Thomas Gray wrote thus in An Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard
“Full many a gem of purest ray serene
The dark unfathom'd caves of ocean bear:
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.”
It is my dad, a writer, who introduced me to these seemingly beautiful lines... but the poem bothered me in a profound way. It portrayed a very grim picture of small town lives. Our country sides are full of geniuses that perish without being discovered. As a boy who grew up in one of the smaller towns in India, I sincerely hoped that one day I will make myself renowned in the world for whatever that I am good at but I feared the curse of the small town.
Thankfully my dad also introduced me to a Malayalam translation of these immortal lines. In it, the poet, a wishful thinker perhaps, added one additional line that loosely translates to "Of those one gets noticed one day".
My observation over the recent years have taught me that it is no longer wishful thinking, it is not just the occasional odd gem that gets discovered but these days several gems are getting discovered in regular intervals, thanks to the internet and the networked world that we now live in. And even some of those gems that have been shining for decades without getting a glimmer of attention are now being spotted with ease. Can anyone forget Susan Boyle?
Today, I would like to introduce one such gem from Madurai: Mr. U. Subramaniam. He is a writer who has published six short story volumes over the years. Here are a few short writeups about him that have appeared recently in the popular press.
Hope this gem gets discovered soon and gains all the accolades he so deserves.
“Full many a gem of purest ray serene
The dark unfathom'd caves of ocean bear:
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.”
It is my dad, a writer, who introduced me to these seemingly beautiful lines... but the poem bothered me in a profound way. It portrayed a very grim picture of small town lives. Our country sides are full of geniuses that perish without being discovered. As a boy who grew up in one of the smaller towns in India, I sincerely hoped that one day I will make myself renowned in the world for whatever that I am good at but I feared the curse of the small town.
Thankfully my dad also introduced me to a Malayalam translation of these immortal lines. In it, the poet, a wishful thinker perhaps, added one additional line that loosely translates to "Of those one gets noticed one day".
My observation over the recent years have taught me that it is no longer wishful thinking, it is not just the occasional odd gem that gets discovered but these days several gems are getting discovered in regular intervals, thanks to the internet and the networked world that we now live in. And even some of those gems that have been shining for decades without getting a glimmer of attention are now being spotted with ease. Can anyone forget Susan Boyle?
Today, I would like to introduce one such gem from Madurai: Mr. U. Subramaniam. He is a writer who has published six short story volumes over the years. Here are a few short writeups about him that have appeared recently in the popular press.
Hope this gem gets discovered soon and gains all the accolades he so deserves.
2 comments:
Interesting!
Thank you!
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