Pramila dwells on life and coexistence, in this verse, exclusively for Different Truths.

We exist because others exist
And yet, every day we pretend others don’t exist.
How long?

Each one of us has flamboyant ambitions,
An insatiable desire for perfection.
Creative, smart, realistic and flexible,
We want to bring our plans to fruition
And the voice within us that says
‘Move on,’ cannot be stilled.

It is believed that if we want
To achieve something in life,
The ensemble of the entire cosmos
Conspires with us to make of this daunting task
A mission successful and plausible.
It is the glorious path of full consciousness
That sages have worked on for years
That helps to open the sleeping eye.
It is the spirit of togetherness
Which under the yoke of ignorance
Looked like a bull without horns.

Einstein’s theory of relativity
Just turned hundred years old.
Faraday, Marie Curie, Michelin, Darwin,
To mention but a few, have left light for us
And gone.
Like winged messengers of love, they brought
Light and love to the world
To dissipate darkness.

Let us learn to co-exist.
Let our growth be stable, slow and continuous
And perseverance, the fountain of all our actions.
Let us sit together and look at the sun-lit lake,
The lush landscapes, the meandering rivers
And while we string the jasmines together,
Our children will grow together
As men and women
Of a perfect and united civilisation.

Picture design by Anumita Roy, Different Truths