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Pangong, the world’s highest brackish lake helped author redefine and understand the concept of beauty better.
“…before us stretched a lake like a sheet of molten lapis lazuli, merging into intense ultramarine in the distance and into radiant cobalt blue and opalescent Veronese green towards the nearer shore, fringed with gleaming white beaches, while the mountain that framed this incredible colour display was of golden ochre, Indian red and burnt sienna, with purple shadows. Yes, this was the luminous landscape of my dream, rising out of the blue waters in brilliant sunshine under a deep, cloudless sky!”
— The Way of the White Cloud by Lama Anagarika Govinda
My visit to Pangong lake in Ladakh made me ponder on our clichéd version of beauty, so intricately marketed by the fashion world. And social media that makes most of us, unable to cherish the beauty in vulnerability, barrenness, and rawness. So, here are my musings and opinion about beauty –
• Beauty does not require a secure environment to sprout but it survives and even flourishes in the harshest environments. Situated in this biting cold location, this lake is a testimony of how to flourish in adversity. It comes as no surprise why people who rose like a phoenix from the ashes have the most beautiful soul.
• Just because there is no life , it does not mean it is dead. Pangong being the world’s highest brackish lake does not support aquatic life except for some small crustaceans. Finding even a blade of grass on the rocky and dusty mountains would be like a treasure. To add on to this is the deafening silence of this place. In spite of all this I have never felt so alive in my life. As human beings, we judge people so easily. Being a certified introvert it was very easy for people to classify me as boring, dull and even lifeless. I guess people who connected to my writings and understood the meaning behind my sketches can vouch for my cryptic liveliness!
• For many, the cynosure could be the ethereal blue of the lake. For me, it was the brazenness of those dry, barren, cold, mountains that acted as an oasis by accentuating the blue of the lake and adding a dash of colour and depth to the existing mercurial blue. The world might find beauty in cosmetics but for me that beauty is ephemeral. Eternal beauty starts from a woman’s thoughts, her humour in the most vulnerable situation, her raw looks even when she has cried the whole night and her unrelenting spirit amidst all odds. That’s what poetry is and poetry is the most beautiful ornament.
Image Source – Wikipedia
An educator and a dreamer, I dream about a society where human beings are a master of their own choice and not a slave of their trade. Travelling and writing act as therapy and they read more...
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Being a writer, Nivedita Louis recognises the struggles of a first-time woman writer and helps many articulate their voice with development, content edits as a publisher.
“I usually write during night”, says author Nivedita Louis during our conversation. Chuckling she continues,” It’s easier then to focus solely on writing. Nivedita Louis is a writer, with varied interests and one of the founders of Her Stories, a feminist publishing house, based in Chennai.
In a candid conversation she shared her journey from small-town Tamil Nadu to becoming a history buff, an award-winning author and now a publisher.
Nivedita was born and raised in a small town in Tamil Nadu. It was for schooling that she first arrived in Chennai. Then known as Madras, she recalls being awed by the city. Her love-story with the city, its people and thus began which continues till date. She credits her perseverance and passion to make a difference to her days as a vocational student among the elite sections of Madras.
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