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Heart Love Oneness Humanity
The Power of Art
This is a real-first-hand experience. It is being shared to illustrate the tremendous power of art. Power to help us make our dreams come true: magically.
Written by: Gunjan Raizada Chakravarty, Ph.D.
Illustrated by: Gunjan Raizada Chakravarty, Ph.D.
Brought together by Follow Thy Heart, Jan. 28, 2015
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Forty years ago, there lived a six year old girl in Delhi, India. Every time for the next 21 years, each time she would cross this big house, she would pause. To get a glimpse of the big swing inside, just in case she was lucky and the doors were open. She smiled on seeing ladies sitting on it and laughing. Whether she was alone or with friends, she did so secretly. She did not speak about her deep wish to enjoy the swinging on that traditional-beautiful swing to anyone. But, the wish remained embedded inside her and traveled with her, wherever she went.
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She moved to US with her husband at age 28. At age 45, she felt like painting. Through paintings, she started honoring her dreams by allowing them to breathe. And one of the first ones she painted on a big canvas was: the swing. She heard a voice in her head say, “Indian swings are not possible in US”. Paying due attention to that seemingly friendly advice, she painted a different version. The one in which she was sleeping (with a smile on her face), cozily inside a basket. It had a rainbow as its canopy, and was being swayed gently by the drifting-grey clouds.
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But there was something more to it, as some memories kept on banging. They were of the “swinging” scenes, she had seen in Hindi movies. She remembered how she would jump out of her seat while watching those scenes. Where, the lady was merrily sitting in a swing made out of tree branches. And a man kept on pushing the swing, gently from behind. Both of them seemed happy together, having fun. She realized that she had to complete it by adding “someone” to make it swing.
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This time, she decided to get more explicit, and put each and every minute detail she wished. And this time she ignored the voice in her head screaming, “it was not possible.”
She started a fresh, this time on the full wall of the garage. Equipped with courage and clarity, to create what she wished. She painted herself sleeping on a hammock. The penetrating sun rays through the trees, kept her warm. And, she boldly added, a man lying under the hammock. He was swinging her with a string, tied onto his toes. Both were relaxing, and enjoying the moment together.
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After a few days, she went to a party. When it got crowded inside the living room, she stepped out into the patio. To her surprise, there stood the swing of her dreams under the tree. Like a child, she rushed towards the swing to sit on it, before anyone else could. First she felt the texture of the cloth, and then touched the swing all over with her astonished gaze. Then she closed her eyes, to feel the joy. She was experiencing fulfillment, and every bit of her dream was coming true. When she opened her eyes, she saw a 2nd grader (smiling boy), gently pushing the newly-arrived-traditional-Indian swing at that house.
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