Επιμέλεια: Εύα Πετροπούλου Λιανού
At a recent Poetry Conference organized by Sanskar Bharti, Chandigarh, [4th Jan, 2026], Dr Jernail S Anand, who chaired the Poetry Conference, in his presidential address made a reference to the raging issues of our times.
Knowledge versus Wisdom
The highlight of his speech was his distinction between Knowledge and Wisdom. He pointed out that Knowledge is the domain of Satan, because it was Satan who had tempted Eve to eat the fruit of Knowledge. The Empire of Knowledge that we have created with science and technology is a great achievement of human mind. But it has a tragic flaw. After getting knowledge, men should become wise. Where is wisdom? Where is innocence? Guile thy name is man. This is what our knowledge has done to man. He has become a gangster. He is not in his senses today. Success has gone to his head. Is it not a fall down the abyss? Knowledge has made man proud and arrogant, whereas wisdom makes him humble. This is the line which can be drawn between the two.
The Chaos in Modern Life
Referring to the chaos in the life of the modern man, Dr. Anand observed that we have spent more time on studying history, leaving no space for study of the Present and we have shown absolutely no concern with the Future. He pointed out that Universities which dispense knowledge have Departments of History but where is Dept of the Present and Dept of Future? The think tanks are discussing history, which is now a fixture and cannot be edited. And what we have missed sorely is planning for today and tomorrow. As an example, he pointed out that our marriages have problems. Is there any new philosophy in place to keep men and women in a state of balance? Can peace be brought to family life? Our girls and women who work in night shifts, when going home in autos, are they safe from gangsters? If not, how can we leave our society fall down the abyss? Don’t we need to ensure that women are safe in this society? Such things need our attention, not who attacked whom in history and on which date.
Poetry as a Part-time Affair
Dr Anand made a startling disclosure that almost all the poets are part time because Poetry affords no career for anybody on which he could live. Poetry is good as a passion. It is not the cup of tea for the society, for the simple reason that poets are most self-obsessed. If they talk of society, it is in high-flown fantasies. Poets are called unacknowledged legislators, but he thinks that they are para-prophets also. They feel the pain of the society, and present it in their poems. Poetry that is immortal, is the poetry that talks of the immortal, he observed.
Dr. Jernail Singh Anand is an Indian poet, with an oeuvre of 200 books, out of which 18 are epics. Laureate of Seneca, Charter of Morava, Franz Kafka, Maxim Gorky Awards, he was recently crowned Best Author of the Year 2025 by a Vietnam Poetry Organization, Rhythm. He is President of the International Academy of Ethics. His name adorns the Poets’ Rock in Serbia. Anand is a towering literary figure whose work embodies a rare fusion of creativity, intellect, and moral vision.
Bibliography:
https://sites.google.com/view/bibliography-dr-jernal-singh/home
