A collection of quotes that spoke to me. Inspired by Ruskin Bond's book, “Little Book of Everything”.
Beware: ahead lies mentions of religion, spirituality and various unmentionables.
From John Pritchard's book, “Why go to church?” (Page 18):
Making the effort to put ourselves into a place of glad gratitude is nearly always worthwhile. It changes our point of view. It says: 'this is what I was made for. This is where I'm meant to be.' and gradually, oh so gradually, we become a fraction more like the one we worship.
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep;
'God is not dead, nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!'
– H. W. Longfellow
I have never had a father’s protection from danger, and I have never had a mother’s tender touch.
Every passer-by could see I was lost and abandoned, but no one had the willingness to help; or, even if they had, they lacked the ability. They shook their heads, and said, “it’s sad to see this”, and then went on with their lives.
It's nice to attend to one's biological needs in the privacy of a toilet. However, city-life does not always promise that a toilet will be nearby when one needs to defecate. Or, even if a toilet is nearby, it may be fully occupied.
What, then?
As things turned out, the call of nature has resulted in screaming outrage, reflected in news articles.
I have received gratefully. I am a nobody in the vast complicated tundra that is the marketplace of paintings. And yet I have been blessed. Let me recount some concrete details.
Special thanks to Alyson for your warm hospitality at Cuturi Gallery.
I. 8th of November, 2019
I was at Art Porters Gallery, where a photographer-artist named Lavender Chang was giving a talk. Then, Monsieur Guillaume offered a pair of tickets, free of charge, to a music recital, named “ Voices of Bernard Sabatier”.
(Bernard Sabatier is a luthier, a maker of string instruments, such as the violin and viola. His viola is unconventionally shaped, and hence is met with resistance in music academies. However the luthier believes that his own instruments make performances easier for younger musicians.)
I accepted this splendid offer, inviting a younger friend along.
The venue for this recital was a studio in the magnificent Esplanade Theatres. If I remember correctly, one of the featured compositions was Schubert's.
II. 9th of November, 2023.
Someone from Gnani Arts Gallery sent me an email, inviting me to Affordable Art Fair, for “a private viewing of new and spectacular work curated by us for this season.”
I happily accepted the complimentary ticket. The venue was Formula One Pit Building.
I have benefitted from the labours of poets and poetesses from decades past – and centuries past – and I have no way of expressing my gratitude except to “pay it forward” (as the younger set says) – I have received freely and now I give freely.
In no particular order, I list poems that have helped me at pivotal moments in my life.