Love is in the eyes ...

A young woman I met at the Rai Foundation School for Girls in India recently is, among other achievements, a gifted poet.
I ordinarily don't post poetry, unless it's my own because I can apologize on the spot, but in this case I was incredibly impressed by her use of language.
Because the poet is from Bangladesh - English is her second language.
Enjoy.


Eyes
by Sukla Sarkar


Eyes tell the speech of mind
To understand the word of
every kind
Need to have a
same mind
They show the purity
in a great sign
Bring the happiness of beauty
just like sunshine
They cry together
sleep together
laugh together
Even more together
But never see each other
---------------------------


Love
by Sukla Sarkar


Love from divine, Love from God
Teach us how to be cool & soft
It had come from
Adam & Eve
Til it comes from
Natural line
Love is a rainbow
after the rain
Which can refresh
and ignore the pain

Love is a bondage
promise of care
Where is a concord of heart
and just to be there
The secret of love
can't be known
Until & unless
we are alone
---------------------




"Love" and "Eyes" international copyright 2011 by Sukla Sarkar

New Republic Day

A day I shall never forget.
New Republic Day is one of only three national holidays in India.
It is the celebration of the newly established constitution of India, the largest democracy in the world (currently 1.1 billion people population) as of its implimentation January 26, 1950.
If you are not familiar with the history of India, it would be time well spent to learn about the extraordinary abuses and indignations suffered by its peoples over the centuries at the hands of Great Britain, the Catholic Church and others they overcame, as well as an historical page mirroring the US past - turning on each other.
To think that out of that vast and tumultuous history comes a *democracy* thrills all political scholars. Can it be done? All that freedom with the most diverse population of any nation in the world? All those languages? All those points of view? All the dysfunction that preceded the establishment of the New Republic?
Tuesday evening, January 25, Michael and I arrived at the Rai School for Girls. We wanted to be there in time to enjoy the civic celebration the next day that they had been preparing for weeks. Music, dance, some speeches, awards and more. It was going to be a joy to behold.
As we ate dinner, Michael read the program for the next day's ceremonies.
"Oh, look at this. You're speaking," he said.
"I what?"
"You're speaking. See?"
There was my name - with a ten minute slot for speaking. One of three people, including the head of the school, the wonderful Rinchen Dolma and long-time Indian politician, Dr. Jaswant Singh Ji Yadav.
Me? Speak? This is one of India's most important events - I'm an American. The fact they would even think of me is flattering enough, but to give me the honour of speaking? Seriously, was this something I even deserved?
Michael also discovered that he was sitting at the table of dignitaries - with a turban! We assumed he was going to be eye candy '-).
Well.
To work. I first spoke with my closest friend at Rai, Shweta, about why this event is so vital to India's history. I did not reveal that my grades in history and government were not my highest when I went to school; I did not want her to have unnecessary concerns about her new American acquainantance saying something completely inappropriate.
I was left alone to write my speech; half an hour later Shweta and Michael returned, I read it to them, and except for on word pronounciation, it passed her whiff test!
Here is the speech I delivered the next day at the New Republic Day ceremonies:
"Happy Republic Day!
"I was at once honored and elated when asked to speak at your Republic India Day celebration.
"Coming from a young Democratic Republic still finding its way to fulfilling the promises its constitution makes, including the right to pursue happiness, I'm not in a position to tell you what to do!
"But I do have some heartfelt personal thoughts.
"First, while I've never visited your country before, I feel at home here.
"There is a sense of India, a tone set by its people and animals that says, 'Please, make yourself at home.'
"That is, I believe, a quality all democracies must have, that too many do not.
"The Rai Foundation is correct to say, 'Empower a woman, you empower a family.' That gender equality is the gateway to both world peace and a stable global economy.
"A real democracy works only if its family of citizens works together - informed, collaborating, compromising, laboring on behalf of all its family members; but especially protecting and encouraging our children.
"To fully participate here in what American constitutional authority Granville Austen called 'perhaps the greatest political venture since that oritiginated in Philadelphia in 1787.'
"UK Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden noted: 'Of all the experiments in government since the beginning of time, I believe the Indian venture into parliamentary government is the most exciting. A system of a free democracy. It is also a brave thing to do!'
"After being with you girls, women, faculty and staff here, I know that with your leadership - in politics, business, communications, fashion, social care, finances, industry, media, culture, family care and so much more - Sir Eden might amend his comment. Rather than saying it's a brave thing to do, with the ongoing graduates of the Rai Foundation - its success is a certainty!
"Every day, as you take a step forward, toward fulfilling your dreams and aspirations, you take a step forward to fulfill the dreams and aspirations of your nation ... as well as providing the inspiration for generations to come.
"I am blessed that Mr. Rai asked me to speak with you.
"I am blessed to know you.
"Humbly, I thank you again for the magnificent honor to share your significant day with me.
"Namaste."
Michael and I were also given beautiful Indian shawls as a thank-you for our work with the girls at Rai.
Here's what the day looked like: Jai ho!

Back to New Delhi a day early....

I exhausted myself (7 workshops, seminars and talks for the girls and the faculty in two days) and am sick with what feels like a typical cold/flu with a severe sore throat. So it's back to New Delhi to recuperate, then see more sights and return to the Rai School for Girls next week to finish my work and celebrate an anniversary with them.
I'll also be meeting with a filmmaker who wants to do a documentary about this unique and marvelous place.
Yesterday I showed my comedy feature The Whole Truth - my host insisted the girls see it, even though many don't speak English well and I wasn't sure if it would translate, since it's a satire on the American judicial system. He thought just seeing my film, which is well made with some fine acting, would be an additional inspiration for them.
Well, they got *all* the sight gags! There's a lot of physical comedy in it; they laughed at every one of them. And even if they were being polite, they still applauded enthusiastically at the end - twice. Once at the end of the film, again at the end of the credits.
They have a mass communications department here - journalism for TV, newspapers and radio. Being a former journalist (wait - a journalist is an unemployed reporter, so I guess I am *still* a journalist!), I was asked about the difference between India and US journalism.
I told them I find that India has far more international news than the US; that Americans by and large are not informed or informed accurately about other nations and all too often that leaves them more ignorant of the world at large. The reason for this is because US news departments believe that Americans are not really interested in "foreign" news and that they go for ratings and sales first, which influences their decisions.
It may not even be the truth - that is, if they were exposed to actual news from other nations they might well be interested and ratings/sales would increase, but it is assumed they're not because the stories they present from other nations don't seem to boost ratings or sales.
My belief is that it's the type of news they present, not the actual news of the nations themselves.
Practically all other nations know about the US and present US news. However, that door does not swing both ways - and the loser is the American public, as well as American media who could increase interest in their media if they reported the actual news from other nations.
Also, there are no "hate talk" radio stations in India with ultra strong political biases.
Censorship is an issue of their *own* news in China, Tibet and other governments who uber-control their people. And often that is accompanied by biased accounts of news from other nations.
Censorship happens in the US by the omission of valuable news in favor of gossip, celebrity stories and the like based on the belief that there's no interest in "real" news, even if that means we leave the public poorly informed.
A democracy (or democratic republic) relies on well informed citizens, but when money precedes the best interest of the nation, unwitting censorship and bias prevail.
On a separate note, much as this is a nation heading toward superpower status (I think any nation with nuclear arms already has "super powers"), there are interruptions of water service, electricity, wifi connections, no hot water on tap in many locations (at the school we are brought one or two buckets of warm water with which to bathe or shower), and no sitting toilets in numerous locations. They have squat toilets, which is basically a hole in the ground (they are also used in Europe, Asia and other nations). My aim is getting better.
Thus far at the school I've discussed: my problem-solving book The 100% Solution, showed them how to put together a personal business plan (as opposed to a business-business plan), which was not only the key to all the girls opening up - declaring their life purpose - but also a perfect addition to their academic business classes. One of the business faculty members told me she had never heard of such a thing and how valuable she sees it can be; she's adding it to her curriculum.
I chatted with faculty about their work and goals; I started the story telling process with the girls, about a little girl who started with nothing and ended up happier than she ever dreamed. We'll finish that next week, preparing to record it with sound effects and music.
I showed The Whole Truth and discussed all aspects of filmmaking.
I chatted with a large group of girls who want to become writers - I explained everything from novel writing to journalism to TV writing to screenwriting to essays, short stories, romantic stories, poetry and more. I'm meeting with writers again when I return next week.
Because there are so many girls from such a variety of nations, just about everyone has a different accent - when I'm rested, I can follow easily. When I'm not, it's difficult to translate quickly, and some of the girls who speak English well help me out.
But for now? Time to get some R&R so I can get cracking on some sight seeing and more time at the Rai Foundation School for Girls.
Shortly after returning to our hotel in New Delhi, eight monkeys frolicked underneath my window!
I love this place!

Kiss "shy" good-bye!

OK, I was cautioned that the girls - some 700 from 20 nations, many of whom speak little English - at the Rai Foundation School would take work for me to "draw out." That they would be quiet. Shy. Fearful. Hesitant. Skittish. Timid. Diffident. Afraid to speak up.
The girls told me they had been. Until now.
I have no idea what I said to change that, but... look at them now!
These are the leaders of tomorrow - the world will be in very good hands.
Photos by Michael Conner.