Covid Awareness

LITERATURE: A WAY OUT DURING LOCKDOWN

LITERATURE: A WAY OUT DURING LOCKDOWN

For oft  ,when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood

They flash upon my inward eye,

Which is the bliss of solitude

And then my heart with pleasure fills

And dances with the daffodils!

Immediately,

            The charm breaks

            Snarling engines

            Defeaning hooters

            Jarring noises

            Stinking smokes

            Millions of men in haste

            They feel weak before machines, his powers lay waste…

Which one of the above poems was soothing for our hearts and souls? Of course, the former one. It takes us to a world of imagination and transports us to an unrestricted comfort zone. If this is all it takes to get away with the boredom due to the restraints in this time, why do we keep ourselves away from it? On reading the above lines for even a few seconds, we felt the comfort it brought to us. Imagine the change it will make if we kept a close bond with it.

It is difficult to experience this comfort and sense of peace in the lives we live in today. So, dwell on the beauty of life, watch the stars and see yourself running with them. We forget to appreciate what nature has given to us. To make us aware of this, many poets and writers have chosen literature as a medium to express their ideas, emotions, and feelings on the world's condition today.

However, ...so does a web series on Netflix or Amazon Prime(technology). Yes, it certainly does.

But what we gain and how we feel after both the activities is what makes whole lot of a difference. Web series’ induce fatigue, make us shiftless, and can potentially be a subject of conflict with our parents. Binge watching increases our screen time which definitely has a lot of ill effects. This may even cause an illness both physically and mentally, especially in these times when we all are contained inside houses which is unusual and suffocating at a point.

On the other hand, literature has the potential to make us feel rejuvenated. Binge reading helps us remain engaged with no side effects. It is a true repose and does not tire us- a great respite too! It also helps with gaining knowledge and learning more about the world.

A book itself said, "You’ll need me sooner or later. Why wait for the depression phase."

This surely would have hit all of us hard.

Literature irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become. With easy access to technology, man doesn't have even the faintest idea of who he is and what is he doing. We have confined ourselves to our devices. Many of us are oblivious to the fact that literature decreases our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen our aspect of life too!

When the writers make us shake our heads with the exactness of their prose and their truth and even make us laugh about ourselves, our cheerfulness is restored. We are given a shot at dancing with or at the absurdity of life instead of being squashed by it over and over again. It's like singing on a boat during a terrible storm at sea. You can't stop raging the storm but singing can change the hearts and souls of the people on the ship.

Literature improves our knowledge, taste, and imparts culture. We look at the profound literature like Vedas, Ramayana, Gita, Bible, Quran and so forth. Ramayana gives us an insight into human relationships, such as how to treat elders, friends and colleagues On the other hand, the Gita idolizes Karma be the purpose of life. It refines feelings and brings rest to human mind.

But why do we see rampant crimes today?  Its because the essence of literature is fading. Literature adds to reality and does not simply describe it. Just imagine if we lived in a world without literature, would we be the same people? Certainly not. Because Literature is as rich as a science but merely differs in technique. It gives knowledge to those who seek it experience to those who understand it and pleasure to those who love it.

Science without art is lame, unoriginal, a stem without its petals, sun without its radiance, and a mouse without its tail.  One day all of us are going to understand and realize that everything is connected. Nothing stands on its own. In conclusion, reading can act as therapy and a healthy escape averse situations.