If you care to observe closely, you will notice that there runs a silken thread in the works of all great writers and artists. You can catch a glimpse of it in this work and a hint of it in that piece but the one theme that forever holds great attraction and promise to any true heir of the arts is youth.
Recurrent theme
The Grecians portray most of their gods as possessing a “Golden youth” that helps common mortals distinguish them. George Elliot in her “Mill on the Floss”, has immortalised how bonds forged in early childhood would remain invincible, come what may.
Also, you will never come across an artist to reckon with, in whose work youth has not been captured at some point — be it to evoke a more profound sympathy or in exaltation of its beauty.
If we delve deeper and care to read between the lines or see between the strokes as the case may be, we will find that these artists see what the rest of us have let sundry things cloud.
The ageless wisdom with which they have been endowed has revealed unto these men and women that of all the universe's wonders, youth is the most fascinating. It is a child with mind unblemished by biases and heart untarnished with resentment that comprehends life in all its glory and bounty. It is in youth that the simple gifts of nature parallel a treasure trove.
It is in youth that all the world seems to be ours to roam and explore to our hearts' content. In all, youth is a warming fire of unceasing joy which is extinguished by gusts of experience all too soon.
When young, possibilities are boundless. There is nothing that is even remotely unattainable. Minstrels serenade with mystical song and angels whisper timeless truths into the ears of the privileged few within the golden gates of youth.
Mould it right
It is the bounden duty of parents, teachers and in fact of every person who possesses any influence over a young mind to take heed, for all the innocence and pliability of childhood can be moulded into whatever form desired.
Renowned psychiatrists around the world believe that the earliest experiences of man create the framework via which he perceives the world for all the years to come. The motives of the most notorious criminal and the inspiration of the most gifted scientist can be traced to mere instances in childhood. In this most impressionable age, minds must be cultivated with care and consciences must be imbibed with values that are worthy of a lifetime.
One cannot be guilty of exaggerating the significance of this, for youth is the critical phase that determines which side of the great divide the individual is to be on – the side that refrains from wrong-doing for fear of retribution or the side that refrains from wrong-doing from his notion of right. For adults therefore, the mantra is not, “Never too late to mend” but “Never too early to cultivate”.
It seems to me that it is not a person's possessions or talents or even qualities that render him immortal but the virtues that he helped engrave in a child that will journey from one soul to another, forever making the world a better place.
THARINI SRIDHARAN, 21, Systems Engineer in TCS
