Dr Garima Gupta
“The Spirit of Chiron” by Dr. Bhavneet Kour is a testimony that writing in English with proficiency and creativity is not the privilege of the West or those residing in the Metropolitans. It proves that talent is independent of accidentals and even Jammu educated writers can produce a piece of writing that can easily rival any international production . Though the work is subtitled a novel – it actually subsumes various genres to transcend any one neat categorization. Various strands of fiction, philosophy, spirituality, poetics and mythology weave a multihued prismatic narrative that reflects different meanings at different angles under the light- the light being the self of the author that she has uninhibitedly put into the work and perhaps without which a work of this nature would have been a mere compendium of words without the alchemist property that it now possesses.
“The spirit of Chiron” works at various levels. On the surface of it, it is the story of a successful man Magus, who, at the pinnacle of his professional success is confronted with the abyss of his personal failure. In this moment of darkness, he sees a flicker of light in the figure of Chira and her daughter Emma that grows into a flame that dispels all his darkness and propels him unto the path of self- realization. It is a story that everyone can relate with. It is the story of the moment that everyone has experienced in their life. The only question is have they lurched into the abyss or have they moved towards light. The author shows a way to move towards the light and acts as a beacon to anyone treading the path.
Amongst a wide corpus of writings on spirituality and self- helps books, what makes this a different read is that it is not as much prescriptive as it is descriptive , leaving the choice to the reader to cull out whatever he will from it. A distinctive characteristic of the book is its narrator – A Drop of Water. It is a well established scientific fact today that the water, that constitutes 70% of the human body, responds to our thoughts and emotions – structuring itself into beautiful or disfigured crystals according to the negativity and positivity in them. By one masterstroke of a creative genius in making a drop of water, the narrator of the story, the author brings scientific credence to the story. The omnipresence of water ensures the universality of the narrative and the fluidity of the various strands that effortlessly flow into each other.
Prominent amongst these strands is that of the Greek mythology. Chiron- in Greek mythology- is a wise Centaur. As the author says in her note, “Chiron is the most significant character in Greek mythology. Chiron is the wounded healer! The message of Chiron is that we heal best, by healing others first!” This is the message that the author has incorporated in the book that, “we heal best, by healing others”.
This brings me to another distinctive feature of the book; its seamless amalgamation of poetry and prose. The author expresses her views as easily in poetic utterances as she does in prose. Her prose, however, belies this distinction as it too is poetry in expanded form. The narrative is strewn with her dexterous use of imagery of nature and the spiritual realm, her invigorating use of words and her insight into the working of human emotions captured and metamorphosed into the story with an unparalleled coruscating virtuosity.
In this spiritual odyssey, the author gives the key to three golden gates that offer a heaven to the souls tormented at the earthly existential plane. The first gate is the Gate of ‘Desire to be healed’ guarded by the monster named ‘Non- Acceptance’. The second gate is the ‘Gate of love’ guarded by the monsters ‘Guilt’ and ‘Denial’. The sword of forgiveness and ‘Parental Self-Nurturing’ are the key. The final gate is that of ‘Ultimate Bliss’ guarded by all the negative energies and the keys are ‘Faith and Hope’. This she does not preach but illustrates through the story of Magus, Chira, and Emma. Chira and Emma heal the tormented soul of Magus, break through his loneliness and bring him to the path of spiritual realization. In healing Magus, Chira also embarks upon the journey of healing her own self.
The author with the wisdom of a seer leaves the end of the journey to the reader. As she writes,
“This last chapter remains your own creation. After all, it is not the journey of Magus, Chira, Emma or Lara. They are all fiction characters; it is about your journey. Peep inside your life and see which gates you have opened till now and how many gates need to be opened in your journey to ultimate bliss!
I undertook this journey with the writer. I invite you to do the same and promise you that it is worth the ride.
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