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BOOK CORNER: THE FINAL DIAGNOSIS by Arthur Hailey

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Illness … doctor … pathologist … investigation … diagnosis … treatment. Yes, I’m talking about THE FINAL DIAGNOSIS by Arthur Hailey.

At times, even an ace pathologist might have to send his findings in the form of slides to two experts who are contemporaries in the same discipline. Where one might say the tumour is malignant and the other non-malignant or benign.

So then, what does Chief Pathologist, Dr Joseph Pearson, finally script as his … final diagnosis? The basis on which the surgeon would have to decide whether the amputation of the leg is required or not. The pathologist is often known as the doctor the patient seldom sees.

In ‘THE FINAL DIAGNOSIS’, author Arthur Hailey unveils the tension-packed drama that is being played in the mammoth complexity of a great hospital. A world where one faulty diagnosis or one irrevocable error precipitates into appalling tragedies.

In the enthralling story, there is a continuous struggle between the Chief of Surgery, Kent O’ Donnel and Dr Joe (Joseph) Pearson, Chief Pathologist, who was once an ace pathologist, but with the passage of time, he has stagnated, which he realises towards the end of his career.

The book also describes the struggle of a young pathologist, David Coleman, who happens to be Dr Joe Pearson’s deputy, in terms of restoring the standards of a hospital laboratory. Controlled by the ageing but once brilliant doctor Joseph Pearson, Hailey takes us behind the reception areas, and into those emergency rooms and the bustling world of medicine, to reveal those hidden corridors of a world that the patient never gets to see.

The centre of action is the three-counties hospital in Burlington in Pennsylvania. The novel has a plethora of characters … the prime being:

Orden Brown—Chairman of Three Counties Hospital

Eustace Swayne—Board Member and a retail magnet of a departmental store empire.

Doctor Joseph Pearson—Chief Pathologist around whom the entire novel revolves.

Doctor Kent O’ Donnel—Chief of Surgery and Head of the Medical Board.

Doctor David Coleman—Deputy to Doctor Joseph Pearson

Doctor Charles Dornberger—The baby’s doctor … Paediatrician

Doctor Lucy Grainger—Orthopaedic Surgeon

Hilda Straugham—Chief Dietitian

Vivian Lobourton—Trainee nurse

Mike Seddons—Doctor

Alexander and his wife, Elizabeth.

The language is moving and precise, with tailor-made sentences that fit the bill. There is usage of high-toned vocabulary, but it doesn’t give that shade of verbosity. The intensity and tone of the sentences change as frequently as the change of scene. The flow of the book gives you a feel as if you’re seeing and not reading—something close to a movie. Most descriptions are vivid as if you are witnessing the scene. Especially, the ones that describe the happenings in autopsy, pathology and even surgery.

The novel makes an important point for doctors through the Chief Pathologist, Dr Pearson.  One should never give up his or her pursuit as far as the latest inventions in the medical world are concerned, no matter how much pressure of work there is. For that was the sole cause of doctor Pearson’s failure. And that holds good for any career today.

  And the scenes when Vivian is diagnosed with cancer and when Alexanders lose their newborn baby because of a faulty medical blood test report in the hospital are nail-biting and highly emotive.

I would give nine out of ten to this book. So, don’t just miss it.

One last point—I was amazed at the manner in which these doctors smoked in the hospital and drank at parties. And to their patients, they must be canvassing otherwise. It is said about authors that they try and paint the real picture of the times when the novel was written. I now believe in it ever more. This novel was written way back in 1959. Pick it up even if you have to find time.

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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Mythology: When God’s Get Angry … by Kamlesh Tripathi

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Bhavan’s Journal 31.12.22

SHORT STORY
WHEN GOD’S GET ANGRY

    Once, Lord Shiva and his wife, Parvati, were engaged in a lengthy conversation on Mount Kailash. Shiva was explaining the holy Vedas to his wife. The discussion went on for several years. This fatigued Parvati to the point that one day she lost her concentration. The short-tempered Shiva became very angry, and in a fit of rage, he cursed Parvati. He shouted at her, “Parvati, you are only as intelligent as a fisherwoman. So go and take birth as a fisherwoman.” And immediately after that, Parvati disappeared.
    Shiva loved Parvati deeply and enjoyed her company immensely. After her sudden departure, he became very sad and lonely. He also felt terribly guilty because he had unnecessarily created a problem both for himself and her because of his anger. But there was nothing he could do now to bring back his beloved wife. With each passing day, his sadness only grew deeper. He sat quietly in one corner of his abode, brooding over his rashness. Meanwhile his vahana, Nandi, the bull, was deeply moved by his master’s plight. After some time, he could no longer bear to see his suffering. So he decided to do something about it to bring back Parvati by hook or by crook.
Meanwhile, Parvati had taken birth as a baby girl on earth. The chief of a fishing community saw her lying alone under a tree near his village. He did not have a child, so he decided to bring her up as his own daughter. He named her Parvati. Years went by. Parvati grew up into a beautiful young girl. She was very intelligent, loving and kind-hearted. Everybody liked her immensely in the community.
By now, Nandi had finalised his covert plan to bring back Parvati. He turned himself into a huge fish and went to live in the sea, where Parvati lived. He started troubling the fishermen of her community. He would tear their fishing nets and overturn their boat often. Soon, the fishermen were scared to go out fishing. They went to their chief and told him about their plight. The chief declared that whosoever captured the rogue fish would wed his beautiful daughter. There were several young men who wanted to marry Parvati. They tried their level best to capture the fish, but to no avail.
Finally, in desperation, the chief prayed to Lord Shiva to rescue his men from the evil fish. Parvati too prayed to Lord Shiva for help. Shiva heard her prayers. It made him joyful, having found an excuse to go to her. He decided to rush to the earth immediately to help her. He took the form of a handsome young fisherman and met the chief. He offered to catch the mighty rogue fish, which had been troubling his people. The chief received him with great warmth and told him that, as declared by him, he would offer his daughter in marriage to him if he were successful. There was nothing better that Shiva could have hoped for. Nandi was only too happy to see his Lord Shiva coming to catch him. He offered no resistance and was caught in no time. The chief’s happiness knew no bounds. As promised, he immediately organised a grand wedding in the village where Parvati and Shiva were married. Shiva immediately returned to Mount Kailash with his beloved wife Parvati. He had realised that it was not good to act in anger. Nandi too realised that even Gods were not spared from the emotion of anger.

Bhavan’s Journal Dec 31, 2022

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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Book Review: Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future … Friedrich Nietzsche

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‘Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future’ … Friedrich Nietzsche

    ‘Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future’ is considered one of Friedrich Nietzsche’s best books. One cannot make out on what criteria this assessment is based on, but it is easy to make out how it comes about. There were many themes in the life of Nietzsche. The book seems to be a comprehensive and detached account of all the themes. Nietzsche was an extremely sensitive and suspicious person. This is evident in everything that he addressed in this book, like knowledge, truth, philosophy, morality and religion. He considered it to be either the source or the result of a misguided propensity in the development of human nature. This led to disastrous, social and psychological consequences. At the same time, Nietzsche is not shy of sharing his constructive views on these subjects. Especially, how he wants us to perceive the world and how we can change ourselves to live up to his new perception.

     He discusses perspectivism as a philosophical principle. Perspectivism preaches that there are no absolute truths, only perspectives. Towards the middle of the book, Nietzsche adds several aphorisms—general truths. He ends the book with a poem, ‘From the Heights’, that hints at the artistic background of life, with the opening line, ‘Midday of Life! Oh, season of delight.

    But why is ‘Beyond Good and Evil’ a stupendous book? This is because it covers the entire range of Nietzsche’s interests, his prejudices, preferences, loathings, hopes, and deep insights into the late 19th and 20th centuries.

   Published in 1886, “Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future” is one of Friedrich Nietzsche’s ground-breaking works and a front-running text in the development of existentialism and modern critical thinking.

    The book is a critique of past philosophy and proposes a modern way of thinking. Nietzsche criticises the traditional European morality. He confronts the primordial binary of ‘good’ and ‘evil’. According to him, such concepts arise from certain weaknesses and social compliances instead of strength and vitality. He also considered the dominant moral systems, especially Christian morality, as demeaning, promoting traits such as humility, meekness and obedience at the cost of individual greatness and creativity. The work is not a systematic treatise. It is rather a collection of aphorisms, essays, and philosophical reflections, organised into nine thematic parts.

    Nietzsche accuses past philosophers of lacking critical sense and blindly accepting dogmatic premises in their consideration of morality. He specifically charges them with founding grand metaphysical systems on the belief that the good man is the opposite of the evil man, rather than merely a different expression of the same basic impulses that find more direct expression in the evil man. The nine thematic parts of the book are as follows:

1. Prejudices of Philosophers

   Nietzsche begins by criticising philosophers for their dogmatic assumptions and hidden moral agendas. He argues that what many call “truth” is often just a reflection of personal bias or cultural conditioning. He challenges the very idea of objective truth and exposes how philosophers construct their systems based on personal values, not impartial reasoning.

2. The Free Spirit

    Here, Nietzsche introduces the idea of the free spirit, ie individuals who break free from traditional beliefs and think independently. These people are sceptical, courageous, and willing to live without the comforting illusions of conventional morality or religion. The “truths” of philosophers are just their prejudices, and no philosopher has even been “proved” right. Philosophers are at their best when they question themselves and free their spirits from their prejudices.

3. The Religious Mood

Nietzsche turns to religion, particularly Christianity, which he finds rooted in “slave morality.” He contrasts it with ancient noble moralities that celebrated strength, power, and pride. Christianity, he argues, emerged from the resentment (ressentiment) of the weak, who turned their impotence into moral superiority.

4. Maxims and Interludes (Apophthegms and Interludes)

This section is a collection of aphorisms on various topics—philosophy, culture, art, morality—written in Nietzsche’s characteristic style: sharp, poetic, ironic. There are 122 short epigrams on a wide range of topics. For example, ‘He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster. And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee.’

5. The Natural History of Morals

Nietzsche explores the historical and psychological origins of moral values. He suggests that morality evolved from practical needs, psychological drives, and social hierarchies, rather than divine command or rational deliberation.

6. We Scholars

This is a critique of academia and the scientific mind. Nietzsche distinguishes between the true philosopher—creative and daring—and the mere scholar, whom he sees as a pedantic labourer serving existing power structures.

7. Our Virtues

    Nietzsche discusses contemporary notions of virtue and how they are influenced by democratic and egalitarian ideals, which he sees as weakening society. He is sceptical of the claim that all humans are inherently equal and challenges the morality of selflessness and pity.

8. Peoples and Fatherlands/Countries

This politically charged section critiques nationalism, anti-Semitism, and narrow-minded patriotism. Nietzsche advocates for a European “good Europeans” identity that transcends borders and narrow tribalism.

9. What is Noble?

Nietzsche ends with reflections on the aristocratic soul, nobility, and what constitutes true greatness. He emphasises the importance of hierarchy, self-overcoming, and the cultivation of higher types of individuals who can live beyond good and evil.

    Nietzsche’s writing style in Beyond Good and Evil is passionate, aphoristic, and often poetic. He uses irony, metaphor, and bold rhetorical flourishes.

    Beyond Good and Evil is not simply an attack on traditional morality, but a call to rise above simplistic moral dualities and embrace the complexities of life. Nietzsche challenges readers to live courageously, to question inherited truths, and to become creators of new values. It is a provocative, demanding, and enduring work of modern philosophy.

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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Publications of Kamlesh Tripathi

BOOK TITLE: GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

(The book is about a young cancer patient. Now archived in eight prestigious libraries of the US, which include Harvard College Library; Harvard University Library; Library of Congress; University of Washington, Seattle; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Yale University, New Haven; University of Chicago; University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill University Libraries. It can also be accessed at MIT through Worldcat.org. Besides, it is also available for reading in the libraries and archives of Canada; the Open Library; Cancer Aid and Research Foundation Mumbai; Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida, India; Shoolini University, Yogananda Knowledge Centre, Himachal Pradesh and Azim Premji University, Bangalore and the Library of Cancer Aid and Research Foundation, Mumbai. The title also finds a mention in a book titled ‘Enduring Cancer: Life, Death and Diagnosis in Delhi’ by Dwaipayan Banerjee, published by the Duke University Press).

BOOK TITLE: ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

(It is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi; It is also available for reading in the Indian National Bibliography, March 2016, in the literature section, in Central Reference Library, Ministry of Culture, India, Belvedere, Kolkata-700022)

BOOK TITLE: AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

(This is a fiction written around the great city of Nawabs—Lucknow. It describes Lucknow in great detail and also talks about its Hindu-Muslim amity, which is the undying characteristic of Lucknow. The book was launched at the Lucknow International Literary Festival in 2014. It is catalogued and included for reading in Askews and Holts Library Services, Lancashire, U.K; Herrick District Library, Holland; Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, USA; Black Gold Cooperative Library Administration, Arroyo Grande, California; Berkeley Library, University of California; The Peshastin Public Library and The George Public Library near Washington, a Northern Central Washington Libraries branch; the Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library in Arizona in the US and the Salina Public Library, Kansas, USA.

BOOK TITLE: REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

(Co-published by Cankids–Kidscan, a pan-India NGO and Shravan Charity Mission, which works for child cancer in India. The book is endorsed by Ms Preetha Reddy, MD, Apollo Hospitals Group. It was launched at the Lucknow International Literary Festival in 2016).

BOOK TITLE: TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

(Is a story of an Indian salesman who is humbly qualified. Yet he fights his way through unceasing uncertainties to reach the top. A good read, not only for salesmen but for any reader. The book was launched on 10th February 2018 at Gorakhpur Lit-Fest. Now available on Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

BOOK TITLE: RHYTHM … IN POEMS

(Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems are about our day-to-day life. Poems from this book have been published in Shillong Times, Bandra Times, Bhavan’s Journal and Arunachal Times and Goan net. The book is available on Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha).

BOOK TITLE: MIRAGE

(Published in February 2020. The book is a collection of eight short stories available on Amazon, Flipkart and Notion Press)

BOOK TITLE: AWADH ASSAM AND DALAI LAMA … The Kalachakra

(It is the story of the man who received His Holiness The Dalai Lama and his retinue in 1959 as a GOI representative when he fled Tibet in 1959. The book was launched on 21st November 2022 by His Holiness The Dalai Lama at Dharmshala. The title is archived in the library of the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR), Government of Tibet, Tibet Policy Institute (TPI) and the personal library of His Holiness The Dalai Lama. The title is also archived in The Ohio Digital Library, USA. It was recently included in the digital library of the world-renowned company APPLE. Included in the library of Friends of Tibet and Maharashtra Mitra Mandal Library in Bandra, Mumbai.

BOOK TITLE: RHYTHM IN POEMS

The book was relaunched with additional poems at the Lucknow Book Fair on 7th March.2025

(POEMS, SHORT STORIES AND ARTICLES OF KAMLESH TRIPATHI PUBLISHED IN NEWSPAPERS, JOURNALS AND MAGAZINES)

THE TIMES OF INDIA

Speaking Tree: 1. Basant Celebrates Ma Saraswati, Shiv, And Spring 1.2.25; 2. Mahashivratri: A Night of Divine Illumination, 26.2.25; 3. Kabir Spun Indic Syncretism Through His Dohas, 12.6.25;

    BHAVANS JOURNAL

    Short stories, Book reviews and Articles published in Bhavan’s Journal: 1. Reality and Perception, 15.10.19; 2. Sending the Wrong Message, 31.5.20; 3. Eagle versus Scholars, June 15 & 20, 2020; 4. Indica, 15.8.20; 5. The Story of King Chitraketu, August 31 2020; 6. Breaking Through the Chakravyuh, September 30 2020. 7. The Questioning Spouse, October 31, 2020; 8. Happy Days, November 15, 2020; 9. The Karma Cycle of Paddy and Wheat, December 15, 2020; 10. Power Vs Influence, January 31, 2021; 11. Three Refugees, March 15, 2021; 12. Rise and Fall of Ajatashatru, March 31, 2021; 13. Reformed Ruler, May 15, 2021; 14. A Lasting Name, May 31, 2021; 15. Are Animals Better Teachers? June 16, 2021; 16. Book Review: The Gram Swaraj, 1.7.21; 17. Right Age for Achievements, 15.7.21; 18. Big Things Have Small Beginnings, 15.8.21; 19. Where is Gangaridai?, 15.9.21; 20. Confront the Donkey Within You 30.9.21; 21. Know Your Strengths 15.10.21; 22. Poverty 15.11.21; 23. Top View 30.11.21; 24. The Bansuriwala 15.1.22; 25. Sale of Alaska 15.2.22; 26. The Dimasa Kingdom 28.2.22;27. Buried Treasure 15.4.22; 28. The Kingdom of Pragjyotisha 30.4.22; 29. Who is more useful? 15.5.22; 30. The White Swan from Lake Mansarovar 30.6.22; 31. Bhool Bhulayya 15.9.22; 32. Good Karma 30.9.22; 33. Good Name vs Bad Name 15.10.22; 34. Uttarapath—The Grand Trunk Road 1.12.22; 35. When Gods Get Angry 1.1.23; 36. Holinshed’s Chronicles 15.1.23; 37. Theogony 15.2.23; 38. Poem: Mother 14.5.23; 39. The Nag Mandir 30.6.23; 40. The Story of Garuda 30.7.23; 41. Janmabhoomi vs Karmabhoomi 31.8.23; 42. The Ghost Town of Kuldhara 15.9.23; 43. The Tale of Genji 15.10.23; 44. The Soul Connection 1.12.23; 45.Book review: Jungle Nama … a story of the Sundarban 16.3.24; 46. Book review: A Forgotten Chapter 16.5.24; 47. Exploring Ancient Egypt, 1.8.24; 48. The Story of Dhruva, 16.8.24; 49. Two Hundred Years of Tea in Assam 16.9.24; 50. The Cosmic Messenger 16.10.24; 51. Biblioburro: The Four-Legged Library 16.11.24; 52. The Cologne Cathedral 1.1.25; 53. Gandhi to Mahatma 16.1.25; 54. Huxley’s Take on Translated Works 16.3.25; 55. Ernest Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory 1.7.25;

    THE SHILLONG TIMES

    Articles & Poems: 1. Poem: Happy New Year 8.1.23; 2.Poem: Spring 12.3.23; 3.Poem: Right and Wrong 20.3.23; 4. The Gush of Emotion—Writing, 26.3.23; 5. The Nag Mandir, 7.5.23; 6. Poem: Mother 7.5.23; 7. Poem: Rain Rain 9.7.23; 8. Poem: You Come Alone You Go Alone 6.8.23; 9. Poem: Rain Rain (Second Time) 10.8.23; 10. Poem: Guru Teacher 1.10.23; 11. Poem: Autumn … The Interim Heaven 15.10.23; 12. Poem: Happy Diwali 12.11.23; 13. Overcoming Blindness: Learn it the John Milton Way 10.12.23; 14. The Happy Prince and The Happy Man’s Shirt 31.12.23; 15. Annus Mirabilis -2024 7.1.24; 16. Gandhi to Mahatma Gandhi- Incidents that Shaped Gandhi in South Africa 28.1.24; 17. Poem: Together But Not Made For Each Other, 11.2.24; 18. The Birds Bees and The Spiders of Nicholas Guildford and Jonathan Swift 25.2.24; 19. The Overcoats of Nikolai Gogol and Ruskin Bond 10.3.24; 20. The Ethnic Colours of Holi 24.3.24; 21. A Lesson from Dalai Lama, 21.4.24; 22. Poem: Morning Walk 28.4.24; 23. Trip to Rhine Falls, Switzerland, 19.5.24; 24. Poem: Hurt 2.6.24; 25. Poem: Your Conscience Was My Sign On 16.6.24; 26.Poem: The Eerie Ways of Time 7.7.24; 27.Poem: Celebrating the T20 World Champions 14.7.24;28. Read to Rise above mediocrity, 4.8.24; 29. Poem: Desire vs Reality 11.8.24; 30. Jack Ma’s Pristine Advice to Employers, Employees and the Youth 22.9.24; 31. Tagore and Kipling 3.11.24; 32. Poem: Merry Christmas 22.12.24; 33. Poem: The Sunset Point, 5.1.25; 34. Cancer Warning Labels on Alcoholic Beverages, 12.1.25; 35. Poem: Hope … In the Arc of Twilight, 19.1.25; 36. Basant Panchami celebrates the Arrival of Spring 2.2.25; 37. Poem: The Falling World Order, 9.2.25; 38. A Peep into Native American Literature, 23.2.25; 39. Poem: Good day, Bad day 9.3.25; 40. Reincarnation of Dalai Lama in a free World, 6.4.25; 41. Ambedkar: Fighting the Caste Monster, 13.4.25; 42. Switzerland: The Scenic Mount Titlis & Lucerne 18.5.25; 43. Poem: A Ray of Hope 8.6.25; 44. Poem: Monsoon Melodies 27.7.25;

    THE ASSAM TRIBUNE

    Article: 1. The Magic of Reading 11.12.23; 2. Gandhi to Mahatma 29.1.24; 3. Geography of Solitude 8.4.24; 4. A Lesson From Dalai Lama, 22.4.24; 5. A Source of Inspiration, 29.4.24; 6. The Four-Legged Library, 12.5.24; 7. Age and Achievement, 10.6.24; 8. Read … To Rise Above Mediocrity, 1.7.24; 9. Crusade for a College, 25.8.24; 10. Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory (Panorama) 27.9.24; 11. Short story: Love in the Air, 20.10.24; 12. Short story: The Prick of Conscience, 5.1.25; 13. Lost in translation, 6.1.25; 14. Travellers’ tales 20.1.2025; 15. Audit your days 17.2.25;

    THE ARUNACHAL TIMES

    Poem: 1. Hope—In The Arc of Twilight, 13.8.23; 2.Poem: Spring 3.3.24; 3.Poem: The Morning Walk 10.3.24;

    BANDRA TIMES, MUMBAI

    Articles & Poems: 1. Poem: SPRING, 1.4.23; 2. Poem: Mother, 1.6.23; 3. Poem: Rain Rain, 1.8.23; 4. A Lesson From Dalai Lama, 1.6.24; 5. Read to rise above Mediocrity 1.8.24; 6. Poem: Merry Christmas 1.12.24; 7. Poem: Happy New Year 1.12.24; 8. The Enduring Colours of Holi 1.2.25; 9. Poem: Global Warming, 1.4.25; 10. Pahalgam Carnage 1.6.25; 11. Life Lessons 1.6.25; 12. Poem: Arrogance 1.8.25

    THE GOAN NET

    Poem: 1. Autumn – The Interim Heaven, 6.10.24; 2. Reader’s Rewind 17.11.84; 3. Reader’s Rewind: The Irony of Tash Moustache or Mooch 5.12.24; 4. The Sunset Point 22.12.24; 5. Reader’s Rewind: The Joy of a Morning Walk, 3.1.25; 6. Harmony in creation 26.1.25; 7. Poem: What is truly Good for me? 2.1.25; 8. Poem: We both were left behind, 9.2.25; 9. India Afloat like Ship of Theseus, 23.2.25; 10. Maha Shivratri: A night of divine illumination, spiritual awakening, 26.2.25; 11. Poem: Good Day Bad Day, 2.3.25; 12. After Birth, Death is the First Spiritual Tip, 30.3.25;

    CITY ESSENCE MAGAZINE

    Article: Three Love Stories: A Comparison, July 7. 2025;

      SRIJON MAGAZINE

      Articles & Poems: Poem: 1. Global Warming 1.5.25; 2. India Afloat Like The Ship of Theseus 1.5.25; 3. Reincarnation of the Dalai Lama In A Free World.

      ARTICLES IN THE DIGITAL MAGAZINE ESAMSKRITI

      Aritcles: 1. 29.12.2020: Indica by Megasthenes; 2. 14.3.22: About The Dimasa Kingdom Assam; 3. 10.12.22: Grand Trunk Road–Uttarapath; 4. 5.10.23: The Ghost Town of Kuldhara Near Jaisalmer;

      (ALL THE ABOVE BOOK TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE ON AMAZON, FLIPKART AND OTHER ONLINE STORES, OR YOU COULD EVEN WRITE TO US FOR A COPY)

      *****

      AGE AND ACHIEVEMENTS: 5 LIT LUMINARIES

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      AGE AND ACHIEVEMENTS: 5 LIT LUMINARIES

          What is the right age to achieve something in life? Is 40 years, too little time, or adequate time to achieve something in life? Let us consider the lives of five luminaries of the 19th century who were more or less contemporaries and who became world-renowned figures in their short lifespans. Let’s start with Swami Vivekananda, an Indian Hindu monk, a spiritual guru and a literary luminary, lifespan 12 January 1863- 4 July 1902, a total of 39 years. Then you have the American writer Edgar Allan Poe, who was born on 19 January 1809 and died on 7 October 1849, a life span of 40 years, followed by the French writer Guy De Maupassant, born on 5 August 1850 and passed away on 6 July 1893, a life span of 42 years. On the rostrum, there is also Nikolai Gogol, a Russian writer of Ukrainian origin. He was born on 20 March 1809 and he died on 21 February 1852, a life span of 42 years. And last but not least, we have Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, a Russian playwright and short-story writer born on 29 January 1860, and he died on 15 July 1904, at the age of 44. They all left behind a phenomenal legacy of success and heaps of lessons for future generations within the ebbs and flows of their limited lifespan.

          The mean life expectancy in the 19th century was 40-45 years. Global life expectancy today is around 72 years. There are two offshoots to this. One, the subject authors lived for around ninety to a hundred per cent of the average life expectancy of those times. Two, they only lived for a minus-plus of some forty years – a period, perhaps, too short for any milestone achievement, barring sports and maybe some other careers. When we compare 40 years with today’s life expectancy, it is only 55%. So then, does life expectancy have anything to do with your major achievements? The case study of the quintet doesn’t say so. There are authors, poets, and literary figures from other countries too, who gained fame but died very young, prominent among them is John Keats, to cite an example, who died at the age of 25. So, isn’t it ironic that some in a short lifespan of 25-40 years made gigantic strides, while others couldn’t manage to do that even in a century?

          In the 19th century, when these five were alive, they witnessed watershed changes in their countries. Some major events were as follows: India had the First War of Independence in 1857. The British East India Company was replaced by the British Crown in 1858. Russia had the Crimean War between 1853 and 1856; the Caucasian War, between 1817 and 1864; and the capture of Tashkent by the Russian Army in 1865. In addition, Alaska was sold to the US in 1867; the Russian-Turkish War happened in 1877, and the Russian famine in 1891. Alexander III, the emperor of Russia, passed away in 1894, and the first congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) was held in 1898 in Minsk, now in Belarus. In America and Europe, slavery was abolished through an act; the First and Second Industrial Revolutions, which overlapped with the 18th and 20th centuries, respectively, led to massive urbanisation. Construction of the Suez Canal commenced in 1859, linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean through the Red Sea, providing a more direct shipping route between Europe and Asia. The Islamic gunpowder empires (Ottoman Empire, Safavid and the Mughal) were formerly dissolved, and European imperialism brought much of South Asia, Southeast Asia and almost all of Africa under colonial rule. It was also marked by the collapse of the Spanish, Zulu Kingdom, First French Empire, Holy Roman and the Mughal Empire.

          Even with all the hullabaloo in their country and continent, there was calm and composure in these five lit luminaries. They had a single focus, just like Arjuna’s concentration – the eye of the fish, and that was to keep writing till their last breath. Though born in a Bengali Kayastha family in Calcutta, Swami Vivekananda was inclined towards spirituality. He was influenced by his guru, Ramakrishna, from whom he learnt that all living beings were an embodiment of the divine self. Therefore, service to God could only be rendered by service to mankind. Anton Chekhov, even when he fell sick in 1885, kept writing till he died of tuberculosis in 1904. Some of them even had financial problems, leading to trying times to obtain education, and some even had to support their education by writing scripts for magazines and even by selling fish. Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, the second child of actors David and Elizabeth Poe. His father abandoned the family in 1810, and his mother died the following year. He became an orphan, yet he fought back to become one of the most formidable writers of short stories. When Maupassant was 11, his mother, an independent-minded woman, divorced her husband. Afterwards, Maupassant lived with his mother, who was the single biggest influence on him, but that entailed hardships. Gogol lost his father at the age of fifteen, yet he aspired to become a writer.

          The short lifespan of these great writers only teaches us that achievements are not a function of your age.

      Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

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      BOOK REVIEW: THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH

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      COVER PAGE

          The review refers to the Penguin Classics edition titled ‘The Epic of Gilgamesh’. The title is compact, about 125 pages, but accurately informative. The Epic poem is broadly narrated in prose. This English version with a lucid and accessible translation, and an introduction by N.K. Sandars is quite suitable for comprehending the gist of the work. The edition also offers practical tools like a glossary of names and a map of the ancient Orient. ‘The work of synthesis has been accomplished with a remarkable degree of tact and imagination,’ writes The Times Literary Supplement, a literary review platform.       The spine of the book is divided into two broad parts: One is the ‘Long Introduction’ of 59 pages, followed by the text of ‘The Epic of Gilgamesh’.

          The ‘Long Introduction’ is divided into multiple parts. It begins with the primitive history of the Epic and the discovery of the tablets on which the Epic is written. The tablets pertain to the heroic age of excavation in the mid-nineteenth century. In 1839, a young Englishman, Austin Henry Layard, set off with a friend on an overland journey to Ceylon, but in Mesopotamia, he was delayed by a reconnaissance of Assyrian mounds. The delay of weeks was stretched to years, but it was at a time when Nineveh and Nimrud (cities in Iraq) were excavated. It was from these excavations that Layard brought back to the British Museum a great part of the collection of Assyrian sculptures, along with thousands of broken tablets from the palace of Nineveh. When Layard began excavating at Nineveh, he hoped to find inscriptions, but in reality, what he found was a buried library and a lost literature.

          The book gives a historical and literary perspective of the Epic. It recounts the protagonists of the Epic. It describes the principal Gods of the Epic in bits and tells the story.

          The second part of the book opens with the introduction of Gilgamesh in Uruk. It is followed by the entry of Enkidu, their journey to the forest, followed by the appearance of brash and proud Ishtar (the goddess of fertility, love, sex, and beauty). Ishtar is enraged when Gilgamesh rejects her marriage proposal. This is followed by the death of Enkidu. Thereafter, Gilgamesh goes in search of everlasting life. He learns about the profound truth from Utnapishtim, who isthe king of Shuruppak, an ancient city in Mesopotamia. He learns from him  that “Life, which you look for, you will never find. For when the gods created man, they let death be his share, and life withheld in their own hands.” The message is clear: immortality is beyond human reach. The narration then goes on to tell the story of the flood myth. ‘For six days and six nights the winds blew, torrent and tempest and flood overwhelmed the world, tempest and flood raged together like warring hosts. When the seventh day dawned, the storm from the south subsided, the sea grew calm, the flood was stilled; I looked at the face of the world and there was silence, all mankind was turned to clay.’ The message was: Death is inevitable. The narration further describes the return of Gilgamesh, and equally moving are the verses that conclude the epic, climaxing with Gilgamesh’s death.

          “The king has laid himself down and will not rise again,

          The Lord of Kullab will not rise again,

          He overcame evil; he will not come again,

          Though he was strong of arm, he will not rise again”.

          These lines express the splendour of the work. It leaves the reader with a sense of decisiveness and reflects on the frailty of life. Though translated into prose, the text retains a sense of grandeur and weight. The language, while sometimes lacking the fluidity of modern English, conveys the heft and rhythm of an ancient oral tradition. Certain passages are especially striking, such as the description of the flood.

          The Epic of Gilgamesh remains not only a foundational work of Mesopotamian literature. It is also one of humanity’s earliest explorations of universal themes, such as friendship, the inevitability of death, and the search for meaning in the face of mortality. This Penguin Classics edition, with Sandars’ insightful introduction and careful translation, makes the epic accessible to modern readers without losing its ancient depth.

      Written & posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

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      INTO THE SUNSET YEARS by Kamlesh Tripathi

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          As we continue to grow old, our perspectives and lifestyles keep changing. Life is never static, they say. The only permanence is impermanence. The way we see the world at 20 is vastly different from how we perceive it at 40, 60, or even 80. Though it’s often said that age is just a number. The number subtly but significantly influences how we view the remaining time on Mother Earth, and how we choose to live in it. If we consider the average human lifespan as 100 years, the first 50 mainly involve learning, growth, and striving, while the second half leans towards reflection, realignment, and seeking deeper spiritual meaning.

          From the moment we are born, we can imagine a hundred years ahead, when the world seems filled with immense opportunities. The future expands like Parkinson’s law, filling the available hundred years. It appears to be brimming with opportunities, ambitions, and several ladders to climb. There’s a blend of excitement and apprehension. But success isn’t guaranteed. The path ahead is tough and winding. At this stage, the focus is on acquiring knowledge, developing skills, and laying down the foundation for a meaningful career and life. We put effort into education, training, and competition. The aim is to secure positions in top institutions or prestigious jobs that offer stability and high rewards. Once these goals are attained, our focus naturally shifts. The initial craving for academic success gives way to pursuits of professional, social, and financial achievement. These are early energetic years of ambition and diligent effort, reaching their peak in climbing the corporate and social ladders. These initial years are about proving oneself and establishing identity and worth in a demanding world. Although moments of introspection occur, the main focus remains on external achievements, recognition, financial security, and maintaining one’s social standing. The mind stays alert, the spirit driven. The challenges are seen as obstacles to overcome rather than signs to slow down.

          However, as time advances and we approach retirement, something shifts. We start to realise that our time on Earth is limited. There is a gentle yet persistent awareness that our stay here is temporary, and life is, in fact, a journey. At the peak of our professional success, many of us begin to experience a spiritual void, long concealed by material pursuits and external ambitions. This often marks the beginning of the search for inner peace, mostly after you retire. Thoughts about the next phase, the second innings, begin to surface. Questions once ignored now become central. What is the purpose of all this? What lies beyond this life? How should one prepare for the journey hereafter? The ancient Hindu tradition comprehensively captures life through its four ashrams. It provides a roadmap of life’s journey in the stages of Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha, and Sannyasa.

          As we approach life’s sunset, Shloka 2.22 in the Gita starts reminding us that the body is temporary, but the soul is eternal. The decay of the physical body is not an end, but a transition, much like changing clothes. The Shloka softens the fear of death by framing it as a natural and graceful process of renewal. It emphasises detachment, acceptance, and the continuity of the soul’s journey:

      ‘Vāsānsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya
      navāni gṛhṇāti naro’parāṇi,
      tathā śarīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇāni
      anyāni saṁyāti navāni dehī.’        (Just as a person gives up old garments and puts on new ones,
      so does the embodied soul discards worn-out bodies and takes on new ones).

          Although conceived in an era bereft of mechanical clocks and the Gregorian calendar, they continue to offer timeless wisdom. Today, with our lives measured meticulously in minutes and milestones, we are more aware than ever of time’s passage. This awareness also serves as a reminder to pause, reflect, and live consciously. Ultimately, age isn’t merely about growing old. It is about growing wiser. It teaches us that ambition must be balanced with awareness. Success must eventually give way to surrender, and while youth is about becoming, age is about understanding. Life, after all, is not a race but a journey, a fleeting passage through time. May every sunrise hold more promise and every sunset hold more peace. Don’t simply retire from something; have something to retire to.

      Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

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      POETRY & POLITICS, IN LOVE & WAR – FAIZ

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          FAIZ’S WORK ENDURES BECAUSE ITS CORE IS HUMANISM

          A heartbroken teenager, a lecturer in English who was drawn to Marxism, a pioneer of the subcontinent’s political poetry, a supporter of Iran’s Islamic Revolution but not an Islamist, and finally self-exiled in Beirut after General Zia executed Bhutto – Faiz always said it was the early years that shaped the poet in him.

          Aur bhi dukh hain zamane mein mohabbat ke siva, rahaten aur bhi hain vasi ki rahat ke siva, mujh se pahli si mohabbat mere mehboob na maang (The world has other problems… other comforts than a lover’s embrace. So, my love, don’t ask I love you like I once did). That’s Faiz marrying romance and politics.

          In 1932, Angarey (Fire), an anthology of mostly feminist short stories, was banned but inspired the Progressive Writers Association, of which Faiz was an integral part. He left the army in 1947 to edit the left-leaning The Pakistan Times, disillusioned by Partition’s communal violence — Ye daagh daagh ujala ye shab-gazida sahar, vo intezaar tha jis ka ye vo sahar to nahin (This light stained by darkness is like dawn tainted by dusk. This isn’t the dawn we awaited).

          Arrested in 1951for the conspiracy to overthrow Pakistan’s Liaquat Ali govt, he published two books from jail. Dast-e Saba and Zindan Nama. He never gave up on hope: Qafas udaas hai yaaro saba se kuchh to kaho. Kahin to bahr-e-khuda aaj zikr-e-yaar chale (The cage is sad and silent. Say something to the breeze. For god’s sake, let’s talk about my beloved).

         On release four years on, he found Pakistan had distanced itself from the Soviets, his inspiration, and aligned with America, which he despised. In 1974, Bangladesh, at Mujibur Rahman’s request, he composed, Ham ki thahre ajnabi itni mudaraton ke baad. Phir banege ashna kitni mulaqaton ke baad (Despite the hospitality, we remain strangers, and who knows how many meetings it will take to become friends again).

          Once Zia arrested Bhutto, Faiz self-exiled to Beirut as editor of Lotus- a magazine to promote non-Euro-centric Asian and African writing. But Faiz felt uprooted, longing for his people: Mere dil, mere musafir, hua phir se hukum sadir, ki vatan-badar hon hum tum (My heart, my traveller, the order is issued again, we are exiled again).

          His most popular work, Hum Dekhenge, is a poem of dissent. Some find it anti-Hinduism — it’s just as anti-Islam. Inspired by Iran’s Islamic revolution, sourced from the Quran’s Surah al-Waqi’ah – the inevitability of Qayamat (doomsday)- experts are still divided over Hum Dekhenge’s message. A literal translation of key lines: ‘Idols would be removed from Kaaba to establish Allah’s rule.’ But these could also mean: Every idol – false gods and tyrants – will be removed from the house of God that is earth.’ Faiz was no Islamist but simply charmed by the people’s fight to depose the Shah.

          The poem’s climax, Utthega anal haq ka nara, jo mai bhi hu or tum bhi ho. Bus raj karegi khalke khuda jo mai bhi hu or tum bhi ho. Anal haq means ‘I am the truth.’ In Semitic religions, Islam, Judaism and Christianity, there’s strict duality between God and his creation. In contrast, the Sufi anal haq resonates with the Advait concept of aham brahmasmi or ‘I am one with God.’ The poem’s message then is that humans are the ultimate truth — divinity is within humanity, hence the divine right to self-rule.

      (TIMES OF INDIA 5.7.25)

      Posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

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      Banu Mushtaq’s (International Booker Prize Winner-2025) interview

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      (TIMES OF INDIA ARTICLE DATED 2/3/25: NEED FOR MORE TRANSLATIONS TO TAKE OUR LITERARY TREASURES TO THE GLOBAL STAGE)

      Banu Mushtaq’s Translated Short stories have just made it to the Booker longlist, but the 77-year-old is more than a writer — she is also an advocate and a feisty feminist who has spotlighted the cause of Muslim women through her literary and legal work. Shrinivasa M spoke to the Kannada author, whose stories have been adapted into an award-winning film as well as being featured in literary magazines like The Paris Review and The Baffler
          Q. What was your reaction to ‘Heart Lamp’ making it to the International Booker longlist? You’ve received many national awards before, but was this a surprise?
          A. For a moment, I couldn’t even grasp what our literary agent was saying. Then, as congratulatory messages poured in, the atmosphere turned festive. At first, I saw it as a personal achievement, but watching my colleagues celebrate made me realise it was a collective success. More than anything, it’s a recognition of the Kannada language, Karnataka’s rich literary heritage, and the people of India on the global stage.
          Q. Kannada literature remains under-represented internationally. What can be done to change this?
          A. Interestingly, this is the first time both Romanian and Kannada languages have been included in the Booker longlist. Though Kannada has produced diverse literary genres, its international exposure remains limited, unlike Malayalam Literature, where translations into English happen promptly. Despite the vast volume of Kannada literature published daily, less than 1% is translated. Many masterpieces remain inaccessible to international readers, and this recognition highlights the need to bridge the gap.
          Q. Your stories often challenge caste, class, and gender hierarchies. What inspired the narratives in this anthology?
          A. ‘Heart Lamp’ is the English translation of my anthology ‘Edeya Hanate.’ My inspiration comes from daily life–observing society, people, and the compelling human stories I come across in newspapers and in my practice. As an advocate who offers free mediation services, I often witness clients, especially women, sharing not just legal concerns but also their emotional struggles. During these sessions, I maintain two sets of notes–one for legal aspects and another on their personal journeys. These emotional narratives form the foundation of my creative work. Short stories come naturally to me as I feel I can effortlessly transform daily interactions into compelling narratives.
          Q. How did you choose which stories to include in this collection for international readers?
          A. The selection was a collaborative effort between my translator Deepa Bhasthi and me. She read my five anthologies, and we discussed which stories to include. Some moved and disturbed her deeply, and I honoured her choices because if a story impacts her, it will resonate globally. The injustices of male dominance and societal hierarchies exist everywhere, and women across cultures will find themselves in these stories.
      Q. You were a key part of the 1970s Bandaya Sahitya movement. How did it shape your writing, and what is the relevance of the resistance movement today?
      A. The Bandaya movement inspired multiple social movements, including the rights of women and Dalits. Working in Hassan, a hub of activism, I witnessed protests daily, and my work documents personal experiences of humiliation, struggle, and resistance, allowing me to reflect and find solace through storytelling. Bandaya is a mindset — It’s about resistance against societal injustice, and it remains a way of life for me. While society is not always unjust, certain periods impose rigid norms, demanding blind adherence. At such times, we must challenge these restrictions. I continue to question societal, political, and religious structures, particularly male dominance.
      Q. You have strongly supported the cause of Muslim women, even braving a social boycott in 2000. Do you feel issues like the hijab have become politicised, and become, a tool to target Muslims?
      A. No. In fact, a segment of Muslims has begun adopting political Islam, and we should be wary of this trend. The hijab controversy in Udupi’s schools and pre-university colleges emerged due to the political agenda of outfits like the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). This led to a series of actions and reactions. It is crucial to understand the sudden emphasis on the Constitution by certain groups who previously showed little interest in the matter.
      Q. What is the role of literature in social change?
      A. Literature has the power to influence decisions and perspectives. Recently, a Muslim woman from the coastal region sought legal advice from me. She told me that watching ‘Hasina’ –a Kannada film made by Girish Kasaravalli which is based on my story of a woman deserted by her husband after he finds her pregnant with a fourth daughter –helped her find answers to her struggles. That moment reaffirmed my belief that literature can shape lives, encourage resistance, and offer solutions.
      Q. Were there any challenges in translating ‘Heart Lamp’?
      A. Yes, especially due to the regional and linguistic nuances. I use Hassan dialect, colloquial Kannada, and many Urdu and Arabic words, which are difficult to translate. Deepa consulted publishers and ultimately retained many native terms. She met me multiple times for clarifications. She put in immense effort.
      Q. With ‘Heart Lamp’ gaining global recognition will you write more for an international audience?
      A. I have always written for myself and Kannada readers, without considering a global audience. My commitment remains to human experiences. My style and expression may evolve, but my core themes will not change.

      Posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

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      Literature: Rejected Then Revered–The Literary Life and Afterlife of American Author Herman Melville

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          Any struggling author might find consolation in knowing that Herman Melville (1819-1891) didn’t have it so easy, either. His story of literary success and failure is as relevant now as it was in his time. An author makes a splash on the literary scene, and the public demands more of the same, only to find that the author has moved on. His growth as a writer no longer allows him to produce the same type of work that the public wants, and his stardom begins to fade. This is how we understand Melville today as a misunderstood genius. His stardom extended beyond the circumference of his readers’ taste.

          Travel narratives were once the most popular genre in the nineteenth century. Americans were fascinated by foreign cultures, specifically, as a means to understand their place in the global world. Today, we recognise Melville for his whale of a masterpiece, Moby-Dick. But it was his first two works, Typee and Omoo, that made him most famous. Typee was an autobiographical travel narrative based on his real-life experience of being held captive by cannibals after he deserted the whaling ship Acushnet in 1841. The cannibals on the Marquesas Islands were fortunately friendly and fun-loving, and Melville was able to leave and find his way back home. People were captivated by the exotic story, and the title Typee made Melville an immediate sensation. He followed it up with “Omoo,” another adventure story set in the Polynesian islands, and it appeared as though Melville had a long way to literary fame ahead of him.

              With new fame, a new wife, and a blossoming friendship with fellow writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, Melville began working on another novel. In 1849, he published Mardi, a novel that marked a shift in style and substance. Like Hawthorne, Melville also became interested in writing romance, in which he was free to create a work based on symbolic representations of ideas rather than specific facts from his real life.

          Mardi was a forerunner to Moby-Dick. The book was panned by readers and rejected by the public, who just wanted to hear exciting sea-faring adventures.

          Melville’s masterpiece, Moby-Dick, in many ways was a patchwork. It was a mix of styles, narrative, points of view, and literary forms. It contained dictionary entries, word etymologies, whaling manual entries, elaborate, contorted sentence structures, and biblical allusions. It was part comedy, part tragedy, and part epic. For all its complexity, the book was a masterful mix of all these features and was regarded as a work of genius.

          Moby-Dick starts with that iconic line in literature: “Call me Ishmael.”  Ishmael, the narrator of the book, decides he has had enough of land and joins the crew of a whaling ship, named Pequod. As he waits to set sail, he finds himself sharing a room at an inn with another crew member, Queequeg, a cannibal and harpooner from the South Seas, and they quickly form an unlikely friendship. They don’t meet their mysterious captain, Ahab, until after the ship sets sail. Ahab announces to the crew that this will not be a run-of-the-mill whaling trip. They are on a mission to find a formidable white whale named Moby Dick, which once claimed Ahab’s leg in a violent attack and destroyed his ship. The crew is now part of Ahab’s monomaniacal quest to avenge his attack. They encounter Moby Dick three times, until the great White Whale finally crushes the ship, taking Ahab down with it into the vortex of the sea after the rope of Ahab’s harpoon catches his own neck. Ishmael is the only crew member who survives to tell the tale, floating atop Queequeg’s coffin.

          At its core, Moby-Dick is an allegorical quest narrative, but the complexity of the book lends itself to multiple interpretations. Some readers view it as a cautionary tale about the hubris of humanity in attempting to control nature, while others see Ahab’s mission to kill Moby Dick as a fight against evil. Others interpret it as Ahab’s obsession as a battle against evil, or even as a search for God or divine truth. For both Ahab and Ishmael, the whale is the centre of the book, a mysterious, gigantic creature that symbolises the ineffability of nature. Both try to come to terms with the whale – Ahab with his harpoon and Ishmael with his exhaustive lists of whale anatomy, dictionary of whaling terms, and passages clipped from whaling manuals.

          The name “Ishmael” itself is symbolic. In the Bible, Ishmael is the outcast son of Abraham, suggesting that Melville’s narrator is a kind of societal outsider, observing life from the margins.

             Moby-Dick barely made a ripple when it was published. It took more than seventy years for it to come into its own, finally recognised as the literary masterpiece it is. Hawthorne, to whom the book was dedicated, was one of the few people who praised the book.

          After the early success of Typee and Omoo, Melville never again found popular acclaim. The rest of his life was spent writing in obscurity, disillusioned by the need to cater to the public’s tastes in order to survive. Many of his works after Moby-Dick, such as the short story “Bartleby, the Scrivener,” a parable about the incompatibility of commerce and the human spirit, and The Confidence-Man, a book satirising the level of faith people like Emerson put in the goodness of human nature, are testaments to his bitterness. Melville died relatively unknown but has now become recognised as the author of (in some minds) “the great American novel.”

          The next time you go to pick up that cup of Starbucks, remember this fun fact: Starbucks is named after Starbuck, the first mate of the illustrious Pequod.

      Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

      Author, Poet, & Columnist

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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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      Panchatantra: The Curious Monkey

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      “Wow! What’s that?” The curious monkey asked his friends–fellow monkeys. The friends, looking in the direction he was pointing, saw what had attracted his attention. It was a log of wood.
      “What’s so interesting about a log of wood?” His friends asked.
      Instead of answering the friends, the curious monkey ran to the log and jumped on it. Looking at the wedge in the middle of the log, the monkey reached out to touch it.
      A little further down, a group of woodcutters were laughing and enjoying their meal, unaware of the prank the curious monkey was about to play. They had been cutting this log of wood all morning and had managed to cut a part of it, but they had to take a break for lunch. Not wanting the log to close up again, they had placed a wedge in the slit to keep it open.
      This wedge was what the curious monkey began to tug at, while the other monkeys stepped aside. Suddenly, the wedge snapped and the log of wood shut, trapping the curious monkey’s leg.
      While all his friends ran away in fear, the sad little monkey sat there in pain, waiting for the woodcutters to return from their break.
      Lesson: Unnecessary interference in others’ matters may interfere with the matters of your life.

      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

      ***