WHEN SOMEONE WRITES AND PAINTS WELL

WHEN SOMEONE WRITES AND PAINTS WELL

Learnt so much more about this genius (Sister Nivedita) who died young like her spiritual father (Swami Vivekananda) from poverty, neglect and sheer overwork for the cause of raising the motherland from her fallen state. Nivedita is gone but let us not fail to recognise Sharmistha Chatterjee's incredible talents -- both literary and artistic, as her writing and portrait of Nivedita amply reveal -- and let go of our brightest minds thus while we merely ruminate over the past and glorify those who our forefathers often did not sufficiently care to give them their dues. Let us not be culpable to the same sin of present neglect even as we pay our homage to the past heroes -- no doubt an estimable approach to heritage -- and let us, thus, wholeheartedly appreciate and, so, encourage artists of the pen and the brush like Sharmistha Chatterjee so that they persist with inspiration in their mission to bring to the door of all and sundry the gifts of Nature they have been endowed with and so bring cheer to all in this otherwise humdrum existence of daily life.

Words, they have a lot of power, and words, they mean a lot, especially to those who are gifted and seek to communicate with kindred souls the message of their soul, for gregarious we all are and thrive on such sympathies. So, to sum it up, let us give our whole support and not be niggardly in our praise, for praise it is only when we lavish it on the deserving. Else, a highhanded attitude ought to deem it better to cast talents of the day into the bin of neglect for them to perish for good, for all are not so fortunate as the unfortunate Sister to survive the ordeal of the day to see a brighter morrow post mortem.

Thank you, Sharmistha Chatterjee, yet again for this wonderful piece full of facts and data but written with restrained rigour that never lets us lose sight of the subject once.

Written by Sugata Bose

P.S. : 1. Sharmistha, see how your post is making waves in so many groups and profiles. This indeed is the way to serve and spread the message of the masters and the mistresses of yesteryears, men of genius whose ideas, when they touch people's hearts, bring about changes in them and alter character contours to align them Godward. The technique of the soul is simplicity and the art of writing simplicity, too, whereby the author remains hidden behind the subject of his writing. This has been unconsciously or artfully achieved by some writers who have thus communicated with their audience best. This is humility of literary expression and you have touched upon this chord in this piece. Hence, the resonance of your post with your readers here. Please continue to read and write so that others reading your delightful posts will feel inspired to read more about these messiahs among men.

2. Sharmistha, never consider yourself 'a cipher' for that is doing a disservice to the Lord who abides within, waiting to unfold in all His sublimity. The Sister had envisioned the coming of great Indian women in the ensuing decades and you are one such. Hence, never be humble expressively. Let humility shine as 'an attribute in absence' as Tagore so accurately put it. May your work shine and may your life be a shining testament unto the God that dwells within you !

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