Clarity

Sitting in the darkness of a sparsely occupied theatre watching 'Coffee Bloom' by a debutant director (Manu Warrier) took me to a roller-coaster thought ride, which was triggered by a dialogue played amidst the background score, "There is nothing more fascinating than clarity".  Sometimes a song, poem, movie, book, an incident or for that matter anything can elevate us to a pedestal of blissful thoughts and introspection. And it was happening there in the theatre with me and it prolonged and still linger while I write this article.

What is 'Clarity'?

Is it the realization that dawned upon a prince coming face to face with the reality of sickness, old age and death that lead him to renunciation? The journey of Siddhartha from  a well-guarded palace to the solace of the Bodhi tree of Buddha. 

What is 'Clarity'?

Is it a question asked by a village boy to his father Kishan Singh - Whether they can grow guns like crops in the field? The journey of Bhagat Singh to be one of the most influential and revered revolutionaries of the Indian independence movement.   His letter to his parents to  avoid getting married stating - "My life has been dedicated to the noblest cause, that of the freedom of the country. Therefore, there is no rest or worldly desire that can lure me now..." The bold and blunt response to the threat to his life by the Britishers saying - "They may kill me, but they cannot kill my ideas". Is there anything more fascinating than clarity?

What is 'Clarity'?

Is it what Arunima "Sonu" Sinha realize on the hospital bed of  All India Medical Science, New Delhi that there is more to do with her life. A national level volleyball player who was shoved off from a moving train by some thieves in 2011. Run over by a train she was rushed to a hospital only asked to be taken somewhere else because of no facilities to save her life.  With serious leg and pelvic injuries the doctors had to amputate her leg to save her life. Abandoned by friends, neglected by authorities, humiliated by the sports ministry by offering a paltry sum as compensation, constantly questioned and casting doubts on the veracity of the accident by the media Arunima decides not to get deterred. While still being treated in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, she aims high to climb Mount Everest. Under the guidance and coaching of Bachendri Pal , the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest,  Arunima became the first female amputee to scale Mount Everest. She was honoured with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award of India this year (2015). Her book' "Born Again on the Mountain: A Story of Losing Everything and Finding It Back" narrates her unforgettable story to the world.

What Is 'Clarity'? What is my clarity, your clarity, her clarity and his clarity? Are we still groping in the darkness? Can our 'Clarity be fascinating to us and to the whole world?

Seeing the small is called Clarity.

Keeping the flexible is called Strength.

Using the shining Radiance,

You enter the Light,

Where no harm can come to you.

This is called Enlightenment.    

By Lao Tzu (c.604 -531 B. C.)