Stephen Gill : A Time-Tested Person

With A Time-Trusted Vision

Tholana Ashok Chakravarthy

Stephen Gill, Poet Laureate of Ansted University, UK, is undoubtedly a gem among the gems and a time-tested person with a time-trusted vision. His relentless efforts and commitment to enlighten the world on the necessity of global peace and social awakening demonstrate his concern on the grave dangers of violence and war, looming

large to destroy the basic fabric civilization. Worried over the future of mankind, in the ongoing phase where the world is caught in the mire of fear and hatred, the Poet Laureate surfaced to uplift us with the soul-stirring tunes of harmony and oneness of humankind.

Stephen Gill strongly contends that even thinkers and social reformers have talked of ‘World Citizenship’ for centuries and that the idea is not abstract. His theory that, one major step that would lead to world peace is control of the international anarchy through international government, which unfolds his instinct of crusade for peace and welfare of mankind. To foster world harmony, Gill, like a lionhearted and dedicated representative of non-violence vies to promote world peace, build a bridge of love and understanding amongst the humans and relentlessly aims to dismantle the mood of anger and despair. By exploring the existing dangers and paving ways and means to make the world a safe heaven and ‘the-better’ place to live in, he is instrumental in bringing together thousands of international poets and organizations to hold back the

factor of hatred and violence and to knit a golden shield of universal peace. Keeping aloof all religious and geographical disparities, clamouring for peace through his steadfast and strong inspiration, organizations and poets from every corner of the globe are competing to impart Gill’s thoughts and theories.

Several of Gill’s poetic themes focus on universal peace, condemnation of wars and bloodshed and surge with thought-provoking waves of concern that ‘despite it

took millions of years to build human civilization, a nuclear warfare can destroy us in minutes’. In one of his soulstirring poems, “The Dove Of Peace”, Gill grabs the

readers’ in-depth sprouting thoughts with the amazing lines -- “For a long time I have been hearing the dove of peace will be freed shortly, and for that dove’s total safety,

cannons have been installed over dead bodies”. He could shrewdly tune the poetic strings in such a striking way in the poem, “Isle Of Art” – “Away from the life-stifling smoke /from the heartbreak house / lies a solitary isle of art / where I have tended / a garden for my retreat …. No haste / no worry / no malice / and no darkness of prejudice lurks here. Eyes set on my horizon / on calm waves I sail here.”

A recipient of several awards and conferred with three prestigious doctorates, the author of over 20 books, including fiction and collections of poems, Stephen Gill’s

sphere of concentration steadied on universal peace, social concerns and human rights. How deep is his association, eyeing on to foster world harmony, can be ascertained from the albums; Aman (peace) and Aman ki Rah (Road to Peace), a collection of poems in Hindu and Urdu, set to tune by renowned musicians. Born in Pakistan and brought-up in India, before finally settling in Canada, Gill is influenced by the people and cultures of both the nations. In the excerpts of Gill’s interview appeared in The Atlantic Literary Review, he strongly advocated the need for a ‘World Government’ with a punch of powerful words – “The World Government does not mean to get rid of national languages and cultures. Countries like India and Canada are already multicultural and multilingual. World citizenship is an extension of these realities and if languages and cultures can survive in these and in other nations, they can survive also under the one-world government”.

A fountain of inspiration, Gill contends, true writers cannot turn their backs to reality and they should focus on the ideals of civilization and the future of humankind. Yes, undoubtedly, the citizens of the world should be educated, enlightened and imparted about the futility of wars and the catastrophic outcome. Better late than never, the time is ripe for individuals, novelists, fiction and non-fiction writers, poets and publishers to bring to light the aspect of world unity, a vital feature to foster cultural, religious and harmonious theory for human survival. It’s time to question one’s own-self, why not follow the footsteps of Gill, the master-mind and a key personality who is instrumental in sowing the seeds of harmony for transforming the climate to befit universal peace and harmony.

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Tholana Ashok Chakravarthy is a poet & reviewer, whose poems have been translated into

Greek, Spanish, Telugu, Romanian, Chinese, Mangolian, Korean, Taiwanese and Japanese

languages. Four volumes of his poetry, titled – Charismata Of Poesie, Chariot of Musings, Serene

Thoughts & Twinkles are published till date. He was honoured with Doctor of Literature (D.Litt) by the

World Academy of Arts & Culture (UNESCO) and also honoured as Universal Peace Ambassador by the

Universal Peace Embassy.