Heaven of NYU Students

Student Sonya Banner submitted the following images:

Student Sheela Ambooken, who has treated many dying patients as a respiratory therapist, feels death is best confronted with strong spiritual feelings.

Sheela analyses the stages of death as she quotes Rabindranath Tagore: "Death, thy servant, is at my door. He has crossed the unknown sea and brought thy call to my home.
The night is dark and my heart is fearful-- yet I will take up the lamp, open my gates and bow to him my welcome. It is thy messengar who stands at my door. I will worship him with folded hands, and with tears. I will worship him placing at his feet the treasure of my heart.
He will go back with his errand done, leaving a dark shadow on my morning; and in my desolate home only my forlorn self will remain as my last offering to thee.

Sheela Ambooken looks at the wonder of heaven through the eyes of father and son in Tagore's The Fugitive: "The father came back from the funeral rites. His boy of seven stood at the window, with eyes wide open and a golden amulet hanging from his neck, full of thoughts too difficult for his age.
His father took him in his arms and the boy asked him, "Where is mother?"
"In heaven," answered his father, pointing to the sky.
The boy raised his eyes to the sky and long gazed in silence. His bewildered mind sent abroad into the night the question, "Where is heaven?"
No answer came: and the stars seemed like the burning tears of that ignorant darkness.

Photo credits: Sonya Banner..

Student Diedra Floyd depicts a satirical heaven in Balletland in her collage:

Back to hell syllabus.