JOURNEYING WITH WORDS

and their power to shape eternity

Yesterday, I received a photograph that captured a note handwritten by my father on the opening pages of a book that he had gifted me about a decade back. The contents of the note was simply a quote by the Sufi mystic Jalaluddin Rumi which read...

“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.”

A student, who had borrowed the book from me, shared the photograph and revived my memory. As I revisited its contents after a decade they left me wonderstruck. These words, spoken by a 13th century Anatolian scholar and poet, had travelled across continents and over 750 years to meet me here in the 21st century.

The resting place of Rumi in Konya, Turkey. Rumi is said to have written over 40,000 verses of poetry

In many ways, in the decade since I received this book, I have led myself be ‘drawn by the strange pull of what I really love’, much along the lines of Rumi’s quote. It has marked my shift back into the world of writing, my first love which I had given up to pursue a career in architecture.

Did Rumi’s writing play a role in my journey towards what I loved? Did reading his words subconsciously influence my choices? I will never really be able to determine for sure. But it does make me ponder over the power of words and the timelessness of the construction and meaning of a single sentence. We often recognise the impact of great pieces of literature but the magic that lies in tiny snippets of writing - a sentence, a verse, a phrase, a word, is often underestimated.

Across the history of humankind, thinkers, philosophers, artists, writers and poets have left behind them a trail of wisdom, sometimes in the form of books and verses, but more often in the form of words and sentences scattered over the landscape of time. It is for us to actively seek these traces of wisdom and absorb their beauty.

This beautiful collection of Rumi’s works belongs to the collection of Journalist and Writer Neela D’souza

“There are some words that stay with you forever.“ -

Candace Rose Rardon

recently wrote on her Substack.

Every word that we read, write and speak repeatedly, creates new grooves and new impressions on our minds. It shapes our worldview, which we then radiate to the environment and people around us. Every word of compassion, love and joy gives strength, while every limiting word takes that strength away. Words can hurt, words can heal and thus it's important to constantly choose words that stay with us, weed out those we don't need and nurture those we do.

What are the words and beliefs that we want to radiate into this world? What is the worldview that we want to leave our future generations with? Do we want to spread bitterness, doubt and fear or believe in the totality of possibilities - in a world fashioned by positivity and kindness, love and peace?

I think back to the words uttered by a poet and mystic in a small Anatolian town centuries ago and I trace the journey of those words to another era and another continent to my father who chose to share those words with me. That’s when the power of words feels truly magical.

The photograph of my book with the note written by my father shared back to me by my student Riyesh

“Ever since the Epic of Gilgamesh was written down, countless empires have risen and fallen, the most formidable rulers have perished, and even the tallest buildings have crumbled, yet a poem composed of mere letters has survived the tides of history and here we are still talking about it, still reading it.

How interesting that an epic has proved stronger than the most fearsome and ruthless King Ashurbanipal who owned everything and everyone at the time. How inspiring that a poem made of words and made of breath can be more enduring than the mightiest empires and greediest rulers.”

-

Elif Shafak

A fond memory of Daddy and me sharing words and smiles

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