“Epicureans"

A philosophy. A way of life. A forgotten manner of living. It is a style of leading life based on the precepts of Epicurus. His idea of life was to live in a state of ATARAXIA , a state of crystalline existence, coupled with the freedom from any kind of troubles and engrossment. History has seen many Epicureans through the course of time. Some of them include the great poet Horace who gave the very famous statement of Carpe Diem, which means, seize the day, pretty much endorsing the very philosophy of Epicureans. And the philosopher Lucretius, who based his entire life bordered on the lines of Epicureanism. However the one that most would remember vividly is Caius Cassius from Julius Caesar, leader of the conspiracy against Caesar and brother-in-law of Brutus. His characterisation is one of a kind, and an intriguing one at that. He was one of the most intelligent men that Caesar had in his legation. He was also very skilled at finding out the true ideals of men and manipulating it, to do his bidding. Friendship is very important to an epicurean. So he hated Caesar not because of his policies but because of the person Caesar has become over the period of time. It was a personal vendetta. As an Epicurean he did not believe in the supernatural and believed that the man and universe are self-governing entities and that man is the agent of his own destiny. However towards the end of the play, his faith in Epicurus began to waiver.

Modern Epicureanism has generated many misconceptions. Epicureans believe that the end of human action is to be free from pain and fear. The doctrine that "pleasance is our first and native good" does not advocate gluttony or limitless self-indulgence; rather it preaches the pleasure of a tranquil mind and body. Over the period of time it has been seen that other schools of philosophy lost their students to the Epicurean school of thought. In the modern times, the critics of Epicureanism have misrepresented it as a lazy-minded, shallow, pleasure-loving, immoral, or godless mockery of real philosophy. In our day the word ‘epicureanism’ has come to mean its opposite—an ostentatious exuberance for rare and expensive food and drink. As far as I have read and studied this philosophy, it has been grossly misunderstood and I would suggest anyone to please have the courage to ignore two thousand years of negative prejudice, and assess this philosophy on its own considerable merits.

The Painting.........(The Cafe Terrace at Night)

It is an experience, myriad of reception of some dulcet ideas and a story. There is always a story that you receive when you see a painting. It is like a visual percept that is thrown at you to comprehend. What is incredible is the representation of what is perceived. It’s the most beautiful thing, how a painting communicates what it has to convey. It is made by someone, it is repainted by someone else, and it is touched up by someone totally different. All these people have different mentations about the same painting, and so it translates itself on the canvas. A painting kept in a museum has been through so many painters, it has a different tale to tell, to whoever would listen.

There is an overflow of thoughts and emotions when I see a painting. And different versions of the same painting have different meanings, and an even more different communication value. It is strange how a warm toned painting, and a slightly less warm version of the same painting has differences in their basic component, in formation of an idea on any mind canvas.

How should I put it? When I see a painting, I am flooded with an overwhelming poetic narration of the ideas, stage setting, background, and a lot more than what this whole page can encompass. It is like going into a trance and being possessed, you are a different person altogether when you experience a painting. It might not be what the painter has wanted to convey, it might not be what the painting’s object might want to convey, but there is a communing that takes place. And that is so choked with details that you cannot even begin to describe it to anyone. It is ingrained in some cubby space of your convoluted mind frame that you cannot give the exact details of it, without a mechanism that can convert the sensory impulses into a visual medium.

So here it goes, I am giving you a painting to experience, it is an art piece by Vincent Van Gogh, called the “Café Terrace at Night”. It has got a history, that is as intriguing as the painting itself. I wanted to write about the series of events that happen in my mind when I see this paricular painting, but then I wanted you to feel it yourself. However, with the painting are listed some cue words for you to see and feel in the painting.

1. The Warm colours

2. The Pebbled roads

3. The starry night( The starry night in the painting, it has no connections whatsoever with “The Starry Night” by Gogh)

4. The people

5. The waitress

6. The couple

7. The houses, dark but lit from inside

8. The Small tables, petite chairs

9. The shed

10. The gallery

11. The lamp

12. The tree

13. The dark buildings

14. The Café’s Verge

15. The Grey threshold

16. The Windows

17. The Dark Alley

18. The pointed tower

19. The short man or the someone…

20. The lady in Red.

A Poem: The cognition of.....

The awaited expression in her eyes

And a tear to follow the pines,

I saw, what the others did not see

To her dismay, it was the last she would see of me,

Her poignant stretch to contain my steps

Were the sapless attempts she could ever make

Confounded, as she was at the joy of other

The only thought she had was that of , fear

For she sat and stared outside

Harboring calmly the pensive inside

That she knew, it would happen someday

But she was never prepared, was the convey

Something within her heart was grieving

To see her granddaughter leaving

To chisel into the beyond…..to hone

Into the yon, and to do it all alone.

“Sustainability”

By giving back to society in every way possible, one builds synergies with the core business, leading to a sustainable effort. Many business believe true sustainability is ensured by means of positive impact of business practices. For the year 2009 Sustainability was the buzzword and since this word was never defined within the room space of water tight compartments, a lot was left under speculation, and probably that is the captivating part. It is a brand new bottle for a very very old wine “Corporate Social Responsibility”. And about recognising that an optimistic and progressive environment not only enhances productivity, but also promotes a feeling of well being, all around. Initiatives in Corporate Social Responsibility are an integral part of the business activities and not outside them, AND that is what the message should have been. And that is WHAT, they never understood. The new fashion included everybody going green, printing monumental reports on environmental issues with green fields and blossom, the companies made a huge cry about it and appointed officials to take care of the whole affair. And that’s that. Period.

However, VERY RECENTLY the new found word has taken a very novel approach in the balance sheet. SUSTAINING THE BUSINESS. After all it still has the word “sustain”. As recession continues its fatalities, marring the upward arrows of most companies, there is going to be a sudden spurt of many of them kicking the bucket. To sustain profits, companies will slash costs and cut jobs, while consumers will be even less prepared to pay extra for organic food or air-travel offsets. The fudging momentum that had been acquired, is going to be lost and the emphasis will again be on creating “worth and value” for the consumer. The easy bets in the entire sustainability debate in favour of going the sustainable way and saving energy will be less convincing, even with low oil prices.

However the government seems to be thinking the sustainable way. With the union budget devoting quite a figure towards the idea, is the only sign of respite. Schemes on riverbank protection, funding the research for clean energy, and the allocation almost doubling for other river basin activities, is definitely a step towards doing it the right way.