A STROLL ALONG THE BANKS OF THE TRIPLE STREAM
V. Lalitha Kumari
‘What
is in a name?’ says a Shakespearean character. But in India names are given
after much thought and consideration. There are cases where the appelatives are
like ‘Neti Beera’ and ‘Perugu Thota Koora’ which belie their meaning. We come
across Harischandras who abhor truth and Arjunas who flee for fear.
On
the contrary, Some names are so well-suited as to draw admiration and
appreciation. The Triveni Cultural Quarterly is one such. Its objective is to
make fertile three areas, namely - Art, Literature and History and thus bring
out the crop of culture.
Even
the editorial of this periodical has a significant title. The ‘Triple stream’
has been there for long (since 1927?) Like Alfred Tennyson's brook it might
have been caught among the ‘shingly bars’ of circumstances and ‘lingered’ there
for a while but has worked its way out under the engineering of the present
editor. The stream, thus revived, has been enriching the fields of Art, Literature
and Culture. And in tune with the changing social needs, it is being guided
into new directions too.
The
editorials make such an impact that their nature is described in a wide variety
of words. ‘Academic, brilliant captivating, comprehensive, delightful,
educative, erudite, fantastic, instructive, innovative, inspirational,
illuminating, superb, thought-provoking, valuable and well-timed etc.,’ are
some of the epithets (all culled from Readers' mail) used by those that drink
the nourishing water of the stream. It is called a special gift. It is likened
to a jewel.
A
limited survey of the editorials of the last three years (the new millenium)
reveals how varied and extensive their themes are. They range from
down-to-earth, practically useful and contemporary subjects such as I.T.,
Supertechnology, Bureaucracy and time management, to spiritual and elevated
ones like Meditation, and Pursuit of Happiness. There are literary treatises on
Poems, Creative Writing and topics of general interest such as Creativity and
Intuition, Memory, Gandhi's Humour and Anecdotes about Writers and Artists.
The
magazine quenches the intellectual thirst of all ages and contributes to the
fulfilment of life at all stages. It is not just a triple stream. Like
the Ganges with its many tributaries it is multi-dimensional. And like that
perennial river may it flow on and on!