Category: English

  • Poetry: a beautiful creative craft

    Poetry: a beautiful creative craft

    Every poet, writer or storyteller has been asked some typical questions. In my last article, I tried to give my answer for one of them; “Why” of the writing. But for the past week, I have been thinking about a particular duality in the literary realm. Creativity and crafting. It’s another form of a classic dilemma just like “Chicken or the Egg”. The only difference here is that creativity and crafting are not struggling for who came first. They are struggling to maintain their importance or righteousness in poetry.

    Let’s begin at the beginning

    Creativity and crafting have been two loyal hands for her majesty, the queen Poetry ruling my mind. But her realm is facing an internal turmoil. These two counsel are trying to one up each other. This was triggered during a discussion at an event. Recently at an event of our regular literary meetup called साहित्यकट्टा, we celebrated a fantastic poet Shekhar Damodare from our group and Prose Publications published his poetry collection अक्षरांचे शब्द होता as a surprise to him. During this event, this debate of whether poetry written with pure creativity is the best or the crafting makes it better.

    Publication of अक्षरांचे शब्द होता by Shekhar Damodare

    Incidentally, yesterday I got a chance to ask this same question to another accomplished and prolific poetess Sampurna Chattergy during an exclusive author session “Getting Started with Poetry” of BlogchatterWritFest. Her reply on the issue kept the debate going in my mind. 

    Who’s the champion of the duel?

    So, this is how I witnessed this duel. There are purists in poetry too just like every other field. They look highly to a poem born out of the spontaneous bursts of creativity. I have no problem considering so highly of these poems. However the way they look down upon poems which have been edited, rewritten, crafted after the initial creative spontaneity. 

    On the contrary, there’s one more side on the other end of the extreme. They believe anyone can write a poem, they can teach poetry writing. These people are ignoring the fact that poetry is not just an arrangement of words in a particular order or set pattern. It has to originate from deep within. Poet has to see that poem within his or her mind. It takes some form and comes out on paper. If you ignore this part, all it remains is a mechanical robotic arrangement of words in some order which doesn’t have a soul.

    Non-duality of poetry

    What I personally believe is the realm of poetry is a true example of non-duality. It has to have both creativity and crafting. You can not craft if there’s no creative basis to polish upon. And you cannot write a complete, structured masterpiece poem purely on creativity (Excluding some exceptions). Meters, formats and forms of poetry demands that poet follow the precise words, syllable counts, and other grammar rules. These forms demand the use of crafting, editing and rewriting. 

    In a galaxy of Marathi literary legends, Keshavsut, is one name which you can’t miss. We consider him as the originator of modern marathi poetry. Tutari (तुतारी) is one of his most famous poems. He had written and rewritten it several times before it got published in 1893. When such legends are not shunning crafting away, who are we to look down upon? On the other hand, we also should not forget that only crafting will not create a masterpiece like Tutari. 

    Let’s make a truce between these two hands of the queen Poetry and enjoy the joys of her people. These poems are pure bliss in every form, format and language. 

    This was a very inspiring session personally for me and I am looking forward to upcoming sessions of BlogchatterWritFest. I have written this post as part of BlogchatterWritFest.

  • because I have to write it… – answering “why” of storytelling

    because I have to write it… – answering “why” of storytelling

    As a creative person, your mind is always receptive. It’s always looking out for inspiration. Sometimes, fellow creators inspire you, or sometimes a particular event triggers a chain reaction in your brain. But every story you tell, has that one seed from where it all began to take shape. Yesterday, 4th of March 2022 was one such inspirational day for me. Season 6 of BlogchatterWritFest hosted its session 1 where I listened to three amazing authors whom I admire. Meghana Pant, Kanchana Banerjee and Kiran Manral were fantastic as always. Even though I have only read Eye on You by Kanchana Banerjee till now, I have been following all of them on social media, tracking their books, etc.

    Story will choose its own place on the shelf; you just write it. 

    There are many points which were discussed during this session. However, the most important thing which resonates with me is the authenticity of the story which you want to tell to the world. I cannot agree more that the story you are writing has to be the one which you want to tell and not the one which the world wants to read or listen to. Trends and best seller genres should not guide the story you write. Recently I tried to take a dive in some storytelling. And it became a wonderful experience when I let the story tell itself through me instead of me dictating the story.

    We often hear this thought about poetry. It’s believed that good poetry manifests itself making poets a mere channel of narration. But the story isn’t any different either. Story chooses its own genre. If we sit to write with predetermined notions, the piece resulting after this will look patchy and pretentious instead of being a literature.

    Don’t rush to quit

    I also like the advice which they gave unanimously about taking writing as a full-time profession. One should not rush to quit the job in hand with a dream to become an author. Even in Marathi literature, all the stalwarts were doing something or the other to earn their living and writing on the side. Most of them were working as faculty at various colleges, some worked for films, etc. Incidentally, on the same day, I listened to one podcast where Dhaval Dange, author of Gandhar, and two other novels, mentioned the same point. Dhaval himself works professionally in the IT industry. And has published three books till now. So, just tell your story, don’t rush to quit what’s in your hand and work well for you!

    This was a very inspiring session personally for me and I am looking forward to upcoming sessions of BlogchatterWritFest. This post is written as part of BlogchatterWritFest.

  • Lahore – Poignant and rattling story of 1947 partition

    Lahore – Poignant and rattling story of 1947 partition

    The Partition of India is a saddest time in the whole Indian history. India was about to get her independence after paying a huge sacrifice of blood sweat and tears of her sons and daughters, many of whom remained unsung. And at the same time, Jinnah’s direct action plan was creating a mayhem in areas which were going to be East and West Pakistan. Stories around Lahore particularly were distressing. Jinnah’s plan disrupted life in the region. During this time, young ones lost their parents, youth lost their job and love interests. Many families left their home behind and took the leap of faith to reach safety from the massacres happening around. Undivided Punjab was a thing of past. Lahore, was on the other side of the border. Those were the dark days indeed with a tiniest silver lining of Indian independence.

    Magnificent characters from history and her mind

    Writing anything about this period needs to be researched with the highest possible depth. There are so many movers and shakers of the Indian subcontinent’s history involved.  Manreet Sodhi Someshwar had taken up that herculean task to enter into the labyrinth of historical events. And she emerged triumphant out of it. Her research about facts and stalwart figures like Sardar Vallabhbhai, Pandit Nehru, Jinnah, etc. is thorough. 

    But, this is not a history book. Lahor, Book 1 of the partition trilogy, is a novel. It’s a story of people whom Manreet has conjured. She had done such a wonderful job of making them equally real as these historical giants. Manreet is a master storyteller. Her story is engaging. It keeps you reading through its pages until you feel burdened by the emotions her characters are going through.

    Cover is so colourful – Just like Lahor

    I just loved the colourful cover of this book. Vibrant red with yellow flowers and the iconic building of Badshahi mosque on the cover catches your eye at a first glance. I have heard stories about how colourful and lively Lahor and other historical cities have been. This cover design has done justice to those glorious tales.

    If you like historical fiction, you should not miss this book. I am so much looking forward to Kashmir and Hyderabad, the next two books Manreet has planned for this partition trilogy.

    Blurb

    In the months leading up to Independence, in Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhbhai Patel are engaged in deliberations with British Viceroy Dickie Mountbatten over the fate of the country. In Lahore, Sepoy Malik returns home from the Great War hoping to win his sweetheart Tara’s hand in marriage, only to find divide-and-rule holding sway, and love, friendships, and familial bonds being tested.

    Set in parallel threads across these two cities, Lahore is a behind-the-scenes look into the negotiations and the political skulduggery that gave India its freedom, the price for which was batwara. As the men make the decisions and wield the swords, the women bear the brunt of the carnage that tears through India in the sticky hot months of its cruellest summer ever.

    Backed by astute research, The Partition Trilogy captures the frenzy of Indian independence, the Partition and the accession of the states, and takes readers back to a time of great upheaval and churn.

    About the book

    Title: Lahor

    Author: Manreet Sodhi Someshwar

    Publisher: Harper Collins

    Pages: 313

    Where to buy

    This review is powered by the Blogchatter Book Review Program. Also read more book reviews penned by me here.

  • Nature and Culture: the eternal connection

    Nature and Culture: the eternal connection

    Artforms like literature, music and dance are deep rooted parts of cultures all around the world. Human stories are told through these arts. They talk about the experiences we gather in our life. Surroundings in which we live are reflected in our artforms. Today, I would like to talk about the strong eternal connection between nature and cultures. 

    Nature through ancient cultures

    The evolution of human civilization is always triggered by some event, new learning or accident involving nature. Utilisation of fire for our domestic use was the first big step. Next one came in the form of domestication of wild grasses in the form of agriculture. The other one of many was the domestication of wild beasts starting something we call animal husbandry. We started our process of civilization by interacting with nature. On the other hand, cultural aspects of human society were also developing. These first interactions with nature are depicted in cave paintings made by our ancestors all around the world. These paintings further evolved to glyphs which were used to communicate with each other.

    Soon we progressed to the various languages and the birth of fine arts was around the corner. Creative juices in the human mind started flowing and stories and poems emerged. These stories and poems are full of nature and it’s beauty which was around those times. We celebrated nature through our music, paintings, writings and sculptures.

    Nature and Indian culture

    The most illustrious example of depiction of nature in Indian literature is a Kālidāsa’s lyrical poem Meghadūta. It’s a story of a banished Yaksha. He wants to send a letter to his beloved wife back home. He asks if he can deliver this letter. While describing a way to reach Yaksha’s home, Kalidasa has described the nature, the geography of the land in so detail that it could become a guide for a traveller.

    However, nature reflected in our poetry is always a local nature. For example, English kids will sing “Rain rain go away, come again another day” as they rarely get a bright sunny day to play out. On other hand, here in Maharashtra, we have a marathi nursery rhyme exactly opposite where we call out to rain so that it will pour. “ये रे ये रे पावसा, तुला देतो पैसा.” is a classic one. 

    In India, our climate changes in every region. It reflects in our folk songs very naturally. All the rain songs in the Marathi region will talk about months of Ashadh and Shravan. (आषाढाला पाणकळा, सृष्टी लावण्याचा मळा). But the monsoon reaches northern India almost a month later. So, naturally, all their rain songs talk about Saawan and Bhado. (तेरे नैना सावन भादो, फिर भी मेरा मन प्यासा) and so on. And when a kid in Marathi will relate to a poem गवतफुला रे गवतफुला as he can see the wild grass flowers blooming around just as easily as an English kid can see a Daffodil flower from Wordsworth’s famous poem.

    So you also tell me if you find any such examples in the comments below and let me know how you like this post.
    This post is part of Blogchatter’s CauseAChatter. You can find my other entries to this campaign here.

  • Nice to be acquainted with A to Z’s of Tilottama

    Nice to be acquainted with A to Z’s of Tilottama

    Jibanananda Das, a Bengali Poet once said, কোলকাতা কোনোদিন তিলোত্তমা হবে meaning, Kolkata will one day be Tilottama. Kolkata, our own city of joy, music, art and culture has always fascinated me. It is still very illusive for me as yet I haven’t set my foot on her soil. It keeps intriguing me through the references I see in movies, and read in stories. Recently, I got an opportunity to get acquainted with the A to Zs of this Tilottama through the lens of a book called Tilottama at a glance, written by Sreeparna Sen.

    Unique way to introduce Tilottama

    When you pick up a book which started as a part of a blogging project, you kind of go in with the preconceived notion about the book. However, this particular book will break your assumptions and will make you read it through and know about this wonderful city in one go. It has been a really long time that I have finished a book in one sitting. This short read of just 68 pages, takes you on a journey through the streets of Kolkata taking you to meet its people and their quirk.

    I really appreciate the author for not making it a typical A to Z about a city. It’s not a list of famous places and tourist attractions. There are a couple of iconic locations like Howrah Bridge and Victoria memorial that are part of this book. However, I loved the way Sen has introduced the culture of Kolkata and habits of her citizens as quintessential parts of the identity of the city. The strong passion for food, music and art shared by the people of Kolkata is evident in many pages of this book. 

    My Rating

    I will definitely recommend this book if you want to get acquainted with Kolkata and the people of the city of joy before going in for your maiden visit to the city. Sreeparna Sen has done a great job in introducing her readers to the quirks of her city.

    Content: 4/5

    Writing style: 4/5

    Cover Design: 4/5

    Blurb

    Tilottama At A Glance is not merely the A B C’s of Kolkata for a casual traveller. This book allows you to acquaint yourself with the heart and soul of a rather unusual Indian city with loads of quirks. It is a journey through the culture, history, architecture, idiosyncrasies and other endearing or astonishing traits of Kolkata, that make this city unique.

    About Author

    Sreeparna Sen is a banker and finds her solace in writing. She has authored the book Tales of Wizardencil. Sen is a part of 10 anthologies including an international project Until Dawn.

    About the book

    Title: Tilottama at a glance

    Author: Sreeparna Sen

    Publisher: Ukiyoto Publishing

    Pages: 68

    Where to buy

    This review is powered by the Blogchatter Book Review Program. Also read more book reviews penned by me here.

  • E-commerce for Agro – a new way forward

    E-commerce for Agro – a new way forward

    In my last blog, I talked about how important MSMEs are for the Indian agriculture sector and how they can be the change drivers and flag bearers of the next agriculture revolution in the Indian economy. Today, I would like to focus on one particular aspect of MSMEs which can become a major market area, E-commerce.

    Emergence of E-commerce and Indian consumers

    I remember the days when Amazon and Flipkart started as online booksellers in India and bibliophiles like me just welcomed these platforms with open arms and warm hearts. It was a pure joy when you would receive a neatly packed book with some cute bookmarks added as a bonus to the package. Soon the companies grew big and ventured in many more product ranges from electronics to clothing and recently, to groceries. These pioneers are now almost like online supermarkets. 

    However, there are quite a few specialty platforms who are focusing on only one or two products like Myntra in clothing, Lenskart in eyeglasses and Medplus in medicines. These companies have carved their niche even in such a competitive market. E Commerce is now going to rural areas of the country too. Starting with just delivery services of established platforms, many village craft producers are now getting into their own e-commerce outlets.

    Agro E-Commerce

    Even though handicrafts and artistic stuff is getting into this field, the agriculture sector has rarely explored this method of product delivery. Bigbasket is one of the major players which has grabbed the initiative in doorstep delivery of food produce and groceries. However, there are many such avenues in the agriculture sector which can grow leaps and bounds with e-commerce. Even some small startups initiated by vegetable producers run on the same doorstep delivery model however. Sahyadri farms from Nashik and Green Tokri from Pune are just a couple of examples. They can become a model for many to follow.

    Firstly, a doorstep delivery service of fresh produce is sadly the only idea that pops in a general mindset when we think about e-commerce in the agriculture sector. However, if we start thinking more and more about the sector, many other ideas will also emerge. For example, agro-processing MSMEs can start e-commerce of their processed goods. Small self-help groups can come together, start preparing good old traditional recipes of condiments, pickles etc. These quality products with traditional flavours will sell like hot cakes on the urban e-commerce market with attractive packaging. One most lucrative plus point of e-commerce is these small groups and MSMEs can just avoid middle-man from the trade cycle and make good money.

    A bonus cascading effect

    These increased profits in rural areas will always work fantastically in improving the quality of life in our rural areas. In turn, this will lead to the development of rural areas and reduce the pressure on Indian cities as more and more people will be ready to stay behind and live a good life. 

    Written as part of Blogchatter’s campaign #ECommerceInnovation. Read more posts in the campaign here.