EDITORIAL
"Libraries
are full of ideas – perhaps the most dangerous and powerful of all weapons,"
wrote Sarah J. Maas, American fantasy
author, in her novel Throne of Glass. No one seems to be so much aware
of this fact as fundamentalist invaders who have had libraries as their most important
targets while conquering nations or cultures. On May 29,
1453, the Fall of
Constantinople, orchestrated by the Turkish conqueror Sultan Mehmed
II of the Ottoman Empire, resulted in the desecration of innumerable libraries
containing invaluable books and manuscripts belonging to the classical age.
However, it is no less significant that the exodus of Greeks to Italy as a
result of this event marked a turning point in the history of human
civilization. During the said exodus what is noteworthy is that the survivors
who succeeded in escaping the brutality of the Turkish invasion carried with
them, at great risk of their own lives, whatever they could salvage from the
libraries to keep alive the tradition of ancient learning. Such acts of daring
and valour, carried out by unknown and unsung heroes, to save the accumulated
wisdom of ages from extinction ended the gloom of the Middle Ages and ushered
in the luminous glow of what we know today as the Renaissance.
The Renaissance created an unprecedented
revolutionary transformation in human thought by showcasing, through the rich
treasure-trove of ancient learning, how human concern and strong individualism
lay at the centre of creative explorations of philosophers like Socrates, Plato
and Aristotle and writers like Sophocles, Aeschylus, Euripides, Aristophanes
and others. It was interesting to see their contributions emphasize
the high moral order of the Athenian society and the unrestricted spirit of
Athenian Democracy. The role
of Socrates in proclaiming the need for a free spirit of inquiry may be averred
from the remark made by him during his historic trial:
My whole employment is to
persuade the young and old against too much love for the body, for riches, and
all other precarious things of whatsoever nature they be, and against too
little regard for the soul, which ought to be the object of their affection.
For I incessantly urge to you that virtue does not proceed from riches, but on
the contrary, riches from virtue; and that all the other goods of human life,
public as well as private, have their source in the same principle. If to speak
in this manner be to corrupt youth. I confess, Athenians, that I am guilty, and
deserve to be punished.
The trial of
Socrates, as recorded by his disciple Plato in The Apology,
figures among the most historic trials in human history. In fact, the utterances
of Socrates made by him in his defence can easily be said to be the cornerstone
of human thought and ideals of living. Besides placing the value of virtue far
above riches in his list of priorities, he uninhibitedly encouraged the youth to
question everything under the Sun by telling them that “the unexamined life is not worth living for a human
being.” His determination to induce youngsters to ‘examine’ life and question dogmas and
traditional beliefs led to the main accusation against him, that of being a
’corrupter of youth’, a charge that he refuted by stating, “the young who
follow me of their own accord—those who have the most leisure, the sons of the
wealthiest—enjoy hearing human beings examined.” Professing
his own ignorance, he emphatically
pointed out that he was merely carrying out the divine will that ordained him to live “philosophizing and examining myself and others.”
By projecting his
poverty as a badge of honour Socrates emerged as a fearless champion of truth
and justice and refused to conceal his contempt for his accusers: “I do know
that it is bad and shameful to do injustice and to disobey one’s better,
whether god or human being.” While refuting the allegations levelled against him, he was
not unmindful of the fact that he was “fighting with shadows” in vain. Endowed
with exemplary power to examine and analyse others and himself, he recounts: “I
have been convicted because I was at a loss, not however for speeches, but for
daring and shamelessness and willingness to say the sorts of things to you that
you would have been most pleased to hear: me wailing and lamenting, and doing
and saying many other things unworthy of me, as I affirm—such things as you
have been accustomed to hear from others.” He proudly asserts further: “it does
not seem to be just to beg the judge, nor to be acquitted by begging, but
rather to teach and to persuade.” It is, therefore, no small matter that Socrates
happily accepted his fate to die drinking the Hemlock rather than beg for mercy
or seek asylum in other kingdoms. It is amazing that with death staring him on
his face, he courageously affirmed with his unique argumentative skill: “I
would not yield even to one man against the just because of a fear of death,
even if I were to perish by refusing to yield.” He fervently believed that a good person can never be harmed, because whatever
misfortune he may suffer, his virtue will remain intact.
Socrates died in 399 B. C. E. leaving behind for
posterity the rich legacy of what has come to be known as the “Socratic Method”
of examining ourselves in order to discover the path we wish to tread in life.
In a world gone crazy chasing material success and infirmities of noble and
ignoble minds, it is natural to find millions of how-to-succeed books stacked
in stores and libraries all over the world. In a scenario of this kind it may
appear downright silly to ask any ambitious youngster or a worldly-wise adult
to look for The Apology among the deluge of such repositories of wisdom.
Yet, if we have the time and the inclination to take a sip from the spring of
Socratic wisdom, we may end up questioning the futility of our own relentless endeavours
as teachers, scholars, researchers, intellectuals or common citizens.
Nibir K. Ghosh
Chief
Editor
CONTENTS
The Naked Truth - Charles Johnson / 7
Allen Ginsberg Revisited: An Appraisal on the 25th Anniversary of the Poet's Death
Jonah Raskin /
8
In Memory Professor Charles R. Larson: Literary and Cultural Bridge-Builder
Tijan M. Sallah /
16
Nibir K. Ghosh /
21
Some Versions of the Bodhisattva: Meditation on Maxine Hong Kingston and Thích Nhất Hạnh (Part Two) - John Whalen-Bridge / 31
Manas Bakshi /
43
Peeves & Prejudices
Sushil Gupta /
50
The Seed and the Deed: An Analysis of Eugene O’Neill’s Mourning Becomes Electra
Shernavaz Buhariwala / 55
Dalit Consciousness and Literature: An Introduction
Santosh Gupta & Bandana Chakrabarty / 65
Shrikant Singh /
74
Simmi Gurwara /
83
The Hermeneutics of the Four Purusharthas in the Hindu Tradition
Deepa Chaturvedi /
89
Okakura’s Ideals of the East and the Aesthetics of
the Orient
Jyoti A Kathpalia /
97
Comparative Perspective in the Nature Poetry of Douglas Stewart and Kedarnath Singh
G. L. Gautam /
104
R.
P. Singh / 110
Bhishma
Kumar & Sovan Chakraborty / 115
The Limits of Utopianism: Meaning and Individual Fate in Andrei Platonov’s The Foundation Pit
Aashima Walia /
123
Rajan Lal /
130
Manasvini Rai &
Preeti Bhatt / 135
Parwinder Kaur /
143
Exploring Multiple Avenues and Genres of Creative Writing from Ancient to Contemporary Technological Time
Ashna Taneja /
150
Om / 157, Namaste / 157, Maya / 157, Leaf / 158
View from the Dunes / 159, Rondeau for Ruth / 159
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