Silent steps and other poems- is a collection of poems by poet Binod Mishra. This has been published by Hrishchandra Yadav for Adhyayan Publishers and Distributors NewDelhi.
Poet s’dedication of this creation to his parents speaks well of poetical inspiration that exists depth in him
.Silences parents hide- make the poet to proceed on his successful artistic endeavour.
This collection has 50 thought provoking poems. Charu sheel singh has given a fitting foreword to this poetic collection. His analysis of Indian poetic tradition and its’ influence over Binod Mishra runs well through his foreword. In his own words we can say ‘frustrations over what has been lived through create another world of idealistic fulfillment- a sacred space that can only be had by churning in and churning out the attritional self that is made up of depleting emotions and feelings’.
Silent steps - the very first poem catches the mind when it conveys the realization, a man yet to encounter in one’s life. You meet stairs every day they make you feel a lot to be in queue, waiting to be experienced in future. Poet wishes for a green world where birds can sit on flowered branches of trees and sing sweet songs to please him but on the contrary he observes only the following.
‘where the earth and sky together wear
the worldly sorrow and human tears.’
Poet searches for the human love that will spring from every man and woman. Mountains soar and rivers swell only with the ambition that human love will spring out definitely. Binod puts his own desires over the path of mother nature.
Water water every where not a drop to dink, is practically experienced by poet Binod In his poem ‘Eternal Sleep’ he pours out thus,
Jealousy,arson,loot,and murder
Continued to be the only order.
Can any one aspire for restoration peace and harmony here after? He puts the question and tries to give the solution.
‘Peace, prayer, proposals, and plan
nothing but talks in vain’
Cry of a poem is a unique by Binod which exhibits poet s’ life like this,
A Poem cries
To return from the battlefield
like a defeated soldier in captivity
eagerly tracking the doors of treaty
to recreate the lessons of history.
It is victorious emperor Asoka of this peace loving country who cried in the battle field of Kalinga for the sufferings and tears of wounded soldiers, widowed women and orphaned children. We celebrate the great Asoka for his faith in non violence. It is this land which gave birth to M.K Gandhi who had truth and nonviolence as tools for achieving freedom of this nation from British.
On the poem’ Love’ Binod observes the following.
He opines that true lovers collapse never. It is the business of eye to soul. It fails to comply with the grammar of time and society .He compares love with ever green forest comprising of trees of ambition and rivers of imagination. Love is not only the whole of human life and there are other aspects of life that always remain.
Binod speaks well of ‘Rickshaw Pullers’ woeful experience and gives his fraternal support to toiling masses who strive hard daily to make their both ends meet.
We can recall Tagore here who believed that God is with path breakers who break stones and tillers tilling the hard ground
His search for truth dwells in melancholy and we find the following in his ‘A Truth’,
The truth you search
is devoid of existence
once so proud, and elegant
all ashamed, defeated now
in a market of lies
always divorced and deserted.
We wish to ask the poet when the truth was so proud and elegant, paradoxically Truth never helps those who practice them ever. Do we recall the story of Harishchandra. We hold aloft the slogan ever, Truth alone will triumph. This is mystery of human life.
Melting Point is collection of 41 poems by poet M.S. Venkata Ramaiah. BissBuzz publication Bangaluru has got credit of bringing out this second collection by the poet.
Poems are suitably dedicated to another poet Evanggellia papachristou panou of Greece
Renowned and poet and famous critic Prema Nandakumar of Tamilnadu has written here the Foreword. In his preface to this issue with great proud poet Ramaiah has mentioned the names of literary magazines which have reviewed his first book ‘Flash point’. ‘Shine’ has been thus recalled by him.
In the poem ‘ The Aftermath’
Is ‘T’ silent inTsunami?
‘No ,it was violent’ said
the Lakh and a half dead voices.
Poet feels for the natural calamity that has cornered the lives of near by dwellers of the sea. Huge fund was collected by all to wipe out the tears of sobbing survivors. Who knows where all it goes? This eternal question rings in every mind but poet acknowledges it in his creativity.
In the poem’,The school scenario ‘ poet becomes irked and pours out for the mishappenings and ventilates his feelings out in the poem. Why all these evils surround us and what is the root cause for all social calamities. Can we long for restoration of social hamony or not, are some of the questions he raises in poems
Teachers raping girls, female staff molested
Ragging continuing despite rigid rules
Corruption rampant for recruitment, transfers.
The poem goes thus. A boy student in Chennai killed his lady class teacher in a private school premises. News of such types are common now a days and we hear what we have so far unheard about many of the religious heads of Mutts recently. Can the generations to come witness any like Swamy Vivekananda or Lord Rmalinga in future are some of thought provoking questions in our mind. We second the poet for his lamentation for the poor standard of schools and the erosion of ethics in educational scenario we witness.
In the poem ‘ Awareness of Being’ we meet a philosophical poet here.
He who has knowledge
seldom talks much.
Empty vessels make much noise we do agree with the poet and shyness with in at once encircles us and is pricking our conscience thus, are we too making much noise
In the poem, ’Spanner in the spokes’ poet speaks for the gender bias intruded in our society..
In a country where
girl child is disliked by some
takeout from even the
mother’s womb by some
Every one has a mother and father and in our holy scriptures we equal them with even more than a God. Every river that flows down here is the nothing but Goddess to all.Gender discrimination has sprouted in this sacred land due to exploitation of many by a few who nurture and practice unethical economic policy. Profit at any cost has become mantra of this westernized economy.
In the poem ‘The other eye’ we observe this poet having trace of left idealogy too. He aspired for a golden era to usher in this country. We got freedom but what we experience today is only the contrary.
Poet finds hillocks with temples are saved and hillocks without temples are being quarried to near by cities by builders. In the name of modernization and progress earth is losing it’s serene beauty. Savior thus becomes really a savior of nature.
Harmony a poem speaks of human life like this.
Life is precious but its
price tag is quite costly
sacrifices and struggles in life
are inevitable.
Can we here imagine ‘life is a tale told by an idiot’ by Shakespeare here. We cannot do that here. poet Ramaiah wishes to regain the harmony that has been lost due to greed and need of modern man.
He wishes for mesmerizing act to happen here that brings harmony to mankind.
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Onkarnath Gupta s’ Prism of Poetry’ is consisting of 99 poems by the poet. It is the third collection of poems published by him .His creative writings are commended by Late Dr.Krishna Srinivas the poet great of Chennai,Dr,Rajja of Puducherry. Poet O.N.Gupta puts forth in his preface of the book’Prism of Poetry’ the exact cause that triggers one to write poems as follows.
‘Poetry is tenderness of feelings that is why one inks a poem when his conscience is jolted or stirred by some unpalatable untruths and unqualified eqations,from which he cannot shut his eyes or ears without giving vent to them in sweet sad melody of poetry.’
The poet defines the experience of writing poetry. Pains and pleasures he comes across in his life find shape in his artistic creation.
‘Writing poetry thus is not only hobby but a sacred and selfless service that lifts thoughts.exalts soul and broadens mind in a world which has been witnessing senseless violence.excessive urbanization ,loss of charity, growing unconcern to others likes and dislikes, feeling of futility and rootlessness in life and desire to quickly get rich by hook or crook..’
In the poem’Development’ poet feels for what is happening around him in the name of development. He speaks a lot with regard to changes that are iniatated. Nobody bothers today for the essence they are losing and the woeful debris they are clinging to. It is sad that they do not know what they have to cherish with or what they have to ignore obviously. Poet strongly argues,
‘I am afraid it is not development’
What are they standing before him and causing disharmony?
Clubs,parks,parlours,
Bars,pubs,hotels
Pimps and ambassador cars
Irritating modesty, gentility and innocence.
Flesh trade and crowded malls
have flourished overnight.
According to poet immaturity is maturing that is what is left out before us and we witness only maturing immaturity.
‘Sucide’ by O.N.Gupta is pinching our heart. He depicts here a picture an Indian peasant who is reported as commiting sucide. The peasant knocks at the gate of a bank for an agriculture loan and bank is only showing doors to him and consequently he dies .It is not sucide but death.. The poet declares.Magnitude of Corruption in practice in high places is beyond one’s imagination. But a peasant who toils for production of grains and prosperity of the nation is denied a bank loan. Our granaries are full with over production but everyday people of this country die of hunger.
In ‘Innovation’ poet finds reason beyond cross pollination for choosing mate from another family.
They formulated a system ,a code
a law and convention
that one should choose his or her mate
from another family.
Poet aspires for world peace .He longs for the death of wolves at once. He wishes all arms to be buried in deep earth once for all.In the poem,’Death of wolves is safety of sheep’ where in he prays for an utopia to usher in immediately on the earth. Kurukshetra,waterloo,French revolution, Bolshevism Transfalgar,Panipat,Plassey, are one and the same place where ever places are, to the poet. Human ego was the author of every violence that had taken in the annals of world history. Wolves are responsible for disharmony existing every where. Wolves are to be wiped out he wishes.
For poet Gupta poems are gushing out of his stream of consciousness for restoration of social harmony .He defines what is death in the poem,’Birth,wedding,and death’ as follows.
‘Death is de-facto price
One pays for being born,
inseparable and inevitable’.
Coming to ‘Today’ he touches the heart of every reader thus,
Happiness is neither in plenty nor in poverty
It lies in balancing the two extremes.
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Galaxy is collection of poems by renowned poet Dr.Padmapriya. The Home of Letters (India
There are 44 poems in this small book exploring pithy subject of human interest.
She defines who is a real man in her first poem ‘Character is Destiny’.we get a fresh air through our first reading of the poem.
Dharma protects those who protect it.But what is dharma it is always a baffling question. Poet tries to define who is a real man She reaches to a place some where nearer to the right answer.
The real man the immortal man
Who stands up for truth
Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar rightly puts forth,
Never and never you practice Untruth and no matter you discontinue charities of any kind for they prove nothing (kural 297)
A poem ‘Lord.Krishna .stands as a tribute to the noble qualities of poet great Dr,Krishnna Srinivas.
To poets he was a mother
To all artists and writers
He was a brother.
Thus goes the memoir poem. We remember the golden days that we lived with the poet Dr Krishna Srinivas. We had opportunity of witnessing great men contributing to his poetry magazine Sheela Gujral,Vajpayee, Dr Abdul kalam and the like who wrote memorable poems in his magazine. He gave encouragement to all budding writers in English of this coutry.
Poet Padma says.
‘Death frightens only ordinary citizens’
He joined infinity was the truth, Poet opines.
Poet Padma in her.’Of Bombs and Human Bonds’ longs for fraternity. She wants free religion from the chains of fundamentalists who aims only for division and disharmony. Even Gods from heaven coming to this earth could not pronounce one God and only one religion here after.Who is here to lend ear to such unwanted truths.?Money and power have made every religion a monster.Can any one imagine a religion in this earth without money power and muscle power? Of late followers of Buddha we witnessed practicing violence advocating racism.
In ‘ God’s Love’ She emphasizes that God does not ask one’s religion, region,caste,or creed but He loves every one for what they are individually .Poet is bold enough to give such a statement we appreciate.
As she is a women poet, Dr.Padmapriya eulogizes motherhood. One’s own Mother and his own country are the most benevolent things in one’s life.
‘To a mother
Her child is her God’
A mother worries about her child till her last hair turns grey says the poet. Readers obviously second the statement. Dr.Padmapriya is more conscious about erosion in the ethical standard of her country she lives in.
Poet’s wishes are noble and they find shape in her creativity .Dr.Padmapriya is simple but wonderfully successful in ‘Galaxy
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Thoughts are not made of paper is prosaic creation by Kurt.F.Svatek.International poetry society of Kolkata has brought out this publication. The book consists of aphorisms many and some stories to ponder According to the author an aphorism is an original thought, spoken or written in a laconic and memorable form. It is an expression of an observation. It is pithy and always witty. Aphorism is an applauded literary genre from good olden days.
Some of aphorisms Svatek intellectually practically puts forth are as follow.
The appearance brings a man and a woman together, the character apart
.
Ideology is for the ordinary people and profiteering for the upper class
Is only the fool allowed to tell the truth or is a person who tells the truth is a fool
?
In the story ‘The unholy expriment’ the author explores the possibilities of intervention of internet platforms and social networks in every individual s’ life today.You can’t escape from electronic surveillance where ever you go Before any ticket counter,or ATM, waiting ahead of signals or, encountering with any biometric equipments, or even when you are whiling away in railway platforms and bus stations or in air ports your mobility is bound electronically and closely monitored .Internet surveillance and mobile phone locations are functioning as court warrant to trace a wanted person today.
In ‘But asking questions would mean searching for answers’ we come across so many interesting observations of the author.
Why does one third of the world population live in poverty and why do the rich get richer and richer and the poor get poorer and poorer?’Don’t ask’ said the Central Bank Governor.
Why are human beings reduced to their function as producers,sellers,or buyers of commodities? ‘Don’t ask’ said the Trade Commissioner
Why are Ministers of war today referred to as Ministers of Defense? ’Don’t ask’ said the president of the State.
Svatek electrifies our mind stream to comprehend accurately what is happening around us.He leaves us to find our own solution .He puts questions but they are only answers inherently.
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