Editorial

Mrs Bijaylaxmi Sarangi

A few days back, we had received beautiful suggestions for presenting a newer and younger look of our magazine by including writings of different penchants and brilliance. It is very fair to think of a change because change is always desirable and is subject to high honour. My curiosity prompted me to find a better definition of the term “Youthfulness”- a definition I would rather say to accommodate my thoughts. After a long search I found a suitable definition that my mind uttered - “Youthfulness is an indomitable aspiration to do something unique and novel, a conscious attempt to present oneself completely for achieving a goal, a special vision to sense beauty, a drive to embrace each moment of life and an art of exploring love to the fullest.”  Age never touches those who carry those attributes. We would surely be caring to present the youthful look of our magazine every successive edition.

It is said that change is the only constant. Life presents manifold changes. Change calls forth many opportunities, possibilities, knowledge and happiness. No book of knowledge would be comparable with the knowledge accrued through the experiences of the change that life presents. But man always fears changes; he doesn’t always accept changes easily and readily. Because it also brings along many difficult tests, uncertainties and inner struggles to be fought with courage and wit.

Change also is a requirement. Change gives happiness in mundane life. It brings about a lot of contentment to abandon old things and get new things at their place. Old tastes and needs change in subsequent time period. ‘New’ becomes ‘old’ gradually causing to fade out attractions for it. A kid obstinately asks for a very petty thing and when he/she doesn’t get that thing, he/she begins to yell. When the kid grows up into an adolescent, his/her requirements and choices change. If his/her siblings cry for the former petty thing he/she ridicules. ‘Time’ and ‘necessity’ naturally create these feelings of old-new, worthy-unworthy. But realisation removes that feeling. For a realised person every thing is new, beautiful yet insignificant. Climbing the stairs of consciousness, at last he reaches at the conclusion that “In the beauteous nature, everything else besides the paths leading towards realisation of the ultimate eternal truth is insignificant”.

Day follows morning bringing about evening and night. Each situation leaving behind the earlier one brings about new possibilities and messages in life. The concept of new and old might be true for mortal life but can we apply the same formulae for day-night, sunrise-sunset? Is the occurrence of days and nights different from what used to be some 2000 years ago? Truth never gets old or faded. Likewise the sense of beauty, tastefulness, the sensibility of human heart etc never gets old and never dies. An informal remark of a friend about the future of our culture baffled me greatly. She said, “During the period when our children would grow up into adults, nobody would be wearing sarees and marriages mayn’t be performed as per rituals.” I thought, “If the sense of beauty and tastefulness are immortal, how would the cultures carrying them since ages ever die?” The greatness and glory of our Indian culture has defined great heights for it since the remote Puranic age. The Lord of the universe, Jagannath has been appearing as ever glorying youth attire (Naba Joubana Besha) in the eyes of the devotees since time of yore.

Hence the eyes craving for beauties would still be enjoying the sunrise and sunsets, would still be enjoying the sweet fragrance of flowers, would still be lost in the glory of a full moon, would still be feeling the touch of eternal with the touch of a baby and would still be readying to sacrifice life for exploring a little truth. Love, non-violence and compassion would continue to reach acme in the hearts of men, era after era, in their novel youthful forms….