Abhijit Naskar's Blog - Posts Tagged "cultural-studies"

I am not east, I am not west, I am the whole world. I have absorbed the good from every single culture of planet earth, and now the entire world courses through my veins as lifeblood. That is why, I am a human being – that is why, I am a whole human being.

“Aum Amen Assalaam (The Interfaith Sonnet)

Jo bole so nihal – honest, brave ‘n nondual!
Ain’t no human run by divisionism.
You may say Merhaba, or Hallelujah,
Smiling I respond, Walaikum Assalam.
Every human greeting is an act of peace,
Language differs, not the emotion.
Yet we keep bickering over language,
Overlooking all loving unison.
Chag sameach say some of us,
Some say happy holidays!
Across the words, into the heart,
We’ll find the flame of happiness.
Underneath every version of felicidad,
there is a sense of illumination.
Aim of all Aum and Amen – is unification.”

They ask me, why do I never run out of ideas!
It is because I never dwell in one culture.
Sometimes I’m North American, sometimes Latino,
Sometimes I’m South Indian, sometimes I am Turk.
When I run low on charge, I listen to Español,
When my sight gets foggy, I watch Cary and Jimmy.
Whenever I feel homesick, I listen to some Telugu,
Whenever my heart bleeds, I run straight to Turkey.
It is sort of a perpetual motion engine,
I empower the cultures, the cultures empower me.
If I am the world’s not-so-secret hometown human,
The world is my secret to my infinite electricity.
How, do you think, I became the neighborhood
humanitarian to every single person on earth!
It’s because I never glorified one culture over another.

“Now more than ever the hateful, intolerant, separatist bigots need our help, for they are ill, terribly ill. They are suffering from a condition, I call, Clinical Culturitis. So next time you see one, offer them a flower, and say – get well soon!”

“Get Well Soon (The Sonnet)

Upon absorbing all cultures into my blood,
I realize, the supreme culture is love.
Upon studying all scriptures as my own,
I realize, the supreme gospel is love.
Even after speaking six languages,
I say, the supreme language is love.
Upon observing all political ideologies,
I say, only ideal worth submission is love.
Unfolding the neural underpinnings of behavior,
I realize, seed of civilization is love.
Unraveling the cellular mysteries of life,
I realize, existence oughta be a record of love.
Tiny-brained know-it-alls will still yell,
their culture beats all, like some tipsy loon.
To which all I can say is – get well soon!”

Only way to grow together as a couple,
is to nourish each other’s individual growth.
Only way to grow together as a society,
is to empower each other’s personal growth.

Learn from Manu, Majnun, Vyas and M.A.S.H,
Absorb all good like an eager sponge.
Tradition of tribe has outstayed its welcome,
Now outgrow the fences across fearful hunch.

Na desi, na videsi,
Banna hai to bano visvadesi.
Bohot aye despar marnevaale,
Des ke par chalo sudhare
insani zindagi.

Ni local, ni extranjero,
Simplemente seamos humano.
Más allá de la patria,
más allá de la muerte,
Vivamos como un planeta pueblo.

Ni obediente, ni opresivo –
Luchando por igualdad seremos humano.

In Korea, I am Ingan –
In Turkiye, I am Insan.
In Latam, Soy Humano –
In North America, I’m Human.

In hindi, I am Khichdi*,
A *hodge-podge of cultures,
Few have the mind to stomach,
while tribals feel perturbed.

Life is love, love is life –
all other existence is null and void.
World is love, love is the world –
all other paradigm is poison voyage.

When I wanna pen something extremely personal, without actually revealing anything, I just write it in spanish or turkish. If you wanna study the mountain, study the mainstream work – but if you wanna learn about the person, study the turkish and spanish portion of my work.

That’s why most of the titles of my works are in turkish or spanish – because I can’t write a single word unless I feel the title boiling in my blood – and although English is unofficially the first language of earth, because of its savage imperialist history, it is neither the profoundest nor the most beautiful language on earth.

Does that mean, we should wipe out english from the world altogether? Of course not – that would be yet another boneheaded exercise in bigotry and intolerance. Instead, what’s really needed is a genuine humane intention to create a truly magnificent multilingual society – towards a multicultural world. Learn to look beyond the puny confines of one petty language, because the world is too grand to be wasted in the gutter of one language and one culture. Every culture is my culture, every country is mine – defiant descendants of divided ancestors, hand in hand we shall fly.

My favorite language in the world is Turkish,
Because its culture electrifies my scars.
My favorite language in the East is Telugu,
Because its music emboldens my nerves.

My favorite language in the West is Spanish,
Because it teaches me the worth of freedom.
Favorite ancient tongues are Arabic ‘n Sanskrit,
For one embodies peace, another assimilation.

My favorite science of all is electronics,
For it empowers my imagination untainted.
My favorite philosophy is everyday curiosity,
It helps me transcend all sectarian intellect.

My favorite religion in the world is service,
Because it transforms an animal into human.
I don’t care what you believe or don’t,
As long as your behavior speaks compassion.

Favoritism is a civilized faculty,
when practiced beyond blood and border.
Problem is when you see nothing at all,
beyond the rim of your family and culture.

English is my work language,
Turkish is my love language,
Spanish is my play language,
Telugu is my leisure language.

This would probably be different for you - perhaps for you, it all happens in one language - English, and that's perfectly fine. Different people are inspired in different ways - it's alright - as long as all our inspirations converge into one result - a better world for all - where there is no interracial dialogue, there is no intercultural communication, there is no interreligious relations - because - there is but one race, humanity - there is but one culture, humanity - there is but one religion, humanity.

Never confuse culture with state. Some of the richest cultures of the world often end up with some of the most regressive states in the world – Türkiye, Azerbaijan, India, Italy to name a few, in the context of 2023.

So I repeat, never let your disapproval of a government make you bitter towards a culture. Government never reflects culture – if it did, I would not have penned a single Turkish word in my works – as opposed to the fact that, the Turkish culture is an intrinsic element of Naskarean literature.

Also, while we are on the subject of my writing, I shall address a minor issue, which I’ve been overlooking for a while now.

Across the globe I am often referred to as “the Indian neuroscientist” or “the Indian Author”, despite the fact that my work is practically nonexistent in India, statistically speaking. Considering that, 90% of my book sales come from US, UK and Canada, the rest 10% from Europe, Mexico, South America and Australia, and zero from India – for transparency and context purposes I’ll tell to you one more time – Abhijit Naskar is an Earth Scientist – Abhijit Naskar is an Earth Poet – Abhijit Naskar is an Earth Philosopher.

However, it’s never about the sales, it’s about the love. I only mention the demographics to put things in perspective. For example, there are many countries where people cannot afford to buy my books, since they are expensively exported from US and Europe, and yet, I receive far more love from these countries than the land I was born in. Philippines and Pakistan to name a few. As a matter of fact, hate wise speaking, Philippines is the only country so far, where I have not faced any hate and bigotry – which only goes to prove that, state of a currency does not reflect the broadness of heart. That’s why, a substantial portion of my work is available freely on the internet.

The point is – I am no more Indian, than I am a Yank or Canadian or Mexican or Turk or Swede or Pinoy or British or Brazilian or Egyptian or Aussie. Passport is just a glorified bus pass – nothing more. So, I repeat – I am an Earth Scientist – remember that. Nationalization of Naskar is desecration of Naskar.

When I get mad, I revert to English,
because English is my first language.
When I feel romantic, I revert to Turkish,
because Turkish is my love language.

When I feel passionate, I revert to Spanish,
because Spanish is my passion language.
When I feel electric, I revert to Telugu,
because Telugu is my power language.

When nothing works, I revert to Korean,
because Korean is my backup language.
And you wonder why I never run empty,
why the natural spring is ever abundant!

Language is the gateway to culture,
Culture is the gateway to life.
I am no person who speaks many tongues,
I am the proof of plenticultural life.