# The White Lotus

- Link: https://writersworkshopindia.com/2015/07/09/the-white-lotus/
- Published: 2015-07-09T17:31:25+00:00
- Author: admin

Rate this post

[[

**Author:** Jaya Varma
 **Pages:** 416 **Year of Publication:** 2011 **Price:** 
HB Rs 500, FB Rs 400 **ISBN:** HB 978-93-5045-000-0 (9789350450000) FB 978-81-5045-
001-7 (9788150450017)

_**About the Author**_
 Jaya Varma (nee Bhattacharyya) was born in 1945 in Calcutta.
She completed her graduation in Philosophy (Honours) from Calcutta University in
1965. She moved to Chandigarh in 1966 and lived there for the rest of her life except
between 1987 and 1992, when she lived in Pune. She was trained in Rabindrasangeet
and classical music and became the Director and Composer of the reputed Chandigarh
Choir. Outside of music, she was the Associate Director for Biplab Roy Chowdhury’s
award-winning Oriya film, _Nirbachan_. She has also written a novel (_Made in Heaven_)
and two collections of short stories (_Till Death Do Us Part_ and _Children and 
Other Stories_). A book containing her articles on spirituality, _**All for One 
God**_ was published by **Writers Workshop**, India in 2009.

Mrs. Varma was diagnosed with pancreas cancer in August 2007 and she passed away
in the early hours of May 27, 2008. This book, published posthumously, comprises
her translations and interpretations of songs by Rabindranath Tagore, compiled by
her husband, Keshav Varma.

_**Teaser**_
 “The devotional songs of Tagore, though beautifully written in simple,
poetic words, had in each of them deep messages, camouflaged, that spoke of profound
Hindu doctrines of our ancient scriptures – which very few recognized, let alone
spoke, discussed or wrote about.

What I did was that I took off from each of these songs, and after touching the 
simple word-meaning on the surface, flew on the wings of my imagination and poetic
urge … to a zone far above, deep into the serious practices for evolving spiritually
and finally realizing God – precisely what I think Tagore meant to convey, which
is valid for everybody, be he a Hindu, a Christian, Buddhist or a Muslim. This effort
is not meant to be a work of ‘Translation’, but ‘Interpretation’, mine, to convey
what I think Tagore meant to say.”

[Extract taken from the author’s note]

_**Contents**_
 73 songs by Tagore, Mrs. Varma’s translations and interpretations