The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
This Independence Day, remembering our visit to the Red Fort two years back, when, showing Samhith our National Flag flying high over the ramparts, I told him stories about the freedom movement. That day, he seemed least concerned, but today, studying in school about the movement, our freedom fighters, and also about naxalism and terrorism, I can see the enthusiasm that he has, rushing off to school early this morning for the flag hoisting ceremony. These days, when things look bleak for our country, the only hope lies in our children - the future. And, as long as kids rush off enthusiastically for a flag hoisting ceremony, I guess, there is still hope! There is nothing I can do better than echo the famous words of Rabindranath Tagore...
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake-
- Rabindranath Tagore
Years have passed since Tagore wrote these memorable words..... but they are so true, even today.
On that note, wishing you all, a very happy Independence Day!!!
Awesome click. Happy Independence Day to you too..
ReplyDeleteLovely pic
ReplyDeleteHappy Independence...