A mother's prayer
Accepting a tragedy
Deep-rooted is the correspondence between life and death, language and imagery, the past and the present, loss and gain: yet when tragedy is encountered, the line separating the two polarities acquires a strong sensory base.
Manjulika Zaver's `Guru Pranam' gives expression to the lament and prayer of a mother that can consume the universe at the end of a cycle of creation. Sidhant, one who has conquered the end, is her son whom she has lost. In `Guru Pranam,' he has grown in stature and emerged as the integrating consciousness that is real. In the way that "child is the father of the man," Sidhant, the guru, has left everyone speechless. This calm, this acceptance, the shedding of ego in the wake of this terrible personal tragedy is the consequence of Sidhant's sudden demise. Death stands vanquished.
There are complex sensibilities, intuitions involved in the right perception of things. It is because Manjulika felt so intensely about the incident that she could not bring herself to see it. The happening is thus interpreted as an image that has become wholly symbolic.
Facing adversity
The abstract art of music and poetry serve to mystify the workings of destiny. `Guru Pranam' declares itself in silence — a man's journey in this world is to negotiate through nightmarish situations and reach the right destination. The book gives expression to that grit, which makes one continue to live in the face of remarkable adversity. Meera Savoor has sung the compositions thoughtfully: creating sama and a bhav that express sensitivity attuned to some of the most difficult human experiences. Serenity is revealed through the choice of ragas like Malkauns and Bhairavi. It slowly takes hold of the mind assimilating experiences that are both familiar and unfamiliar. However, these experiences transcend time. Meera Savoor's dynamic rendition and investment in one single image of the guru is laden with latent power and the totality of her being. `Guru Mukh Se Sun Le Manwa' is sweet and `Guru Dev Tum Ko Nameste Nameste' contemplates on finality in parting. The book gives expression to Zaver's intricate negotiations, mostly with herself, wherein she tries to extricate herself from the bonds of life.
JYOTI NAIR BELLIAPPA
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