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Himalayan Sonneteer: 100 Sonnets of Unsubmission

Book by Abhijit Naskar · 9 quotes · Social Justice, Civic Duty, Life Lessons

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Himalayan Sonneteer: 100 Sonnets of Unsubmission Quotes

“Why do you think I make zero mention of the culture I was born and raised in? It's because if I am to build a world where civilized beings would behave civilized and step across cultural bigotry, I must stand as the anomalous specimen of that possibility myself - I must stand as the ultimate global citizen - as a sapiens of earth, not of borders. Hence, I wiped out every last trace of identity imposed on me by the environment. Today I stand as the Himalayas - many cultures will claim exclusive copyright over me, but no single culture is vast enough to contain me.”

“Dead Men's Tale (The Sonnet) They say, time and tide wait for none, Lest the bird learns it can fly. The best way to control apes is, To make them feel guilty for their light. They say, dead men tell no tale, and yet, We live our lives based on dead men's tale. It is okay to tell tales if it enhances sight, But not the kind that produces a walking hell. There is no divide when we are alive, Divisions exist only in kingdom of the dead. We are divided because we are dead, Come to life, and all divides will be deleted. Let us write a new tale with the spirit of life. Instead of celebrating death, let's celebrate each other's light.”

“So far, heritage has only caused a mess. You know why? Because it is never about just heritage - all talk of heritage inadvertently leads us to the savage dilemma of "our heritage versus their heritage". And such dilemma might have been acceptable in a savage society, but it is totally and utterly out of place in a civilized world. So, either the very construct of heritage evolves, or becomes an impediment to the expansion, hence the welfare, of the world as well as the self. That is why I say - just because you are born and raised in a particular culture, it doesn't mean, you are supposed to stay chained to that culture all your life, with blinkers on your eyes, that keep you ignorant of the beauty beyond the horizon. Let me put this into perspective with an unambiguous example. Some of you have asked me, what's my relation to Turkey? Well, everybody loves Rumi, but I learnt his tongue, so I could pick up where he left off. Some of you have asked me, what's my relation to Latin America? Well, everybody loves to yell "viva la libertad", but I learnt el idioma, so I could revolutionize the very paradigm of revolution. Every corner of earth has some distinct strongholds, and I am the force that brings them together to create a strong, sapient, and undivided planet.”

“Neighborhood Humanitarian (The Sonnet) They ask me, why do I never run out of ideas! It is because I never dwell in one culture. Sometimes I'm North American, sometimes Latino, Sometimes I'm South Indian, sometimes I am Turk. When I run low on charge, I listen to Español, When my sight gets foggy, I watch Cary Grant. Whenever I feel homesick, I listen to some Telugu, Whenever my heart bleeds, I run straight to Turkey. It is sort of a perpetual motion engine, I empower the cultures, the cultures empower me. If I am the world's not-so-secret hometown human, The world is my secret to my infinite electricity. How, do you think, I became the neighborhood humanitarian to every single person on earth! It's because I never glorified one culture over another.”

“Thus Peace Begins (The Sonnet) Peace begins with society, Society begins with individuality. Individuality begins with liberty, Liberty begins with accountability. Accountability comes from unity, Unity comes through community. Community comes through diversity, Diversity comes through inclusivity. Inclusivity comes through nonrigidity, Nonrigidity comes through curiosity. Curiosity comes through expansivity, Expansivity comes through evolvability. Evolvability comes through taming animality. Animality is tamed when we prioritize humanity.”