Impressions along the way

Impressions...

Impressions, Sunrise port of Le Havre 

Oscar-Claude Monet (1840-1926) was a famous French painter and one of the founders of the 'Impressionism movement' along with his friends Renoir, Sisley and Bazille.

Monet rejected the traditional approach to landscape painting and instead of copying old masters, he learned from his friends and the nature itself. Monet observed variations of color and light caused by the daily or seasonal changes. 

Claude Monet's painting of sunrise at Le havre port near his house had started a whole new form of art. This painting is so beautiful and genuine that I could not resist posting it. Monet must have been witnessing it everyday, and must be so obsessed with its sheer beauty that he reproduced it in oil, and certainly felt like sharing it with others. And I think that's what every artist, painters, writers, including photographer are aspiring for. We all want to share our feelings or work with others. That is what I am doing, sharing my thoughts, observations, experiences and my spiritual journey through my blog. 

Impressions are very important for everybody, for the person who is perceiving and at the same time, who or which, is being perceived. Or in other words for subject and object alike. The whole marketing strategy is playing with this "impression" nuance. We all generally talk about "first impression is the last impression". But is it really true?  I think, people, places or things starts unfolding their true nature after some time, so it is not very wise to judge at the first impression. Though it is so common practice, that we all fall pray to it. People with huge houses, designer clothes, big cars or I can say people flaunting their money have more admirers than the less fortunate ones. Nobody really cares how you have horded the wealth, (all that matters is wealth), and in respect to this, a honest person is at loss. This phenomena always saddens me, I do not know why, I think I need to narrate one small story here:

The Story of Bhai Lalo and Malik Bhago

One day Guru Nanak Dev ( sikh saint) reached a place named Mardana. There, a poor carpenter lived named Bhai Lalo. He invited Guru Nanak Dev to lunch. Guru Nanak Dev agreed for he had never differentiated between rich and poor, high and low caste or Hindus and Muslims, etc.On the other hand, Malik Bhago, who was a rich landlord of the village, also sent Guru Nanak Dev an invitation for lunch.

Guru Nanakdevji.

Malik Bhago had got various tasty dishes prepared for Guru Nanak Dev. Guru Nanak Dev sent a message to Bhai Lalo to join him at Malik Bhago’s residence. So Guru Nanak Dev went to Malik Bhago’s residence. There Malik Bhago served a large array of food for Guru Nanak Dev. Just then Bhai Lalo arrived there with two makki rotis. Guru Nanak Dev took the makki roti and started eating them. Malik Bhago saw this and asked, Guruji, I have served such a grand feast for you, yet you are eating this simple food from poor person's hands. "Have I done something wrong?” Hearing this Nanak Dev took a piece of poori from Malik Bhago’s dish in one hand and a piece of Bhai Lab’s makki roti in the other hand. Then he squeezed the food in this palms. Everyone saw that drops of blood flowed from the hand which had Malik Bhago’s poori and drops of milk flowed from the other palm having the makki roti. Everyone was surprised.

Then Guru Nanak Dev smiled and said, “Malik Bhago, you exploit and torture the labourers who work and earn for you. You eat of their blood. It’s their blood that is flowing here. Bhai Lalo works hard and eats his own labour, thus milk flows from his food.  Only saints can have such vision and perception.  So in my opinion it is not good to pass judgement on others at the first meeting or get enchanted by their flimsy material wealth, which would disappear anyway with passing time. As everybody knows that we cannot take anything from this world along with us. 

* Do not get me wrong material is also very important, but don't give it undue importance, that you have to compromised on morality to hoard it or never let it win over relations. Because at the end of day, what matters most is your near and dears and certainly peace of mind.

 Along the way through my life journey, I have also gathered a few "Impressions", which I have shared with readers in my travelogue. 

"Don't ever think, work should/could, be done by hook or crook and impressions does not matter, people forget. 

Because my dear, "impression does matters or only thing that matters is impressions you are leaving behind and people do not forget." 

My special regards to great impressionist french painter Oscar-Claude Monet. Lately I have acquired a strange habit of getting lured or I can say mesmerized by the geniuses, in any field.  All those known or unknown people, who lived or are living, left their imprints or impressions on the sands of time, and became immortal.

My humble obeisance to all of them, and I feel privileged to know them through their work. The list is too long but I would love to share a few names with my readers- Vincent Van Gogh, Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens, Agatha Chirstie, Somerset Maugham, Jane Austen, Alex Haley, Ayn Rand the list is too long, and they all had left deep imprints on me and the millions of readers alike. I had lived their books through their characters.

Last but not the least is our lovable Ruskin Bond. 

Thank you all.

pic web.