Indian IndianNews NewsQueensland Queensland| |COPING BOOKS WITH & LITERATURE CORONA
In the midst of COVID-19, 'The Big Questions Of Life'
P
ain is inevitable, suffering is optional; loss is unavoidable; grief isn’t; death is certain. And life? Well, life isn’t certain. Its uncertainty, unpredictability, even its irrationality, make it what it is -- particularly in these troubled times with the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the world and showing no signs of letting up. Himalayan mystic and former IT honcho Om Swami’s new book, “The Big Questions Of Life” (HarperCollins), available on Kindle, couldn’t have come a day sooner as millions around the world wonder:
“What have I done to deserve this?” Often, we run blindly into fire, we step on snakes, we get entangled in snares -- these are the fires of desire, the snakes of attachment, and the snares of jealousy and covetousness. If we are bitten, burnt and hurt, we call it suffering, and believe it to be the way of life, when, in fact, we are mistaking our pain for our suffering. We have little control over the former but the latter is almost entirely in our hands. We can take things in our stride or be tossed on the tide. All it takes is to be able to open our eyes. This choice, we must remember, is ours; always.
He has a mantra for this: “If your own thoughts cannot provoke you, nothing external can provoke you either. Every external occurrence triggers an internal thought that may alter your state of mind. If you can just be the spectator and not the reactor or an adaptor of the thought, the thought becomes powerless.” Educated at the Western Sydney University and University Of Technology, Sydney, the Patiala- born Sawmi, now 40 was a millionaire at 26, having founded and run a multimillion-dollar software company with offices across the world,
before he realised his calling lay elsewhere and renounced it all to live in the Himalayan foothills. He is also the author of the bestselling books “If Truth be Told: A Monk’s Memoir” (2014), “The Wellness Sense: A Practical Guide to Your Physical and Emotional Health Based on Ayurvedic and Yogic Wisdom” (2015), “When All Is Not Well: Depression, Sadness and Healing- A Yogic Perspective” (2016), “The Last Gambit” (2017), “Mind Full to Mindful: Zen Wisdom from a Monk’s Bowl” (2018), “The Children of Tomor-
row: A Monk’s Guide to Mindful Parenting” (2019), and “The Book of Kindness: How to Make Others Happy and Be Happy Yourself ” (2019) -- all published by HarperCollins.
365 poems, 279 poets, 34 languages in Gulzar's 'A Poem a Day' magnum opus
T
his truly is a litterateur’s delight, as Gulzar, one of India’s leading poets, as also a highly respected script writer and film director, serves up a treasure trove of 365 poems, one for every day of the year, written by 279 poets in 34 languages written over the seven decades of Independence and appearing in English and Hindustani. He describes it as his “tribute” in the “difficult times we are going through”, to the “many languages of India that happen to be local yet form a part of our national identity”. The selection in the humongous 976-page “A Poem a Day”, to be published by Harper Collins in July, has been personally chosen by Gulzar himself, and features
the works of poets from the north, south, west and east of India, as well as the northeast, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan, presenting kaleidoscopic view of history, human experience and poetic expression since 1947. The book began “as a thought - why not have a poem to read for every day of the year, selected from the wonderful Indian poetry that has been written since 1947? I started with some of my favourite poets, but almost before I knew it, we had poetry by 279 different poets writing in as many as 34 languages,” Gulzar said in an audio message. “I firmly believe that poetry doesn’t know any borders, so, along with poets from Gujarat, Punjab, Ker-
ala, Goa, Odisha, I included poets writing in Tamil in Sri Lanka, in Bangla in Bangladesh and in Urdu and Punjabi in Pakistan,” he added. “The poems appear in English translation, which is a language that, thanks to our history, a majority of Indians are familiar with. But I wished to make the poems my own, and to write them again in my own way in a language and idiom that is truly our own; therefore I transcreated the poems (except the ones that were originally written in Hindi or Urdu) in Hindustani, the language in which I write. “This was a massive project but a very rewarding one too. The poetry of India can be truly known only if one takes into account the poetry of
all its languages. ‘A Poem a Day’ is my tribute to the many languages of India that happen to be local yet form a part of our national identity. It is also a personal selection of the Indian poetry that contributed to my journey of becoming a poet, and the poetry that I have found the most memorable,” he said. Expressing his gratitude to HarperCollins India for undertaking this ambitious work and bringing it to readers everywhere, Gulzar added: “I feel we need poetry and the power of words more than ever in the difficult times we are going through; I hope that ‘A Poem a Day’ will be a companion many of you will want to have by your side as we walk into the future.”
The lovely empty streets
D
oesn’t it feel weird to just have to stay all locked up inside our homes, I mean, it gets real boring, real fast, doesn’t it? And, it must feel even weirder to go out to the grocery store and see all the streets empty, like no cars, no people, just dead silence. But maybe that’s a good thing. Did you know that the abandoned street outside your house with no one on it is something that should make you feel happy and not sad or depressed? How on Earth would that make me feel happy, you ask? Well, read on to find out! Plus, I’ve included some fun things that you could be doing at home to get rid of that boredom! Firstly, let’s get the whole ‘empty streets’ thing clear. I know this can be a pretty hard time for some people and that’s okay, it’s fine to feel
www.indiannewsqld.com.au
scared or weirded out at the moment, but don’t let it get to you. It might even be depressing for some people to see no one in the streets, but really, you should be feeling the opposite. No one being on the streets is a sign of love, peace, togetherness; it means that people are taking responsibility; we all are. Staying home and self-isolating is a sign of showing that we’re all in this together. Remember, no one being around for now is for the best and we’re all doing this so that we can hopefully minimise the number of people getting sick. Now that I’ve, hopefully, convinced you to stay home, you must be wondering, what now? Well, below I’ve listed some fun things you can try out at home. Film a video I recently took up this hobby and I’ve honestly learnt so much. Well, for starters, I learnt some cool tricks
for filming with a camera, and even how to work with natural lighting. Don’t be shy to ask for help from a parent or sibling or just watch some YouTube videos! Most importantly, remember filming doesn’t require fancy or expensive equipment, you can film with a phone somewhere in your house where there’s lots of sunlight coming in, and trust me, it’ll still be good. Let your creative juices flow for this one. Bake or cook Okay, this is simple and straightforward, you get to eat what you make. And anything with eating involved, I’m in. Study No, I’m not a nerd and I’m not trying to ruin your holidays or anything like that. Just that you have lots of time in your hands right now and getting a little ahead might not
Gulzar has been one of the most popular lyricists in mainstream Hindi cinema, gaining international fame when he won an Oscar and a Grammy for the song ‘Jai ho’. He received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2002, the Padma Bhushan in 2004, and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2014.
Indian poet, lyricist and filmmaker Gulzar(File Photo IANS) be such a bad idea. Even just studying for an hour a day will benefit you when school starts, I promise. Journal Journaling can be a calming activity, and if you know that you’re worrying a lot right now, this might just be the thing for you. Write down your thoughts, what you’re feeling and maybe something you’re grateful for. You. This is can be a ‘me time’ activity, so do what you want. Write an article Do what I’m doing, write an article on something that interests you. There are loads of websites online that’re hosting writing, poetry and art competitions (one is, ‘Write4fun’), so why not send an entry there? You can also try finding a newspaper or magazine to write for. Or why not write for your school newspaper/newsletter? Your school
Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/IndianNewsQueensland
doesn’t have one? Well, why not start one? Remember to stay safe online and before sending anything anywhere, check with a trusted adult or parent, if you are still a minor, that is. By Suhani Sharma Suhani is 13 and currently in Grade 8. She writes on social issues among the youth, common problems that teenagers experience, as well as fun topics.
Suhani Sharma MAY 2020
21
