education in the same school.                                                                                                                      Kjt/29-03-2017

My Dungeon Shook                                                                                  James Baldwin

James Arthur Baldwin is a great African-American writer. His first novel is ‘Go Tell it on the Mountain’. This essay ‘My Dungeon Shook’ is quoted from the book titled ‘Fire Next Time’ which was published in the year 1963, the 100^th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation issued by Abraham Lincoln, abolishing slavery in the USA. The title ‘My Dungeon Shook’ is quoted from the ‘old Negro spiritual.

This essay is in the form of a letter written to the author’s nephew James. Baldwin tells his nephew that his grandfather was very soft at heart and he was so innocent that he blindly believed whatever the whites told him. He was told that he was a ‘nigger’ and he believed it. ‘Nigger’ is the most dirty and vulgar name given to a human being. The grandfather thought of himself a cursed dirty slave and worked for the whites throughout his life. Thus the grandfather destroyed himself. This is why he had a terrible life and he was defeated long before he died.

Baldwin says that the black could be destroyed only when they blindly believed what the whites told them. For example the whites called the blacks a nigger. Any man of common sense knows well that human being is not a nigger or insect. The whites have committed many crimes. They enslaved and tortured thousands of blacks and imprisoned them in the dark cells because the blacks never believed what the whites told them and never accepted them as their masters. Therefore the blacks could not be defeated in spite of innumerable cruelties and persecutions.  But the whites are so stupid that they themselves don’t know the seriousness of their crime. They believed for many years that black men are inferior to whites. This is why Baldwin sarcastically calls them ‘the innocent’.

The black were brought from Africa in ships and forced them to work as slaves in farms and homes of the whites for many centuries. The blacks silently suffered these cruelties and lived in miserable living conditions. Charles Dickens, the famous English novelist explains misery and poverty of the black people in his novels.  The black children were born in the slums of the cities and they were sent to orphanages and workhouses. For the whites, the black is a worthless human being and he must live and perish in the ghetto.

Referring to the birth of his nephew, Baldwin says that on the day when he was born, they all trembled with fear because of the sufferings the child will have to undergo in his life as a black in the USA. Still they were very happy and thrilled with joy because a boy was born to them; one more black soldier is born to the black community to fight for full citizenship rights. So they loved him and thus they survived. Baldwin says that if the blacks had not loved each other, they would have been perished long ago.

According to James Baldwin, the white Americans are afraid of the strength and capacity of the Blacks to dominate the whites in all fields of life, such as sports and games, literature, music and art. This is why the black are given the symbols of life- nigger, ghetto, and ask them to be slaves of the whites. For many centuries, the black man has functioned as a fixed star in the white man’s world and worked for him as his slave, but with the passing of the Emancipation Proclamation Law by Abraham Lincoln, slavery was abolished. It was a rude shock to the ‘innocent whites’ of America. This terrible law upset their identity. They are no longer masters and the blacks are no more slaves. It is a terrible paradox for the whites.  For many centuries, the whites thought of themselves as superior to the blacks, the slave. Baldwin reminds his nephew that the blacks have produced great poets, prophets and artists of the world. ‘The Old Negro spiritual is not only a prayer to God but also a great poem composed by an unknown Negro slave who with tears of joy falling down his cheeks, knelt down in the farm where he was working, praises God Almighty, when he heard the Emancipation Proclamation abolishing slavery. 

 Baldwin advises his nephew to treat these whites as his brothers and thus the Blacks and the whites should accept the integration. The whites should also accept the reality that the black are their brothers and not slaves. This is the integration of America.

 The old Negro spiritual

“Free at last,

Free at last, free at last,

Thank God Almighty, I’m free at last.

The very time I thought I was lost,

Thank God Almighty, I’m free at last;

My dungeon shook and my chains fell off,

Thank God Almighty, I’m free at last,

This is religion, I do know,

Thank God Almighty, I’m free at last;

For I never felt such a love before,

Thank God Almighty, I’m free at last.

Kjt/14-03-2016                                                                                                                                                                  

Notes on two poems 'IF' by Rudyard Kipling and 'Death the leveller' by James Shirley

IF                                                                                                                                                        Joseph Rudyard Kipling

‘IF’ is a didactic poem which suggests the idea of conditional fulfillment.  The qualities of a perfect man forms the theme of the poem. Joseph Rudyard Kipling is the author of the poem. He is a short story writer, poet and novelist.

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too:     - explain   

These lines are quoted from Joseph Rudyard Kipling’s famous poem ‘If’. Here the narrator speaks about the qualities of a perfect man. In these lines the narrator says that one must have self-confidence and must keep up this confidence under every circumstance. People around you may blame and accuse you of such and such mistakes or crimes committed by you. But if you know that you are innocent, you should trust yourself.  Suppose you made mistakes, speak frankly about the mistake and correct your mistakes because error is humane but to forgive is divine.

2.  “If you can dream-and not make dreams your master;

      If you can think- and not make thoughts your aim,

      If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

      And treat those two impostors just the same:”

These lines are taken from the poem titled ‘If” written by the great English poet Rudyard Kipling. The central theme of the poem is the qualities of a perfect man. The narrator says that one must see dream about his bright future, but don’t dream every time. It is laziness. Instead one should put into reality the dream. Similarly one should think of future plans and implement them in his life. In one’s life there are victories and failures. After many defeats, a success comes. When you achieve something, don’t over joy and when tragedy and failure comes one after the other, don’t disappoint. But understand that life is a mixture of both success and failures. The poet skillfully uses effective figure of speeches which add to the beauty of the poem. Triumph and Disaster - two abstract nouns are personified as two guests who visit your life. They are imposters. Don’t trust them because, they may come and disappear soon. It means a perfect man is not overjoyed when success comes and he cannot be disappointed when he faces failures. Treat them alike. Dream is personified as master.

3.  “If you can make one heap of all your winnings

     And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

     And lose, and start again at your beginnings

     And never breathe a word about your loss:”

These lines are quoted from Rudyard Kipling’s famous poem IF”. It speaks about the qualities of a perfect man. One important quality of a perfect man is his adventurous spirit. For him life is like a gambling. There are many risks involved in every field of life. Success and failures are the regular feature of an adventurous man. It has its own beauty and benefit. When you start a business or any enterprise, you have to make heavy investments and the business may succeed or fail. But don’t be desperate.  Start at the beginning again and success is yours only. Many great people reached the top of life after risking many things and made lot of sacrifices.  When you fail, don’t speak to others about your failures, because no one can help you, except yourself.  All the world is with the winner.

4. “If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

     Or walk with kings – no lose the common touch,

                                OR

5.  “If you can fill the unforgiving minute

      With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run

      Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it”    

  These lines are taken from Rudyard Kipling’s famous poem ‘IF”.   It speaks about the basic qualities of a perfect man. A perfect man is a great democrat. In his eyes all human beings are equal. He treats the King and the Prime Minister with great respect and humility. When he goes to the poor and the downtrodden, the common man, the perfect man respects them and talks to them in a compassionate friendly manner. But he does not follow the bad habits of these people, but absorb the best in them and appreciate their good qualities. Another important quality of the perfect man is his respect for time. In his eyes, Time is very precious and unforgiving. There is a proverb that ‘time and tide don’t wait for any one’ is true for the perfect man.  Time is opportunity and once it is lost, it never comes back. Therefore one should wait for opportunities and make use of every opportunity for the success of life.

The poet uses many symbols such as ‘heap of all your winnings’, ‘pitch-and-toss’, breathe’, ‘heart and nerve and sinew’, ‘crowd and King, “sixty seconds’ worth of distances’ and many personifications are used in the poem. They are ‘triumph and disaster, impostors, unforgiving minute. When the poet says, ‘If you can dream- and not make dreams your master, the poet personifies the abstract noun ’dream’  as a master and slave. Dream is personified as human beings.

DEATH THE LEVELLER                                                                                                                                      James Shirley

“ Death the Leveller” is a poem written by James Shirley, the great English poet. It is a funeral song which speaks about the inevitability of death which comes to everyone as a leveler. The poem reminds us that all human glories and achievements are nothings but shadows and only our good deeds will blossom into fragrant smell. There is no defense against death which is unavoidable in human life. In short death is the birth right of every human being. The abstract noun Death is personified as a human being who comes to every man and touches his icy hands on everyone. Death the leveler – the figure of speech is ‘Metaphor.   Death is personified as an icy human being – figure of speech is personification.

‘Sceptre and Crown’ stands for King.  The figure of speech is Metonymy.

The poet says that death comes to everyone’s life and death does not discriminate rich or poor, king or beggar. All will come down to the burial ground where death makes all equal. This is why death is called a leveler or bulldozer.  ‘crooked scythe and spade’ stands for farmers and working class. The figure of speech is ‘Metonymy.

 The poet says that some men fight in the battle field with their swords and when the war is over, they are winners. As a token of their victory, the King will plant fresh laurels which is an ever green plant stands for the victory. But one day these victorious people will be defeated by death. When death comes to them, they surrender to death. They become pale captives just like the prisoners of war. Here they are the prisoners of death.

 The poet warns the victorious people such as the kings, army generals and soldiers that their garlands will wilt away. Garlands stands for victory and reputation. ‘Garlands’ are short lived and mere shadows. Therefore they should not boast of their victories in the war. One day they all will come to the altar of death to be sacrificed. Here all people including the winners and the defeaters will die together. Their heads will come down to the cold tomb in the cemetery. Only good actions will grow as sweet smelling flowers after their death.  The poet uses the phrase ‘victor-victim’, which is a figure of speech known as ‘Oxymoron. When two opposite terms victor and victim come together the figure of speech is Oxymoron.

Thus the poem titled ‘Death the Leveller’ abounds in a number of figures of speech which add to the poetic beauty.                                                                                                                                                   Kjt/29-08-2016