Short Takes
Violence, meditation and spiritualism
Randeep Wadehra

The Man with Enormous Wings 
by Esther David
Penguin.
Pages viii+122. Rs 199.

ThERE is something enduring about the impact of violence. Not in physical terms – wounds and scars heal with time and the dead disposed off as per the prevailing custom – but, in a psychological sense. The memories remain, profoundly affecting our worldview and guiding our actions and reactions thenceforth. The 2002 Gujarat violence, too, has affected the national psyche in a manner that’s yet to be comprehended let alone properly evaluated. But it has scarred psyches permanently, triggering off a yearning for a messiah of peace to provide us with sublime succour. This book is a result of such yearning. Esther David’s narratives have a common theme, viz., the Gujarat violence triggered off by the burning of train in Godhra. Its protagonist is Mahatma Gandhi as an angel, who desperately tries to take the violence-stricken souls under his enormous wings, but is helpless really. He weeps and empathises with the victims; he tries to save some and, in the process, gets hurt.

Although the author claims that it is a novel it is, in fact, a collection of vignettes strung together with a common theme. You will recognise several characters in this volume. There is Kausar, who was gang-raped and whose entire family was butchered in front of her eyes. There is Parizan, the Parsi boy, an innocent victim of brutal killings. And the anonymous Hindu travelers burnt in the train at Godhra. The author is pained as much at the loss of innocent human life as at the destruction of hoary human values and traditional communal amity. Her stories outline the gradual decay of the old walled city of Ahmadabad and the replacement of its laidback traditional lifestyle with the more aggressive one. She helplessly witnesses the polarisation of the society – the concretisation of community based ghettos. Amidst the all round deterioration she does not lose hope. The last story ends on an optimistic note. These are not mere stories but etchings from real life that sear our collective conscience.

Buddhist Meditation
by Samdhong Rinpoche.
Wisdom Tree.
Pages x+127. Rs 145.

Various religions prescribe different modes of meditation. This volume points out that the Sanskritic tradition has two aspects, dharana (to focus upon) and bhavana (to ponder, investigate and analyse). These two form the totality of meditation, viz., samatha (concentrate) and vipassana (analysis). The book goes on to deal with the methods for overcoming obstacles to meditation and gain freedom from misery.

News media describes Rinpoche as Tibet’s PM-in-exile. This book’s editor introduces him as the head of the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies at Varanasi. Here, Rinpoche dwells upon meditation – its purpose, types and methodology. At the outset he points out that one should be convinced of the utility of meditation. If one considers it a useless exercise then it is best not done. Rinpoche’s tome makes for a rewarding read.

Celestial Grace
By Amandeep Singh.
Naad Pargas.
Pages 85. Rs 100.

Spiritualism’s influence on our worldly actions is subtle but extremely powerful and constructive. Premising on this principle the author has tried to focus on the need to reintroduce spiritualism in our everyday living. He has included quotes from the works (both prose and poetry) of such enlightened souls as Rumi, Bhai Vir Singh, Puran Singh and Kahlil Gibran. Lamenting the mindless materialistic pursuits by people in Punjab the author points out how the dilution of spiritualism has affected our performance in various fields of human endeavor – be they relationships or even such worldly pursuits as sports. The devout would find chapters on Rehat Maryada and Anand Karaj quite interesting even as other topics on Punjab’s religion and culture, modern materialism and oriental spiritualism etc may attract attention.

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