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| Paramita Mukherjee Mullick |
“Peace is the first shower on
the scorching earth.
Peace is like a new life, a
baby’s birth.
Peace is the chirping of birds
in the morn.
Peace is after darkness, the
dawn.”
With these few lines from a
poem of mine I tried bringing in the essence of peace. But peace is difficult
to define it is like love…it is intangible and not visible and also like love,
crucial for human existence and development. Without peace there can be no
advancement of an individual, without peace a nation cannot grow and without
peace the world cannot progress and prosper. Unity and kindness to others is
the core of peace. So Dalai Lama says, “Peace is the manifestation of human
compassion”. The Bible says, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you
alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety”. Safety and security of all is ensured
when there is peace.
AI has brought in so much of
progress and development in our lives but we are scared that one day AI may be
more powerful than us but no, AI can never be greater than human intellect and
human emotions. Poetry is an amalgamation of emotions and intellect. So, can
poetry bring in peace? Great philosophers, great scientific minds, poets and
singers have repeatedly expressed that peace is a conscious decision. In the
present scenario, where some parts of the world are still ravaged by war;
terrorism still destroys cities and humans still lacerate the dignity of their
own kind, we need peace. Poetry may not be a direct instrument of peace but can
surely inspire and ignite people’s imagination and empathy towards peace. In
poetry, varied and numerous thoughts can be expressed through few words. Poetry
touches the hearts of people much quicker than a sermon or a speech. The words
of poets have brought in many a revolution and rebellion against atrocities. Their
words and expressions have brought in many changes. So quoting a Sama Veda
mantra I will say Poetry is “The Sun in seeing; like Fire in brilliance; like
Lord Brihaspati in intellect; like the Ashwins in beauty; like Indra-Agni in
strength”. So with brilliance, strength, intellect and beauty Poetry is surely
a medium of peace.
September being a special
month of Peace as 21st September is celebrated as the International
Peace Day, Setu worships Peace through Poetry. Twenty one brilliant poets from
all around India and the world have come together to usher in peace with their
emotions, their expressions and their words. It was a wonderful and enriching
experience to go through their poems. Some have brought in the conservation
aspect when peace prevails. Some have used lingering imagery to beautify peace.
Scenes of Mahabharata have been reproduced by some to collate with peace. Again
the aspect of inner peace has been put forward by some. Yes inner peace is the
most essential component of world peace. Buddha says, “Peace comes from within
and not without”. The calm and peace of the inner being diffuses all around
like a fragrant perfume, to the society, to the community and to the
world. The beauty, the strength and
power of their poetry will certainly stir our thoughts and we will be more
conscious about bringing in and spreading peace around.
Poetry as a Medium of Peace: Authors
