The Bare Truth

Every person, at some time or the other, at a certain point of life, faces this question: What is the bare truth?

Truth, one comes to understand, is not a simple antonym of falsehood, yet it is! Truth is a many faceted diamond, and like diamonds, it is very rare. Yet Truth is all pervading and the facets are rarely seen in the brilliance of the gem. These poems on 'The Bare Truth' by the author which together form this book, have been written between the age of seventeen to twenty five. The author has put her poems under five sections i.e. 'The Bare Truth', 'The Pages of My Life', 'Pages of Romanticism', 'Pages of Hope and Fear', 'Pages of Mystic Thoughts' and the readers while reading these poems, would strike chord in their notion of the bare truth and of life.

Most of the poems written by her are romantic, sad and explicitly state her strong faith and belief in God. 'The Bare Truth' is a collection of her more serious and mystical poems which seem to take you into a realm of sandy deserts and lovely mountain crags.

Radhika Tytler (b. January 30, 1971) studied upto High School and desired very much to be an archaeologist but gave up that ambition and thereafter concentrated all her intellectual energies in writing poetry. Radhika has been writing poetry since her childhood, and has slowly evolved over this short period of nearly thirty years to become a writer of poetry, thanks to her loving mother and an encouraging father. She writes skillfully on themes which range from romantic to mystic thoughts of god, love, life and a deep sense of romantic attachment to the Godhead.

The Book 'The Bare Truth' is her first published book. She is married and lives in Delhi.

One of the basic questions asked by every single individual since the beginning of time, has revolved around Truth. What is Truth, stripped of its essentials? What then is the "Bare" Truth?

Every person, at some time or the other, at a certain point of life, faces this question: What is the Bare Truth? Truth, one comes to understand, is not a simple antonym of falsehood, yet, it is! Truth is a many faceted diamond, and like diamonds, it is very rare. Yet Truth is all pervading and the facets are rarely seen in the brilliance of the gem. Jesus Christ stood before Pontius Pilate, naked and stripped of his clothes. He had been whipped and scourged mercilessly. He was bleeding and his hands had been bound. The Procurator of Judea wanted to know what was the Truth? But, he did not wait for an answer. Instead, dramatically, he washed his hands away from the problems that Truth had placed before the might of the Roman Empire.

Jesus became known for the words, "I am the Truth, the Way and the Life." The Roman Truth, evidently was different from the Christian Truth and various other forms of Truth discerned by various intellectuals of various climes, nations and perceptions.

Truth is a very precious and rare commodity that it can even annihilate, kill and destroy. A bullet from the gun of an assassin can cut off abruptly the life of a Mahatma. Truth is dangerous too.

I was therefore, quite startled when my daughter Radhika showed me the series of poems on THE BARE TRUTH. THE BARE TRUTH may mean perhaps, the parental feeling of indulgent pride which does creep in when a mother writes about her daughter's poems. Again, this too is a facet in the large diamond called Truth. THE BARE TRUTH which forms the first part precedes, a second phase which has been named by Radhika as "Some Pages From My Life," and she explains that this portion is her "philosophy"-the "art of her mind". This again is a series of poems which indicate her perception of true and false feelings, of cruelty and greed, or art and religion, and the forgotten and the remembered. There is another set of poems called "Pages of Romanticism" followed by "Pages of Hope and Fear". Then there is a set which she calls "Pages of Mystic Thoughts" This set of poems which are mystic and full of mysticism, made me go back to the beginning and read each poem once again, and I enjoyed reading them. While reading her poems, I have often wondered how and from where my daughter picked up the ideas. I strongly feel that these sets of poems complement each other.

To those who read this book, I am sure that a facet here or a facet there would strike a chord in their notion of the bare truth and of life. If nothing else, one may realize that there is a brilliance of rendering which shows a greater depth than one would expect from such a young girl, for Radhika had written these poems between the ages of seventeen and twenty-five. She is now thirty three years old and has written many more poem's of intense beauty and depth.

I do not know how or why I write poems. I wish I could answer the many who constantly ask me this question, but the truth is just this: I honestly do not know. It comes on a certain impulse, when I am in the "mood", or when something really touches my heart, or my soul - It then becomes a poem. The method is always the same : I am thinking, and suddenly the main lines appear to me in the mind; and I scramble for a pen or a pencil and a piece of paper; and then I write as fast as I can while my hand races to keep up with my mind. After writing the poem, I read it myself a number of times, and. I do make corrections. Then I show it to my Mama or Papa or some of my very special and dear friends. I do not think I can write, leave alone write a poem. I firmly believe that this is a gift from above.

**Contents and Sample Pages**