“You may or may not doubt the existence of God, you can’t doubt the certainty of death”
Excerpts published from Khushwan's forthcoming book:
Omar Khayyam:
“Into this Universe, and Why not knowing
Nor Whence, like Water willy-nilly flowing...”
and,
“There was a Door to which I found no Key
There was a Veil through which I could not see
Some little Talk awhile of Me and Thee
There seemed—and then no more of Thee and Me.”
Asadullah Khan Ghalib:
Age travels at galloping pace; who knows where it will stop
We do not have the reins in our hands nor our feet in the stirrups.
Tennyson:
“Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea...
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness or farewell,
When I embark.”
I believe in the Jain philosophy that death ought to be celebrated. Earlier, whenever I was upset or low, I used to go to the cremation grounds. It has a cleansing effect, and worked like a therapy for me. In fact, I’d written my own epitaph years ago:
“Here lies one who spared neither man nor God
Waste not your tears on him, he was a sod
Writing nasty things he regarded as great fun
Thank the Lord he is dead, this son of a gun.”
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