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Stories / Novel – The Halo Reams
The Literary Muse
by TA Ramesh
As soon as
Kannan got from his bed in the morning, he did not have any excitement
because he knew it as a Sunday. Immediately he did not go for the bath
and hurry up for the breakfast so that he could leave the house for the
factory in time unlike in other days. He had time to stand and stare at
the morning Sun, Sky, trees, flowers and birds and hear the morning
music of the birds, the chiming of the temple bells, the divine songs
from the radio and the voices of the common men. Then he leisurely had a
good bath, Tiffin, read the Sunday newspaper and went to his study room.
In the study room, the books were readily standing in the steel racks
for his arrival. He just glanced through the achievements of Shelley,
Wordsworth, Coleridge and Keats. With a cool mind he went through the
pages of A.G. Gardiner, A.T. Quiller Couch, Jeremy Taylor. Sir Herald
Nicholson, O. Henry, Arnold and Eliot. With a new interest he read about
Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Sir Walter Scott, D.H. Lawrence, Somerset
Maugham, Fielding, Defoe, Swift, Aldous Huxley and George Orwell. They
all were great to him. Tagore, Aurobindo, Vivekananda, Bharati and their
grand masters like Vyasa, Valluvar, Valmiki, Kalidasa and Vallar were
men of his own soil and he knew about their works in the school days
itself. There was no end if each and every book was read in its full
entity. Kannan was roaming about in the ranches of this literary country
and abroad though time had passed beyond 1.15 p.m.
He decided to read the literary works in some other time of the week and
went for his lunch. His mind still immersed in literary thoughts he ate
food with Mr. and Mrs. Manokar. They were happy that he was enjoying the
lunch especially prepared under the care of Mr. Manokar. Kannan said
that lunch was really good and went to his room.
The diary, which Kannan took with him to his bed the previous night for
the sake of going through his favorite themes on which he had written
opinions in the past was still lying there. Those pieces were actually
written to Balu or top other Haloens when they were out of station. To
assess how far he had developed in the art of expressing his ideas, he
critically went through his fragments of writing with a fresh out look.
Conscience
In my previous letter I have said that conscience is the true friend for
everyone. When the desires of two friends are coinciding and are one and
the same, then that moment of life experienced seems to be bliss. When
the sayings of one’s conscience and that of a friend’s are the same,
then one will find oneself to be confident about one’s activities and
life will be interesting and clear to live. So, it is a quite natural to
say that life of a friend is inanimate without a friend by his side to
coincide with his conscience, to share the happy and sorrow sense
affairs and to exchange the creative thoughts.
Mind
Waves do not rest. It is a natural phenomenon. Mind is also so. If the
waves of the sea are calm, storm is sure to come. If the thought process
of the mind is suppressed, it will be just like applying a sudden brake
when an automobile is moving at a high speed. The effect will be
disastrous! The suppression of the mind spoils the health of the body.
The effect will be disastrous! The sudden brake applied on the fast
moving vehicle hampers the efficiency of the engine. Then how the mind
can be kept normal? Nature is the cure. In Nature we live. The success
of our achievements depends upon the alignment of our ways with the ways
of Nature. When such an alignment is not proper, the occurrences in our
life are contrary to our imagination or expectation. Everything depends
on Nature. You realize this by feeling Nature in all your activities –
breathing, drinking, working, etc. Keep your mind in line with Nature
with all your heart, you will enjoy real peace of mind and happiness.
Bliss
Peace and happiness shall be obtained through total liberation. This
state is called as bliss which is the culmination of life. This highest
point of development can be reached when life and knowledge are made
stable. How? Life is for living. This life can be made stable by
achieving stability in one’s activities. Knowledge can be obtained by
understanding things through pure thinking and meditation. This is
possible only when one has achieved peace and stability in life. When
living is made stable and real knowledge is achieved, spirit or atman or
soul has to be cleansed by keeping one’s mind steady in the nature of
God. This leads to the total liberation of soul, when the soul communes
with the all pervading spirit of the Cosmos and is known as bliss for
man.
Ambition
Ambition is not aim. It is the desire of heart, which can be said as
aspiration. Ambition gives an impetus to do a work. It can be considered
as a catalyst, which quickens an action. Everyone has got merits and
demerits. If merits are developed, one will enjoy in life. So, one has
to choose what one is best at or interested in or where one’s best
capacity lies which one has to exploit to the maximum one can and
achieve perfection in it. If one’s ambition is within this frame work,
one’s life will be active and interesting.
God
By seeing the foot prints on the beach sand, we are able to say who has
done it or who has gone that way. Scientifically it is discovered that
the Moon rotating round the Earth was once the part of the Earth. The
Earth and the other planets we know along with the Sun is considered to
be one Solar system. By the gravitational force each planet rotates in a
certain orbit round the Sun. Then the Stars are there. Like the foot
prints created by some beast or man, these planets and the whole
Universe with the living beings, matters, etc. must have been created by
some power, whose natural function is present and continuously proceeds
in everything everywhere; for example, I can quote the function of the
atom in a molecule and the function of the planets in our Solar system.
This power present in everything everywhere activating everything can be
termed in a single word as God according to the attainment of knowledge
of man. As and when the knowledge of man progresses or develops, this
all pervading power can be understood still more clearly than as we know
at present.
Dharma and the impossibility to live according to Dharma in the Modern
Age
All the celestial bodies float spinning themselves in equilibrium
position under the gravitational force in the Space like the ships,
boats, logs on the ocean. There equilibrium has to be maintained.
Otherwise the whole show can’t go on forever. It is really an impossible
wonder! But it is happening under natural laws which maintain the
equilibrium of the Universe. These are all what we may say as God made
laws. But there are also man made laws. These laws are there to maintain
justice. So, everything goes on well because of justice. But his justice
is meant only for the physical security of man. Then what sort of a
justice is governing the mind and the spirit of man? This justice is
what our religion calls by the word – Dharma. Therefore, even if man
escapes from the clutches of the laws of man, he cannot escape from
Dharma. Man has to maintain justice for his physical existence and has
to maintain dharma for his mental and spiritual stability. After coming
to this stage, one vital question has to be answered. The question is
what dharma is.
Our Hindu religion reveals the division of duty according to the
position of various men into four. They are 1. Brahman (sages,
intellectuals, writers, etc.), 2. Chatriyas (kings, soldiers, rulers,
administrators, etc.), 3. Vysias (businessmen, traders, merchants, etc.)
and 4. Sutras (workers, laborers, down trodden people depending others
for their livelihood). So, justice is I can say that to maintain oneself
physically, mentally and spiritually one has to do the job suitable to
one’s nature. But how far this is possible is the thing we have to think
about!
Now we are living in the democratic age. It is possible for us to choose
what sort of a job is suitable for our nature. Our nation is not a
developed one. Our society is developing one i.e. struggling towards
prosperity. It has to go a long way to achieve self sufficiency in all
respects. Even after getting freedom from foreigner rulers our people
are not changed. They have the caste feeling, language differences,
communal fights, etc. Corruption, smuggling activities and other
malpractices are going on unchecked everywhere in our country.
Superstitious beliefs, dowry system, favoritism, etc. are still
prevailing in our society. The system under which our society functions
has all these draw backs and more. Even if a person gets the
professional work he likes, he may not be doing it peacefully and
perfectively with honesty and sincerity in order to lead a safe life.
Fate and Providence
No doubt, fate and providence have got their own parts to play in the
affairs of each and every man. Man should be in a position to see the
things as they really are. Man of knowledge has more worries than other
persons. He too cannot achieve perfection because he has to live in a
backward society. It is quite bad for him also. It is not possible for
him to do his works unhampered and he also goes wrong often. Once he
cannot go smoothly in a system suitable to him how can he escape from
undergoing all sorts of sufferings and troubles because of his
restrictions, limitations and because of the people with incomplete
knowledge with whom he has to carry out his duties? These drawbacks in
the society aforesaid in toto can be termed as the Fate man has to
endure. On the other hand, if the society is good, man is able to do
what he likes honestly, sincerely, etc. in a good system, then I can say
that there prevails providence.
~*~
Kannan felt it was enough that he had read to recapture the thought
process he was once engrossed himself with. He opened the letter of Balu
once again and went through the paragraph in which Balu had written his
view regarding friendship and non-attachment. He felt he had a few more
points to write for Balu for the sake of clarification in that regard.
He took his pen and wrote the details in his diary he wished to put down
in his next letter to Balu.
Friendship and Non-Attachment
Friendship is something valuable in the relationship of man and man. In
this regard it has to be remembered that man is considered to be a
social animal. But he distinguishes himself from animals, when this
relationship becomes a form of love. Friendship is a form of love.
Commitment makes one attached to certain thing or desire. Intelligence
is required to be morally good and right. To be intelligent a mature
knowledge of the things he has to deal with is indispensable. Only then
one can be non-attached. When this is known by way of expounds,
discussions, etc. by all the friends of a circle, non-attachment could
be reconciled with friendship. When non-attachment is the concept of
everyone, there won’t be an enemy to anyone. Hence there can’t be many
worries, mind will be finding ways that have to be followed and next
worries and difficulties will be reduced to nothing. Everything can be
over come and life will be a blissful affair for such friends.
Desire
Without desire man cannot live. Desire cannot be effaced from the mind
of man. Desire to do good is good. Without desire nothing could be
learnt. Purpose of our existence can’t be understood. So, desire to know
as much we can and to follow the right way to establish justice is the
purpose of man’s creation on the Earth.
~*~
Kannan felt that he had written the necessary points to clarify the
query of Balu. The time was then approaching 3.30 p.m. He closed his
diary with the feeling that he had to develop still better in his
writings and allowed himself to have a nap on his bed.
In the evening some people came to see him. First he had to pay the
Lorry Bill, for, he received a consignment of raw materials required for
the factory works next day. After paying the amount to the lorry driver,
he went to take coffee in the dining room.
Since it had happened to be a Sunday, some relatives of Mr. Manokar came
to see them. Before Kannan thought of writing as per his desire night
had come. He had to accompany the visitors for the dinner and to settle
all the trivialities with them till they left them at 10.15 p.m.
After the hurry and bustle had subsided, Kannan had a smoke in his room
with his mind immersed in the next day activities. The day had ended
before he could do anything according to his desire as far as his
literary activity was concerned. He did not lose his heart. He was
optimistic that the next day would give him the necessary impetus to
carry on with his urge to write to his heart’s content.
The night was very calm. It would not be night forever. The day had to
come. To do good deeds, though it would be difficult to start early, yet
it would be a better thing for man with noble mind to try in the art of
literary expressions in order to reveal to the world one’s experiences
for the purpose of inspiring noble thoughts to the gloomy minds.
–
Continued
January 13,
2008
The Halo Dreams : A Novel
Writing a Novel | The Park |
Philosophy | The Confusion |
The Conversation
The Appointment | The Journey
| The First Publication | The Change
The Secret | The Painted Veil |
The Halo Magazine | The Debts |
The Break
A Letter | A Surprise Letter |
The Literary Muse | The Souvenir |
The Questionnaire
The Reconciliation
| The Lake
| The Final Meets |
The Surprise |
The
Settlements
The Result
Top |
Stories
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