Desicritics Category: Culture: Essay

Poessay: Rosary 13 - By the Lake

temporal — Thu, 4 Sep 2008 08:41:13 EDT

By the Lake

time, tide, toddler

move forward

expunge tide

it comes and recedes

omit toddler too

the child grows

then turns a child

again….moving

from womb to womb

that leaves father time

the lonely straggler

with mystic smile

at the fair

Vain Thought

if that moment

revisits

then…

gar woh lamha

lotay

tou…

Said the Soldier

said the soldier

going to the front

should i fall and find

it was all in vain

i will kill myself

So What?

room with a view

shelf full of books

enough in the pantry

and the wallet

humble goals

modest existence

then past the allotted

three score and ten

the recycling chamber

Earlier:
Poessay: Rosary 1 - Pink Sand Beach
Poessay: Rosary 2 - Fishing
Poessay: Rosary 3 - Adam and Eve Limited - I
Poessay: Rosary 4 - Adam and Eve Limited - II
Poessay: Rosary 5 - Descending
Poessay: Rosary 6 - Dinner In The Park
Poessay: Rosary 7 - Under the Jamun Tree
Poessay: Rosary 8 - Voices In The Air
Poessay: Rosary 9 - Life Rosary I
Poessay: Rosary 10 - Life Rosary II
Poessay: Rosary 11 - Creating In Isolation
Poessay: Rosary 12 - Kohled Eyes

Poessay: the one time

temporal — Mon, 1 Sep 2008 03:23:30 EDT

Detail from Temptation and Fall Michelangelo
from the Sistine Chapel Ceiling

the one time she should have resisted the temptation to wave back...Benazir
the one time horses and donkeys should have resisted...
the one time pedestrian legends in their minds get off their horses...(defies logic- editor)
the one time Gore should have challenged the Senile Court
the one time Bush could utter a simple sentence...dream on
the one time Palestinians could roll over and play dead (like the immortal Hussain of Karbela)
the one time Israelis could resist ghettoising and Bantustising...
the one time Nelson Mandela could lay it on Mugabe
the one time she should have resisted my advances...OK it is conjectural...and the Editor agrees
the one time riders run and horses ride...only in Wonderland
the one time the bulldozer had stopped dead...instead of Rachel Corrie
the one time a bullet could be recalled...Arch Duke Ferdinand...runners-up JFK, MLK, Gandhi, LAK...
the one time commonsense should have held his peace (OK disregard one time)
the one time smallsquirrel should have bitten her lips (hmmmm...not likely)
the one time i should have held my peace (one time?)
the one time the driver was not drunk...Diana
the one time the snake should have refrained...

Poessay: Rosary 12 - Kohled Eyes

temporal — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 02:35:08 EDT

maybe…just…
the bird perched on that leafless tree
has no wings

fasurda bulbul
zakhmON ki paasdaari kertay hu’aye
shaakh per baithi hay

the smiling eyes
on the mime's face streaking red rained fate
or vodka

woh shOkh aankhiaN
lakh duk’h chupha’aye muskurati
rehti haiN sada

the kohled eyes
behind shades, under the wide hat
mystifying

the speaking eyes
smiling, mischievous, inviting - or red
and swollen

hard to know
unless we discard blinkers and peer
intently

Earlier:
Poessay: Rosary 1 - Pink Sand Beach
Poessay: Rosary 2 - Fishing
Poessay: Rosary 3 - Adam and Eve Limited - I
Poessay: Rosary 4 - Adam and Eve Limited - II
Poessay: Rosary 5 - Descending
Poessay: Rosary 6 - Dinner In The Park
Poessay: Rosary 7 - Under the Jamun Tree
Poessay: Rosary 8 - Voices In The Air
Poessay: Rosary 9 - Life Rosary I
Poessay: Rosary 10 - Life Rosary II
Poessay: Rosary 11 - Creating In Isolation

The Left are Better Left Behind

Suresh Naig — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:10:57 EDT

Two prominent news items caught my attention, both involving the Left Front, read together reinforces my belief that Left, when left behind augur well for the country.

The first incident involved Jawaharlal Nehru University. The Leftist Students’ organization of JNU on Wednesday forced the varsity authorities to call off a lecture by the US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, Richard Boucher.
Boucher, who is on a visit to New Delhi, was invited by the JNU’s Centre for Canadian, American and Latin-American Studies to speak on Indo-US relations. But the varsity authorities had to cancel the programme following protests by the JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU), which is dominated by the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and Students Federation of India (SFI).

Mr.Boucher instead met nearly 30 students in the US embassy and had an interaction on bilateral relations between the two countries. The JNUSU president Sandeep Singh said the cancellation of the lecture is a victory for not only for JNU, but also for all who have been raising voices against US imperialism.

The second news item is about West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb’s remarks about bundhs. The CM said on Tuesday that he would not support bundhs and gheraos and that he would no more support such modes of protests even if his party gave a call for it.

The Left parties condemned Buddhadeb for his remarks, terming it as his personal opinion. Not to be “left behind” everyone protested vociferously that they would never give up their “fundamental right”, to refrain from bundhs and strikes.
Analysing these two news items, I could arrive at the following conclusions and I am sure everyone with the right mind would concur with me.

The Students Unions dominated by the Left wing ideologues are scared that the students would listen to the “right” lecture and the Left would be left behind. So much of respect they have for the discerning faculties of the student community of JNU. If the Students Union is so convinced about the misdeeds of US, it is left for the students to decide on listening to different lectures. One more proof of the lefts controlling and conditioning academia of our country.

When the CITU said they cannot give up their “fundamental right” to strike, I couldn’t help laughing. For neither they had any understanding of the “fundamentals” nor the “rights”. If bundhs are fundamental rights, how the apex court has banned it?

What is “right” for the “left"? If left behind, the country can go “right forward”.

Poessay: Rosary 11 - Creating In Isolation

temporal — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:59:02 EDT

Is utter isolation the flip side of the intense focus necessary for creating? Some become reclusive and others maintain a public profile - guess to each his or her own. How far removed is the sculptor from the sculpture?

Know what I would be doing when this hibernation is over. Big time pruning. Will whip this into an essay. No, no I protest to myself. Will make this into an essay and a stream of consciousness piece. No, have a better idea. After I have pruned the essay will separately add these thoughts in the middle of the essay and see what emerges. But it still needs a summation, an effective round up and closing if it were an essay, I tell myself.

In the mind seas thoughts ferment, brew, overwhelm and dissipate with the ceaseless intensity of the waves hitting the shore. Some return to make their mark, others whither or whirl to strike at distant shores.

Thoughts strike alike the living and the petrified. Innocent or enigmatic contemplation provides the wind in sails, passion in emotions. The magic potion between irresistible dreams and impossible logic: cerebration. And meditation? One a wind and the other cloud? The petrified remain untouched, unharmed and unaffected.

Nothing comes between the neurons of an agile mind and the keyboard, the brush and the canvas, the chisel and the rock, when the creator is obsessed and driven. The result endeavors to capture, share and reflect the clarity of that moment of revelation.

The existential angst mixes with atomic intensity and bombards the restless mind. In desolate and hostile terrain of Living, it creates images that unblur Truth, Beauty, Appreciation, Stillness and Life. Life keeps returning. No death can keep it at bay. Disaster, calamities, dictators and ultra-orthodox firebrands do not know this.Earlier:
Poessay: Rosary 1 - Pink Sand Beach
Poessay: Rosary 2 - Fishing
Poessay: Rosary 3 - Adam and Eve Limited - I
Poessay: Rosary 4 - Adam and Eve Limited - II
Poessay: Rosary 5 - Descending
Poessay: Rosary 6 - Dinner In The Park
Poessay: Rosary 7 - Under the Jamun Tree
Poessay: Rosary 8 - Voices In The Air
Poessay: Rosary 9 - Life Rosary I
Poessay: Rosary 10 - Life Rosary II

Poessay: A New Cult?

temporal — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:40:13 EDT

...being wired as we are...allegedly...as human beings...we profess to follow or not follow the faith we were born into as we grow up...the degree of adherence and questioning varies...and this is lifelong endeavor...the only individuals who consciously suppress this questioning and follow blindly are the born-again die-hards and they are universally despised and condemned...

...when it comes to religion (or faith's absence) in the end only this matters:do you feel good and do you spread goodness...if your faith or whatever dictum you profess to follow in life does not enhance your life and the life of those around you then it is suspect...

...this simple temporal test is applicable to all of us...those who are born into a faith or belief system and those who later in life reject, modify, or acquire another faith or value system...you must feel good and spread goodness (happiness) around...during this temporal sojourn...

when i confessed i am human
who is not she countered
[....fast forward]
why not try to curb your faults?
wondered what good was my confession
but knowing where it came from
said i, appreciate and thanks

did i change my ways afterwards
no, but it is nice to know she cared

* * *

when will this journey end?
you don't want to know dear
why?
because
life is one big journey
and when this journey ends
we stand to lie still

People And Their Opinions

Kiran Dhanwada — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:50:06 EDT

I often wonder why am I not able to separate people from their opinions? One of the more challenging tasks I face in discussions, meetings or interactions is to look at someone's opinion objectively. More often than not, we make a sweeping assumption that people are defined(and are represented) by their opinions and not otherwise. How do we keep the discussion restricted to issues on hand rather than dragging the personalities involved is a difficult task, deftly handled by a few.

The best debates(and often the most passionate ones) happen when two people can argue on one issue in diametrically opposite directions without any risk that personal equations might get affected. Let me take this issue in a more broader sense. In a team of four, if all the four tend to think alike, then that group is wasted. If people start thinking in different directions, that is when creative ideas sprout. Creative solutions to problems are often not without conflict with other's ideas but the ability to cope up with this conflict and build upon it.

We are all trying to arrive at creative solutions. But then why do we find getting to such a situation so difficult? The answer lies in the fact that we personalize an opinion rather than evaluating the merit of the opinion. We often tend to look at who is making an opinion rather than the opinion itself, and therein we miss the wood from the trees.

To achieve balance is very difficult - something I have to grapple with all the time. However I have come across people like S, H, P, C, O...with whom I can have exactly the type of conversation mentioned above and needless to say, these have been my most memorable discussions so far.

I will strive to the level where I can perfectly insulate the opinion or argument from the person...a typical case of shoot the message and not the messenger!! If this requires practice and reflection, so be it...will find time for it!!

Poessay: Rosary 9 - Life Rosary I

temporal — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 03:25:25 EDT

friendships
alien riverbanks
doomed

desis
keyboard warriors
victimless

fusion
melting identity
fission

tears
soul diamonds
precious

delirium
defying reason
turbid

dementia
colliding neurons
bedlam

lust
function of
dysfunction

muhabbat
nigah ka takrao
irtiaash

muhabbat
a’na ka takrao
dead-end

muhabbat
jhuki nazraiN
wisaal

nazar
nazrON ka tasado'om
bilmaqsad

nazar
nazaON ka tasado'om
bilamaqsad

Poessay: Rosary 8 - Voices In The Air

temporal — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 09:21:56 EDT

Do they hear voices? What if I write do they also hear voices? Shhh….speak softly. You know you do not hear voices out of ether. You hear and read looks, glances and thoughts. And interpolate, interpret and re-interpret. Have you forgotten who hears voices out of thin air? And what happens to them?

While in that room with monster speakers and dark-flashing strobes, heard the call. Not the grotesque rendering of fine verse and equally distorted rhythms but irresistible urges that lure you to the special peace of quiet, away from that oasis of cacophony. The headache caused by the palpitating strobes provided an excuse to leave.

The key in hand is an alien intruder in the lock. So I walk back to the front desk. 'You got the right key, Sir.' Hmmmmm. Maybe the building moved! The key works fine this time. Fetched a pen and some papers and walked back to the beach. Under a floodlight found a chair and started imprisoning fleeting thoughts.

An unbridled chasm between reality and logic bridged by words throbs.

Celestial lubrication.

But there is no PC, no laptop, just some photocopied papers where the reverse is write able. So started capturing them at random and am desperately trying to read and key in the words now.

Forget those words, focus on the thoughts. Capture the stray soldiers now, reflect upon the pincer movements later. Time enough to record the battles and wars.

What would they say?

Who cares was the first reaction. Depends on they too. Have never cared enough about them. So who cares holds.

India's Laws - Out of Sync With Society

Shantanu Dutta — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:57:24 EDT

Those who have been following the travails of the baby born to a surrogate mother of Japanese nationality can only feel sympathy for the infant with three mothers but cared for by a grand mother. The father, Dr Yamada, got the baby conceived by one woman, had the baby born through a surrogate mother and then divorced his first wife and remarried. Along the way, he created a legal tangle which he still has not been able to disengage from.

Although India has become the favored destination for those who are looking for surrogate mothers for their yet to be born babies as more and more Indian women are prepared to go through surrogacy, the laws have not kept up adequately to cope up. Of course it is another matter that the reason that India’s laws being so lax and medical expenses being affordable and wombs being so readily available that has contributed to India’s rise as the favored destination for surrogate pregnancies.

On the odd occasion, having antiquated laws can be of help too. There is a story that the reason that the cable TV revolution and the mobile telephony revolution took off so well and so fast in India is because the laws governing these in the initial days was the 19th century Indian Telegraph Act. The law regulating cable television was enacted only in 1995 by which time cable television was firmly entrenched. Similar is the case with mobile telephony – by the time the relevant telephony was firmly entrenched and had proved itself to be a boon.

But when it comes to personal laws and laws governing family life, such a delay can lead to numerous heart aches. For instance in the case of little Manji, there are several cards stacked against the baby. For instance, though India is the land of the great surrogacy bazaar, there are no laws governing surrogacy in the country and the surrogacy bill meant to regulate it is pending in Parliament. In its absence, the laws that apply quite mirroring the situations cited earlier- are the laws governing adoption- and principally when it comes to foreigners ,it would be another 19th century legislation – the Guardians and Wards Act of 1890

Laws in India are paradoxical because they seldom seem to be in sync with society. On hand we have laws which society has not fully accepted like the laws banning child marriage which are flouted with impunity on occasions like akshya tritiya. Look at the data: According to UNICEF, 82 percent of girls in Rajasthan, where the practice is particularly widespread, are married by 18; 15 percent of girls in rural areas across the country are married before 13; and 52 percent of girls have their first pregnancy between 15 and 19.

Or look at Sati an act whose practice and glorification has been banned on many occasions. Historically, efforts to prevent Sati by formal means were extent even before the Moghul rulers came to power. Yet as we all know and read about, sati still happens clandestinely in the country in conservative communities from time to time.

On the other hand, in matters of adoption, succession, divorce and many others including surrogacy society has moved far ahead but laws have not. The adoption laws for all but Hindus are antiquated; The Supreme Court of India, has only in 2007 accepted a petition to make provision for Christians to be able to adopt children legally and the journey ahead is long for Muslims who have not yet even begun. Similarly the divorce provisions for Christians which was codified in 1869 were modified only in 2003 to reflect modern social realities and again the journey has not even begun for Muslims. And then of course we have not even begun thinking properly about emerging areas like surrogate parenting and all that.

Some times I wish that the Uniform Civil Code hadn’t got bogged down in religion based politics and got buried for ever. While the men go and fight out petty battles to score petty points and bills keep pending in parliament, women and children suffer… like Manji, the daughter of Dr Yamada.