If you can't measure it, you can't manage it...

 PHOENIX

    The human mind has for long been a cauldron of fantasy. In one such enigmatic manifestation of phantasma, ancient Greek lore proposes the existence of a divine bird- the phoenix. Oh, the colours of this vibrant creature that run across its chest and amalgamate towards its adoring crest! But beauty is not all for the scarlet miracle to mesmerize about. It is believed that a phoenix prospers through years and upon reaching its fate, dies in a spectacular show of flames, light, and a divine exhibit of the beauty of destruction. What initially sounds eerie, this annihilation soon heralds rejuvenation; a new life, a Phoenix solidifies from its own pyrolyzed corpse to ascend and touch the skies once again…

    Life imitates art. I'm not presenting some sensational social-media conspiracy or a prime-time story for Noida-based studios that claim sightings of a Phoenix in the barrens of Sahara or so. But the very idea of it rising from the ashes…

    Figuratively, and at times even literally, human history has seen resurrection from crumbling ruins.

    The principles of modern democracy that give me freedom to write this were born after agitations. During the French Revolution, the smoke of misery and the stories of lachrymose third estate soon ignited the spark that burned down Bourbons. The monarch was executed; the rule was decentralized. France didn't acquire people's government immediately, not even after the reign of terror. But the events that unfolded took down old institutions and established the foundations of liberty, equality, and fraternity. 

    Renaissance saw emancipation of the financial, social, and cultural spheres of life from the shackles of the past. Just as Joe Dixon asserts, "From the ashes of old humanity, new humanity shall arise like the phoenix."

    Of all the cruelties unleashed, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki reserve the darkest blot. Japanese cities saw an unprecedented smouldering of life and values. Devastated by a plethora of other bombings, Japan was in a condition that the otherwise hermit nation had never foreseen. Cut to 2022: Japan is one of the leading Asian nations. India breezed through stronger than before, after being tormented by years of imperialism. Many civilizations across the globe saw swords and blood and fires and cuts but emerged to live like a fiery-red Phoenix.

    It'd be delusionary to disregard the ongoing catastrophe of coronavirus. Back in March 2020, the world was under a shroud of uncertainty. But through these two years, a re-emergence of ways of life was seen - schools went zooming, jobs went online. We cannot deny unfortunate and untimely deaths of millions. But the sheer resolve of a will to live and a spark to fight pulled us through. As I’m writing this, India has emerged from three ominous waves, and in a few hours, the epidemic act will be revoked. After a hurricane of devastation, flooded morgues, and dilapidated management, we now look upon a jovial dawn, a safe and sound future.

    The cosmos is but a resplendent mural illustrating undying resurrection. After the most dreadful flashes and storms, come the most picturesque evenings of rainbows. After the darkest of nights, comes the brilliant rising sun. No wonder phoenix is associated with the sun! A knot in the nebula causes gargantuan gaseous clouds to collapse. The boulders come pouring down to the core. Then comes a time when pressure ignites nuclear fusion, and a star is born. If it were not for a disturbance in the silent dust patch spanning light-years, there would be no sun! 

    I vividly recall an incident that took place a couple of years ago. It was a dark autumn evening. Sitting on a bench facing the crimson sun, with a copy of 'Down and Across' in my hand, I was glancing over desire-path rimming the park. What suddenly caught my attention was a tree, bare of any leaves, standing on its last legs with weak twigs trembling. “Mercy be upon all things,” I prayed and left dismally. A few months later, when I was at the same place, I saw a bright tree full of tender green foliage swinging joyously, drenched in vanilla twilight. Upon careful observation, I realized it was the same tree that I had doubted was perishing. As if the spring gave it a new life. With valour, it fought cold and re-emerged in its brightest form.

    Nature always pursues the diagonal between life and death in a zig-zag manner. It is the grace and renewal that follows a downward-vicious spiral. Rise up from vales of tears and take flight, just as phoenix was thought to do by medieval men. Spread your wings and reach your dreams! It has never been about the myths of the phoenix; it's always been about the metaphor of rebirth that it represents. It’s always been about how-

“From ashes rises the conqueror

Of the fire-day of grief,

Golden wings across the horizon

Signify tales of hope and belief.”

- Ankush Bhalerao

(This article was later titled 'Rising from the Rubble',

and published as theme article for Pictoreal,

the official magazine of PICT)