Maati Sangha: A Triad
By Varun Jain
Vi-Namrata
Our clay has gone
Dry and hard
with infested memory
A lattice of grey viscous glue
Tightly clenched memory
No room to hold space
O grace! For in our pot
Lie also soft surrender,
submission and blue skies
Untethered to the past
Unshackled by opinion
Supple like a green shoot
So, moisten
those eyes
And water the seeds of doubt
For the hands that knead you,
are the gentle hands of life
that mould only pliant clay
Sa-Karuna
Who would you say is kinder,
the hands that shape
or the pot, that allows itself another’s designs?
The glaze that melts its being
or the pot, that burns and longs for luster?
Or is it the unfurling of this magic that is kind?
And what kind of sorcery, what alchemy
permeates the substance
of such kindness?
I can think of love and love alone
for it is only love, since the beginning of time
that transforms to transcend
So beware, a heart held parched
Will not unfurl its petals
Or spread its nectar of sweet embrace
So be kind, melt into each other’s clay
Only then the maker, material, and medium,
Will sing in unison…
Prati-Mudita
When the weary traveler
Touches your lips with his
To quench his ephemeral thirst
She, the maker
Feels the relief too
When joy meets desire, fulfilled
She, the conceiver
Thought of your first kiss, again and again
As she shaped the rim of your world
As she Gave meaning to your boundaries
What pleasure to feel satiated
To see Another content, every element
Bliss not in her making, not in your beauty
Only in us receiving
Regaling in that sip of love
Varun Jain serves as Managing Trustee on the Board of Sanskriti Foundation, one of India’s foremost cultural and arts institutions, founded by his grandfather Shri OP Jain, and dedicated to preserving heritage, nurturing artistic excellence, and catalytic philanthropy. Professionally, Varun has been in Public Affairs with over 25 years of experience in leadership roles, now he is kicking off a second innings as an aspiring writer and arts curator. Varun holds an MPA as a Mason fellow from the Harvard Kennedy School, a law degree from Delhi University, and an MBA from the Indian School of Business, where he founded Asia’s first chapter of Net Impact. He also holds a postgraduate certificate In Indian Aesthetics from Jnanapravaha Mumbai. His leadership in public policy, cultural stewardship, and social impact was recognized with his selection to the Asia Society’s Asia21 Young Leaders program in 2007.