Om Namah Shivaya

Om Namah Shivaya

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Showing posts with label Poetry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poetry. Show all posts

Dec 11, 2016

HAPPINESS HACK: Nature of life and love...

HACKING YOUR WAY TO HAPPINESS
As we take tentative steps of living day to day, we forget to realise that without a sense of belongingness, kindness towards all that we have been blessed with and inner flowering of love, it just brings us closer to an end....


We carry the ego, the pride and the pleasures every day as we have not realised the freedom of unburdened living. In our thoughts, we are tied to the ground of small pleasures and achievements in cocoon of our minds, without realising that we have hidden  wings under the shell, ready to break free like a butterfly.... and see the beauty of life that is all around in our being...


But then we forget that flying alone is not the freedom, the colors of being but the essence of our soul lies in belonging... in flowers of love.



Because in the end, the reality lies in the nature of love rather than the logic of mind...




__
Shashi 
ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya

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On Writing Fiction                       Silence and the Space Between Thoughts

Sep 13, 2016

Chennai Colors: N Lingusamy - Haiku Writer, Director and Producer of Tamil Movies

(Chennai Colors is a section of my blog in which I share the colors and hues of creativity from the thought leaders of the city who make our Chennai, a beautiful place to live in.)
 
Digital Art by Lingusamy

Pebbles reflect
The cutting edge power
Of the stream

 - A Haiku by Lingusamy

When the famous Tamil Movies director, producer and scriptwriter N Lingusamy called me to meet, I was sure that it would be a short curtsy visit to discuss our mutual passion of writing Haiku. But as the day went by, I realised that its going to take some time. He has a disarming charm that makes the words flow and time moved on swiftly. Our interaction went on like his words above, which some times floods the banks with its powerful surge and some times shape large boulders into beautiful sculptures. In the end, it proved out to be a wonderful sharing of thoughts with one of the creative personalities of Chennai. 


Few days earlier, I had received Director Lingusamy's call. He had heard about my own passion for Haiku from our mutual friend Ashwin of Odyssey Book Store. He wanted to have some views on his Tamil Haiku, which was translated into English by one of his friends. After the call, he sent me some of his Haiku and as I liked most of them, I was looking forward to meet him.

As we sat down to share our mutual experience on writing Haiku and discuss the beauty of world’s shortest poetry form, I could feel Director Lingusamy’s enthusiasm and focus on all things creative. He had also  called some of his colleagues and a little later his fellow Director, scriptwriter and poet - Brindha Saarthy also joined in, which made it more like a poetry session.

But before I go further, here is a little information about this very creative Chennai personality - N Lingusamy. Personally, I believe he has added a spark to the Chennai city with his smart, action oriented, story based movies which has captured the imagination of movie goers across the state.

A Brief Note about Director N Lingusamy
Narain Linguswamy made his directorial debut with the Mammootty starrer family-drama Aanandham in 2001 and followed it up with films Run (2002), Sandakozhi (2005), Paiyaa (2010) and Vettai (2012). He and his brother N. Subash Chandrabose have also produced films through his production company, Thirupathi Brothers.

Lingusamy hails from a village Lakshmipuram in Tamil Nadu. He joined as an assistant director to director A. Venkatesh for his Tamil film Mahaprabhu and followed in his next film Selva. He had also assisted Vikraman in Vaanathaippola, a family drama on brothers.

Although Lingusamy has worked in Tamil only, his films have been dubbed or been remade in other languages too. Dubbed Telugu versions of Run, Sandakozhi and Paiyaa, titled Run, Pandem Kodi and Awara, respectively, were released in Andhra Pradesh and also became commercially successful.[33][34] Aanandham was remade in 2005 as Sankranti by Muppalaneni Shiva in Telugu, while Jeeva remade Run in Hindi under the same title in 2004. His Paiyaa was remade in Bengali in 2012 as Jaaneman, while in 2013, a Telugu remake of his Vettai titled Tadakha was released.
- From Wikipedia
_________
As the morning progressed, I noticed the subdued beauty of the living room. Dir Lingusamy usually has his creative sessions with his team and informal discussion with his friends in this room, where many of his digital paintings added to the color. The little butterflies on the French window, opening out to the little ‘Buddha’ kind of garden gave a feeling of serenity. As an interior design professional I liked the place. I could also feel the inherent energy of the room, which I am sure added to his creative out put.

Director Lingusamy started writing his poetry from college days and without realizing that he is writing world’s most popular form of poetry -Haiku, he stuck to the style. His first Haiku, which is reproduced below, was published in a famous Tamil Magazine as well.
 
Digital Art by Lingusamy

To the Man
Ironing the cloth
Wrinkles in his belly

This Haiku was inspired by watching an old person, who was ironing shirt in the by lanes, around his college. He still remembers the day clearly, as he was spending some free time with his college friends. The image stuck in his thoughts as he realised that the old man was in the process of removing wrinkles from the clothes of others, while incapable of removing creases of poverty and deprivation from his own life.
 
An English translation of Lingusamy's Haiku is going to be published
shortly by one of the new and upcoming publisher from North Indian
"Story Mirror"
Writing Haiku is meditation for me and that’s what comes across from Lingusamy thoughts as well. During our discussion, as we shared our Haiku and creativity in general, it was quite clear that in those inspired moments of creativity, he needs to be alone. With the seed of a thought growing into a sapling of creativity, he shuts himself away from the entire hustle bustle around. He likes to be alone to focus on capturing those  images of life within his words.
 
Some of the Tamil Haiku - Translated into English

Over the years, Lingusamy has written 100s of verses and shared with me a beautiful Haiku, which was an outcome of a particular moment while he was constructing his house.

He told me that as soon as he entered the half constructed house, few of the sparrows who had made it their home, flew off in a flutter of activity…
 
Digital Art by Lingusamy
Still unfinished
Building my home
Sparrows already moved in

As the day moved on, we had a beautiful connection through our own mutual passion. Brenda Sarathy also shared some of his poems as well as explained in detail what he thought of Director Lingusamy's Tamil Haiku. After a while, I realised that Lingusamy was like a friend, with whom one can go on talking and sharing thoughts to understand our own expressions in deeper way. He was like a friend, who instinctively understands and appreciate the subtleties and depths of one's creative outpouring. Looking forward to many more such sessions of creative discussions and sharing of thoughts.



As I prepared to move on, he presented his special Edition of Haiku, to remember the lovely day spent with him. I look forward to the English Edition of his verses - Linku II.

_____
Some of the personalities featured in Chennai Colors section of the blog...
Dr. Anita Ratnam
Dr. Chithra Madhavan
Anitha Guha
Renie Ravin

__
Shashi 
ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya

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IndiBlogger's Renie Ravin                        


Apr 24, 2016

READER: Ink on Water by Shubhrata Prakash

While browsing through the Odyssey bookshop at Adyar, I came across the poetry book, “Ink on Water” about which I have had heard from my old friend Avi Prakash. When I started reading the  book, I was pleasantly surprised to find beautiful foreword written by another friend, Sanjay Pinto.
Image @ Shashi (Click here to buy the book)

Reading Shubhrata Prakash’s poetry was a refreshing change from the short and cryptic poetic form that I usually write in, i.e. Haiku. Her verses, formation of lines with its varying length made it more interesting. Sometimes with rhyme and some times with the sheer poetry of sound inked with subtle nuances, she has created vibrant and powerful pictures of emotions that she went through, while writing those words.

Her simple, matter of fact treatment of pain in ‘Waiting for Her - II’ was powerful enough to connect me with the despair, a mother goes through as her daughter is raped and killed. It was heart breaking, as I visualized her going through the meetings, while her daughter is not yet back from school.

Looking Back’ was another beautiful creation, which I liked a lot. Her words from the poem took me back to my own memory lanes and eventually lead me to believe that I was really on the other side, as the life passed by.

 “The leaves around me
have turned yellow-
wilted and withered,
I pick them up.
Finger their frail carcasses,
Briniging back to mind
their feel,
when they were still
Green.”

-       - From “Looking Back

Shubhrata Prakash’s words are beautiful, refreshing and most of the times tinged with pain. Just as the ink on water gives hues to the clear water and makes it more vibrant and soulful, her clear thoughts are tinged with emotions that bring out the sense of dawn, as it breaks free from the darkness of night.

“Lurking in the corners, waiting, for just a trigger to strike
It comes back to life, creating an ocean of darkness in your mind.

And the battle continues, between the two, for your mind to reclaim
I turned around and ordered the darkness, Sign on the dotted line”

- lines from poem “Phoenix from the Darkness

Here is another lovely lines from the book as well as one of the many 'Ink on Water' impressions, which compliment the poetic form of her words...




Shubhrata Prakash was born and brought up in Patna, studied from St Stephen college - Delhi and went on to do her MBA from Xavier Institute of Management (Bhubaneswar). Worked with Lowe Lintas and Leo Burnett in Mumbai, before joining IRS in 2002. She is also a blogger, as she says, “…bIogging about things all around me. I also review books and movies. I also write travelogues and post photo essays.”

Image curtsy FB @ Shubhrata Prakash

Click here to buy Shubhrata Prakash's poetry book "Ink on Water".

__
Shashi 
ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya


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Timeri N Murari                                                     The Debut Collection



Mar 9, 2015

HAIKU MASTER SERIES - Sōchō & Sōgi

A series on discussing Haiku Masters and their poetry. This is the first one of the series. Hope you would like it.


VERSE ONE
______

What could be the cause of it – 
That I should feel such love again? – Sogi 

While I still have you,
Why think of anyone else
Why this discontent? – Socho


At certain juncture in renga, love or yearnings (omoi) had to be touched on before moving to other pre-designated topics of poetic converse. The Master Sogi (1421 -1502) here poses a riddle: Why do I love when already I love? Socho (1448 – 1532) caps his masters verse cleverly by referring to the enigma of infidelity.

“ Three poets at Minase” from where the above stanza is taken, was composed by Sogi and two of his disciples: Socho, a blacksmith’s son, and Shohaku, a nobleman and son of a minister of State. The entire work was written in six hours, with each poet inventing a stanza every three minutes.

Paragon of renga (linked verse) Masters, Sogi (1421 -1502) was of humble origin, so much so that he kept his birthplace secret. However, as a great poet, he moved in highest circles. Perhaps the most famous Hokku in renga literature, written by Sogi, in 1488, when he was 67. 

Despite some snow
the base of hills spreads with Haze
the twilight scene

Text : The classic tradition of Haiku 
Image: Pondicherry Beach

__
Shashi 
ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya

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Haiku Tea Session - Renga                         Haiku Master Series II


Aug 1, 2014

TTW: Thought & Haiku of the Week and Haiku Tea Session XII

THOUGHT THIS WEEK:
BE THE BEAUTIFUL HUMAN BEING THAT YOU ARE… 

"Absolute love is perhaps the most difficult thing to find in life for many of us, but it comes naturally to a mother. Because, a mother allows her caring to seep deep into her soul, manifesting pure love without any expectations. Whereas most of us build walls around us, with our needs, desire and lust; and we almost always wish to own and transform our loved ones."

"To really love, we should allow love to happen. Remember affection and care almost always transforms into love in depths of our heart and soul." V.E.D





HAIKU TEA SESSION XII
A global creative co-operation of poets writing linked verses at a very popular Haiku group at Google Plus... The poets write one after the other, taking the last line of the previous poet as the link to thread their own creative output. The result is one of the most beautiful collections of verses... as below. I am sure that you will enjoy it as much as we all did.... The name next to it is the poet who has written those lines... To read the original session and see the process, please click here...



Soul prisoners search
A meaning of 'being'; In
Voids of love; Alone                                -  

Tears withheld from empty skies
under sullen summer breaths...              -  

a warbling chick
nothing but sticks, flesh, chirps, nest
the whole of one                                      

bathing in the distant flow
the ripples… they disappear...               -  

wandering within
foraging in still silence
gathering moments                               -  

an old, empty room pregnant
with memories                                     -  

that the bars cannot contain
love's fluidity...flows free                     -  

laughter of a child
a dirty, torn summer dress ...
captured memory                                -  

Safe in a bottle
Floating between images
Linked by counted breathes               -  

rising and falling like tides
forever chasing the moon                   -  

watching the night bend
and tumble amidst the stars
the cold black ocean                          -  

waves of memories lapping
ships in the night pass you by            -  

drowning tears awaken
the senses from twilight
island muses to ponder                       -  

once again the meaning of
Being, and Loving Freely                    -  

What is being free...
By my own definition(s)...
I'm a prisoner...                                   -  

To society's bleak cage
How to find self amongst crowds        -  

caged between the bars 
bruised wings of forlorn dotage
yearns to fly again                             -  

butterfly in sunshine- hating
walls every second, evading             -  

how light is the heart
that finds love without searching
soul mates hand in hand                    - 

we chart the ultimate course
sojourners in time and space            -  

until we escape
limits and predefined paths
to feel being one                               -  
____
END

To join the next session, please leave a message below or at my profile at Google+ 


HAIKU OF THE WEEK

Gopi's love...
___________________
Krishna unfolds me

Into flowering petals
Of sweet ecstasy


IMAGE: The wild plants of Vana Tulsi at Nidhivan in Vrindavan, where Krishna used to dance with the Gopis - the village girls, whole night which is known as Raslila. It's said that this forest of Wild Basilica plants still hosts the Raslila of Krishna every night...

To know more about Vrindavan, come walk with me to the place where Krishna's love flowered... Click here
_
Shashi
ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya


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Haiku Session V

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