Am I Asking for Too Much!

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Recently I got a copy of "स्मृति शेष", a collection of poems from the poet Dr. Sashibala Singh. The book contains 67 poems in all and I'm going through them rather slowly to do justice to such a beautiful book. Born in 1943, Dr Sahibala introduces herself as a contended housewife, a mother of three sons and two daughters and a happy grandmother of eight children. She has lost her husband last year after a glorious married life of 49 years and today she even feels the spiritual presence of her husband in her life. Her poems are simply superb, something she has probed out of the quagmire of her heart. Here poetry flows like water and there is nothing belaboured about it. I'm happy to translate one for my blog.

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Over phone I was chiding them—

What kind of children you are!

No letters, nor message, not even a phone call!

Better, rather, as kids you were

In your floral dress of a riot of colours

Fair-skinned with dishevelled hair

Screaming mom for matters so trivial

Pestering me for things I won’t grant

With cute little palms, imploring and open

And I would run away to ignore them

But, seeing you behind my love would surge

Distressing my heart as affections would rush

I would draw you closer for a kiss on your brow.

Now, in the name of motherhood

I’m begging you something—

Give me a few moments of yours—just a few

Be it over phone, I won’t mind

But talk to me, my children, let me hear you.

Oh, darling of my heart

Am I asking for too much!

A mother’s heart is content with that

Only that much is enough

And nothing more I’d ask.

I’m happy to see

The sapling I planted in my youth

Is poised to kiss the sky

And touch the clouds of ambitions

But I remain here, where I was

Sans pride and down to earth

Repeating the history as I stroke the grass

And the epoch begins and ends like that.

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By

A. N. Nanda

Patna

27-09-2010

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Hope Makes Me Happy

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I feel like a child that has delayed submitting his assignments. This blog was not being serviced well...and the owner is to blame. But then I'm happy to be back here. I've something interesting to announce too.
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A quick word or two for the time being: I've completed writing and revising my new book in Hindi-एक साल बाद. It's now for my publisher Vatayan to do the rest and if I go by his enthusiasm, he should produce at least fifty copies of that before Dewali. And then he should get it released, details of which are to be decided. It makes me happy that the swotting for the text is over. All these nights of sleeplessness should be the matter of the past. I should resume my morning walk; visit movies; and think something salubrious like yummy meals in a good restaurant or a trip to a place that I would like.

Something for the sake of deatails of my new book. It is going to be a collection of 30 short stories, all of them have something to do with human relationship. A lazy author that abhors research would most likely choose stuff like that. Again, Hindi is not my mother tongue, but the encouragement that came my way during the past one year has been tremendous. Maybe, it is due to my first Hindi book, "Virasat". Readers have liked it; they have expressed their love through postcards, and sms'. Reviews have also been encouraging.

I don't know how this book would fare. I should keep my finger crossed. The minimum that I can tell myself I've not shied away from efforts.
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By
A. N. Nanda
Patna
25-09-2010
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