Refractive Thoughts

A recent whirlwind trip to USA, after more than 6 years, made me realize once again that a commoner stand inoculated from all the politics – both internal and external.    The Octogenarian President had just announced his plans to contest 2024 elections again, that invited varied remarks from all quarters.    Irrespective of which way the decision goes with his impending court trials, a former President is still beaming hopes that he will contest again.   But then you and I termed ‘proletariat’ are going about our daily routines without looking back. Contrast this with the situation in India where there is total unrest with turncoat politics in full display.   The current epicenter as I write this is Karnataka elections where the polling completed yesterday, and results awaited later this week; there is an expected 3-way fight among the three leading parties.   Which political party is better is not the topic of my discussion, but what it is – is how t...

Attributed to the English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton for his 1839 play – Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy, my attempt here is to present a current-day take on this adage.   In essence, it signifies that creative writing using a potent language which conveys messages with a tool called pen is indeed more powerful vis-à-vis destructive violence brought about by waging wars with a tool called sword (read weapon).   While the former creates awareness to influence a thought process, the latter creates panic and fear and loss of lives in the ultimate analysis.   You win with logic and peace what you can’t win with fear and violence.   Last but not the least, the pen makes a lasting impression across generations while the sword cannot produce lasting results but puts lives of many in past tense.   On any given day it is so much more appealing to seek the pen route take the creative path. With a war that has gone a full year, can we believe this is happening in ...