This innovative interspersing of tenets into
the dramatic tension of the dialogue has touched
a chord with several readers. One of them, the
respected publisher cum critic Ulhas Latkar from
Pune in Western India wrote – “The
format is extremely unusual and refreshing. You
have conveyed in a compact form the tenets of
Buddhist philosophy through the discourse, leading
up to the senseless tragedy that took place at
Bamiyan, outcome of blind following of dogma imposed
by the gun. Both your in-depth study of Buddhist
thought and teachings, and your skill at expression
through flowing verse have come out beautifully
in the book, which I shall keep as a treasured
possession.”
Amol Titus, who believes religion is ultimately
a personal journey of discovery or connectivity
with a deeper cosmic force, submits – “Where
relevant and thematically possible I have tried
to weave into the narrative certain interpretations,
symbols and aspects of Buddhist teachings. These
are based on my own humble and still nascent understanding
of these teachings and any errors can be attributed
to my own interpretative and philosophical shortcomings.”
Darkness at Bamiyan looks at some of the disturbing
facets of modern existence through the eyes
of the two protagonists, Sol Sol and Shahmama.
For example, they lament the seemingly unshakeable
grip of materialism in the chapter titled “A
Consumed Caterpillar”-
“Each
passing moment sacrificed to supremacy of
wants
Scarce solitude subordinated to hierarchy
of needs
Discontented, the blind yearning for earning
man flaunts
On the narcotic fodder of image, ever hungry
he feeds Does
the consumed caterpillar actually evolve?
Is molting a hopeful celebration or a
revolting big lie?
Is the chrysalis shedding potential only
to dizzily revolve
Around flowers of fancy, merely a fluttering
butterfly?”
(II 2 vii-viii)
|
In “The Pincers of Rote and Ritual”
they are troubled by the hatred sown in the name
of religiosities –
“Yet followers
hollow of every faith we have known
Godly tales of sacrifice and suffering
having misread
Ungodly caricatures, much hatred they
have sown
With hubris, the vitriolic spread of intolerance
bred
Are we too progeny
of some propagandist’s zeal?
In the arena of religious one-upmanship,
potent pawns
An overarching presence bringing doubters
to heel
A spectacle in the competing frenzy of
symbolic brawn”
(II 3 xvi-xvii) |
Guilt is a central theme explored in the chapter
titled “Porters of Guilt”. For example,
the guilt emanating from the persistent undermining
of the feminine despite over twenty centuries
of so called “progress” –
“Why are
so many lives frittered between use and
abuse?
Freedoms of normalcy unequally shared,
routinely deprived
Protesting spirits bowed under social
mores, religious ruse
Gender rendered secondary through inferiority
contrived”
(II 5 vii)
|
Then there is the guilt of the masses whose confused
acquiescence often emboldens the perpetrators
of atrocities including the tragedy at Bamiyan
–
“The guilt
of the ruled like the shame of the fooled
Gaping disconnect with time, rare moments
squandered
Bowed mules with the conditioning of the
schooled
A vacuous living, consequences seldom
pondered” (II 5 xiii)
|
A telling quality of Amol Titus’ works is
his ability to raise questions that resonate long
after one has finished reading. Note the foresight
of the following poignant questions uttered by
Shahmama that continue to remain relevant even
today –
“Long after
our destroyers have triumphantly sniggered
Moments of madness erasing what for centuries
had lasted
With what potency will the chain reaction
be triggered?
What endgame will follow our fallen trophies
blasted?” (3 iv)
|
Though the caves in Bamiyan are today dark
and empty and the shrillness of artillery fire
still deafens, the spirit of Sol Sol and Shahmama
has been inimitably preserved in the literary
tour de force called Darkness at Bamiyan. |
