Words from AnupPosted by newgenga on November 12th, 2009

WORDS OF THANKS

Life`s journey has been an never ending challenge to intellect and emotions to conform to the laws of things and adopt to the social criteria for a successful accomplishment in life, or free oneself from the bonds that demand adjustments and sacrifices that will serve the social good and contribute to the happiness of others, which may make one a prisoner of others’ life in return. When one reflects about these challenges in the perspective of the bigger questions of the universe and the meaning and purpose of life, they become more intense and startling.

Before I met Ragne these dilemmas were already driving my emotional and intellectual life and I was not prepared for a journey together with another individual who was in many ways very different from my ways of life. The fact that she belonged to a very different culture mattered least because she was a universalist brought up by parents who bore deep respect for India and her wisdom. She was a student of history and political science while I was doing research about the laws that held the minutest particles in nature together to form the matter in the universe. I was at that time a young existentialist who was trying to guard his freedom from the world, which appeared as a monster standing at every corners of life threatening to devour freedom and deprive life of the opportunity to elevate human existence beyond the realm of the Earth. While I was scared of the fearful devourer of freedom and confined myself in my existential prison, she opened the door to the outside world to show that the monster was just a fantasy of my mind. There existed no such fearful creature out there among other human beings. She took me out and showed that instead of the monster there existed warmth and fresh clean air of a jubilant spirit of life. When she said “I love this mad man” and drew me out to see the beauties in nature and human life I learnt to appreciate the world without fear.

So our life`s journey together began 38 years ago. We have lived like two opposite poles of the same magnet which have helped us to find the direction of our life`s journey. We have gone into different ways: She became a carrier diplomat and I enjoyed my undiplomatic pathway; she saw beauty in the small and the happiness of life amidst family and friends, I flew above all in the cosmos and saw nothing and felt no happiness in any earthly pursuit and desire; she cooked, washed and cleaned while I consumed, created dirt and was not bothered by uncleanness existing in the world. However, like the lines of force of a magnet moving towards the north and the south we met everywhere wherever we trudged like pointers of the same compass.

During this journey together, instead of loosing freedom I gained freedom, instead of being fearful of the monster I was chasing the insects damaging the beauty of the flowers and fruits in the nature, instead of abhorring the trivial moments of life, I was plunging in the universal urges, will and passions for life. Thus a life together became more harmonious and complete.

With amazement I have watched her vitality and energy to mould and form her surrounding and the people around in a positive way. She has devoted most of her professional life for the cause of human rights and freedom for all in the world. She has trudged all over the world to ameliorate the conditions of life of the victims of wars, conflicts and catastrophes. It is not easy to do justice to all that she has done and accomplished in a few words of thanks.

I have made this blog to give a short portrait of her life. It will be enormously demanding to create a full portrait. Therefore I have left aside her professional life as a champion of the human rights and humanitarian cause in the international arena. I have mostly presented the side of her life that has been a source of inspiration to me and people near her.

My making this blog I wish to express my great gratitude and thanks for what she has meant for me and ÅNUN.

If you wish to contribute to this blog describing other sides of her, that are not presented here, please send them to me as an e-mail (anup.rej@c2i.net ), or by leaving a reply. I shall add them when I get time.

 

Anup Rej

Oslo, 17.11.2009

Filed under: A Portrait of Ragne Birte Lund | Permalink