Potency of Diversity and Tolerance

My little river
town of Barrackpore—
heaven to me,
not because that it
is beautiful—yes, it
is—not because
it is peaceful—yes, it
is—not because that it
has embraced me like
an adoptive mother—in deed,
it has cuddled me
with thousands
loving hands—because it
has opened my eyes,
just like a queen
would help her
prince to come
to terms with
the heavenly splendor
of a dreamy wonderland,
to the sparkling universe
of riches full of
enduring and endearing
charm of diversity that
transcends the boundaries
of language, religion, gender
and incomes—has propelled
me into the tumult of rough
seas of life armed with the
most effective tool—potency
of diversity and tolerance—a
sailor needs to navigate
the maze of
contradictions and conflicts
of the world.