Self-expression - An element of a happy life

19.03.26 04:20 PM

Swami Vivekananda says, “all poetry, painting, and music is feeling expressed through words, through colour, through sound.” Our theme this month is based on this self-expression. We invited our readers and resource persons to send us their creative work that they use to understand, speak and communicate with the world. An expression that unburdens and provides immense joy!

POETRY

Strength - Where I Still Stand…

By Divya Satish, Student of Grade 12, Excel Public School, MYsore

They say strength is fire, one that never bends, 

With steady hands, a will that never ends.

They say the strong don’t stumble - they only fight,

They stand unbroken through the darkest of  nights. 

 

They call it a mask that hides every pain,

A voice unshaken through every mere strain.

They say it’s moving on, and never looking back,

A smile in hard times, hiding every little crack.

 

But strength, to me, sounds nothing like their tales,

It may not roar, it may even appear frail.

It trembles, it breaks, it goes unseen -

Yet it is mine, fierce in the spaces between.

 

Strength is in the moment my eyes refuse to lie,

The courage behind tears I no longer deny.

It is  in knowing that I am fragile, still feeling it all,

It is a spark that rises though I nearly fall.

 

Yes, I do - I start in pieces, small and frail,

My voice a whisper, my hands pale.

My chest, often a storm no one can see,

A tide of hopelessness that pulls down on me.

 

It feels like weakness - every shiver,

The kind that shows doubt and fear.

But then, a spark ignites deep inside -

This is my courage, my unyielding guide.

 

The spark grows, only grows,

And slowly, I reach, as my hands find themselves.

I cradle myself, my heart steady and true,

And soon, it becomes my strength - the fire that carries me through.

 

Strength is the moment my voice cracks -

And I still speak, although it feels like I lack.

It is when my hands are trembling, and they still reach for help,

Finding courage in the quiet, somewhere within myself.

 

It is giving myself the space I need,

It is saying aloud, “I am hurting,” and letting it bleed.

It is facing myself, looking back in the mirror,

Even when I have confessed truths hidden behind my armour.

 

Strength is still rising with the morning’s light,

Holding myself steady, standing through the faint fight.

Strength is letting out the tears I once swore to keep inside,

It’s carrying pain like water and refusing to drown in the tide.

 

Strength is in expression, in admitting what I do not know,

In letting questions rise, and letting courage grow.

It is in staying, even when the world would turn away,

In owning each hurt, and letting myself stay.

 

 

This strength is forged in moments only I have known -

A quiet power, fully mine, yet endlessly grown.

And that kind of strength - it’s not really quiet;

It is the strength of simply continuing to be. 

Music 
​"Music is the highest art and, to those who understand is the highest worship" - Swami Vivekananda

Self- expression often brings us closer to inner harmony. For me, music has always been that path. A humble rendition of Chandrachooda Shiva Shankar Parvati in Raga Darbari Kannada 

Singer: Mr. Rohan Pillai, Associate Professor, Delhi Technological University

Music has been a constant companion in my life since childhood. I began learning Tabla (Guru – Makrand Halwe Sir) and Vocals (Guru – Ramesh Indu Basu Sir and Gurumaa Sudeshna Basu Mam) at the age of five, and later completed विशारद in Tabla. During my undergraduate years at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, I was the lead singer of a semi-classical rock band called Saptak, which gave me the opportunity to perform live music on stage and explore music in a collaborative way. Like many college bands, we eventually went our separate ways as everyone pursued different career paths.

In recent years, balancing professional responsibilities, a part-time PhD, and some health challenges meant that music often took a back seat. Yet through all these phases, music has remained a constant friend—my space for reflection and self-expression. I often remind myself of the beautiful line from the song "Ruk Jaana Nahin" by Kishore da:

“रुक जाना नहीं तू कहीं हार के
काँटों पे चलके मिलेंगे साये बहार के
ओ राही, ओ राही...”

The message resonates deeply with me -  Life may slow us down with responsibilities, health challenges, or different career paths, but the music within me keeps urging me to move forward.

Arts and Craft (with poems they inspire) - Various Mediums

Finding Myself 
​By Saswati Ghosh (Delhi)

On a stretch of silent velvet black,
Where time itself forgets its track,
I placed a hut of fragile wood...
A trembling heart where longing stood.
Before it flows a river wide,
Not just of water… but of tide
That carries years, that carries pain,
That carries loss like hidden rain.
A little boat without a name,
Drifts softly through life’s silent flame.
No oars of pride, no sail of claim;
Just faith that moonlight stays the same.
The coconut tree, tall and lean,
Stands like a sage of all unseen.
Around its crown a few birds fly,
Like tiny pilgrims in the moonlit sky.
Beside it grows a gentle tree,
Soft leaves whispering silently...
As though they know what hearts endure,
And promise that all wounds will cure.
And then the moon…O tender fire,
A silver wound of soft desire!
It does not shout, it does not weep,
It only guards what souls must keep.
This is not craft upon black cloth,
It is my prayer beyond all oath.
It is the silence after tears,
It is the echo of my lost years.
The hut is body, frail and small,
The river… time that carries all.
The boat… my soul that drifts between,
The seen, the gone, the never-seen.
The birds…like hopes that rise and fly,
Returning home through endless sky.
The leaves that tremble, softly free,
Are whispers of that eternity!
And when this cloth and wood decay,
When my patient hands have passed away,
The moon will still, in silver roam…
And somewhere…I will find my eternal home.

Unwinding Within
​By Nidhi Agarwal (Gurugram)

Each loop untangles the threads 
of confusion, stress,
and mental exhaustion.
Every crochet piece tells a story of compassion, of bonding, 
of quiet moments spent between me and my crochet hook.
When anxiety overwhelms me,
I don’t search for words to explain it.
I simply crochet.

And it becomes my silent friend,
helping me rejuvenate,
breathe a little deeper,
and slowly unwind.

For me, the love for my handwork is Anantaa- infinite, endless, & stitched straight from my heart.

Image from the internet
Author's creative depiction of Moon placed in Anuradha Nakshatra along with Venus in the 7th House

Seeking Knowledge
A Cosmic Invitation
​By Saumil Shah (Bangalore)

At the heart of existence lies a simple yet profound understanding: Energy is our being. 


What we perceive as the physical body is merely the visible expression of this underlying force—manifesting continuously through sensation, emotion, thought, and action. Beneath the structures of matter and form, life unfolds as a dynamic field of energy. My work begins with this recognition. Every human life enters the world at a singular moment in time. In that moment, the heavens hold a precise arrangement—the Sun, the Moon, the Planets, and the Constellations occupying specific positions across the vast celestial field. This fleeting configuration leaves behind a subtle imprint, a cosmic signature that accompanies us throughout our journey on Earth. Astrology calls this imprint the Natal Chart. Within it converge the 27 Lunar Constellations (Nakshatras), the 12 Zodiac Signs, the 12 Houses that mirror the archetypal stages of human life, and the nine planetary influences that shape the rhythms of our existence. Together they form an intricate design—an energetic blueprint that belongs to each individual alone. No two such designs are ever the same. Within this celestial arrangement lies a quiet affirmation: “Each of us carries a distinct energetic identity, and our lives unfold as expressions of this uniqueness.” Among the planetary rhythms, the Sun moves steadily through the twelve zodiac constellations, completing its cycle in approximately twelve months. The Moon, more immediate in its influence upon life on Earth, travels through the twenty-seven Nakshatras, completing its journey in roughly twenty-eight days. These constellations are not merely distant stars scattered across the sky. They form ancient celestial patterns, each carrying a specific essence and radiating a distinct energetic quality. 


In my work, particular emphasis is placed on the Nakshatras, for they influence the subtler dimensions of our psyche. Their connection with the Moon, the celestial body closest to Earth, makes their energetic imprint especially significant in understanding the inner landscape of a human being. Astrology traditionally adopts a geocentric perspective, observing the Earth as the center from which celestial movements are understood. Within this framework we work with nine planetary influences: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Rahu (North Lunar Node), and Ketu (South Lunar Node). At the moment of birth, these planetary bodies occupy precise positions within the Nakshatras, Zodiac signs, and Houses. This exact configuration forms the Natal Chart—a cosmic map that reflects the energetic blueprint of one’s life on Earth. Within this blueprint we gain insight into our natural gifts, behavioral tendencies, life lessons, and evolving potentials. Yet the dialogue between the cosmos and the individual does not exist only in the sky. Within the Earth itself exist minerals that resonate with planetary energies. Over immense spans of time—often hundreds of thousands, even millions of years—crystals are formed deep within the Earth through heat, pressure, and elemental transformation. What emerges from this process is not merely matter, but a concentrated reservoir of natural force and intelligence. These minerals are known as crystals, and within astrological tradition they are recognized as planetary gemstones. The renowned scientist Nikola Tesla once observed that within a crystal we see evidence of a formative life principle—an intelligence that may not yet be fully understood, yet is unmistakably present. Across civilizations, ancient sages, scholars, and healers recognized this same truth: gemstones possess the capacity to resonate with the subtle energies of the cosmos. Through careful study of the Natal Chart, it becomes possible to understand which planetary energies are already supportive in a person’s life and which may benefit from greater balance. In such cases, specific gemstones—selected with care and precision— can serve as mediums through which these planetary influences are harmonized. When set into thoughtfully crafted jewellery, the gemstone becomes both an aesthetic expression and an energetic instrument—a bridge between the cosmic and the earthly. My work is devoted to guiding individuals through this process: To understand the celestial blueprint present at birth, and to consciously integrate its energies into life through the resonance of gemstones. 


Ultimately, the intention is simple - To deepen awareness of the subtle forces that shape our lives. To restore harmony between the individual and the cosmos. And to remember that beneath all form, we are energy beings participating in a vast and living universe. 

Photography

....and then we found paradise!

Photograph of the Mawsmai Caves, Cherrapunji, Meghalaya by Yashwant Pankaj

RKM GURUGRAM