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Book Review: The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

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By Kamlesh Tripathi

Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is a haunting and deeply symbolic novella that delves into themes of alienation, identity, and the often cruel nature of human relationships. Originally published in 1915, the story continues to resonate today for its psychological depth, bleak humour, and powerful portrayal of the human condition.

The plot is deceptively simple: Gregor Samsa, a travelling salesman, wakes up one morning to discover he has transformed into a giant insect. Kafka famously avoids explaining how or why this transformation occurs, which adds to the surreal, dreamlike tone of the work. From the outset, Gregor’s concern isn’t the loss of his human form, but the fact that he will miss work and disappoint his employer. This absurd reaction sets the tone for a story where logic, emotion, and humanity become increasingly unrecognisable.

One of the most striking aspects of The Metamorphosis is its portrayal of alienation. Gregor is alienated not just from his job and society, but eventually from his own family. At first, his transformation provokes horror but also some sympathy from his parents and sister. However, this compassion quickly fades as the family begins to view him as a burden. His sister, Grete, initially takes care of him, but over time grows resentful and distant. Kafka paints this emotional withdrawal with subtlety and cruelty — illustrating how those closest to us can become indifferent when we no longer serve a functional role in their lives.

Kafka’s writing is stark, deliberate, and unflinching. He doesn’t embellish Gregor’s insect form with fantasy or whimsy; instead, he forces the reader to dwell in the grotesque physicality of it — the twitching legs, the difficulty of movement, the slow loss of speech. The horror is not just that Gregor has changed, but that his family no longer sees him as human. This loss of identity becomes the true tragedy of the story. Gregor remains mentally human throughout, but no one can hear or understand him. In many ways, The Metamorphosis becomes a metaphor for how people who suffer — physically, mentally, or socially — are often dehumanised and discarded.

Another powerful theme is the burden of societal and familial expectations. Before his transformation, Gregor was the sole provider for his family, working a job he despised to pay off his parents’ debts. His sense of worth is entirely tied to his ability to work. Once he becomes unable to perform that role, he is treated as useless. Kafka critiques a society that values individuals only for their productivity. This message is especially relevant in modern capitalist systems, where personal value is often linked to one’s job or economic output.

The story’s ending is as bleak as it is inevitable. Gregor dies alone and unloved, and the family expresses relief. They immediately begin to plan a better future for themselves, free from the burden he represented. It is a chilling conclusion that forces readers to question how empathy and love can so easily be replaced by convenience and self-interest.

While The Metamorphosis is undeniably dark, it is also a masterwork of literary precision and philosophical inquiry. Kafka’s ability to compress such complex emotional and existential questions into a short novella is extraordinary. His vision is as surreal as it is realistic — a mirror held up to the quiet horrors of everyday life and the fragile threads that connect us to one another.

In conclusion, The Metamorphosis is an unforgettable exploration of transformation, not just in the physical sense, but in how people change — or reveal themselves — in the face of discomfort, responsibility, and fear. Kafka’s story is disturbing, moving, and profoundly human, making it a timeless piece of literature that continues to provoke thought and discussion.

***

Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

Author, Poet, & Columnist

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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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What is life without mirth and laughter by Kamlesh Tripathi

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Published on 18/12/25 in The Goan Everyday newspaper.

Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

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Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life-threatening diseases, especially cancer. Our posts are designed for our readers, including children and adults, and feature a diverse range of content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate to the cause of cancer? The bank details are given below:

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

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IS AMBITION A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD OF GREATNESS? … by Kamlesh Tripathi

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    To quote Mark Antony in Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, “    Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;/I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him./The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones;/So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus/Hath told you Caesar was ambitious./If it were so, it was a grievous fault,/And grievously hath Caesar answer’d it”.

    Ambition is highly incendiary. It can illuminate the path to greatness or burn everything in its heat. In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Caesar’s ambition is both political and personal. He is neither a clear villain nor an innocent victim. His rise to power threatens to jeopardise the balance of the Roman Republic. To Brutus and the conspirators, Caesar’s growing influence signals a danger to Rome’s liberty and its soul. They believe that if Caesar’s ambition is left unchecked, it would transform a free republic into a monarchy. But as per Shakespeare, Caesar’s ambition is as much perceived as proven. He refuses the crown three times. He speaks for the people and wins their loyalty. His “fault,” perhaps, lies not in the naked greed for power but in his pride. “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more,” says Brutus. Ambition must be punished before it turns into tyranny. But Shakespeare refuses to make the judgment easy. Caesar’s ambition is not that of a usurper.   He is neither the villain nor the saint of the play.

    In Indian mythology, we find numerous characters whose fates mirror that of Caesar’s. Ravana, the mighty king of Lanka, was a scholar, warrior, and devotee of Lord Shiva. Yet his depraved ambition to be invincible and possess Sita led him to his downfall. As a result, his strength turned to self-destruction. Finally, it wasn’t Rama’s arrows alone that destroyed him, but his own unchecked ambition. The same holds for Duryodhana in the Mahabharata. His craving to rule Hastinapura mirrors Caesar’s political hunger. He could not bear to see the Pandavas prosper. His refusal to grant even “five villages” led to the catastrophic Kurukshetra war. Like Caesar, Duryodhana believed power to be his birthright.

    Karna’s story offers a fine parallel to Caesar’s personal ambition. Born into secrecy and raised in obscurity, Karna’s entire life is driven by a longing for recognition and respect. His ambition is noble. He wishes to prove his worth against Arjuna and rise above the stigma of his birth. Similarly, Caesar’s early life is marked by political struggle and a fierce determination to climb the ranks of Roman power. Yet both men get entangled in loyalties that blur moral boundaries. Karna’s devotion to Duryodhana, like Caesar’s trust in Antony and others, leads him to defend causes that conflict with dharma. Ambition without a noble cause, Shakespeare and Vyasa both suggest, can make even noble men pawns in larger tragedies.

    Hiranyakashipu’s ambition to rule the three worlds and attain immortality resembles Caesar’s own belief that he was beyond human intervention, as he proudly declares himself “as constant as the Northern Star.” Caesar’s rise disrupts the harmony of the Roman Republic. Their arrogance invites downfall—one at the hands of Narasimha, the other at the daggers of Brutus & co.

    Similarly, Mahishasura, who sought supremacy over the gods, embodies unrestrained ambition that disturbs the cosmic balance. He, too, is destroyed by the divine feminine force, Goddess Durga. In every tale, ambition that crosses moral or spiritual boundaries brings destruction, not only to the ambitious themselves but to the world around them. Narasimha’s claws and the daggers of Brutus are but instruments of the same law: that unchecked ambition invites its own end.

    Mythology offers a counterpoint in the case of King Mahabali. Mahabali desired to rule heaven, earth, and the underworld. But when faced with Lord Vishnu in his Vamana avatar, he chose humility over defiance, surrendering his kingdom and ego. Unlike Ravana or Duryodhana, Mahabali’s humility redeemed him, earning divine grace and immortality in memory. Here lies a profound contrast with Caesar: where Mahabali bows, Caesar refuses to yield. Shakespeare’s Caesar, standing tall against the soothsayer’s warning, “Beware the Ides of March”, becomes the very image of a man too proud to listen, too ambitious to step back.

    Ambition, then, is the fire that can both create and consume. It is political when it seeks power, personal when it seeks recognition, and tragic when it forgets restraint. From Caesar to Ravana, from Duryodhana to Macbeth, the pattern endures; the greater the climb, the greater the fall. As Shakespeare and the epics remind us, ambition is not inherently evil. It becomes dangerous when it blinds the heart and mind. To be ambitious is human. To be over-ambitious is to challenge the divine. The lesson of Caesar and his mythological counterparts is eternal. Ambition must be guided by wisdom, or it becomes a double-edged sword. One that wins glory in one stroke and brings ruin in the next.

    From Caesar’s Rome to Ravana’s Lanka, from Duryodhana’s Hastinapura to Macbeth’s Scotland, the story remains unchanged. Ambition is both the sculptor and the destroyer of greatness.  Ambition is divine when guided by purpose, but deadly when driven by ego. It can build empires, yet when it loses sight of humility, it consumes all that it touches.

    So, is being ambitious a double-edged sword? Indeed, it is. One edge gleams with glory. The other drips with ruin, the cost of believing oneself to be larger than the truth. Caesar’s blood on the steps of the Senate, Ravana’s fall in battle, Duryodhana’s broken crown, and Karna’s dying smile, all remind us that the line between greatness and downfall is as thin as a sword’s edge.

Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

Author, Poet, & Columnist

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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life-threatening diseases, especially cancer. Our posts are designed for our readers, including children and adults, and feature a diverse range of content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate to the cause of cancer? The bank details are given below:

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Storyteller Soothsayer: Margaret Atwood

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STORYTELLER SOOTHSAYER: MARGARET ATWOOD
FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published in Economic Times 16/11/25
Storyteller Soothsayer
The New York Times
    Margaret Atwood doesn’t like being called a prophet.
    “Calm down, folks,” was her response when asked why her fiction often seems eerily predictive. “If I could really do this, I would have cornered the stock market a long time ago.”     Still, she concedes she’s been right on occasion.
    When she published The Handmaid’s Tale in 1985, some critics were sceptical of Atwood’s vision of an authoritarian America, where the government controls women’s reproduction and persecutes dissidents.
    Since then, events in the novel have come to pass. Abortion has been outlawed in parts of America. The rule of law feels increasingly fragile. Censorship is rampant — Atwood, 85, herself is a frequent target.
    In a career that spans nearly six decades, she’s published more than 50 books, including poetry, short stories, non-fiction, speculative fiction, psychological thrillers, children’s books, graphic novels and historical fiction. Memoir was one of the few literary forms Atwood hadn’t already tried, but that too changed with Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts.
    Her book has been adapted into ballet, opera, film and television, including an award-winning television series based on The Handmaid’s Tale. She’s won the Booker Prize twice and has sold more than 40 million copies of her books worldwide, which have been translated into 50 languages. She’s a perennial contender for the Nobel Prize.
    TELL-ALL OF SORTS
    For years, Atwood maintained that she had no interest in writing a memoir; she thought it would be tedious. When asked what changed: “Two words: People died,” she said. “There are things you can say that you wouldn’t say when they were alive.”
    In the memoir, Atwood lays into childhood bullies who tormented her, blasts male critics and reveals how the Canadian literary scene was, at times, a hotbed of vicious gossip, jealousy and backstabbing, particularly among poets.
    Atwood admits that, once crossed, she holds onto resentments and that she has occasionally taken revenge in her fiction. “It’s not an admirable trait, but why deny it?”
    MAKING OF AN AUTHOR
    Atwood was born in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1939. Nicknamed Peggy, she grew up spending time in the wilderness in northern Quebec, where her father, an entomologist, studied insects that caused forest infestations. Books were one of the few forms of entertainment. In first grade, she started writing poetry and fiction; one early story was about a heroic ant named Annie.
    An awkward child who had a caterpillar for a pet, Atwood sometimes struggled to fit in. At age nine, she was tormented by a group of girls who left her out in the snow and buried her in a hole. She drew on the experience in her novel Cat’s Eye.
    Atwood got her start as a poet. She self-published her first book of poems, Double Persephone, in 1961, and sold copies for 50 cents. A few years later, she started to gain recognition when another poetry collection, The Circle Game, won a prestigious award.
    Her provocative debut novel, The Edible Woman, a satire about a young woman who develops a strange relationship with food and struggles to eat, made waves in 1969.
    The novel generated debate — female critics saw it as groundbreaking, men generally found it unsettling, she writes — but was far from an overnight success. Her first book signing was held in the sick and underwear section of a department store in Edmonton, Alberta, where she sold two copies.
    Atwood’s international breakthrough came with the release of The Handmaid’s Tale. In 2019, Atwood published a sequel to it, titled The Testaments, which she’d been mulling over for decades. While she was promoting the book, her long-time partner, novelist Graeme Gibson, died after a cerebral haemorrhage, following a years-long decline into dementia.
    Atwood went on with her tour, in a daze. Later, she wrote about the disorienting experience of living without him in her story collection, Old Babes in the Woods.
    She cried while writing the stories, but also found it comforting to imagine Gibson’s amused reaction.
Sometimes, she can’t shake the certainty that “Graeme is in the next room”, she said. The Testaments was a risky gambit. But it became a bestseller and won Atwood a second Booker Prize. It’s also being adapted into a TV series.
PLAYFUL, GOOFY, OMINOUS
Throughout her career, Atwood has resisted categorisation. She’s often bucked being labelled a feminist, noting that “there are 75 different kinds of feminists”. She’s bristled at her futuristic stories being classified as science fiction and prefers the term speculative fiction.
Stephen King said he was struck by Atwood’s ability to infuse her futuristic visions with gleefully weird details. “Science fiction has never been so goofy and so ominous at the same time,” he said by email.
Atwood’s contrarian streak colours her worldview. She’s fascinated by science and technology — she reads pop science magazines for fun– but she also has a charming affinity for astrology and the occult, having learnt tarot and palm reading.
In her memoir, she describes how a home she and Gibson once lived in was haunted by a spectral woman in a blue dress who could wander into her tiny writing room. She attributes her habit of holding grudges to being a Scorpio — specifically a Scorpio with Gemini rising, Jupiter in the 11th house and the Moon in Aquarius.
As for her own outlook, Atwood remains surprisingly upbeat — a trait she attributes to the resourcefulness she developed growing up in the wilderness. “I’m an optimistic person,” she said. “‘I’m doomed’ is very far down the line. I wouldn’t say ‘I’m doomed’ unless you’re about to be eaten by a bear.”
   
   

Posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

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Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life-threatening diseases, especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers, including children and adults, and have a huge variety of content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate to the cause of cancer? The bank details are given below:

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CELEBRATING THE JOY AND RIGHTS OF CHILDREN by Kamlesh Tripathi

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Happy to share my piece on Children’s Day, published in the October 25 edition of Bandra Times.

Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

Author, Poet, & Columnist

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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life-threatening diseases, especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers, including children and adults, and have a huge variety of content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate to the cause of cancer? The bank details are given below:

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

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Children’s Day: Celebrating the Joy and Rights of Children by Kamlesh Tripathi

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    “Every child is a different kind of flower, and all together they make this world a beautiful garden.” This fascinating popular quote reminds us of the uniqueness of each child and the collective beauty they bring to our lives and the world. Let the world be free from the shadow of the Pied Piper, who led the children away from their village to the top of Koppelberg Hill, never to return. The street in Hamelin, called Bungelosenstrasse (street without drums), is believed to be the place where the children were last seen. Ever since, music and dancing is not allowed there. Children’s Day, however, is a celebration meant to overcome such dark associations. It is supposed to build on powerful child characters such as ‘The Famous Five,’ the hit novel of Enid Blyton, where children, while holidaying in an old dilapidated lighthouse, recover a lost treasure all by themselves. But the quintessential example of children’s day could be from the escapades of young bubbly Krishna in Mathura and Vrindavan. Did William Wordsworth think of child Krishna when he wrote, “Child is the father of the man”?

    It is a day dedicated to celebrating children. The idea dates back to the early 20th century. The first official communique of Children’s Day was made in 1925 at the World Conference on Child Welfare held in Geneva, Switzerland. Since then, many countries have designed their own versions of the celebration. The day aims to raise awareness about children’s rights, their needs, and their well-being. Although celebrated on different dates around the world, the underlying message is universal: every child deserves love, care, protection, and the opportunity to grow in a safe and nurturing environment. While the day is often filled with fun and joy, its true essence lies in recognising that children are the future of the world.

    In 1954, the United Nations declared November 20 as Universal Children’s Day. This was done to promote global togetherness, increase awareness among children worldwide, and improve their overall welfare.

    In India, Children’s Day is celebrated to highlight children’s rights, education, and welfare. It is observed on 14 November each year, marking the birthday of the first prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. Nehru was known for his fondness for children. On this day, many schools across the country organise educational and motivational programmes. Some schools declare a holiday, while others host fairs and cultural events for their students.

    The first Children’s Day was observed on November 5, 1948. It was referred to as the ‘Flower Day’. On July 30, 1949, “Children’s Day” received wider attention and was promoted through radio, print media, and cinema.

     In 1951, V. M. Kulkarni, a United Nations Social Welfare Fellow, was conducting a study on the rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents in the UK. He discovered that India lacked a systematic approach to support underprivileged children. Inspired by Flag Day in England, which raised funds for the ‘Save the Children Fund’ on the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, he proposed that Pandit Nehru’s birthday be observed as Flag Day for raising funds for NGOs working for child welfare in India. Although initially embarrassed by the idea, Nehru eventually consented.

    Though Nehru’s birthday, on 14 November, was celebrated publicly for years, it was only in 1954 that the day was celebrated as Children’s Day for the first time. Thousands of school children attended the celebration held at the National Stadium in Delhi.

    In 1957, 14 November was officially declared as Children’s Day in India.     On November 14, 1957, during the celebration, white pigeons were released into the sky. That same year, the government issued a special notification, officially declaring 14th November as Children’s Day in India.   The Department of Posts and Telegraphs also released first-day covers and three commemorative stamps in honour of Bal Divas (Children’s Day).

Jawaharlal Nehru was fondly called Chacha Nehru (“Uncle Nehru”) by children. As Rabindranath Tagore once said, “Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.”

Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

Author, Poet, & Columnist

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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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Like it and Share it

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Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life-threatening diseases, especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers, including children and adults, and have a huge variety of content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate to the cause of cancer? The bank details are given below:

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

***

Children’s Day: Celebrating the Joy and Rights of Children … Kamlesh Tripathi

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    “Every child is a different kind of flower, and all together they make this world a beautiful garden.” – Anonymous. Let the world be free from the shadow of the Pied Piper, who led the children away from their village to the top of Koppelberg Hill, never to return. The street in Hamelin, called Bungelosenstrasse (street without drums), is believed to be the place where the children were last seen. Ever since, music and dancing is not allowed there. Children’s Day, however, is a celebration meant to overcome such dark associations.

    It is a day dedicated to celebrating children. The idea dates back to the early 20th century. The first official communique of Children’s Day was made in 1925 at the World Conference on Child Welfare held in Geneva, Switzerland. Since then, many countries have designed their own versions of the celebration. The day aims to raise awareness about children’s rights, their needs, and their well-being. Although celebrated on different dates around the world, the underlying message is universal: every child deserves love, care, protection, and the opportunity to grow in a safe and nurturing environment. While the day is often filled with fun and joy, its true essence lies in recognising that children are the future of the world.

    In 1954, the United Nations declared November 20 as Universal Children’s Day. This was done to promote global togetherness, increase awareness among children worldwide, and improve their overall welfare.

    In India, Children’s Day is celebrated to highlight children’s rights, education, and welfare. It is observed on 14 November each year, marking the birthday of the first prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. Nehru was known for his fondness for children. On this day, many schools across the country organise educational and motivational programmes. Some schools declare a holiday, while others host fairs and cultural events for their students.

    The first Children’s Day was observed on November 5, 1948. It was referred to as the ‘Flower Day’. On July 30, 1949, “Children’s Day” received wider attention and was promoted through radio, print media, and cinema.

     In 1951, V. M. Kulkarni, a United Nations Social Welfare Fellow, was conducting a study on the rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents in the UK. He discovered that India lacked a systematic approach to support underprivileged children. Inspired by Flag Day in England, which raised funds for the ‘Save the Children Fund’ on the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, he proposed that Pandit Nehru’s birthday be observed as Flag Day for raising funds for NGOs working for child welfare in India. Although initially embarrassed by the idea, Nehru eventually consented.

    Though Nehru’s birthday, on 14 November, was celebrated publicly for years, it was only in 1954 that the day was celebrated as Children’s Day for the first time. Thousands of school children attended the celebration held at the National Stadium in Delhi.

    In 1957, 14 November was officially declared as Children’s Day in India.     On November 14, 1957, during the celebration, white pigeons were released into the sky. In a rare and memorable moment, one pigeon returned and perched on Nehru’s head. That same year, the government issued a special notification, officially declaring 14th November as Children’s Day in India.   The Department of Posts and Telegraphs also released first-day covers and three commemorative stamps in honour of Bal Divas (Children’s Day).

    Jawaharlal Nehru was fondly called Chacha Nehru (“Uncle Nehru”) by children. As Rabindranath Tagore once said, “Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.”

Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

Author, Poet, & Columnist

*

https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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Like it and Share it

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Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life-threatening diseases, especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers, including children and adults, and have a huge variety of content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate to the cause of cancer? The bank details are given below:

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

***

John Milton and Surdas Surmounted Their Blind Vision … by Kamlesh Tripathi

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    Though, John Milton and Surdas lived in a similar world of poetry, they were separated by continents, century, race and culture. Surdas lived between 1479-1586, while Milton lived between, 1608–1674. Both are remembered today not only for the brilliance of their poetry, but also for their profound inner vision, which becomes even more brilliant by the fact that they both composed their enduring works after losing their eyesight.

    Milton was an English Puritan poet and a political thinker, whereas the Indian Surdas was a devotional Hindi saint-poet who spearheaded the Bhakti movement. They both belonged to different religions — Christianity and Hinduism, respectively but with a fire for poetry.

    Surdas was either born blind or had lost his eyesight in early childhood. Milton, on the other hand, lost his eyesight in his forties, around 1652, most likely due to glaucoma.

    Despite limitations, Surdas is widely recognised as a major figure in the Bhakti movement, primarily devoted to Lord Krishna. His emotive and spiritual dohas (verses) are said to have been passed down orally and later compiled in the Sursagar, or ‘Ocean of melodies or Ocean of tunes.’ His compositions, which were mostly in Braj Bhasha, are a dialect of Hindi spoken in the region associated with Krishna’s early life.

    By the time Milton lost his eyesight, he was already an accomplished poet and an intellectual. Milton’s blindness, instead of stalling his creativity, seemed to refine it. He composed his greatest epics–Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, and Samson Agonistes through dictation, relying on aides to transcribe his verses. Like Surdas, Milton too did not see blindness as a handicap but as a pathway leading to a higher form of spiritual attainment.

    Both poets had a religious mind. Although stylistically different, both had infused their works with philosophical and devotional seriousness. Milton, a devout Christian, wrote with the spontaneous aim of interpreting and elevating spiritual truth. In Paradise Lost, he sets out “to justify the ways of God to men.” He addresses themes such as the Fall of Man, temptation, obedience, and redemption. He wrote in Paradise Lost, “Solitude sometimes is the best society,” which reminds you of Ernest Hemingway’s words in his 1954 Nobel Acceptance Speech, “Writing, at its best, is a lonely life.” Milton’s theological affinity, shaped by the rigorous study of scripture and classical texts, transforms into a poetic splendour. Meanwhile, Surdas’s creations are acts of loving surrender. Krishna appears in multiple forms in his dohas (verses): as a mischievous child, a divine lover, and also the supreme being. Lines such as “Ka mangu kachu thira na rahai” (What should I ask for, when nothing is permanent?) captures the essence of his Bhakti without expectation.

    Milton’s epics are not just stories but musings on justice, free will, human suffering, and divine grace. His works show outstanding intellectual discipline, theological depth, and poetic mastery.  Surdas, too, uses his poetic expressions to explore the soul’s belongingness, the relevance of humility, and the spiritual path to surrender before God. Their works are more than a literary endeavour. They become a vehicle for exploring human conditions and articulating metaphysical realities.

    Another uniting theme between Milton and Surdas was their poetic sense of duty. Neither viewed poetry as mere personal or artistic expression. For both, it was a sacred responsibility, a way to convey, inspire and elevate. Milton’s epic verse seeks to engage the intellect and the soul, guiding readers towards a better understanding of divine justice and human morality. Surdas’s dohas were intended for oral performance and collective singing. It invited listeners into a shared space of devotion and spiritual intimacy. The duo’s poetry continues to be read, sung, studied, and revered, not only for its beauty but also for its power to move the soul.

    Language, for both the poets, was of the essence. Milton promoted the English language to unprecedented heights at a time when Latin was still seen as the language of serious scholarship. Milton chose English and, through his use of blank verse, gave it towering dignity. His English stood along with the classical languages of Homer and Virgil. On the other hand, Surdas did something outstandingly transformative. He wrote in Braj Bhasha, a regional and vernacular dialect. Braj Bhasha is written in the Devanagari script. By using it to express the spiritual and emotional state of his mind, he not only made religious ideas accessible to the masses but also raised Braj to the level of a respected literary language. Through them, both English and Braj Bhasha became vessels of sacred expression.

    Finally, what makes Milton and Surdas an enduring duo is not just their literary genius, but their ability to transform personal blindness into a powerful metaphor for inner vision. Where physical sight failed, spiritual insight flourished. Through their works, both poets remind us that the deepest prayers are often seen not with the eyes but with the heart. Whether through the sonorous cadences of Milton’s blank verse or the lilting melodies of Surdas’s bhajans, they teach us that poetry can be a form of prayer, and vision a matter of the soul. Surely, where there is a will there is a way.

Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

Author, Poet, & Columnist

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25/10/25 When Billionaires Speak of Antichrist … by Devdutt Pattanaik

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WHEN BILLIONAIRES SPEAK OF ANTICHRIST (Economic Times 25/10/25)
    “Peter Thiel’s argument reveals the engineering obsession of seeing everything as a problem and seeking the final solution”
DEVDUTT PATTANAIK, AUTHOR OF BUSINESS SUTRA

    Peter Thiel– venture capitalist and PayPal co-founder — recently used the Christian myth of Antichrist to describe everyone who fears and resists technological change. In other words, for him, technology is Christ, saviour, God even.
    In his recent lecture series and interviews, he develops a worldview that fuses Christian apocalyptic language with libertarian suspicion of regulation. It reveals the anxieties that plague him despite great wealth, power and success. Here is a man of science appealing to humans to ‘trust’ technology. Like the know-it-all guru.
     Christian myth never talks of nature. It considers human suffering the direct result of failure to obey God. Christ exists to save humanity. He offers the promise of paradise. He is the shepherd of lost sheep. The Antichrist is the great king who opposes him, who wants humanity to stay trapped in sin and suffering. This notion is elaborated in the Book of Revelation that speaks of the end of times as a great war– the Apocalypse. This evangelical language is very popular in America. It is how every politician speaks.
    This myth makes no sense to the Chinese or to Indians who subscribe to other kinds of myths, one where the world has no beginning or end, where nature is always greater than culture. Neither Chinese nor Indian myth speaks of saviours, Judgement Day or Apocalypse. The idea of endless progress and growth makes no sense in these ancient worldviews.
    By contrast, the West has always wanted to save the world. Hollywood movies keep repeating the trope– Superman, Batman, Harry Potter, everyone is busy saving the world from evil. It is how the West saw itself when it spread Christianity and later Industrialization. This is how colonization and slavery was justified. Globalization was also meant to save the world. As was cryptocurrency. Now AI is the new Jesus.
    Thiel’s argument reveals the engineering obsession of seeing everything as a problem and seeking the final solution. Western myth always ends with tales of great wars: Apocalypse. Hence the finality in Thiel’s declaration that the Antichrist wants to stop all science, slow or control AI, biotechnology, and other transformative tools of the 21st century. In his mind, today’s climate activists and global regulators echo the biblical warnings of false saviours who promise safety in exchange for obedience. For years, he’s warned about technological stagnation –his famous line, “We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140 characters,” became a rallying cry for those who feel innovation has been suffocated by bureaucracy. Now, he’s dressing that grievance in religious robes. The danger for him is not runaway technology, but runaway bureaucracy.
    Thiel’s political philosophy valorises individual freedom. His Christ has nothing to do with love. It has everything to do with efficiency, effectiveness and productivity. Like most materialists, he believes food takes away hunger. He does not wonder why his success has not made him content. The world is as bad, or worse, as it was before he existed. He does not see his own addiction to wealth, power, and control. He is oblivious of his own delusion. Like most technocrats, he is very smart, but not wise. Wisdom demands perspective and empathy. Thiel’s way of thinking reveals what happens when science rips out the study of culture and mocks it as stories, when success makes you think you are indispensable. These are core Buddhist and Jain ideas that are at odds with Christian myth.
Thiel’s Antichrist may seem like a mirror held up to our anxieties about the future: who will control it, and at what cost. But he is no different from the ‘woke’ who until recently accused all those restraining them as being ‘fascist’ and relished in ‘cancel culture’
Thiel’s words can be used against him. That he is the clever Antichrist who seeks to enslave humanity with his tools and technology, determining who must live, who must die, who has the IQ worthy of being insured. He forgets that technology cannot regulate emotions. Technology does not resolve human insecurity. Technology will never make the world predictable, for someone will always disrupt old technology with new technology. Every technocrat wants to play God and views his competitors and opponents, and his tax-collector, as the Antichrist.
Ultimately, Thiel’s language reminds us that despite science and technology, despite billions in the bank, no humans can ever escape the myth that shapes the way they see the world.

Posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

Author, Poet, & Columnist

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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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Like it and Share it

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Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life-threatening diseases, especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers, including children and adults, and have a huge variety of content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate to the cause of cancer? The bank details are given below:

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

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