From a lonely shopowner in Baramulla the widows of to Brindavan, and from her visit to Auschwitz to her journey to Rawalpindi tracking the memory of her mother, Kusum Ansal's poems are a reflection of her quest for the ultimate reality and understanding of this world. Her journey discerning the infinite is a pilgrimage to a world full of mysteries we all try to understand.
Dr Kusum Ansal has an MA in Psychology from Aligarh Muslim University and a doctorate in Hindi literature from Panjab University. Chandigarh. Her works include short story collections, poetry, novels, travelogues and an autobiography. She has received a number of awards for her considerable work.
I don't claim to be a superstitious or very religious person. I grew up in a strong Arya-Samaji atmosphere, where the creed is to concentrate on Nirakar, or formless God in one's deeper stillness of mind, where the thought of 'I' disappears. In my childhood I never visited a temple or was taken to places of pilgrimage, where people go to perform rituals. My grandfather always told us that devi, devtas were not real. Their idols were conceived and created by human imagination and it was not the gods, but their worshippers who were instrumental in deciding their iconic status. Therefore for many years I stayed away from the physical paradise of gods and goddesses to which my friends would make several trips.
As a coincidence, it is only in the past few years that I have visited many famous shrines and temples. It was an amazing experience. It transformed my being into a seeker from a writer. I don't know how an unknown quest awoke within me to explore the body's destiny in relation to the countless images of God. There was a strange yearning to know and to discover the mystery of that being and his miraculous powers. All the rituals, prayers and jaaps around God's image started creating strange vibrations in my emotional being. But somehow they were not powerful enough to ignite a spirited insight in me. My restless spirit of inquiry did not allow me to believe the shallow preachings or the descriptive stories narrated by the authoritative pandits or pujaris of these shrines. Their stories appeared weak and could not explain the supreme presence of God, who was established, in that particular cave or temple room with heavy security measures. I felt cheated as most of the pandits talked about offerings in terms of money or material wealth, instead of supporting the devotion of worshippers.
Book's Contents and Sample Pages
For privacy concerns, please view our Privacy Policy
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist