There exists a lone traveller. He who has been travelling on
and on into the endless pit of destiny and has never stopped. He may transform
in between to one of his infinite forms which is his camouflage. But under the
hood, he is always the same old traveller, searching for the checkered flag all
along, in vain. His hope is well depicted in the fact that he never gets tired,
or it may even be an internal state of Amnesia which erases the previous
chapter from his encyclopaedia of experiences. He is seen faintly, walking down
the dark pathway, looking around for another sensual soul to bear witness to a pure
version of what was called ‘truth’. Terrains shift, moods fluctuate, the
conditions around him keep on circulating, other souls pass-by, but he is
unable to obtain even a sense of presence from any of those; an opaque casing
seems to cover the entire aisle. Surroundings irreverent, conditions
irrelevant. The whole web-framework including all the simplicities and
complications, tries to gobble up its own tail, never actually perioding the
brunch.
The lone traveller is nothing but, a depiction of the entity
called LIFE.
‘Seasons change. Do
we?’...in remembrance, the tagline of the autobiographical book by one of the
lead characters in the renowned Malayalam film ‘Rithu’. The phrase carries with
it, a perception of inquisitiveness. A year bears with it a change of various
seasons. But, a year is, in such a consideration, a perfect fractal. The
internal constituent of a year, the month, also carries with it, the privilege
of varying climate over patches of time. So is the case with the fractal month,
when each day does the very same, making each and every structural component, a
fractal. Although these conditional clauses of existence provide a diverse
panorama, ultimately all pass through the same gate, however big or small they
may be, however long or short they may be. Time-frames and intensities over a
large ruler, but each, a multiple of a basic fragment which is basically, the
symbiote which encloses the whole anatomy.
The interrogation here is, simple both in verse and in
context. How do the lone traveller and the fractal framework co-exist? Under
in-depth inspection, it is clearly visible that both concepts interlink each
other perfectly. Seasons change in behaviour, life also changes in behaviour.
Seasons vary from place to place, life differs from person to person. The
prototype of seasons is the climate, the prototype of life is the soul. Seasons
cycle back with minor changes the following year, life cycles back with minor
changes in a different form. Thus, we see an exact interlink between these two
conceptual points-one physically visible, the other mentally acquirable. A keen
look into a fragment may give a clue towards how a whole year can depict a
complete lifetime.
The very first real season of a year is SPRING. The
nomenclature well suits it. Also synonymic with the mountain stream which gives
pure, fresh, unpolluted water, this season stands for the height of joy, hope
and serenity which marks another chapter. The season where the sunny, warm
climate makes it desirable to get outside and rejoice. All the adjectives and
praises only point the finger to one event. The magic of BIRTH. The birth of an
individual is a matter of social ecstasy. It is a matter of the burning blaze
of hope for some, while it is the satisfaction of continuity for others.
Flowers bloom in spring, so does birth rejuvenate the souls of idle minds. The
freshening ambience fills the air; the smiling faces are everywhere to be seen.
Thus, the numero uno season of Spring illustrates the numero uno character of a
complete life, the birth of an individual.
When Spring waves goodbye, comes SUMMER. The scorching-hot
fire in the mighty sun engraves an appellation in the milestone of our world,
that still there is nothing beyond him to influence us. The sultry lifestyle
and frequent idleness characterise the time-frame. In contrast, this is also a
favourite season for tourists. The time when people grab official leave and set
out to explore ‘cooler hotspots’ which were still missing links in their diary.
They euphemize the season to their need, ultimately sprouting productivity from
the seemingly unproductive time. This is the whole process of GROWING UP. The
brand new surroundings and conditions exposed to the soul are tough to adjust
to and it takes time to get accustomed. But, the helping hand provided by
people who saw many more full moons always does the trick in moulding the soul
into a real person. The childhood seems to be the age of timid pranks and
simplicity which is just meant to be enjoyed and from which enjoyment is to be
derived. But, ultimately it turns out that, childhood is the time when the
foundation for values is laid and to an extent, strengthened. The right and the
wrong is taught, the do’s and dont’s are told, the pros and cons are explained,
and the child finally graduates out with some of the most priceless principles
of life; creating maximum productivity out of the seemingly unproductive
timeline.
Now is the advent of a patch of showers. The RAIN. The
entity which is always viewed as the illusion of the supreme creator, even by
grown-ups who are well versed with the nooks and corners of the scientific
pathway behind it. Rain is welcome as a sudden freshener-compared to the role
of a surprise entertainer, who enters out of the blue, brings out his talent to
the fullest and exits, leaving marks of smiles on people’s faces and minds. Rain
sometimes puts important work, whether official or personal, in jeopardy.
Still, even while shadowing the entire scene with a curse or two, people enjoy
the peaceful little vacation from the wayward life of documents, jobs, missions
etc, silently thanking Providence for the marvel he has bestowed upon the
world. This, precisely, is the process of LIVING. Frequent obstacles in life try
to detour people into a highly rough terrain which seems inevitable. But, even
while cursing the conditions and situations which led to the unexpected detour,
people understand the hidden bliss in the ambience and see the detour in
another angle, which makes them feel important and needed. Finally, when the whole
task is completed, people feel the contentment of having achieved something
worthy with their life.
Closely following the rain, comes AUTUMN or the FALL. The
season of complete peace and silence. The trees prepare for their year-ending
by shedding their leaves, proving their veracity to their life-cycle. The
preface before the trees start their process of resilience. The twilight is the
most favourite time of the day incorporated into the structure of the fall. The
popular Autumn scenario consisting of the setting sun, the surroundings covered
with falling leaves, people sitting on a bench gazing at people walking past
are perfect omens to what Autumn represents in life. What else, but the OLD
AGE. People have seen and heard what all they should have, and now, is the time
to chronologically remember what all life has taught them till now. They shed
their leaves of public enthusiasm and retire into a calm life, still silently
enjoying all that is happening, and smiling and thinking at the wonderfully
connected phenomenon of ‘existence’. The setting sun and the shed leaves
symbolise the fall of external activity, but the colourful picture says that
inside the mind, they are still prosperous. The people sitting on the bench-the
old, wise generation and the people moving about, the young, activity-filled
generation. The gaze is nothing but a watchful eye, protecting the young from
dangers, as well as an intrigued vision on how the young have changed from the
old.
Finally, the year ends with the WINTER. A season where
climate brings down it’s extreme chill and tries to wear living things out. A
season where normal life sidetracks to give way to an alternate existence
altered and certified for the chill. Even though nature’s wrath strikes the
world heavily, people transform the conditions into their way and find a path
to find a different meaning to it. They try to be cheerful even in the midst of
the frozen spine, and find the winter to be ‘different’. This is nothing but
the curtain-fall of life-DEATH. The normal life which people carried on till then
seems to be over and something new comes up. Death is the loss of an individual
who saw and experienced much during his life time, and so, in effect the
younger generation is losing a reference scripture. Much like nature’s harsh
blow. But, positively thinking, it is a goodbye to a time well-spent and a life
well-lived. People send the dead off, paying homage to their contributions to
the world till then. Even that ends on a positive note, with the hopes of truth
in the concept of rebirth, bringing back their vigour in expectance of another
good individual who can contribute to the next generation.
This direct correspondence between the lone traveller and
the fractal framework cannot be a coincidence. Such perfect blending of facts
and figures actually give way to a much wider scenario to think and wonder
about the meaning of life. This can be a proof that all that is around us, is
indeed a moral study to each and every one of us. Providence gave us all the
resources to make ourselves a better person. The challenge exists in the
harnessing of those resources to the highest potential and efficiency.
