Reverberation

All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand…these are the remarkable words of Lady Macbeth in the famous ‘sleep walking scence’ of Shakesphere’s MACBETH. Another literary instance which beacons is the peculiar ‘dream-conversation’ between Vasavadatta and Udayana in the drama SWAPNAVASAVADATTA written by the great sanskrit poet Bhasa. I had never ever thought that thinking can be so different and unique in literature, before I came across these descriptions. For a person in science, reading prose and poetry is indeed a welcome digression; as it has an amazing ability to take the mind to new shores, which are untouched by the rocketing Science. Personally speaking, science is like father of thoughts, and literature is mother of hearts. It switches you ON and sails the mind on soothing sea of imagination, and what a pleasant journey it is to travel through this ! Every time I read or hear a lovely prose or poetry, I get nostalgic about my English and Sanskrit classes in my B.Sc. days. The language courses we took have had a tremendous impact on my thought and perspective, and of course have molded my views and taste. It was an interesting time when these classes were held in between the Maths, Physics or Electronics class. This was a unique phase during the college where we experienced rich blend of rigorous science with splendid literature. We had some gifted teachers too, and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to them; it is indeed an amazing thing how great teachers can sculpt minds, and how they leave an everlasting impression on students. I am a living example of that.

                            During this time, I had the pleasure of studying some lovely poems like MEGHADOOTA, RAGHUVAMSHA, THE SEND OFF, YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE, TELEPHONE CONVERSATION, ULYSSES, OZYMANDIAS and many more. Sometimes I feel that I was not good enough in the past to understand the deep significance hidden in each of them, and I discover a new meaning every time I read them now. Each one of them has a great story to tell, and they resonate in my mind for ever. A big thanks to internet and the public library in Purdue, I have been able to revisit and revise them, time and again.            

               Perhaps this is what good teaching can do, they make the horse go in search of the water, and of course time and experience further teaches the horse how to drink it. Although great teachers come and go in the passage of time, what remains is the reverberation of the immortal thought they seed in the pupil’s mind. Indeed, they do a priceless job…