Youth is about dreaming, daring, new ideas, energy, confidence and enthusiasm. You have a lot more stake in the future than me. I believe that unless we leverage the power of youth, it is difficult to do extraordinary things. You can build a brighter and a better tomorrow with your vision, hard work and the will to make a difference.
On the way, you will witness the dark side of human behaviour. You will see this through the curious eyes of Mubina, the bewilderment of Kamala and the despair of nine-year-old Faraz, in this book. I would urge you to reflect upon these stories and poems. I hope you will then appreciate the need for compassion, tolerance and understanding.
Traditions, religious or otherwise, have always called upon us to treat others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Simply put, that is compassion. Yet we are shocked into reality when we see the various faces of discrimination around us. You will see it in the shadow of the poor maid or the desperation of Chinappa, who cannot offer his prayers to the idol he has created. I hope you will change this and treat everybody with dignity, equity and respect. Then you may reflect upon the tragic life of Selva, the planter’s son. You will realize that our world and lives may become what we would not want it to be. I hope you will see the need for courage, determination, optimism, faith, hope, humility and confidence. Every one of you has them in ample measure. Don’t let them lie dormant. Use them to realize your dreams and the dreams of our future generations.
A Clear Blue Slay: Stories and Poems on Conflict and Hope is the creation of many knowledgeable and respected authors. I believe this is their thoughtful gift to you. With heartfelt affection.
Back of the Book
26/26, 9/11, 7/7-dates that have changed the way we see ourselves and those around us. Dates that have changed the world, and not for the better.
Why is the world getting increasingly fragmented? Is there a way for us to understand different viewpoints better? In this collection, writers from India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan-Gulzar, Elmo Jayawardena, Manjula Padmanabhan, Poile Sengupta, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi, Subhadra Sen Gupta and others-write about various kinds of conflict in our society and history. Some stories are dark, others full of light and hope, and some outright funny as they portray mindless bigots for what they are. When a church burns in Bangalore, the alter cloth ends up in the hands of Mubina, whose grandmother can clean and repair it like no one else; years after the Partition tore a friendship apart, two people try to find the happiness that was once within their reach; and while chasing away courting couples from the Delhi Ridge, a young thug learns a lesion about what really makes India ‘culture’.
Interspersed with poems that articulate pleas for peace and understanding, this collection is sure to start a conversation on religion, race, caste, and mindsets that divide us.
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