Sweet Swan of Avon

William Shakespeare walked upon the earth only for 52 years, before he died in 1616. England and Stratford celebrates the 400th year of his departure this year. Conferences are being held all over the world to mark this special occasion; dramas enacted almost in every theater far and near. His works have been translated to seventy languages and these are all available in the Central library here in Stratford. There is no other genius like this man of. Avon.Literary giants and critics still grope in the dark about the real identity of this man, who still challenge our imagination. No wonder, Matthew Arnold wrote:"Others abide our question, Thou art free.We ask and ask, Thou smilest and art still."It was Ben Jonson who named him the "sweet swan of Avon". Even today we can find many a swan playing in the Avon river at leisure. Ben Jonson's certificate is enough to fix the real identity of Shakespeare. Come centuries and generations, he will be their with his enigmatic smile to be fool all those who deal in riddles about who the real man was.It is surprising that I was driven to the shores of Avon in 2016. I am grateful to all my angels who made it possible. A visit to be cherished for ever, as said by Rev. Dr. M. J. Joseph, my long-time friend and guru.

Cambridge

From this space, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge". This is the motto of the University of Cambridge, founded in 1209. It is the second oldest university in the English speaking world. The beginning was quite accidental. There was a dispute between the Oxford community and the public and a few teachers and students had to flee from Oxford. They settled in Cambridge and later it blossomed into what we see today.

 Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Stephen Hawking, Subrahmanian Chandrasekhar and a long line of Nobel Laureates are among the alumni. There are 31 colleges on the campus today.

Abraham Karickam