NagaRi KaNduChhi

The City is CRYING

I have composed nearly 70 poems on Hyderabad, the city where I have been since 1984. In many poems of the last three volumes, the imprint of my village in Odisha is seen heavily. Being reminded by Anjali, my wife I decided to write on Hyderabad. Most of these poems carry the words of a migrant that has moved to city from rural India. And also talks of the agony of a city due to indiscriminate expansion, that has been there now for many cities (like Hyderabad) in India

This poem, talks of the present of a city due to heavy expansion at the cost of greenery, erosion of culture and livelihood of people those who are living in villages around the city. The wide 6-lane ring roads are the pythons who spit fire and smoke everyday making the the city environment poisonous. Everyday, water table shrinks down by an inch. It aspires for judicious expansion taking care of greens and interest of poor.

The poem is published in SAGARIKA - Odia literary magazine, May 2011

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Obviate to Oblivion

'MaNile ThaKuR NamaNile KuKuR' - a say in Odia telling
'Believe it, then the God else a dog!' - says the inherent
strength of a belief. The institute of India democracy,
believed with utmost sanctity as an institute of functional
democracy,   is caught in a belief-disbelief tangle so much that
aam Admi (commoner) to big-admi, all have an
obvious feel, telling what else can be expected of it now
(from monkeys holding Salagram - a kind of stone pebble 
considered auspicious for Hindus) !

A recent book India's parliamentary democracy on trial, 
by an erstwhile insider, the former Union
Home secretary Sri. Madhav Godbole tells the ailments of
these institutions. It's needless to say of
the law makers and the proceedings they enact in.

In-actions with right mix of wrong-actions by these actors
have made ample space for Annas and Babas to come to the
rescue of the beleaguered citizens  of this great country, that
we claim again again to be sure we don't forget. Hopefully,
they will succeed at-least for the sake of goodness!

But, would the awakening (dictate?) that flows from  Jantar Mantar and
RamaLila Maidan  obviate the grand structures pushing them to oblivion?
The Great Indian soul must be watching with a lot of breathless anxiety! Will the soul whisper the mantra for sanity at the ears of who keep visit
for the sake of rituals round the year ? Let the goodness prevail............


Hrushikesha
another musing with a hope at gazing blue sky
dotted with floating clouds of hope at the end
of hot Hyerabadi summer! 

World Class

Last month a union minister known for tongue-wagging (-in-cheek-speaking?)  [1]

had a barb for IIT,IIM faculty - telling them not world-class, but for self, was benevolnet

towards IITians, though many question their utility for their changes as migratory

birds to USA or IIMs, while very few are in real love with science and technology.

Interestingly, the observer has forgotten to place current of self in any standard

(are our ministers of world class?). Fortunately, another came to rescue of faculty

for it belongs to the domain of his ministry.

Again adding to the issue, yet another barb came from a recognized (though his 

detractors say 'sarkari') scientist - who tells not more than TEN Indian scientists 

are world class [2]. Till now, there is no report, to my knowledge on this issue.

Seems there is some truth in all these statements. After Saha-Bose_Raman era, in 

recent past, the science in India is nil. The science in India now, almost a

patchy work - a bit of twist to a published work! Meet a professor in any Univ./

Institute in India, to hear the standard advise - Go and do the survey first and learn

what and how they have done!

 

Who are these 'they's? Mostly from west - we look for science and technology. In

default 'they' project world class - the class that belongs  neither to Indians 

nor to their problems !

Hrushikesha

a Sunday Musing

References:

1. http://www.samachar.com/Jairam-IIT-IIM-students-world-class-not-faculty-lfyjP8cafhi.html

2. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2066308.ece

Aprahna _ Foreword (English)

This is the English translation of the foreword to my Odia poetry book
Aparahna (The Afternoon). The foreword is by Mr.Ramaknta Ratha, an
Odia poet of eminence http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramakanta_Rath
...........................................................................................
The Light in Afternoon
........................................................................................... 
The poet Sri. Hrushikesha Mohanty, himself has told of his intimacy with poetry in preface of this book. One day, the  poetry knocked at his door and suddenly it came in.  Since then everyday, during his walks in lonely nights, she comes; both keep talking while walking  along in solitude.  Then, both sit across the study table and  keep talking. That makes the poet realize the self, the present and the future in a way, that is unique to him . The intimacy of a real poet with poetry  is always like this.  That relation is neither realized  by the wish of the poet  nor by his/her efforts; it happens at the wish of poems. Sri Hrushikesha is blessed for this realisation  and intimacy with poems, that has come to him on its own .

The new style (of his expression)  I told before is visible in plenty in  this volume.  The inner-self (KabyPurusha) has revealed itself again and again from traditional bounds and rituals. He has not completely wiped off the past rather understood the present and has made the both complement each other.   It's not true the poetics has moved heavily  towards self (individualism); for the poet, the personal relations have meanings. But that relation is very different than that what he had before. Now  these are much more meaningful. It has  pains of the past. One suffers while searching self in it. But one has to  return to present. If life is a drama, one has to look for  the scenes and  the director of the drama. Unconvinced poet has indulged in self questioning .   The poet is restless in self search and almost always in off-beat mood!

The poet who travels such a large space within him, has uttered self with his uniqueness  How can it not be? He has not been writing poems for the sake of writing  poems rather he has been obliging the loving calls of poetics. I congratulate the poet and wish him the best.

Ramakanta Ratha
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramakanta_Rath

Aparahna Cover Pages

Foreword by Sj. Ramakanta Ratha

About SjRamaknta Ratha

Aprahna Preface