People are profoundly bound to the ideal of beauty, the 'sundaram' principle, for it is the photograph that draws the maximum public attention. It is a singular feature of human psychology that must have been noticed by the rishis when they proceeded in ancient times to introduce image worship as the means of popularising spirituality and so making it the life-blood of the nation. It still holds true in this age of advanced knowledge in the sciences. Data still plays second fiddle to the photographs of known faces like those of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda, Netaji, Nivedita and the like, and cursory glances and casual observations are all that detailed discussions by this writer elicit from the readers who are content to comment in stereotypical fashion and have neither the time nor the leisure nor apparently energy enough to expend in comprehension of passages and considered comments thereof. This is regrettable to an extent for it does not augur well for the intellectual climate thus developing in a nation that prides itself in emerging from its induced backwardness consequent on colonial subjugation for centuries. It ought to change, thus, and in this regard everyone must come forward to contributing their share to the nation's thought-pool instead of idling away making inconsequential comments that only add on to the piling plethora of puerile observations.
Let us take a step in the right direction and add on creatively to the intellectual discourse. Not all are intellectually proficient may be but each one has something of his own to say, however commonplace it may seem to him, for it bears the distinctive mark of his personality, his individual standpoint, his specific perspective that is unique in this world of infinite diversity. So, let us be more open to communication in our own way instead of being limited by standard stereotypes in expression. I hope this piece will be read and amendments made in approach.
Written by Sugata Bose
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