by R.Seshan
[box] Here are few words that provide plenty of inspiration. R.Seshan’s poem, motivating and awakening every Indian, is a rich tribute to the August 2011 theme, ‘India Decoded’.[/box] [box type=”info”]
MONTH: August 2011
THEME: INDIA DECODED
CONCEPT: When it’s August, we can’t think of anything other than India. So this was a season II of our favourite theme.
FEATURED WRITERS OF AUGUST 2011:
Amish Tripathi, Author of ‘The Immortals of Meluha’ and ‘The Secret of the Nagas’
Anjali Joseph, Author of ‘The Saraswati Park’
Preeti Shenoy, Author of ‘34 Bubblegums and Candies’ and ‘Life is What you Make it’
Kartik Iyengar, Author of ‘Horn OK Please’.
In our second season of ‘India Decoded’, we created our first by featuring four bestselling Indian authors in the same issue. August 2011 also remains the most intricately designed issue of Spark and holds the record for the maximum downloads of the PDF version. What’s worth noting is that we did have a tough time promoting this issue amid all the media attention that Anna Hazare’s fast was garnering at that time! [/box]
Awake, Arise, O India,
You, whom the Gods have touched,
Stand Proud! Stand Tall! Stand Fast!
In a land awash with endless riches,
Saints and holy men did teach,
To reach within for the Infinite,
Rejecting desire and greed,
You, whom the Gods have touched,
Stand Proud! Stand Tall! Stand Fast!
Deep within us men and women,
Embedded in our hearts and minds,
The ‘tolerance’ of a Way of Life,
That taught ‘Peace to all mankind,”
You, whom the Gods have touched,
Stand Proud! Stand Tall! Stand Fast!
We never raised our hands in anger,
Never harmed or hurt,
Peace and tranquility all we sought,
And the knowledge of who we were,
You, whom the Gods have touched,
Stand Proud! Stand Tall! Stand Fast!
Those who came with guns and swords,
Became ‘us’ in words and action.
In India’s subtle embrace,
Realised ‘tolerance’ was a weapon,
You, whom the Gods have touched,
Stand Proud! Stand Tall! Stand Fast!
Time changes all things,
Rivers change their course,
Even mountains crumble into dust,
Lakes dry up by the score,
You, whom the Gods have touched,
Learn Fast! Learn well! Change fast!
The world is blind and deaf to those,
Who know not how to shout,
It only opens up its eyes,
To voices raised aloud,
You, whom the Gods have touched,
Shout Loud! Shout Long! Shout far!
The world today is a bitter place,
Even intellect has a price,
You’ll get nothing in the market-place,
Just by being nice,
You, whom the Gods have touched,
Sell Hard! Sell High! Sell fast!
The winds of change have blown away,
Every trace of tranquility,
Left you naked in the face,
Of ugly adversity,
You, whom the Gods have touched,
Stand Proud! Stand Tall! Stand fast!
Inflexibility is a virtue of the weak,
Rigidity the harbinger of death,
Change is the key to survival,
To be strong we need to ‘dapt,
You, whom the Gods have touched,
Stand Easy! Bend well! Bow fast!
As the fingers of a hand are clenched,
To form a mighty fist,
Unite in our quest for power and might,
For India to top the list,
You, whom the Gods have touched,
Stand Proud! Stand Tall! Stand Fast!
Seshan Ranganathan aka Sesha, age 57, is the CEO of SSEA, an industries association in Navi Mumbai and editor of its magazine Shagun. When not tilting against the Government, he returns to his first love, Poetry.
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