Skip to main content

Did You Ever Love Me? Book Review: Can Rithvik singh turn heartbreak into a homecoming?

Did You Ever Love Me? by Rithvik Singh is a tender contemporary poetry collection about love, heartbreak, longing, self worth and learning to let go. Its greatest strength is emotional accessibility: Singh writes directly to readers who feel intensely and care deeply. The collection offers comfort without pretending heartbreak is simple, though its simplicity may occasionally feel familiar to seasoned poetry readers. Did you Ever Love Me? Have you ever loved someone so completely that, after they left, you were left wondering whether they had ever understood what they had been given? Not merely whether they loved you, but whether they ever noticed how much you loved them, how much patience you offered, how many small things you remembered, or how often you chose to stay when leaving might have been easier. There is a particular loneliness in that question because it rarely arrives at a dramatic moment. More often, it finds you while you are doing something completely ordinary. Yo...

NATIONALISM AND PEACE/DESTRUCTION

Nationalism- the feeling of being a member of a nation, a feeling that can be deemed either patriotic or fanatic, depending on the extent to which the feeling degrades your ability to be sensible in making decisions on issues that may or may not directly concern the “Individual”. My doubt however is, why in the first place, did a need for such a feeling, such a sentiment arise? To usher in harmony and peace in a piece of land demarcated by boundaries drawn out of language, culture, traditions, lifestyles, food habits etc which in turn led to intolerance, disrespect and the urge to suppress the people of other “Kind” ? Was it to bring in peace or ring in bells of destruction of humanity as we understand it?

Lets see..
Why did I feel the need to live in a society? I feel, I cannot survive on my own? No. I feel, I will have a more comfortable life if I depend on other people? Yes. Am I really open to other people depending on me? Well, maybe, but I would prefer to set some filters first which will help me in short listing those whom I would like, rather those whom I would not mind helping(mind you, I am not putting any filters on receiving help.). Fine, the conditions are worked upon and accepted by a group who later go on to make a society and in the larger picture a nation. Now, peace and harmony prevail in my nation and so does humanity and kindness. I happy or am I?
There is something else that I see with the people of other nations and I want it (here I has now become a “We”, we standing for a nation), but at the same time I am not ready to relax my filters. Do I forget about it? No. Why? Because I cannot survive without having them? No. Because I am greedy for anything and everything that grants me a better life physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually? YES. Thus, what do I have my hands filled with? Wars, death and destruction, inhumanity and cruelty, abuse of basic human rights! In all of this we still manage to maintain a fair amount of peace within our nation!
What’s my conclusion? Should we have nations in the world? Yes. We should encourage the feeling of nationalism? Yes. Why? To maintain peace and harmony only in that piece of land? Absolutely yes! Should I have that selfish eye on what other nations have that I don’t? No. Do I have it? Yes. Do I restrain myself? No. Because I want the best for myself? Yes. Is it wrong??? No (here I have turned into a fanatic, but then can anyone define a universally accepted line as a demarcation between nationalism and fanatic nationalism??). Why not? My motherland is the greatest! Here’s where any rational man would drop his guns, because he will not be able to convince me that I am wrong.

So the million dollar question is, “what did my nationalism give me?” Peace or destruction?

Comments

Solitary.sailor said…
i guess you have just in short described today's indiviudual thinking......
in todays world it its all self promotion and stuff..everyone just want to have his or her own security by exploiting others but when it comes to help others they will have there own defined confined spheres.....
Si_Lee said…
yep ... infact wasnt it also the reason behind colonialism ??
ANswer to your question
Peace and love
Si_Lee said…
Peace and love ...???
I wont contest it ... you are entitled to your opinion on this one as it is a feeling and feelings can be very diff . for diff people
Anonymous said…
What a wonderful topic? I like your blog very much. Thanks for sharing.
Buy Indian domain

Also read

Its Time Folks!!

-> Muthalik's cry against Valentine's Day or his horrific beating of defenseless girls in Mangalore. (disgraceful but i'm sure he was jealous coz he is still a bachelor at that ripe old age) -> Bombings planned by Hindu Religious Leaders and the emergence of "Indian Mujahideen". (stupid fools can think of only violence and even a sadhvi was a part of this. I'm sure each everyone is corrupt. I won't be surprised if they were working for some islamic terrorist group) -> The atrocities against Christianity in Mangalore and Orissa. (Shows that our country's intellectual level is growing in reverse!!) -> Curtailing of pub culture in the Pub City of India. (Again socialistic losers who think they are correct and people should live in only way!! U asses democracy means freeedom of individuals and an individual never lives in the same way as others do!!) -> Rajasthan CM announcing that he will do away with mall culture. (I think he is working fo...

Inspector Sharma-India salutes you

Its a sad day for the nation as it bids the final farewell to Delhi police inspector Mohan Chand Sharma. He died on Friday in an encounter with the terrorists who were involved in the Delhi bomb blasts. The nation could've rejoiced today with the successful operation of killing 2 terrorists and nabbing one, if not for the painful loss of this brave soul. He was the first one to enter the building where the terrorists were said to be hiding. Just think of the courage displayed by this man in the hour of need. As he knocked on the door, he heard some commotion going on inside. So he went inside through another door and was shot at. His team members swung into action after this and it was all over in the blink of an eye. Though he was taken to the hospital, Sharma succumbed to his injuries soon. He was a tough cop who has taken part in many successful encounters and brought laurels to the Delhi police force, but sadly this one proved his last. The terrorists who were killed were not m...

Satyameva Jayate - Free speech

More than 40 people have died in the riots that have followed the killing of Swami Lakshmanananda in Kandhamal in Orissa. 5 people were killed and 47 injured in Mumbai when Jerry Falwell made some comments saying that the Prophet of Islam was a violent man and a terrorist. 12 people had died in Mumbai in anti-rushdie riots. There are more instances I can point out, but these stand out because of the scale and because of how related India is to last two people. Mr. Falwell runs a Christian ministry in US and Salman Rushdie, although ethically an Indian, had migrated to Pakistan and was a citizen of UK at that time. Of all riots that took place all over the world following the statement by Jerry Falwell and against Salman Rushdie, India was the only place with causalities. Orissa has been a hotbed of communal tensions between Hindus and Christians for a while now. India is the largest democracy which is more than 60 years old. Why then are we so undemocratic in our conduct? I will not sa...