05/22/2014
Turtle Feet book: "India, the country where nonsense is the norm"
I recently read a book, Turtle Feet, by Nikolai Grozni. The author, a pianist prodigy, narrates the four years he spent in Dharamsala (the place in the Indian Himalayas where the Dalai Lama found exile). Though I got completely lost whenever he tried to explain Buddhist philosophy, I found it very interesting – another kind of experience you can have in India!
And I like this quote:
“[…] India,” I said, pointing at another road sign that read “Slow down! The life that you save might or might not be your own!” “I’ve never been to a country where nonsense is the norm. It’s like a big joke – life, death, rebirth, Enlightenment – it all amounts to nothing, a play on words, a crazy puzzle that can never be solved. No wonder they came up with the idea of maya, or illusion, you know. In the West things are taken seriously. Life is a serious matter. Eating is a serious matter. Tomorrow is a serious matter. Here I can finally breather: there is no pressure to stay alive! Whatever happens is okay. Dying is okay, begging is okay. I don’t have to plot my life. I can sit back and actually enjoy it.”
Turtle Feet, Nikolai Grozni (page 41), 2009
08:00 Posted in Expatriation (in India and in other countries), Incredible India! | Permalink | Comments (0) | Tags: india, book, nikolai grozni, turtle feet, nonsense | Facebook | |