At an informal meetup whose members are grandiloquently called Immortals, I read a piece that I had blogged here. It was on rain and as a member I read it to a small gathering of about six people, both ladies and gentleman.
One of the expressions I used in my writing happened to be about a flash of lightning which I said was like a flash from a mighty camera. A member took exception and said I ought not to compare natural phenomena with man-made things, rather it is best if it were other way around. Commenting on this peculiar trait he gave an example of a computer professional who upon looking at the blue sky had compared the spectacle to the background wallpaper on a Windows desktop.
While one may lament the degrading implication of such a comparison, it is nevertheless a useful, albeit a quick and shallow device, in expressing one's feelings. For nature and its phenomena are incomparable and any attempt to describe them must necessarily run the risk of providing a subjective experience as a simile.
In one of the readings from Tagore the power of the written word came out forcefully as the poet creates a rich experience in which all the five senses were alive to participate in every nuance evoked and the feelings empathized. It was a humbling experience too.
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