Some moments carry the weight of years behind them.
The release of Songs of the Soul, the 20th book by Abraham Karickam, was one of them.
The book was released by Rt. Rev. Mathews Mar Seraphim Episcopa, the Bishop of the Mar Thoma Church in Kerala, at a warm and colourful function held at Karickam International Public School. The first copy
was received by Swami Bodhendra Theertha, a quiet, moving image of a book passing from one pair of hands to another, carrying with it years of thought, prayer, and wonder.
Songs of the Soul is a collection of 108 poems, each one rooted in one of the 108 Upanishads, the ancient scriptures of India. For those who may not have come across them, the Upanishads are among the oldest
spiritual texts in the world.
Composed centuries ago, they sit at the philosophical heart of Hindu thought and ask the questions that have followed human beings across every age and every faith: Who am I? What
is real? What lies beyond this fleeting life?
Rather than handing down rigid answers, they invite the seeker to look inward and discover the truth for themselves. They read less like rulebooks and more like songs, which is precisely how this collection came to be.
The book did not appear overnight. It is the fruit of a career-long exploration — years Karickam spent sitting with the Upanishads, wrestling with the meaning of salvation, and comparing the ways that Christian, Jewish, Islamic, and Hindu theology each reach toward the same great mystery. Somewhere along that road, the study turned into poetry, and the poetry turned into this book.
What made the morning especially meaningful was who stood together in that room. Representatives of different faith communities shared the same platform, among them Rt. Rev. Mathews Mar Seraphim, Bishop of the
Mar Thoma Church, and Swami Bodhendra Theertha. Representatives of five South India Cooperation Circles were also present, a quiet reminder that the search for truth is something better done side by
side than alone.
Among those present at the launch were Sarah Oliver (Learning Strategies Lead), Jigyasa Gulati (Regional Coordinator for URI Multiregion), and Samira Fatma Barucija-Homoras (Outreach and Network
Vitality Coordinator).
Songs of the Soul is published by Olympia Publishers, London, and is available on Amazon India and at other book stalls.
If these old verses have anything to teach, it is that the soul has always been singing. With Songs of the Soul, Abraham Karickam, Regional Coordinator for South India, offers readers a chance to
listen in.
