Rath Jatra Hyderabad-2

Ratha Jatra at Hyderabad

My Review of a Novel: GOOD MUSLIM

Had a great day with darshan of Lord Jagannath on chariot. It's 12 passed night while finishing novel "Good Muslim" by Ms. Anam. Her debut novel is just brilliant with play of words and emotions.

A new country is born. Among all war heroes, Sohail the freedom fighter, young man was also returning home after successfully fighting with Pakistani soldiers. New spirit, the love of own laguage Bangla and the smell of own soil Bangladesh were making colorful images of new begining. On the way, Sohail rescues a young lady in an abandoned barrack, carries her back to her village. While retuning, to Dhaka for reunion at home with mother Rehana and sister Maya, he mistakes an old man with a gun to enemy soldier and kills. Sohail a firebrand of Dhaka Univesity turns to a hidden status abandoning friends, books and joys of life.The mistaken killing catches Sohail all-through. Mother Rehana forwards the holy book to seek solace. Sohail slowly truns to blind faith to send his son Zaid to a Madrasa - a walled captivity of a unscrupulos Huzoor, for making him a good muslim. The boy shrinks itself to a void under the pink water of Jamuna while Maya tries to rescue him from the ills of Huzoor. Maya looses herself with guilty and so also Sohail for not listening to Maya's warning.

The search for goodness is not in being obscure.

Just at 37, Harvard educated Ms. Anam keeps readers hold, anxious and thoughtfull all through with her charm of world plays. Wish many more from her.

PRABASIRA CHINTA

This poem is published in "Utkal Bharati" the magazine published by Odia community in BHEL Bhopal.
This talks a thought of a migrant from rural India settled in city. It talks of hopes and despairs
and reminiscences a migrant passes through in its journey for livings. At the end the immigrant reconciles and accepts both - one is Yashoda and the other Devaki. Emergent India has to be a good mix of rural and urban India narrowing down the difference between.

Click on image to enlarge it ....

Mahaprabhu Sri Jagannath on Snan Mandap, Hyderabad