An Affair With Darkness

Dear Satchitananda:

Thank you for liking this post. The older I get, the more I enjoy writing. I don't think I was ever aware that I was fond of writing till, for a reason I can't figure out, I wrote something and sent it to the Times of India requesting them to publish it as a "middle". TOI has given up the "middle" now. I was quite surprised that they actually published it. Later on, I posted it in IL also. [It's still there I noticed, but difficult to read because of machine language mixing up with the post. I think this is happening not only with my old posts, but others' posts too. I requested them to clean up the mess if possible and hope that they will be able to do this. But it is a huge amount of work and it is possible that they do not have enough technical help. I won't be surprised if people in this organization work for it on a voluntary basis, sheer labour of love. So, I am not upset by the state of the older posts, because what they lack technically, they make up for by their friendship. Besides, I maintain my own website too, where I post the pieces I am serious about. So preservation is not a problem.]

In any case, if you are interested, you can try to read that TOI post at the following link:

http://www.indusladies.com/forums/snippets-of-life-non-fiction/45153-of-crows-and-men.html

At IL, I came across a number of people, like Cheeniya, Kamal, Chitvish, Balajee and others, who seemed to be seriously interested in writing too. And their feed back system helped me be a part of the community too. But I must admit that I lost patience sometimes and stopped contributing. Every time I left though, I came back, ultimately because I missed the kind people at the site.

I am hoping that I don't leave again. The way I see it now is that enjoying the art of writing is more rewarding than the number of people who ultimately get to read me. If they do read and like what I write, I feel happy. When they don't, I try to feel satisfied anyway. So far it is working. Let's see.
oj-da

 

Dear kkrish:

Thank you so much for reading me. It is a wonderful feeling to share one's mind with others.

Fortunately, we didn't have any power cut at Philadelphia where I am visiting now. I hope you are out of trouble now.

Publishing is a problem I have found. The only kind of writing publishers want from me are serious, technical books in Economics, since I have been an Eco teacher all my life. I do that and I write popular pieces on economic problems too for the printed media. But creative writing is another game. I did approach a few publishers and they wanted novels, not short pieces of the type you and I write here!

oj-da

 

Dear Srama:

Yes, you are right. I have heard of Lulu too. I forget in what connection it came up. I think I came across someone who was being published by Lulu. I will check up, thank you. I have been translating Bengali poems into English too. You will find one of them in the poetry section. It's called Kurani - A Foundling. This is another area where I wish I could find a publisher. It's not easy, since copyright issues are involved. But the Bengali language has a very rich tradition in poetry, starting with Tagore of course. Lots of people have translated Tagore, I too have tried my hand at one or two. But I am more interested in the post-Tagore poets. Some of them were truly great. Just to give you a feel, let me copy one of my translations.


Evening by Ashok Bijoy Raha

Wonder whose sitar --- they're playing on air now
The news in Bangla's over
I trudge along as I keep on listening --- the strains of music linger
A suburb in a mofussil town, rubbing upon a wood
Dusk descends on bushes and brushes --- wild fragrance fused
Across the bend, quite unexpected, a red hued earthen mound
Right behind which peeps a hill --- a monolith standing its ground
Jackals call as night arrives, 'n as soon's I advance
A fig tree's brought to life it seems by bats that flutter and dance
The noise of hooting owls above --- startles --- and Oh dear!
Telegraph wires have caught alive a half-moon in a snare.

Love.

oj-da

 

Wise Chitvish:

"ma faleshu kadachan". You are so right. Few people understand the great truth hidden in this age old piece of advice. It shows you the only way to happiness, yet humanity forgets and selects the wrong way. Same with me, the only saving grace is that I manage to remember and stick to the true path every now and then.

No, it is not the lighter side. I do admire Cheeniya as I admire few others. It is not just the way he writes (or, "used to write" should I say?). I admire him also for his attitude. I have indeed learnt a lot from him. Not just about how to write, but also about how to live.

Love.

oj-da

 

Dear Kamla:

I don't know how to express myself adequately enough. Let me just say that it is immensely comforting to hear from a kind, long time friend.

Our journey back home was less comfortable than we thought it would be. What with the Irene creating havoc, a number of passengers from earlier cancelled flights were packed into our aircraft. The result was that the cabin was full of luggage and people jostled with each other to establish their rights. I find it very hard to be a part of this animal fury and had to managed as best as I could by leaving my belongings far away from me in the business class as I huddled with Sankari in the narrow confines of the economy class. It was a tiring journey, though I tried to stretch myself from time to time through the 14 hour flight to Delhi. From Delhi to Kolkata was more pleasant, though there was considerable turbulence along the way, almost till Patna. I am still coping with jet lag and, much to my embarrassment, I was almost dozing off during a live TV show soon after arrival. I hope the camera didn't catch me!

Vidchakra's gesture is kind and I am moved needless to say. I almost feel like Lazarus come from the dead. This young girl is very, very talented in my opinion. I was totally surprised by the first haikus she produced. I don't think I can match her maturity, skill and sensitivity. If someone like her thinks I am worth reckoning, then I should feel more than satisfied that my efforts have been worth my while.

Thank you very much for keeping me informed. Thank you even more for your friendship towards a person who often loses his way.

Love.

oj-da

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