This Odia poem "Ee Tithire" has been published in Surjyaprabha Odia daily
Sunday Literary supplement on 12th July 2009.
regards
Hrushikesha Mohanty
12th Jyly '09
Monday, July 13, 2009
Ee TiThire
This Odia poem "Ee Tithire" has been published in Surjyaprabha Odia daily
Sunday Literary supplement on 12th July 2009.
regards
Hrushikesha Mohanty
12th Jyly '09
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Another Review of Ananya Jamaja Poetry Book by me
This is a review by Sj.Bankim Chandra Moharana, the retired Head Master of Bari High School. Sj.Bankim Sir own National Award in 1990 for his contribution as a teacher. The best part of his review is its form - i.e. a poem in appreciation of a poetry book . It's a recursion!
His book 'On the Coral Circle' published by All Odisha National and State Awardee Teacher's Organization is beautiful expression of his love for teaching and students. We are indebted to such teachers indeed.
I express my sincere gratitude for your appreciation sir.
regards
Hrushikesha
24th June 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
In English
Namaskar to my Visitors!!!
Last few months towards end of the last semester as usual of my types, I was busy in being true to profession doing grading etc. Interestingly, I'm not sure how my students grade me! I'm sure they must have been kind to me. But, it's not only one reason for me being not appearing on my blog 'MoKatha'. It's not also true that there has not been interesting things around me. Infact, they are plenty. Whether they are so or I make them that way, is also an issue. True is,I was busy in finishing writing of my second Odia poetry book. A couple of those I put it on my blog too. I am sorry these postings have been no use to my non-Odia visitors. So, as soon as I put up the last posting on Savitri, I got an email thanking me turning to English. I am happy to know that my visitors expect me to write.
But, at the other side it pops up a doubt on longevity of Indian Languages. English has been big-brother to all Indian Languages. Many of us make very conscious decisions in favour of it. Our kids, at least my kids do not know to read and write odia. My son argued against studying Sanskrit and Hindi in his school. I'm sure many of you must have encountered the same at different occasions against Indian Languages. At least I can say of Odia. I feel it's an endangered language for its sparing usages. In official domain English rules. So, also in higher education. Middle class prefers to English. Listen to an urbanite Odia, will find him talking Odia assorted with English or Hindi words. I doubt some time just they do – drop off English (deliberates or habituals ?), if at all it's needed for.
With my new incarnation as nascent poet, I had a privilege to have an hour long discussion with Sj. Ramakanta Rath a Padma Bibhusan awardee, distinguished bureaucrat ex-chief secretary of Odisha. More to it, he is a fine poet full of human sensitivity. He was also the president of Kendra Sahitya Academy. I was lamenting of my kids' inability to read and write Odia. He told me quite revealing that that is so even for kids in Odisa for parents talk in broken English assorted Odia at home and prefer to put kids at English medium schools. Just, imagine if the trend is like this what will be the situation after say fifty years. Even now, we have a chief minister who does not speak our language. With all appreciation to the most popular CM, I'll fall short to understand how a ruler can't speak in subjects' language or a leader can't speak in the language of mass! Anyway, he gets his votes, it's fine, probably?
But, the point is not only of Odia but also so for many Indian languages. Sj Ramakatha Rath tells the day will come Odia may extinguish like many languages had to in recent past. To me it is very saddening, so also for many of my generation. How can I imagine an Odia without a Champu or Salabega Janana? A Bengali without Rabindra Sangeet or Jibananda Das poems? A renowned Odia female novelist Smt. Supriya Panda, who discovered me on my blog put a bit of counseling to my concern. She said, as long as kids are sensitive, it does not matter what languages they know. Could be true. She seems to be very pragmatic, so are the ladies invariably!
But, for me my sensitivity is more expressive in Odia than English. So, occasionally I resort to Odia on my blog. But, I will be pragmatic where it demands to ....
Hrushikesha Mohanty
4th June 2009
Last few months towards end of the last semester as usual of my types, I was busy in being true to profession doing grading etc. Interestingly, I'm not sure how my students grade me! I'm sure they must have been kind to me. But, it's not only one reason for me being not appearing on my blog 'MoKatha'. It's not also true that there has not been interesting things around me. Infact, they are plenty. Whether they are so or I make them that way, is also an issue. True is,I was busy in finishing writing of my second Odia poetry book. A couple of those I put it on my blog too. I am sorry these postings have been no use to my non-Odia visitors. So, as soon as I put up the last posting on Savitri, I got an email thanking me turning to English. I am happy to know that my visitors expect me to write.
But, at the other side it pops up a doubt on longevity of Indian Languages. English has been big-brother to all Indian Languages. Many of us make very conscious decisions in favour of it. Our kids, at least my kids do not know to read and write odia. My son argued against studying Sanskrit and Hindi in his school. I'm sure many of you must have encountered the same at different occasions against Indian Languages. At least I can say of Odia. I feel it's an endangered language for its sparing usages. In official domain English rules. So, also in higher education. Middle class prefers to English. Listen to an urbanite Odia, will find him talking Odia assorted with English or Hindi words. I doubt some time just they do – drop off English (deliberates or habituals ?), if at all it's needed for.
With my new incarnation as nascent poet, I had a privilege to have an hour long discussion with Sj. Ramakanta Rath a Padma Bibhusan awardee, distinguished bureaucrat ex-chief secretary of Odisha. More to it, he is a fine poet full of human sensitivity. He was also the president of Kendra Sahitya Academy. I was lamenting of my kids' inability to read and write Odia. He told me quite revealing that that is so even for kids in Odisa for parents talk in broken English assorted Odia at home and prefer to put kids at English medium schools. Just, imagine if the trend is like this what will be the situation after say fifty years. Even now, we have a chief minister who does not speak our language. With all appreciation to the most popular CM, I'll fall short to understand how a ruler can't speak in subjects' language or a leader can't speak in the language of mass! Anyway, he gets his votes, it's fine, probably?
But, the point is not only of Odia but also so for many Indian languages. Sj Ramakatha Rath tells the day will come Odia may extinguish like many languages had to in recent past. To me it is very saddening, so also for many of my generation. How can I imagine an Odia without a Champu or Salabega Janana? A Bengali without Rabindra Sangeet or Jibananda Das poems? A renowned Odia female novelist Smt. Supriya Panda, who discovered me on my blog put a bit of counseling to my concern. She said, as long as kids are sensitive, it does not matter what languages they know. Could be true. She seems to be very pragmatic, so are the ladies invariably!
But, for me my sensitivity is more expressive in Odia than English. So, occasionally I resort to Odia on my blog. But, I will be pragmatic where it demands to ....
Hrushikesha Mohanty
4th June 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
SAVITRI
Last Sunday, that is 24th May early morning I drove to BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus to pick up my son after one year of his study at this new campus. On road, I had some visuals that is quite common back in Odisa. And that reminded me the day is special, at least in Odisa as 'Savitri Brata' . Yes, the visuals I was telling is – rushing to temple with wife on back seat of a scooter. You will never miss this in towns in Odisa. Now you may find cars instead of scooters for slide ups of today's Satyabans. You may be wondering how did I could have that in Secunderabad. It's simply a courtesy of huge Indian Army that draws people from different parts of India. In that sense Indian Army is an efficient integrator. Some Odia middle aged jawans were trying to comply with this duty before they took up their duty with army. After all, this occasion comes once in year only. Ofcourse, it reminded me of that job too. But, I'm off this sort after my kids have put their hands on wheels. This is something in Odia said: 'patni samarpi putra pase chaliba athaba sanyase.' For my non-odia friends – I should explain: One in old age can take up Sanyasa (detachment) on leaving his old wife with their son to take care'. Feminists as well as humanists may raise their swords on this. I will not dare to delve with this more. But, I should say it's true at certain time you feel like saying 'enough is enough and time to relax'. Looks I have reached that. And waiting for the days when kids will say 'it's enough of you' , so that I can retreat, ofcourse, to my village that many Savitris may not agree to.
Savitri, as popularly known in Odisa, atleast coastal districts is interesting. In towns, the previous day people just become so sincere and rather aggressive in purchasing fruits for ladies who will be denied to eat cooked foods to remember how the real Savitri grueled without food, living only on fruits available in forest and worshiping Yamaraj to save her husband from death. In my childhood I remember we used to collect fruits from forest to be true to the Savitri. May be four years back, on this day I was in Bhubaneshwar to witness the great hurry of husbands. I was also directed to pick up some traditional stuffs for puja in Hyderabad and I was trying to make it up with several calls to Hyderabad to check up I'm purchasing the right thing. Today on returning home, I found Savitri is under progress. And my wife is frantically searching for 'brata katha' that's obviously misplaced for its year long no usages. Fortunately, Intenet came to rescue. I remembered a site some enterprising Odia lovers have put up www.odia.org with a lot of classical stuffs a nostalgic Odia would love. I had a great admiration of this site and people behind of it. Savitri katha – the story on Savitri was there on site for everybody's happiness at home.
For nearly last one month I'm reading a Odia book 'Atimanaba: Sambhabana and Pratisurti – Nidse and Sri Aurobindo” by Mohapatra Nilamani Sahu and Dr. Archana Nayak. It's a fantastic scholarly book on two philosophers who dealt with the issue of Superman that can conquer Death. This 'conquering' attitude of human is very interesting. And the wish of conquering death is its highest form of manifestation. The van with a write-up on its body saying ' On Aging : Ford Foundation Project' in University Campus and an advertisement of a location with a caption 'Stop Aging' are typical signatures of that great desire of intellectuals – rishis and scientists. For common people – Savitri is an annual reminder of the quest, I wonder !
In Savitri, Sri Aurobindo tells:
Into the little room of mortal life
I saw them cross the twilight of an age,
The sun-eyed children of a marvellous dawn,
The great creators with wide brows of calm,
The massive barrier breakers of the world
And wrestlers with destiny in her lists of will,
The labourers in the quarries of the Gods
The messengers of the Incommunicable,
The architects of immortality.
From Savitri epic written by Sri Aurobindo.
Hrushikesha Mohanty
28th May '09
Savitri, as popularly known in Odisa, atleast coastal districts is interesting. In towns, the previous day people just become so sincere and rather aggressive in purchasing fruits for ladies who will be denied to eat cooked foods to remember how the real Savitri grueled without food, living only on fruits available in forest and worshiping Yamaraj to save her husband from death. In my childhood I remember we used to collect fruits from forest to be true to the Savitri. May be four years back, on this day I was in Bhubaneshwar to witness the great hurry of husbands. I was also directed to pick up some traditional stuffs for puja in Hyderabad and I was trying to make it up with several calls to Hyderabad to check up I'm purchasing the right thing. Today on returning home, I found Savitri is under progress. And my wife is frantically searching for 'brata katha' that's obviously misplaced for its year long no usages. Fortunately, Intenet came to rescue. I remembered a site some enterprising Odia lovers have put up www.odia.org with a lot of classical stuffs a nostalgic Odia would love. I had a great admiration of this site and people behind of it. Savitri katha – the story on Savitri was there on site for everybody's happiness at home.
For nearly last one month I'm reading a Odia book 'Atimanaba: Sambhabana and Pratisurti – Nidse and Sri Aurobindo” by Mohapatra Nilamani Sahu and Dr. Archana Nayak. It's a fantastic scholarly book on two philosophers who dealt with the issue of Superman that can conquer Death. This 'conquering' attitude of human is very interesting. And the wish of conquering death is its highest form of manifestation. The van with a write-up on its body saying ' On Aging : Ford Foundation Project' in University Campus and an advertisement of a location with a caption 'Stop Aging' are typical signatures of that great desire of intellectuals – rishis and scientists. For common people – Savitri is an annual reminder of the quest, I wonder !
In Savitri, Sri Aurobindo tells:
Into the little room of mortal life
I saw them cross the twilight of an age,
The sun-eyed children of a marvellous dawn,
The great creators with wide brows of calm,
The massive barrier breakers of the world
And wrestlers with destiny in her lists of will,
The labourers in the quarries of the Gods
The messengers of the Incommunicable,
The architects of immortality.
From Savitri epic written by Sri Aurobindo.
Hrushikesha Mohanty
28th May '09
Monday, April 6, 2009
The Greatwar! - Odia Poem
This Odia poem is published in Surjyaprabha
5th April '09 edition.
Hrushikesha Mohanty
6th April '09
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
To Understand Your Laugh
The Second part of the Odiya Poem published in Surjya Prabha Odiya Daily
on 22nd March '09
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