We need a lot of serenity in these turbulent times. We must calm down and regain joy. We must know that we are not owners of the truth, but of our opinions. In the midst of this tidal wave of political struggles, of ideological divergences, of fears due to the insecurity that sweeps through fields and cities, we must, for simple physical and mental hygiene, express our political opinions, with energy, but with an even greater dose of respect for the ideas of others.
I propose two methods to regain calm. I constantly go to both. The first is immersion in the peace of nature. Everywhere in our country there are roads in forests and mountains. To sink silently into them is to breathe pure air, feel the caress of the wind, listen to “the sounds of silence” and the songs of the birds. Trees are beautiful living beings, full of mystery and magic. The truly great men in the world often retired to the forests to be filled with peace, wisdom and motives.
The other method that I also use is books, my friends, I mean those that bring us closer to the mysteries of nature. I am accompanied by my favorite musicians, Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, Rachmaninov, Anton Dvorak, Bach, Handel… while I admire the photos of the most beautiful and spectacular birds that populate the planet. I thank Villegas Editores, who has published two absolutely fascinating books about the rarest and most beautiful birds of Colombia, a country that we know is number one on the planet in quantity and variety of birds.
The photographer is Murray Cooper, considered the best bird photographer in the world. Los dos libros son: Birds and Hummingbirds in Colombia. The first collects the immense variety of birds from our three mountain ranges. And the second is a display of the country’s hummingbirds. These miniatures, wonders of nature, are only found in America.
I thank Villegas Editores, who has published two absolutely fascinating books about birds.
There are a total of 377 species of hummingbirds in the world, and Colombia has the largest number, 177. The USA, for example, which is 8.6 times larger than Colombia, only has 20. Slowly leafing through these books, contemplating the beauty of the birds and listening to the heavenly music of the great classics, is the best medicine for the soul. Both books will be at the Book Fair.
This book fair is dedicated to India. We humans who love culture have read the great classics of Indian literature: the Ramayanahe Mahabharatathe Vedashe Kama Sutrahe Bagavad Gita and the Upanishads. Anyone who has not reverently approached these pearls of universal literature cannot proclaim themselves cultured. Closer to us is Rabindranath Tagore, the summit of Indian philosophy and poetry. Great contemporary writers are: Salman Rushdie, Aravind Adiga, Shashi Tharoor, Vikram Seth, Amitav Ghosh, Arundhati Roy… the list is long.
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I offer my readers my sixth luxury book. It is titled: Colombia, dreams and adventures. With stories and photos I travel the country. I aspire to once again win the award for the best travel and photo book. This has been the case with my previous books: secret Colombia, Walking Colombia, Paradises of Colombia and National parks of Colombia.
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About Artemis. The two most successful Spanish TV programs have been: One two, three, answer again and Very direct. In this they presented the great people of the world. I was invited because of my familiarity with spiders, scorpions and poisonous bugs. I shared the stage with Johnny Weissmüller, Nicola di Bari, Rafaella Carrà and Neil Armstrong, among others. I became friends with Armstrong and we had a long correspondence until his death.
