triveni spotlight A FEATURE EVERY ALTERNATE DAY! hosts: Kala Ramesh and Vidya Shankar GUEST EDITOR: Ustat Kaur Sethi 7th December 2023
wind in the pines why isn’t the right question
— Keith Evetts
haikuKATHA, Issue 20
I once read somewhere, that when you talk about wars, you don’t talk about the death and destruction that follows it, you talk about the charred doll of an eight–year–old girl. Wars have a tendency of stripping us of our humanity, of making us forget, that there exist actual people, people with real lives behind these death tolls and numerals. And that they, with their singular hopes, dreams, wishes and aspirations matter – probably the most in the true scope of things, once you remove the societal expectations that envelope it.
Winter is a time when the world is dusted with snow, but nature sheds away its ostentations – a harsh reminder of the cold that creeps through at that time. For many, it is a time of joy, of remembrance and gratitude. For many others - the ones in makeshift camps, the ones on the battlefield, the ones suffering, it is a beckon to prepare for tough times ahead – because winter is coming, and it will stay. The December edition of Triveni Spotlight is an attempt to look at these realities, with the aim to divert a certain amount of attention to the current conflict plaguing Israel and Palestine.
- Ustat Kaur Sethi
<> <> <>
Thank you for being our next guest editor, Ustat. We are looking forward to this month-long haiku from the past issues of haikuKATHA! Wow! This is going to be a treat!
_()_
I think the word "why" in this poem is very challenging and has a broad meaning. Beautiful! And Congratulations!! It's not just the kids who like to say "why", I also like to ask my grandchildren "why", to see if they understand and show that I'm still paying attention.
Have a nice weekend to all my dear friends❤️
I thought this might be a parent advising a child to stop asking questions and just listen to the wind in the pines, in order to simply feel the world around them. Children, in their infinite inquisitiveness, use the word “why” a lot: “Why is the world round?”, “Why is there a rainbow after the rain?”—and of course, “Why do I have to go to school?” But, thinking more about this, I had to wonder, if why isn’t the right question, there is the suggestion that another question might be...which stumped me!
The magic of the moment lives when we don't analyse it and ask that stupid question: Why?
Thank you for these most welcome comments.
Yes, it is about 'is-ness.' I came to conclude that in many things, 'why?' is the wrong question, unless you believe that there is some great purpose in everything beyond any that you may yourself give (or think you give) to some action of your own or of other people; and that even if so, you will be privileged to find the answer.
The wind in the pines just is...
This is also the Daoist approach.
I left it open to various interpretations. And to reflection: there are other questions, such as 'what?' and 'how?' ....
Even I was wondering why she chose this one, then arrived at this thought: probably because as a child she was introduced to the scriptures, ‘Gurbani‘ that speak of ‘Hukum’ or ‘Hukam’, the Divine Order. They says that whatever exists or happens at a point in time is ordained. These principals keep the Universe in harmony. It is the only WAY this Universe exists/is bound to exist. There is no other way TO BE. There is no ‘WHY’. So even chaos, disasters, wars, calamities are all a part of that Order.
This in Sanskrit is known as Rita — ऋत, and is the basic principal of सृष्टि संरचना or the creation. It also finds a mention in the Rigaveda.…