(Extracts from The Spirit will Survive, Chapter 11 of my book, The Puffin History of India for Children, vol 2, 1947 to the Present)
“A glory has departed and the sun that warmed and brightened our lives has set and we shiver in the cold and dark”, said Jawaharlal Nehru on 2 February 1948, a few days after the death of Gandhi. “Let us be worthy of him”, he added. And truly Delhi was worthy of him, for his death stirred something in people’s hearts, all remaining violence ceased and peace was restored to the city.
A strange magic
What was the magic of this man, that he could bring peace in Calcutta and in Delhi both during his life and after his death? On his 78th birthday Sarojini Naidu in a radio broadcast tried to explain. She said , “Who is this Gandhi and why is it that today he represents the supreme moral force in the world?...(he is) a tiny man, a fragile man, a man of no worldly importance, of no earthly possessions, and yet a man greater than emperors..... This man, with his crooked bones, his toothless mouth, his square yard of clothing,... he overthrows emperors, he conquers death, but what is it in him that has given him this power, this magic, this authority, this prestige, this almost godlike quality of swaying the hearts of men?” She went on to say that it was the same quality as that of the great religious teachers of the world such as Christ, Buddha, Muhammad and others, and a great vision he had “that love and humanity would endure, grow and reach the stars”. In other words, perhaps it was his total honesty, his constant, unwavering search for truth and the pure love in his heart, that aroused love in others and brought out the goodness in people.
Born on 2 October 1869 at Porbandar in Gujarat, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi went to school in Rajkot and at the age of thirteen was married to Kasturba, a young girl. By the age of eighteen he had a son, and later three more. He went to England to study law, and after returning to India, he left for South Africa in 1893.
He stayed in South Africa till 1914 and during these years formulated his policy of satyagraha or non-violent resistance. He also developed his ideas on Truth, took a vow of brahmacharya or self-restraint and gave up all material possessions. His fame spread to India and by the time he returned in 1914 he was revered by the people and given the name ‘Mahatma’ or “great soul’.
In India,fter some initial experiments in satyagraha, he took up the leadership of the Freedom Movement in 1920. That long story cannot be told here, but he brought the common person into the struggle for freedom and let India peacefully to independence. Simultaneously he did a number of other things, training his followers to work for the development of the villages and trying to get rid of untouchability.
Gandhi’s basic ideas focused around two things, Truth and ahimsa or non-violence. He said he was “ a passionate seeker after Truth, which is but another name for God. In the course of that search the discovery of non-violence came to me.” Gandhi used these ideals both in the struggle for freedom and in his personal and inner life.
Gandhi was religious, but to him religion was something personal, as each person had a different concept of God. He was a Hindu, but he believed in the goodness of all religions. His favourite texts were the Bhagavad Gita and the Sermon on the Mount from the New Testament. About the relationship with other religions he said, “If I am a Hindu... I may not make any distinction between my co-religionists and those who might belong to a different faith. I would seek opportunities to serve them.”
He believed that material prosperity or wealth and possessions, did not help people to live happily or peacefully. People should be content if their real needs were fulfilled and should acquire and use only what they really required. Thus all would have whatever was required, no one would have excessive wealth. There would be peace and safety, for thieves and robbers were created by inequalities, by some people having too much.
On his 78th birthday Gandhi received streams of visitors and birthday messages and congratulations from all parts of the world. But he felt condolences would be more appropriate because there was only agony in his heart. Once he had wished to live 125 years, but now in this atmosphere of hatred and killing, he had lost this desire. He said that if it was God’s will, he would live a little longer, but in his heart his cry was to “take me away from this ‘vale of tears’ rather than make me a helpless witness of the butchery by man become savage”. Gandhi felt that people no longer listened to him or followed him. Yet in his last fast and death the magic and mystery of his ability to touch people’s hearts, was seen once again.
Value today
Gandhi knew his life would end some day, and in his last days he even wished to depart from the world. At the same time he felt that his ideals were eternal. He said, “The spirit will survive the dissolution of the body and somehow speak through the millions”. Perhaps, some day, his vision will be fulfilled. With the spread of education and the internet, his concept of the ideal village could become a reality. There would then be few crowded cities and less pollution. The environment could be better protected. If people had fewer needs and less greed as well as honesty, there would be enough for all. And if everyone followed Truth and non-violence, had love in their hearts, and helped and served those of other religions, India would become an ideal land, a model for the whole world, as Gandhi had once dreamed.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
26 January: Today is Republic Day
A republic is a country that elects the head of the state, that is, the highest person in the government. In August 1947, India had full independence, but acknowledged the British king as the symbolic head. On 26 January 1950, India became a republic and a sovereign nation. Her own constitution, which had been completed on 26 November 1949, was formally adopted. From now on the government of India, and many of India’s programmes and policies would be based on this constitution.
A great day
It was a great day and celebrations in Delhi began the previous night, with a mile and a half long torch-light procession. The whole city was decorated with arches, flowers and flags, and with multi-coloured electric lights on bushes and trees, it was transformed into a fairy-land.
In the morning a grand ceremony took place in the Darbar Hall. There the outgoing governor general, Rajagopalachari, and the new president-to-be, Rajendra Prasad, sat on golden chairs crowned with Ashokan capitals, with a stone statue of the Buddha behind them. Watched by 700 distinguished guests from India and abroad, the governor general read the proclamation announcing the birth of the new republic. Then the chief justice administered the oath of office to the new president, 31 guns boomed in celebration, and the Presidential flag unfurled on Government House, now renamed Rashtrapati Bhavan.
One journey is over, another begins
In a message to the nation on this day, Jawaharlal Nehru said, “Undoubtedly, January 26, 1950, is a day of high significance for India and the Indian people. It does mean the consummation of one important phase of our national struggle. That journey is over, to give place to another and more arduous journey”. Nehru saw the struggle to build a new nation as a journey, a road to be travelled on.
(extracted from my book The Puffin History of India for Children, vol 2, 1947 to the Present. This book tells the story of the new nation and its ongoing journey.)
A great day
It was a great day and celebrations in Delhi began the previous night, with a mile and a half long torch-light procession. The whole city was decorated with arches, flowers and flags, and with multi-coloured electric lights on bushes and trees, it was transformed into a fairy-land.
In the morning a grand ceremony took place in the Darbar Hall. There the outgoing governor general, Rajagopalachari, and the new president-to-be, Rajendra Prasad, sat on golden chairs crowned with Ashokan capitals, with a stone statue of the Buddha behind them. Watched by 700 distinguished guests from India and abroad, the governor general read the proclamation announcing the birth of the new republic. Then the chief justice administered the oath of office to the new president, 31 guns boomed in celebration, and the Presidential flag unfurled on Government House, now renamed Rashtrapati Bhavan.
One journey is over, another begins
In a message to the nation on this day, Jawaharlal Nehru said, “Undoubtedly, January 26, 1950, is a day of high significance for India and the Indian people. It does mean the consummation of one important phase of our national struggle. That journey is over, to give place to another and more arduous journey”. Nehru saw the struggle to build a new nation as a journey, a road to be travelled on.
(extracted from my book The Puffin History of India for Children, vol 2, 1947 to the Present. This book tells the story of the new nation and its ongoing journey.)
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Manimekalai: A Young Woman on a Buddhist Path
ebook of summary and analysis available:
Manimekalai: A Young Woman on a Buddhist Path www.amazon.com/dp/B01H00JODG
https://read.amazon.in/kp/embed?asin=B01H00JODG&asin=B01H00JODG&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_PgnyxbJ18HPQ5
A Tamil text of around the second century CE, now with a new summary, along with an introduction and analysis.Read this fascinating book to learn about Buddhism, life in early South India, and an extraordinary young woman.
The book can be read on kindle, or by downloading the kindle app free on any device.
Manimekalai: A Young Woman on a Buddhist Path www.amazon.com/dp/B01H00JODG
https://read.amazon.in/kp/embed?asin=B01H00JODG&asin=B01H00JODG&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_PgnyxbJ18HPQ5
A Tamil text of around the second century CE, now with a new summary, along with an introduction and analysis.Read this fascinating book to learn about Buddhism, life in early South India, and an extraordinary young woman.
The book can be read on kindle, or by downloading the kindle app free on any device.
Monday, January 19, 2009
The richness of poverty
From a Sufi text:
'The Lord of the Spirit and the Word [Jesus] used to say: "My daily bread is hunger, my badge is fear, my raiment is wool, my mount is my foot, my lantern at night is the moon, and my fire by day is the sun, and my fruit and fragrant herbs are such things as the earth brings forth for the wild beasts and the cattle. All the night I have nothing, yet there is none richer than I!".' (From the writings of Al-Hasan al-Basri, a Sufi saint from Basra in Iraq, who died AD 728; trans. A.J. Arberry.)
'The Lord of the Spirit and the Word [Jesus] used to say: "My daily bread is hunger, my badge is fear, my raiment is wool, my mount is my foot, my lantern at night is the moon, and my fire by day is the sun, and my fruit and fragrant herbs are such things as the earth brings forth for the wild beasts and the cattle. All the night I have nothing, yet there is none richer than I!".' (From the writings of Al-Hasan al-Basri, a Sufi saint from Basra in Iraq, who died AD 728; trans. A.J. Arberry.)
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Magic, Mystery and Fables
(frst published 2003; more of Coelho's books have appeared since then)
Paulo Coelho is a versatile writer, with books including accounts of secret Catholic sects, pilgrimages and visions of angels, as well as explorations of magic, mystery and psychology.
In his best known book, The Alchemist: A Fable About Following your Dream, Coelho tells the story of Santiago, an Andalucian shepherd, who dreams one night of treasure in the far off Egyptian pyramids, and literally sets off to follow his dream. Finally he meets a real alchemist, who guides him on a spiritual path.
Coelho, a Brazilian, pursued his childhood dream of writing, but did not have an easy journey. In fact as he chose to follow a somewhat unconventional path, his parents thought he was deranged, and thrice had him incarcerated in a psychiatric hospital.
Coelho did not give up, and first attained some success in writing songs, and a political comic strip. The latter led to his arrest, and he was freed only after convincing the authorities that he was insane, and not responsible for his actions.
Encouraged through a chance encounter to return to Catholicism, the religion of his birth that he had abandoned because of its rigidity, he joined a Catholic sect, RAM (Regnum Agnus Mundi), and embarked on a pilgrimage to the shrine of San Tiago (St. James) in Spain. His account of this journey, The Pilgrimage (1987), first brought him some success as a writer. This was followed by The Alchemist, which initially did not do well, but later made him famous and known throughout the world. Other books include The Valkyries, a fictionalised account of his encounter with an angel, By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept, The Fifth Mountain, and Manual of the Warrior of Light, all of which have new age spiritual themes. The Devil and Miss Prym, examines the classic struggle between good and evil, while Brida is about the gift that every person carries within. Veronika Decides to Die, is a somewhat different book, based on his own experiences in a psychiatric ward. Here he tries to understand the reasons to go on living, when everything seems futile. His latest book, Eleven Minutes, is an account of a young Brazilian woman Maria. Though ostensibly about a prostitute, it is also about the sacredness and beauty of love. Thus his books explore some complex and relevant themes.
Despite this, there are no great prose or poetic passages, though this may be a problem of translation. A typical passage from The Pilgrimage illustrates this: “I began to climb, with my face against the humid rock. In ten minutes I was almost to the top. Only one hurdle remained: the final phase, the place where the water fell over the the crest on its trajectory toward the lagoon.”
Like other new age writing, Coelho’s books reduce the world to something a bit too simplistic and straightforward, even as he talks of hidden signs, symbols and mysteries, which if understood, can guide one through life. The claim he makes is that it is always possible to realise one’s dreams, provided one never gives up. Anyone familiar with the lives of great artists, writers and musicians of the past, would know that many followed their dreams, but were recognised and appreciated only long after their death. And there were many more, in all walks of life, who still remain unknown. Yet it is this simplistic promise of hope that leads to the popularity of books of this kind.
Coelho also writes articles and essays. His Letter to Bush at the time of the Iraq war, has received worldwide appreciation for his anti-war approach. He has received several awards and his work has been translated into 56 languages and has sold millions of copies.
Paulo Coelho is a versatile writer, with books including accounts of secret Catholic sects, pilgrimages and visions of angels, as well as explorations of magic, mystery and psychology.
In his best known book, The Alchemist: A Fable About Following your Dream, Coelho tells the story of Santiago, an Andalucian shepherd, who dreams one night of treasure in the far off Egyptian pyramids, and literally sets off to follow his dream. Finally he meets a real alchemist, who guides him on a spiritual path.
Coelho, a Brazilian, pursued his childhood dream of writing, but did not have an easy journey. In fact as he chose to follow a somewhat unconventional path, his parents thought he was deranged, and thrice had him incarcerated in a psychiatric hospital.
Coelho did not give up, and first attained some success in writing songs, and a political comic strip. The latter led to his arrest, and he was freed only after convincing the authorities that he was insane, and not responsible for his actions.
Encouraged through a chance encounter to return to Catholicism, the religion of his birth that he had abandoned because of its rigidity, he joined a Catholic sect, RAM (Regnum Agnus Mundi), and embarked on a pilgrimage to the shrine of San Tiago (St. James) in Spain. His account of this journey, The Pilgrimage (1987), first brought him some success as a writer. This was followed by The Alchemist, which initially did not do well, but later made him famous and known throughout the world. Other books include The Valkyries, a fictionalised account of his encounter with an angel, By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept, The Fifth Mountain, and Manual of the Warrior of Light, all of which have new age spiritual themes. The Devil and Miss Prym, examines the classic struggle between good and evil, while Brida is about the gift that every person carries within. Veronika Decides to Die, is a somewhat different book, based on his own experiences in a psychiatric ward. Here he tries to understand the reasons to go on living, when everything seems futile. His latest book, Eleven Minutes, is an account of a young Brazilian woman Maria. Though ostensibly about a prostitute, it is also about the sacredness and beauty of love. Thus his books explore some complex and relevant themes.
Despite this, there are no great prose or poetic passages, though this may be a problem of translation. A typical passage from The Pilgrimage illustrates this: “I began to climb, with my face against the humid rock. In ten minutes I was almost to the top. Only one hurdle remained: the final phase, the place where the water fell over the the crest on its trajectory toward the lagoon.”
Like other new age writing, Coelho’s books reduce the world to something a bit too simplistic and straightforward, even as he talks of hidden signs, symbols and mysteries, which if understood, can guide one through life. The claim he makes is that it is always possible to realise one’s dreams, provided one never gives up. Anyone familiar with the lives of great artists, writers and musicians of the past, would know that many followed their dreams, but were recognised and appreciated only long after their death. And there were many more, in all walks of life, who still remain unknown. Yet it is this simplistic promise of hope that leads to the popularity of books of this kind.
Coelho also writes articles and essays. His Letter to Bush at the time of the Iraq war, has received worldwide appreciation for his anti-war approach. He has received several awards and his work has been translated into 56 languages and has sold millions of copies.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Conversations With a Strange Sort of God
There is a story told regarding the Buddha. One of his disciples asked him, do you know all that there is to be known? In reply, the Buddha instructed him to sweep up the dry leaves in the forest and bring them to him. The disciple brought baskets and baskets, but obviously there were many more, and he finally gave up. The Buddha then said that in the same way, no one person could know everything.
Neale Donald Walsch, in his various books, believes he knows everything, and has all the answers. The most popular are his three volumes called Conversations with God, which have been translated into 27 languages, and sold millions of copies. Other books include Conversations with God for Teens, and The New Revelations, Conversations with God in Paperback. Tomorrow’s God is soon to be released (now published).
Walsch’s official website states that after four marriages, each of which ended in divorce, and a variety of jobs, he reached his lowest point when he broke his neck in an accident. As he slowly recovered from this, he asked god a question about how he could make his life better. And a soft voice responded in his head. Walsch then began to take dictation, as he asked a series of questions, and god replied. God, actually the supreme goddess, also told him to reveal this message to the world.Thus these books were written, and god soon made him famous, a multi-millionaire, and in addition assured him that everything he did was fine, wonderful and perfect! Now who could ask for more?
The books are not without value. They cover a vast range of topics, and as they challenge Western concepts of religion, they encourage people to take another look at the beliefs they have always held. The ideas here seem to be based on Hindu myths, Advaita Vedanta, Gnostic and Cathar texts, along with the works of other New Age writers, and Walsch’s own beliefs. The books put forward some original views. Describing her own nature, the goddess says ‘The one unchanging truth is that god is always changing’, and again. ‘Life is change. God is life. Therefore god is change’. Walsch’s goddess also elaborates on certain worthwhile concepts, none of which are new, for instance the Oneness of all creation, equality of all people and religions, the need for world peace, for care of the environment, for seeing that each person has enough for their needs. But the approach to these concepts and related issues, often indicates only a superficial or partial understanding of them.
In addition he, in the name of the goddess, advocates free sex, advises everyone to be themselves, to follow their own desires, and to do that which makes them happy. Possibly there’s nothing wrong with all this, though there is nothing particularly spiritual either. As one critic of his book Conversations with God for Teens, wrote ‘The author of this book tries to offer something everyone wants to hear”.
Apart from certain odd views, such as that Bush (senior) is one of the greatest leaders of the world, it is the endless praise god or rather the goddess gives Walsch, quoted extensively in his books, that really makes one feel it’s a strange sort of god. For instance,Walsch’s marriage vows (for the fifth marriage, one presumes), are ‘just the best anyone on your planet have come up with so far’. The goddess also tells him ‘You are the life and the way. The world will follow you. You are not at choice in this matter. It is the only matter in which you have no free choice’. She makes Walsch repeat after her, ‘ I am a great teacher. A teacher of eternal truth’.
Walsch is absolutely right in promoting the self, but he has failed to understand the very basic distinction between the egoistic self with all its desires, and the true SELF, also known to us as Atman or Brahman.
The best one can say of his Conversations, if not an outright hoax, is that Walsch genuinely felt he was communicating with a higher power, while he was actually regurgitating from his subconscious what he had already read, coloured by his own beliefs.
On the whole the books present a mixture of truths, half-truths, and misconceptions, and reflect a somewhat limited knowledge. But to a world hungry for spiritual solace and comfort, any such mixture seems to become popular.
Neale Donald Walsch, in his various books, believes he knows everything, and has all the answers. The most popular are his three volumes called Conversations with God, which have been translated into 27 languages, and sold millions of copies. Other books include Conversations with God for Teens, and The New Revelations, Conversations with God in Paperback. Tomorrow’s God is soon to be released (now published).
Walsch’s official website states that after four marriages, each of which ended in divorce, and a variety of jobs, he reached his lowest point when he broke his neck in an accident. As he slowly recovered from this, he asked god a question about how he could make his life better. And a soft voice responded in his head. Walsch then began to take dictation, as he asked a series of questions, and god replied. God, actually the supreme goddess, also told him to reveal this message to the world.Thus these books were written, and god soon made him famous, a multi-millionaire, and in addition assured him that everything he did was fine, wonderful and perfect! Now who could ask for more?
The books are not without value. They cover a vast range of topics, and as they challenge Western concepts of religion, they encourage people to take another look at the beliefs they have always held. The ideas here seem to be based on Hindu myths, Advaita Vedanta, Gnostic and Cathar texts, along with the works of other New Age writers, and Walsch’s own beliefs. The books put forward some original views. Describing her own nature, the goddess says ‘The one unchanging truth is that god is always changing’, and again. ‘Life is change. God is life. Therefore god is change’. Walsch’s goddess also elaborates on certain worthwhile concepts, none of which are new, for instance the Oneness of all creation, equality of all people and religions, the need for world peace, for care of the environment, for seeing that each person has enough for their needs. But the approach to these concepts and related issues, often indicates only a superficial or partial understanding of them.
In addition he, in the name of the goddess, advocates free sex, advises everyone to be themselves, to follow their own desires, and to do that which makes them happy. Possibly there’s nothing wrong with all this, though there is nothing particularly spiritual either. As one critic of his book Conversations with God for Teens, wrote ‘The author of this book tries to offer something everyone wants to hear”.
Apart from certain odd views, such as that Bush (senior) is one of the greatest leaders of the world, it is the endless praise god or rather the goddess gives Walsch, quoted extensively in his books, that really makes one feel it’s a strange sort of god. For instance,Walsch’s marriage vows (for the fifth marriage, one presumes), are ‘just the best anyone on your planet have come up with so far’. The goddess also tells him ‘You are the life and the way. The world will follow you. You are not at choice in this matter. It is the only matter in which you have no free choice’. She makes Walsch repeat after her, ‘ I am a great teacher. A teacher of eternal truth’.
Walsch is absolutely right in promoting the self, but he has failed to understand the very basic distinction between the egoistic self with all its desires, and the true SELF, also known to us as Atman or Brahman.
The best one can say of his Conversations, if not an outright hoax, is that Walsch genuinely felt he was communicating with a higher power, while he was actually regurgitating from his subconscious what he had already read, coloured by his own beliefs.
On the whole the books present a mixture of truths, half-truths, and misconceptions, and reflect a somewhat limited knowledge. But to a world hungry for spiritual solace and comfort, any such mixture seems to become popular.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Prison Diaries
by Roshen Dalal (first published, 2003)
Jeffrey Archer, better known for his political thrillers such as Cain and Abel, and Shall We Tell the President, as well as other crime fiction, has recently written three prison diaries.
Convicted in 2001 for perjury, Lord Jeffrey was sentenced to four years in prison, but released in 2003 after having served a sentence of two years, two days. He did not stop writing when he was in prison, completing three volumes on his life in various jails, as well as a new work of fiction, Sons of Fortune, which has a Bollywood-like plot of twins separated at birth.
His three prison diaries, of which the first two are available here, are: Volume One – Belmarsh: Hell; Volume Two – Wayland: Purgatory; Volume Three – North Sea Camp: Heaven. Though in a very different class from the great philosophical writings of someone like Solzhenitsyn, who described life in the Russian labour camps, Archer’s Diaries are nevertheless worth reading.
In Volume One, he is incarcerated in the high security prison of Belmarsh. Amenities are few, and sixty-one year-old Archer, used to a life of privilege and luxury, has a problem with prison food, with being enclosed in a cell for long periods of time, with the noise, and with the difficulties of having a shower and keeping clean.
Yet his writer’s spirit keeps him going, as he makes friends with the prisoners, learns the details of their lives and crimes, teaches a creative writing class, and helps some of them to write letters home. And indefatigably, he spends hours writing every day.
His life in a more open C Category prison forms the topic of his second book. Though Archer still doesn’t like the food, the facilities are far better. There’s a television in every cell, a gym, a library, and at least five different choices on the menu every day! For instance, for Sunday dinner he can choose from: Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding / Steak and Kidney Pudding / Pork Chop / Vegetable Stew / or Creamy Vegetable Pie. Archer’s new prison friends provide him with all he needs for an unofficial fee, and he even gets his cell repainted and decorated. Once again, he learns about the prisoners’ lives and stories, and most important, continues to write. His entries in Volume 2 reflect his improved lifestyle. For instance, he writes, “When I get back to my cell I find a biography of Oscar Wilde by Sheridan Morley awaiting me on the bed. I had asked Steve (conspiracy to murder, chief librarian) to reserve this book for me. Nothing like a personal delivery service”. He adds , “ Not a bad day, but please don’t think, even for a moment, that it’s therefore been a good one”. Of course, no matter what the facilities may be, no one can feel content in prison.
The Diaries are interesting as they not only provide insights into the British prison system, but into human nature. In addition, Jeffrey Archer’s refusal to give in to depression, his concern for his fellow prisoners, and his positive approach to his traumatic experiences, are inspiring. One looks forward to the release of the third volume in India.
Jeffrey Archer, better known for his political thrillers such as Cain and Abel, and Shall We Tell the President, as well as other crime fiction, has recently written three prison diaries.
Convicted in 2001 for perjury, Lord Jeffrey was sentenced to four years in prison, but released in 2003 after having served a sentence of two years, two days. He did not stop writing when he was in prison, completing three volumes on his life in various jails, as well as a new work of fiction, Sons of Fortune, which has a Bollywood-like plot of twins separated at birth.
His three prison diaries, of which the first two are available here, are: Volume One – Belmarsh: Hell; Volume Two – Wayland: Purgatory; Volume Three – North Sea Camp: Heaven. Though in a very different class from the great philosophical writings of someone like Solzhenitsyn, who described life in the Russian labour camps, Archer’s Diaries are nevertheless worth reading.
In Volume One, he is incarcerated in the high security prison of Belmarsh. Amenities are few, and sixty-one year-old Archer, used to a life of privilege and luxury, has a problem with prison food, with being enclosed in a cell for long periods of time, with the noise, and with the difficulties of having a shower and keeping clean.
Yet his writer’s spirit keeps him going, as he makes friends with the prisoners, learns the details of their lives and crimes, teaches a creative writing class, and helps some of them to write letters home. And indefatigably, he spends hours writing every day.
His life in a more open C Category prison forms the topic of his second book. Though Archer still doesn’t like the food, the facilities are far better. There’s a television in every cell, a gym, a library, and at least five different choices on the menu every day! For instance, for Sunday dinner he can choose from: Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding / Steak and Kidney Pudding / Pork Chop / Vegetable Stew / or Creamy Vegetable Pie. Archer’s new prison friends provide him with all he needs for an unofficial fee, and he even gets his cell repainted and decorated. Once again, he learns about the prisoners’ lives and stories, and most important, continues to write. His entries in Volume 2 reflect his improved lifestyle. For instance, he writes, “When I get back to my cell I find a biography of Oscar Wilde by Sheridan Morley awaiting me on the bed. I had asked Steve (conspiracy to murder, chief librarian) to reserve this book for me. Nothing like a personal delivery service”. He adds , “ Not a bad day, but please don’t think, even for a moment, that it’s therefore been a good one”. Of course, no matter what the facilities may be, no one can feel content in prison.
The Diaries are interesting as they not only provide insights into the British prison system, but into human nature. In addition, Jeffrey Archer’s refusal to give in to depression, his concern for his fellow prisoners, and his positive approach to his traumatic experiences, are inspiring. One looks forward to the release of the third volume in India.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
A Traveller’s Guide
(first published 2003)
“ To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantist sensations in the world.” (Freya Stark).
Leaving your home and going to a new place, facing discomforts and meeting strangers, and yet enjoying it all, is the mark of a true traveller. Today there are several books to help travellers, such as the Lonely Planet and Eyewitness Travel Guide series, but one of the earliest guides was first published in 1854. Called Hints to Travellers, it was little more than a pamphlet, written by Mr Coles, and brought out by the Royal Geographic Society. Over the years it was expanded and revised until by 1938 it had grown into two volumes. This fascinating guide was meant for geographers, surveyors, botanists, and anthropologists, who travelled to remote parts of the world, exploring and collecting information. It has sections on preparing for the journey, food, clothes, care of your camel, crossing the desert in a motor-car and treating the diseases one may acquire along the way. It is filled with quotes and advice from travellers of those days. The current Eyewitness Travel Guides provide tips on local customs and etiquette, and the sort of gifts to give. Hints to Travellers has similar passages. For instance, it says, “ For south-eastern Tibet a large stock of presents must be taken to give to the high officials…… whatever is given must be of the best quality. Field glasses, gramophones, and European shoes (size 7 is usual) are always much appreciated, while for less important gifts, raincoats, Trilby hats, and umbrellas are very useful.”As in today’s guides, there are special tips for women. Here the book quotes the intrepid woman traveller Freya Stark, who learned Arabic and other languages and travelled alone to the most inaccessable and inhospitable territories. In Persia and Arabia, she found it was best for a woman to travel without escorts. “To be entirely dependent on the hospitality of your hosts, is far the safest way of getting through difficult country.” As for clothes, she says, “ I wear ordinary women’s dress and find that modesty as to long sleeves, high neck or skirt are all commented on and appreciated.”
The section on food encourages the traveller to eat what is locally available. Even unusual items can taste good and be nutritious. The explorer Sanderson reported from the Cameroons, that they ate various creatures, including, “ white ants fried on buttered toast, and monitor lizards in curries. This diet, combined with fresh native vegetables gathered in the bush, probably accounted for our good health.” Travelling in the Eastern Himalayas, P. Kingdon Ward writes, “The leaves of several forest herbs furnish a sort of spinach. More palatable are some of the edible forest fungi.”
Hints to Travellers gives us an idea of the customs and way of life in different parts of the world in the early twentieth century, the small details that one rarely finds in history books. Those interested in the past, as well as those who travel to understand, explore and learn, would still be inspired by it.
(by Roshen Dalal)
“ To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantist sensations in the world.” (Freya Stark).
Leaving your home and going to a new place, facing discomforts and meeting strangers, and yet enjoying it all, is the mark of a true traveller. Today there are several books to help travellers, such as the Lonely Planet and Eyewitness Travel Guide series, but one of the earliest guides was first published in 1854. Called Hints to Travellers, it was little more than a pamphlet, written by Mr Coles, and brought out by the Royal Geographic Society. Over the years it was expanded and revised until by 1938 it had grown into two volumes. This fascinating guide was meant for geographers, surveyors, botanists, and anthropologists, who travelled to remote parts of the world, exploring and collecting information. It has sections on preparing for the journey, food, clothes, care of your camel, crossing the desert in a motor-car and treating the diseases one may acquire along the way. It is filled with quotes and advice from travellers of those days. The current Eyewitness Travel Guides provide tips on local customs and etiquette, and the sort of gifts to give. Hints to Travellers has similar passages. For instance, it says, “ For south-eastern Tibet a large stock of presents must be taken to give to the high officials…… whatever is given must be of the best quality. Field glasses, gramophones, and European shoes (size 7 is usual) are always much appreciated, while for less important gifts, raincoats, Trilby hats, and umbrellas are very useful.”As in today’s guides, there are special tips for women. Here the book quotes the intrepid woman traveller Freya Stark, who learned Arabic and other languages and travelled alone to the most inaccessable and inhospitable territories. In Persia and Arabia, she found it was best for a woman to travel without escorts. “To be entirely dependent on the hospitality of your hosts, is far the safest way of getting through difficult country.” As for clothes, she says, “ I wear ordinary women’s dress and find that modesty as to long sleeves, high neck or skirt are all commented on and appreciated.”
The section on food encourages the traveller to eat what is locally available. Even unusual items can taste good and be nutritious. The explorer Sanderson reported from the Cameroons, that they ate various creatures, including, “ white ants fried on buttered toast, and monitor lizards in curries. This diet, combined with fresh native vegetables gathered in the bush, probably accounted for our good health.” Travelling in the Eastern Himalayas, P. Kingdon Ward writes, “The leaves of several forest herbs furnish a sort of spinach. More palatable are some of the edible forest fungi.”
Hints to Travellers gives us an idea of the customs and way of life in different parts of the world in the early twentieth century, the small details that one rarely finds in history books. Those interested in the past, as well as those who travel to understand, explore and learn, would still be inspired by it.
(by Roshen Dalal)
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