Category Archives: travelogue, travel,

AUSTRALIA: NEW SOUTH WALES … PEARL FARM

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Don’t miss the Broken Bay, Pearl Farm while in Australia

Posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

Author, Poet, & Columnist

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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life-threatening diseases, especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers, including children and adults, and have a huge variety of content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate to the cause of cancer? The bank details are given below:

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

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Australia: Indoor Skydiving

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Don’t miss it while in Australia

Posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

Author, Poet, & Columnist

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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life-threatening diseases, especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers, including children and adults, and have a huge variety of content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate to the cause of cancer? The bank details are given below:

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

***

Australia… Cook’s Cottage

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Captain James Cook

The trip to Cook’s Cottage was wonderful.

Posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

Author, Poet, & Columnist

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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life-threatening diseases, especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers, including children and adults, and have a huge variety of content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate to the cause of cancer? The bank details are given below:

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

*

RAINFORESTS: EARTH’S LUNGS AND WORLD’S PHARMACY

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RAINFORESTS: EARTH’S LUNGS AND WORLD’S PHARMACY

    Deep rivers, tall trees, strange animals, beautiful flowers—this is the rainforest. Burning trees, thick smoke, new roads and cities, dead animals, people without homes—this is the rainforest, too. To some people, rainforests mean beautiful places you can visit; to others, they mean trees they can cut down and sell.

    Between 1950 and 2000, half of the world’s rainforests disappeared. While you read these words, people are cutting down rainforest trees somewhere in the world.

         Beautiful blue butterflies fly from flower to flower, and birds fly in and out of the tall trees. Jaguars wait silently in the shadows, and above them monkeys play. And around you there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of different flowers, plants, and trees – coffee, oranges, bananas, rice, and others that we do not have names for yet. It is hot and wet- rain falls around you, and clouds hide the tops of the trees. Yes, the rainforest is a wonderful, strange place.

    But it is a place in great danger too. Every day, people cut down their great trees to make farms, roads, and towns.

   We destroy thousands of square kilometres of rainforest every year. In 1950, rainforests covered 15% of the Earth’s land. Fifty years later, we have destroyed more than half of these rainforests. Will there still be any rainforests in the year 2050? No one knows the answer to that question.

    Rainforests are home to about fifty million people and millions of species of animals, plants, and insects. In one square kilometre of rainforest, there can be more than 75,000 different species of trees. In all of Britain, there are only 1,443 different species of plants. So when we destroy the rainforests, thousands of species of plants and animals disappear.

    The leaves of rainforest trees make about 40% of the Earth’s oxygen. Can the Earth live without the oxygen of the rainforests?   

    The weather in a rainforest is hot all year round, usually between 20°C and 28°C every day. The weather is always wet, too: rainforests have more than 200 millimetres of rain in a month. In Belem, Brazil, it rains on about 243 days each year. And the rain is heavy! On a rainy day in a rainforest, 20 millimetres of rain can fall. On a rainy day in London, about 5 millimetres of rain falls.

    The largest rainforest in the world is the Amazon rainforest, which grows in nine different countries in Latin America. The Amazon rainforest is about a hundred million years old, and has more species of animals and plants than any other place on earth. You can find 20% of all the bird species in the world here. The great Amazon River, which runs through the Amazon rainforest, is the second longest river in the world. It runs 6,400 kilometres from the Andes Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean at Belem, in Brazil, where it is more than 300 kilometres across. There are more than 2,000 species of fish in the Amazon River, more than in the Atlantic Ocean. But this big rainforest is getting smaller. Between 1978 and 2004, more than half a million square kilometres of the Amazon rainforest disappeared.

    The second largest rainforest is in Central Africa, and the world’s ninth longest river, the Congo River, runs through it. There are also some rainforests in West Africa.

    One part of the Central African rainforest is in Madagascar, which was once part of Africa. About 160 million years ago, it moved away from Africa, and since that time, it has been an island. Its animals and plants have changed very little in those years, and most of them live in no other place on earth. About fifty different species of lemur live in Madagascar, and scientists are still finding new species. In Andohahela, there are twelve species of lemurs living in 760 square kilometres. The Sifaka, a lemur with very long legs, can jump from one tree to another and travel a long way without touching the ground.

    The third great rainforest is in Southeast Asia, in Burma, Malaysia, Borneo, and Indonesia, and also in some of the islands of the South Pacific. Between 1950 and 1995, Indonesia lost half of its rainforest. It sells most of the wood from its forest to rich countries. The Rajah Brooke’s birdwing butterfly lives in these forests. It is one of the world’s largest butterflies, with wings about 15 centimetres across. But Indonesia is destroying the home of this beautiful insect.

    Australia has rainforests too, but they are disappearing fast. In 1988, someone found a new species of Kangaroo in the rainforest of Australia. This was Bennett’s tree kangaroo. Most kangaroos live on the ground, but the Bennett’s tree kangaroo, which has strong arms and wide feet, lives in trees. When the forests disappear, species like this kangaroo would disappear too?

    Most rainforests grow on flat land, but some grow high in the mountains and are called cloud forests. Some rainforests grow by the sea, usually at the mouths of great rivers, where big trees called mangroves grow in the water. The biggest mangrove forests are in India and Bangladesh.

    There are temperate rainforests too, which are wet, but not as hot as the rainforests in places like the Amazon. The temperate rainforest in North America grows in northern California and extends north by the Pacific Ocean, through Canada to Alaska. Rainfall in this forest can be more than 200 millimetres a month, and some of the trees grow 48 metres tall. Temperate rainforests also grow in Tasmania, Australia.

    More than half the species of plants and animals of the Earth live in rainforests, but we only know about a small number of them.

    People who live in the rainforests have always used plants to make medicines. Today, all over the world, people use medicines that are made from rainforest plants. Quinine, the malaria medicine, comes from the cinchona tree of Peru. From the leaves of the beautiful Madagascan flower called the rosy periwinkle, scientists make a medicine for the deadly blood disease leukaemia.     Many of the medicines that doctors use for cancer come from the rainforests.    Rainforest trees give us many things. Rubber, for example, comes from a rainforest tree, and some trees give us oil.

    More than 3,000 kinds of fruits grow in the rainforests. The people of the rainforests use more than 2,000 of them– the rest of the world eats only about 200 kinds. Two of the most popular fruits from the rainforests are bananas and oranges. And there are other rainforest food plants that people eat all over the world, for example, coffee, tea, chocolate and rice. Maize, which is an important food for many people, is another rainforest crop.

    How many new species of useful plants have disappeared from the rainforests? Nobody knows. The trees of the rainforest help the air because their leaves use carbon dioxide and make oxygen, which we need to live. They are important for the Earth’s weather too; water from their large leaves goes up into the sky and makes heavy clouds. The clouds then give rain back into the rainforests, and some clouds move to other parts of the Earth and give rain there. The clouds also protect the Earth from the sun.

    Today, the Earth is slowly getting hotter, and in some places, changes in weather mean that life is much more difficult for millions of people.

RAINFORESTS AT A GLANCE:

    Rainforests are dense, humid forests with a continuous tree canopy, moisture-loving plants, epiphytes (plants growing on others), lianas (woody vines), and no wildfires. There are several types of rainforests. Tropical Rainforests are found near the equator (10 degrees N-S), hot and wet year-round. They have an annual rainfall of 175-200 cm and even more. Their locations are Amazon, Congo, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. The Temperate Rainforests are located in cooler and rainy temperate zones and are dominated by conifers or broadleaf trees. Other types include cloud, dry, subtropical and littoral rainforests.

    Rainforests are extremely important for the Planet Earth. They are home to 40-75% of all species. Millions of undiscovered organisms. They are a source for more than 25% of natural medicines. Rainforests are the ‘Earth’s lungs’ and ‘the world’s pharmacy.’ But we need to be cautious about the deforestation of rainforests, which will be suicidal for Planet Earth.

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Posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

Author, Poet, & Columnist

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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life-threatening diseases, especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers, including children and adults, and have a huge variety of content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate to the cause of cancer? The bank details are given below:

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

***

A CALCUTTA STORY: BLAME THYSELVES, BHADRALOKS

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by Somnath Mukherjee

    The city was a hub of intellectual excellence as long as it hosted a thriving business ecosystem. That’s a truth few Calcuttans are willing to admit.

    Calcutta or Kolkata is in the news- yet again for all the wrong reasons, and reinforcing the long-standing narrative of a city in decline. Make no mistake, Bengalis continue to shine in their respective fields. Only a few weeks ago, India woke up to the news of Anusuya Sengupta winning a top acting award at the Cannes Film Festival. Bengali excellence in education, culture and art is something that the community takes immense pride in.

    However, this sense of tautological superiority sits uncomfortably with the changing geographical praxis of artists. While Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen were based in Calcutta, filmmaker Shaunak Sen and Anusuya are based out of Delhi and Mumbai, respectively. The bulk of Bengal’s (largely Calcutta’s) brightest- across science, finance, and art- are today based outside the state. This, coincides with the decline of Calcutta, from India’s top city at the dawn of Independence to a bit of an also-ran today.

    It’s forgotten, often by Calcuttans themselves, that Calcutta’s storied intellectual excellence was funded by economic surplus generated by its thriving business ecosystem, right from the Mughal era. The house of Jagat Seth (the title meaning “owner of the world”) was India’s Medici. Modern banking was initiated in India by establishing the Bank of Calcutta (State Bank of India, in its current avatar). Industries prospered – up the Hooghly river towards the northern periphery of Calcutta, one passes by old towns of Srirampur, Chandannagar and Bandel, with Carcasses of old factories that used to make textiles, light machinery and industrial intermediates.

    The primacy of Calcutta continued well after the British Raj (the capital shifted to New Delhi as far back as 1911). In 1947, despite the scars of partition, Calcutta remained India’s numero-uno city. It was the seat of India’s largest business families (including the House of Birla), the fulcrum of urbane sensibilities (from clubs to nightlife), India’s busiest airport, railway junction and above all, a storied, busy port. In the early 1970s, Calcutta wasn’t just India’s cultural-economic hub. From the east of Bombay right up to Manila, it was Asia’s place to be in. Lee Kuan Yew famously wanted Singapore to be like Calcutta – the story may be somewhat apocryphal, but succinctly captures Calcutta’s status well after Independence.

    Despite so much going for it, the city has lost it all and is in terminal decline. As per the latest Census done, in 2011, Kolkata (the name had changed by then, somewhat illustratively perhaps) was the only major city in India to record a decline in its population. While it remains wealthy- it still ranks amongst the richest in India- opportunities have dried up and the city’s young typically take one-way tickets out after completing school. Calcutta today resembles a giant retirement home, a perceptive natural experiment in the horrendous results of brain drain.

    The decline is on par with that of great European cities like Venice and Florence – once powerful centres of trade and commerce, but today little more than tourist attractions. However, the decline of Venice and Florence didn’t constrain the emergence of Italy as a prosperous nation. The decline of Calcutta meant a decline of Bengal, as well as stagnation of India to the east of Kanpur.

    Reasons are multiple and complex, and Bengalis react emotionally both in critique and in defence of the matter. Political hostility between Calcutta and New Delhi is often cited. The freight equalization policy adopted soon after independence, which took away Bengal’s natural advantages of raw materials supplies for industry, is another popular rationale. Both have merits. But analysed dispassionately, neither explains the decline fully.

    After all, Bengal was a very large recipient of Independent India’s public-sector-driven investments in large industries. New Delhi funded the setting up of entire industrial townships in Durgapur and Kalyani, covering giant steel, heavy machinery, power and chemical factories. Calcutta was also a prime home to the Nehruvian imagination of higher education – India’s first IIM, first IIT and ISI were but three of many storied institutions established. here.

    At its core though, paraphrasing Mark Antony, the fault lies not in our stars, but within. Calcuttans are today akin to Ashkenazi Jews pre-WW2, an insanely talented bunch spread all over the world. Unlike pre-WW2 Ashkenazis though, Calcuttans don’t lack a ‘promised land’. But the land has decayed so much that it isn’t promising enough even for those who are still residents of the city.

    There are no outsiders to blame, lamenting political hostility is way past its sell-by date. Calcuttans have no one but themselves to blame. Acknowledging the same will be the first step towards a journey of regeneration.

        The writer is the Chief Investment Officer of a wealth management firm. Published in TOI

    Posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life-threatening diseases, especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers, including children and adults, and have a huge variety of content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate to the cause of cancer? The bank details are given below:

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

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Publications of Kamlesh Tripathi

BOOK TITLE: GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

(The book is about a young cancer patient. Now archived in eight prestigious libraries of the US which include Harvard College Library; Harvard University Library; Library of Congress; University of Washington, Seattle; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Yale University, New Haven; University of Chicago; University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill University Libraries. It can also be accessed at MIT through Worldcat.org. Besides, it is also available for reading in the libraries and archives of Canada; the Open Library; Cancer Aid and Research Foundation Mumbai; Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida, India; Shoolini University, Yogananda Knowledge Center, Himachal Pradesh and Azim Premzi University, Bangalore and the Library of Cancer Aid and Research Foundation, Mumbai. The title also finds a mention in a book titled ‘Enduring Cancer: Life, Death and Diagnosis in Delhi’ by Dwaipayan Banerjee published by the Duke University Press).

BOOK TITLE: ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

(It is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi; It is also available for reading in the Indian National Bibliography, March 2016, in the literature section, in Central Reference Library, Ministry of Culture, India, Belvedere, Kolkata-700022)

BOOK TITLE: AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

(This is a fiction written around the great city of Nawabs—Lucknow. It describes Lucknow in great detail and also talks about its Hindu-Muslim amity, which is the undying characteristic of Lucknow. The book was launched at the Lucknow International Literary Festival in 2014. It is catalogued and included for reading in Askews and Holts Library Services, Lancashire, U.K; Herrick District Library, Holland; Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, USA; Black Gold Cooperative Library Administration, Arroyo Grande, California; Berkeley Library, University of California; The Peshastin Public Library and The George Public Library near Washington, a Northern Central Washington Libraries branch; the Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library in Arizona in the US and the Salina Public Library, Kansas, USA.

BOOK TITLE: REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

(Co-published by Cankids–Kidscan, a pan India NGO and Shravan Charity Mission, that works for child cancer in India. The book is endorsed by Ms Preetha Reddy, MD Apollo Hospitals Group. It was launched at the Lucknow International Literary Festival in 2016).

BOOK TITLE: TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

(Is a story of an Indian salesman who is, humbly qualified. Yet he fights his way through unceasing uncertainties to reach the top. A good read not only for salesmen but for any reader. The book was launched on 10th February 2018 at Gorakhpur Lit-Fest. Now available on Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

BOOK TITLE: RHYTHM … IN POEMS

(Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems are about our day-to-day life. Poems from this book have been published in Shillong Times, Bandra Times, Bhavan’s Journal, Arunachal Times and Goan Net. The book is available on Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

BOOK TITLE: MIRAGE

(Published in February 2020. The book is a collection of eight short stories available on Amazon, Flipkart and Notion Press)

BOOK TITLE: AWADH ASSAM AND DALAI LAMA … The Kalachakra

(It is the story of the man who received His Holiness The Dalai Lama and his retinue in 1959 as a GOI representative when he fled Tibet in 1959. The book was launched on 21st November 2022 by His Holiness The Dalai Lama at Dharmshala. The title is archived in the library of the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR) Government of Tibet, Tibet Policy Institute (TPI) and the personal library of His Holiness The Dalai Lama. The title is also archived in The Ohio Digital Library, USA. It was recently included in the digital library of the world-renowned company APPLE. Included in the library of Friends of Tibet and Maharashtra Mitra Mandal Library in Bandra, Mumbai.

(POEMS, SHORT STORIES AND ARTICLES OF KAMLESH TRIPATHI PUBLISHED IN NEWSPAPERS, JOURNALS AND MAGAZINES)

TIMES OF INDIA

Speaking Tree: Basant Celebrates Ma Saraswati, Shiv, And Spring 1.2.25;

    BHAVANS JOURNAL

    Short stories, Book reviews and Articles published in Bhavan’s Journal: 1. Reality and Perception, 15.10.19; 2. Sending the Wrong Message, 31.5.20; 3. Eagle versus Scholars, June, 15 & 20, 2020; 4. Indica, 15.8.20; 5. The Story of King Chitraketu, August 31 2020; 6. Breaking Through the Chakravyuh, September 30 2020. 7. The Questioning Spouse, October 31, 2020; 8. Happy Days, November 15, 2020; 9. The Karma Cycle of Paddy and Wheat, December 15, 2020; 10. Power Vs Influence, January 31, 2021; 11. Three Refugees, March 15, 2021; 12. Rise and Fall of Ajatashatru, March 31, 2021; 13. Reformed Ruler, May 15, 2021; 14. A Lasting Name, May 31, 2021; 15. Are Animals Better Teachers? June 16, 2021; 16. Book Review: The Gram Swaraj, 1.7.21; 17. Right Age for Achievements, 15.7.21; 18. Big Things Have Small Beginnings, 15.8.21; 19. Where is Gangaridai?, 15.9.21; 20. Confront the Donkey Within You 30.9.21; 21. Know Your Strengths 15.10.21; 22. Poverty 15.11.21; 23. Top View 30.11.21; 24. The Bansuriwala 15.1.22; 25. Sale of Alaska 15.2.22; 26. The Dimasa Kingdom 28.2.22;27. Buried Treasure 15.4.22; 28. The Kingdom of Pragjyotisha 30.4.22; 29. Who is more useful? 15.5.22; 30. The White Swan from Lake Mansarovar 30.6.22; 31. Bhool Bhulayya 15.9.22; 32. Good Karma 30.9.22; 33. Good Name vs Bad Name 15.10.22; 34. Uttarapath—The Grand Trunk Road 1.12.22; 35. When Gods Get Angry 1.1.23; 36. Holinshed’s Chronicles 15.1.23; 37. Theogony 15.2.23; 38. Poem: Mother 14.5.23; 39. The Nag Mandir 30.6.23; 40. The Story of Garuda 30.7.23; 41. Janmabhoomi vs Karmabhoomi 31.8.23; 42. The Ghost Town of Kuldhara 15.9.23; 43. The Tale of Genji 15.10.23; 44. The Soul Connection 1.12.23; 45.Book review: Jungle Nama … a story of the Sundarban 16.3.24; 46. Book review: A Forgotten Chapter 16.5.24; 47. Exploring Ancient Egypt, 1.8.24; 48. The Story of Dhruva, 16.8.24; 49. Two Hundred Years of Tea in Assam 16.9.24; 50. The Cosmic Messenger 16.10.24; 51. Biblioburro: The Four-Legged Library 16.11.24; 52. The Cologne Cathedral 1.1.25; 53. Gandhi to Mahatma 16.1.25;

    THE SHILLONG TIMES

    Articles & Poems: 1. Poem: Happy New Year 8.1.23; 2.Poem: Spring 12.3.23; 3.Poem: Right and Wrong 20.3.23; 4. The Gush of Emotion—Writing, 26.3.23; 5. The Nag Mandir, 7.5.23; 6. Poem: Mother 7.5.23; 7. Poem: Rain Rain 9.7.23; 8. Poem: You Come Alone You Go Alone 6.8.23; 9. Poem: Rain Rain (Second Time) 10.8.23; 10. Poem: Guru Teacher 1.10.23; 11. Poem: Autumn … The Interim Heaven 15.10.23; 12. Poem: Happy Diwali 12.11.23; 13. Overcoming Blindness: Learn it the John Milton Way 10.12.23; 14. The Happy Prince and The Happy Man’s Shirt 31.12.23; 15. Annus Mirabilis -2024 7.1.24; 16. Gandhi to Mahatma Gandhi- Incidents that Shaped Gandhi in South Africa 28.1.24; 17. Poem: Together But Not Made For Each Other, 11.2.24; 18. The Birds Bees and The Spiders of Nicholas Guildford and Jonathan Swift 25.2.24; 19. The Overcoats of Nikolai Gogol and Ruskin Bond 10.3.24; 20. The Ethnic Colours of Holi 24.3.24; 21. A Lesson from Dalai Lama, 21.4.24; 22. Poem: Morning Walk 28.4.24; 23. Trip to Rhine Falls, Switzerland, 19.5.24; 24. Poem: Hurt 2.6.24; 25. Poem: Your Conscience Was My Sign On 16.6.24; 26.Poem: The Eerie Ways of Time 7.7.24; 27.Poem: Celebrating the T20 World Champions 14.7.24;28. Read to Rise above mediocrity, 4.8.24; 29. Poem: Desire vs Reality 11.8.24; 30. Jack Ma’s Pristine Advice to Employers, Employees and the Youth 22.9.24; 31. Tagore and Kipling 3.11.24; 32. Poem: Merry Christmas 22.12.24; 33. Poem: The Sunset Point, 5.1.25; 34. Cancer Warning Labels on Alcoholic Beverages, 12.1.25; 35. Poem: Hope … In the Arc of Twilight, 19.1.25; 36. Basant Panchami, celebrates the Arrival of Spring 2.2.25; 37. Poem: The Falling World Order, 9.2.25;

    THE ASSAM TRIBUNE

    Article: 1. The Magic of Reading 11.12.23; 2. Gandhi to Mahatma 29.1.24; 3. Geography of Solitude 8.4.24; 4. A Lesson From Dalai Lama, 22.4.24; 5. A Source of Inspiration, 29.4.24; 6. The Four-Legged Library, 12.5.24; 7. Age and Achievement, 10.6.24; 8. Read … To Rise Above Mediocrity, 1.7.24; 9. Crusade for a College, 25.8.24; 10. Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory (Panorama) 27.9.24; 11. Short story: Love in the Air, 20.10.24; 12. Short story: The Prick of Conscience, 5.1.25; 13. Lost in translation, 6.1.25; 14. Travellers’ tales 20.1.2025; 15. Audit your days 17.2.25;

    THE ARUNACHAL TIMES

    Poem: 1. Hope—In The Arc of Twilight, 13.8.23; 2.Poem: Spring 3.3.24; 3.Poem: The Morning Walk 10.3.24;

    BANDRA TIMES, MUMBAI

    Articles & Poems: 1. Poem: SPRING, 1.4.23; 2. Poem: Mother, 1.6.23; 3. Poem: Rain Rain, 1.8.23; 4. A Lesson From Dalai Lama, 1.6.24; 5. Read to rise above Mediocrity 1.8.24

    THE GOAN NET

    Poem: 1. Autumn – The Interim Heaven, 6.10.24; 2. Reader’s Rewind 17.11.84; 3. Reader’s Rewind: The Irony of Tash Moustache or Mooch 5.12.24; 4. The Sunset Point 22.12.24; 5. Reader’s Rewind: The Joy of a Morning Walk, 3.1.25; 6. Harmony in creation 26.1.25; 7. Poem: What is truly Good for me? 2.1.25; 8. Poem: We both were left behind, 9.2.25;

    ARTICLES IN THE DIGITAL MAGAZINE ESAMSKRITI

    Aritcles: 29.12.2020: Indica by Megasthenes; 14.3.22: About The Dimasa Kingdom Assam; 10.12.22: Grand Trunk Road–Uttarapath; 5.10.23: The Ghost Town of Kuldhara Near Jaisalmer;

    (ALL THE ABOVE BOOK TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE ON AMAZON, FLIPKART AND OTHER ONLINE STORES OR YOU COULD EVEN WRITE TO US FOR A COPY)

    *****

    Basant Panchami, celebrates Ma Saraswati, Lord Shiva and the Arrival of Spring

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    Copyright@shravancharitymission

        Basant Panchami is a lively and vibrant festival that marks the arrival of spring and the veneration of the Goddess Saraswati, the deity of knowledge, wisdom, music, and arts. The festival is celebrated across various regions of India and is known for its colourful customs, significance, and connection to both spiritual and seasonal transitions. Also, referred to as Saraswati Puja, Basant Panchami celebrates the Goddess’s association with learning and creativity and heralds the arrival of the spring season.

        Observed on the fifth day of the bright half of the lunar month Magha, typically in late January or early February, Basant Panchami is a festival that signifies the beginning of spring, although it falls 40 days before the official start of the season. This 40-day transition is rooted in traditional beliefs, which hold that the changing seasons take around 40 days to fully unfold. As such, the celebration serves as an early greeting to spring, often referred to as the “King of all Seasons,” with its vibrancy, new life, and energy.

        Yellow colour plays an important role during Basant Panchami. It is associated with the Goddess Saraswati, whose presence is symbolized by the colour as well as her attire. Yellow represents creativity, knowledge, and the ripening mustard fields, which are in bloom at this time of year. People wear yellow clothing to participate in the celebration, embracing the spirit of renewal and vibrancy that the colour represents.

        In northern India, where the weather is still cold, and in central and western regions, where the spring-like weather begins to take hold, the festival marks a gradual transition toward the full bloom of spring. This change in the atmosphere, along with the blossoming mustard flowers, signifies the shift from winter’s dormancy to the energetic growth of spring.

        In some parts of India, Basant Panchami is also associated with Kamadeva, the Hindu god of love, and his consort, Rati. According to legend, Kamadev awakened Lord Shiva from his deep meditation to help Parvati win his affection. Basant Panchami celebrates the awakening of the earth’s desires and the renewal of life.

        An important mythological story tied to Basant Panchami is the tale of Lord Shiva. When the sages sought to wake Shiva from his meditation, they enlisted Kamadev, the god of love, to stir Shiva’s desires. However, when Kamadev shot his flower arrows at Shiva, God’s third eye opened, unleashing a fireball that reduced Kamadeva to ashes in Umananda Islet in the centre of River Brahmaputra in Guwahati, Assam. Kamadev returned to life on the day of Vasant Panchami after Shiva married Parvati. That is why Kamadeva, the god of love and desire, is worshipped along with his wife Rati on this day.

        On Basant Panchami, it is a common practice for families to encourage children to write their first words with their fingers, symbolizing a new beginning in education. The day also brings people together to study or engage in musical activities, as these pursuits are considered auspicious on this day.

        Flying kites is another fun and popular tradition linked to the festival, especially in northern and western India, where the skies are filled with colourful kites on this auspicious day.

        Historically, the festival has also been important in Sikh culture. Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire, promoted Basant Panchami as a day of social gatherings, particularly in Gurdwaras. The day also holds significance for Sikhs, as it is a time to remember the martyrdom of Haqiqat Rai, a young boy executed for refusing to convert to Islam in 1741. His sacrifice is honoured on this day, adding a layer of historical remembrance to the celebration.

        Basant Panchami is not limited to India alone. It is also celebrated in Nepal, Bali, Indonesia and other countries where you have a Hindu diaspora.

    Posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

    *

    https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

    *

    Like it and Share it

    *

    Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life-threatening diseases, especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers, including children and adults, and have a huge variety of content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate to the cause of cancer? The bank details are given below:

    NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

    Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

    IFSC code: BKID0006805

    *

    Publications of Kamlesh Tripathi

    BOOK TITLE: GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

    (The book is about a young cancer patient. Now archived in eight prestigious libraries of the US which include Harvard College Library; Harvard University Library; Library of Congress; University of Washington, Seattle; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Yale University, New Haven; University of Chicago; University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill University Libraries. It can also be accessed at MIT through Worldcat.org. Besides, it is also available for reading in the libraries and archives of Canada; the Open Library; Cancer Aid and Research Foundation Mumbai; Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida, India; Shoolini University, Yogananda Knowledge Center, Himachal Pradesh and Azim Premzi University, Bangalore and the Library of Cancer Aid and Research Foundation, Mumbai. The title also finds a mention in a book titled ‘Enduring Cancer: Life, Death and Diagnosis in Delhi’ by Dwaipayan Banerjee published by the Duke University Press).

    BOOK TITLE: ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

    (It is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi; It is also available for reading in the Indian National Bibliography, March 2016, in the literature section, in Central Reference Library, Ministry of Culture, India, Belvedere, Kolkata-700022)

    BOOK TITLE: AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

    (This is a fiction written around the great city of Nawabs—Lucknow. It describes Lucknow in great detail and also talks about its Hindu-Muslim amity, which is the undying characteristic of Lucknow. The book was launched at the Lucknow International Literary Festival in 2014. It is catalogued and included for reading in Askews and Holts Library Services, Lancashire, U.K; Herrick District Library, Holland; Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, USA; Black Gold Cooperative Library Administration, Arroyo Grande, California; Berkeley Library, University of California; The Peshastin Public Library and The George Public Library near Washington, a Northern Central Washington Libraries branch; the Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library in Arizona in the US and the Salina Public Library, Kansas, USA.

    BOOK TITLE: REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

    (Co-published by Cankids–Kidscan, a pan India NGO and Shravan Charity Mission, that works for child cancer in India. The book is endorsed by Ms Preetha Reddy, MD Apollo Hospitals Group. It was launched at the Lucknow International Literary Festival in 2016).

    BOOK TITLE: TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

    (Is a story of an Indian salesman who is, humbly qualified. Yet he fights his way through unceasing uncertainties to reach the top. A good read not only for salesmen but for any reader. The book was launched on 10th February 2018 at Gorakhpur Lit-Fest. Now available on Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

    BOOK TITLE: RHYTHM … IN POEMS

    (Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems are about our day-to-day life. Poems from this book have been published in Shillong Times, Bandra Times, Bhavan’s Journal, Arunachal Times and Goan net. The book is available on Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

    BOOK TITLE: MIRAGE

    (Published in February 2020. The book is a collection of eight short stories available on Amazon, Flipkart and Notion Press)

    BOOK TITLE: AWADH ASSAM AND DALAI LAMA … The Kalachakra

    (It is the story of the man who received His Holiness The Dalai Lama and his retinue in 1959 as a GOI representative when he fled Tibet in 1959. The book was launched on 21st November 2022 by His Holiness The Dalai Lama at Dharmshala. The title is archived in the library of the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR) Government of Tibet, Tibet Policy Institute (TPI) and the personal library of His Holiness The Dalai Lama. The title is also archived in The Ohio Digital Library, USA. It was recently included in the digital library of the world-renowned company APPLE. Included in the library of Friends of Tibet and Maharashtra Mitra Mandal Library in Bandra, Mumbai.

    (POEMS, SHORT STORIES AND ARTICLES OF KAMLESH TRIPATHI PUBLISHED IN JOURNALS AND MAGAZINES)

    BHAVANS JOURNAL

    Short stories, Book reviews and Articles published in Bhavan’s Journal: 1. Reality and Perception, 15.10.19; 2. Sending the Wrong Message, 31.5.20; 3. Eagle versus Scholars, June, 15 & 20, 2020; 4. Indica, 15.8.20; 5. The Story of King Chitraketu, August 31 2020; 6. Breaking Through the Chakravyuh, September 30 2020. 7. The Questioning Spouse, October 31, 2020; 8. Happy Days, November 15, 2020; 9. The Karma Cycle of Paddy and Wheat, December 15, 2020; 10. Power Vs Influence, January 31, 2021; 11. Three Refugees, March 15, 2021; 12. Rise and Fall of Ajatashatru, March 31, 2021; 13. Reformed Ruler, May 15, 2021; 14. A Lasting Name, May 31, 2021; 15. Are Animals Better Teachers? June 16, 2021; 16. Book Review: The Gram Swaraj, 1.7.21; 17. Right Age for Achievements, 15.7.21; 18. Big Things Have Small Beginnings, 15.8.21; 19. Where is Gangaridai?, 15.9.21; 20. Confront the Donkey Within You 30.9.21; 21. Know Your Strengths 15.10.21; 22. Poverty 15.11.21; 23. Top View 30.11.21; 24. The Bansuriwala 15.1.22; 25. Sale of Alaska 15.2.22; 26. The Dimasa Kingdom 28.2.22;27. Buried Treasure 15.4.22; 28. The Kingdom of Pragjyotisha 30.4.22; 29. Who is more useful? 15.5.22; 30. The White Swan from Lake Mansarovar 30.6.22; 31. Bhool Bhulayya 15.9.22; 32. Good Karma 30.9.22; 33. Good Name vs Bad Name 15.10.22; 34. Uttarapath—The Grand Trunk Road 1.12.22; 35. When Gods Get Angry 1.1.23; 36. Holinshed’s Chronicles 15.1.23; 37. Theogony 15.2.23; 38. Poem: Mother 14.5.23; 39. The Nag Mandir 30.6.23; 40. The Story of Garuda 30.7.23; 41. Janmabhoomi vs Karmabhoomi 31.8.23; 42. The Ghost Town of Kuldhara 15.9.23; 43. The Tale of Genji 15.10.23; 44. The Soul Connection 1.12.23; 45.Book review: Jungle Nama … a story of the Sundarban 16.3.24; 46. Book review: A Forgotten Chapter 16.5.24; 47. Exploring Ancient Egypt, 1.8.24; 48. The Story of Dhruva, 16.8.24; 49. Two Hundred Years of Tea in Assam 16.9.24; 50. The Cosmic Messenger 16.10.24; 51. Biblioburro: The Four-Legged Library 16.11.24; 52. The Cologne Cathedral 1.1.25; 53. Gandhi to Mahatma 16.1.25;

    THE SHILLONG TIMES

    Articles & Poems: 1. Poem: Happy New Year 8.1.23; 2.Poem: Spring 12.3.23; 3.Poem: Right and Wrong 20.3.23; 4. The Gush of Emotion—Writing, 26.3.23; 5. The Nag Mandir, 7.5.23; 6. Poem: Mother 7.5.23; 7. Poem: Rain Rain 9.7.23; 8. Poem: You Come Alone You Go Alone 6.8.23; 9. Poem: Rain Rain (Second Time) 10.8.23; 10. Poem: Guru Teacher 1.10.23; 11. Poem: Autumn … The Interim Heaven 15.10.23; 12. Poem: Happy Diwali 12.11.23; 13. Overcoming Blindness: Learn it the John Milton Way 10.12.23; 14. The Happy Prince and The Happy Man’s Shirt 31.12.23; 15. Annus Mirabilis -2024 7.1.24; 16. Gandhi to Mahatma Gandhi- Incidents that Shaped Gandhi in South Africa 28.1.24; 17. Poem: Together But Not Made For Each Other, 11.2.24; 18. The Birds Bees and The Spiders of Nicholas Guildford and Jonathan Swift 25.2.24; 19. The Overcoats of Nikolai Gogol and Ruskin Bond 10.3.24; 20. The Ethnic Colours of Holi 24.3.24; 21. A Lesson from Dalai Lama, 21.4.24; 22. Poem: Morning Walk 28.4.24; 23. Trip to Rhine Falls, Switzerland, 19.5.24; 24. Poem: Hurt 2.6.24; 25. Poem: Your Conscience Was My Sign On 16.6.24; 26.Poem: The Eerie Ways of Time 7.7.24; 27.Poem: Celebrating the T20 World Champions 14.7.24;28. Read to Rise above mediocrity, 4.8.24; 29. Poem: Desire vs Reality 11.8.24; 30. Jack Ma’s Pristine Advice to Employers, Employees and the Youth 22.9.24; 31. Tagore and Kipling 3.11.24; 32. Poem: Merry Christmas 22.12.24; 33. Poem: The Sunset Point, 5.1.25; 34. Cancer Warning Labels on Alcoholic Beverages, 12.1.25; 35. Poem: Hope … In the Arc of Twilight, 19.1.25;

    THE ASSAM TRIBUNE

    Article: 1. The Magic of Reading 11.12.23; 2. Gandhi to Mahatma 29.1.24; 3. Geography of Solitude 8.4.24; 4. A Lesson From Dalai Lama, 22.4.24; 5. A Source of Inspiration, 29.4.24; 6. The Four-Legged Library, 12.5.24; 7. Age and Achievement, 10.6.24; 8. Read … To Rise Above Mediocrity, 1.7.24; 9. Crusade for a College, 25.8.24; 10. Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory (Panorama) 27.9.24; 11. Short story: Love in the Air, 20.10.24; 12. Short story: The Prick of Conscience, 5.1.25; 13. Lost in translation, 6.1.25; 14. Travellers’ tales;

    THE ARUNACHAL TIMES

    Poem: 1. Hope—In The Arc of Twilight, 13.8.23; 2.Poem: Spring 3.3.24; 3.Poem: The Morning Walk 10.3.24;

    BANDRA TIMES, MUMBAI

    Articles & Poems: 1. Poem: SPRING, 1.4.23; 2. Poem: Mother, 1.6.23; 3. Poem: Rain Rain, 1.8.23; 4. A Lesson From Dalai Lama, 1.6.24; 5. Read to rise above Mediocrity 1.8.24

    THE GOAN NET

    Poem: 1. Autumn – The Interim Heaven, 6.10.24; 2. Reader’s Rewind 17.11.84; 3. Reader’s Rewind: The Irony of Tash Moustache or Mooch 5.12.24; 4. The Sunset Point 22.12.24; 5. Reader’s Rewind: The Joy of a Morning Walk, 3.1.25;

    ARTICLES IN THE DIGITAL MAGAZINE ESAMSKRITI

    Aritcles: 29.12.2020: Indica by Megasthenes; 14.3.22: About The Dimasa Kingdom Assam; 10.12.22: Grand Trunk Road–Uttarapath; 5.10.23: The Ghost Town of Kuldhara Near Jaisalmer;

    (ALL THE ABOVE BOOK TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE ON AMAZON, FLIPKART AND OTHER ONLINE STORES OR YOU COULD EVEN WRITE TO US FOR A COPY)

    *****

    READER’S REWIND: TRAVEL & BOOKS

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    Copyright@shravancharitymission

        Italian sailor Christopher Columbus completed four voyages across the pond (Atlantic Ocean) sponsored by the Catholic Monarchs, opening the way for the widespread European exploration and colonisation of America in the 15th century. But for Christopher, the Colonisation of America would have been delayed. Portuguese sailor and explorer Vasco Da Gama sailed to India through the Cape of Good Hope at the tail-end of the fifteenth century, becoming the first link between Europe and Asia; but for him, India would have remained undiscovered like some planet in the galaxy for some more time. Cartographer, explorer and British naval officer, Captain James Cook, became the first European to discover Australia, New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands during his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean. But were they planned discoveries or accidental ones? Well, that’s not relevant now. What matters is the final result.

        Ralph Fitch and John Mildenhall were the initial Englishmen who travelled to India, around 1600. They were British merchants who came to India in search of trade opportunities. But no Indian thought of going in the direction they came from. Such iconic journeys and voyages were rare. But they inspired writers to come up with some famous novels.

       Renowned author Jonathan Swift fanned his creativity and penned ‘Gulliver’s Travels in 1726. Swift sent Gulliver on multiple voyages just like Christopher and Vasco. Surely he must have drawn inspiration from them. During his first voyage, Gulliver is washed ashore after a shipwreck and he finds himself a prisoner of a race of tiny people from the island country of Liliput, less than 6 inches (15 cm) much like the tiny Valakhilya Rishis in Bharatvarsh who too were thumb-sized but had great ascetic powers.

        Gulliver’s second voyage took him to Brobdingnag, inhabited by a race of giants. The grass in Brobdingnag was as tall as a tree. Gulliver is rescued by a farm worker who delivers him to a farm owner, who is about 72 feet tall and whose single step is 10 yards, reminding you of the mighty Veer Ghatotkach of the Mahabharat fame. The farmer exhibits Gulliver for money, and his young daughter, Glumdalclitch, takes care of him.

        While setting out again, Gulliver’s ship is attacked by pirates, leaving him stranded on a desolate rocky island near India (discovered by Vasco da Gama). He is then rescued by the flying Laputa Island (after he was left adrift by pirates).

        The next time, Gulliver returns to sea as the captain of a merchant vessel because he is bored with his assignment as a surgeon. On this voyage, he is forced to find new additions to his crew who, he believes, have turned against him. His crew then committed mutiny. After keeping him contained for some time, they resolve to leave him on the first piece of land they come across and continue as pirates. 

        After over a century of Jonathan Swift’s penning ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ in 1726, Benjamin Disraeli who later became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, wrote ‘The Voyage of Captain Popanilla’ in 1828. Did Disraeli get the idea of writing this novel from Christopher Columbus or Vasco-Da-Gama or Jonathan Swift or all put together?

        ‘The Voyage of Popanilla’ is an allegorical adventure story narrating the dream voyage of Captain Popanilla and his crew to distant lands and is a satire on contemporary society. It aligns with the genre of Menippean Satire. The wit is very direct, and the satire, though it lacks the teeth of Jonathan Swift, is surely rubbing. It contains hues of utopia, in which the author creates a confrontation between an innocent and happy life on a blissful Arcadian island in the South Pacific and the principles of Benthamite Utilitarianism, which Disraeli despised. Obliquely, the narration is a satire on utilitarianism, where the author through appropriations of sea-voyages tries to give a message to England where he later goes on to become the Prime Minister. A brilliant fiction again.

        French writer Jules Verne, in 1869-70, wrote Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, a classic in which ships of various nationalities sight a sea monster, which is speculated to be a gigantic narwhal. The U.S. government takes the lead in destroying the monster. It reminds you of the Bermuda Triangle, where ships and planes disappear under mysterious circumstances.

        Travel and voyage reminds me of the popular Indian song … ‘Duniya ki sair kar lo, Insan ke dost banker insa se pyar kar lo … Around the world in eight dollars’ from the Indian film ‘Around the World’ made in 1967. While travelling I pondered so much. Travel takes you to places, places are stark realities that encourage you to write. Writing encourages fiction and details of fiction lend verisimilitude to books. The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page … Saint Augustine.

    ***

    Posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

    *

    https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

    *

    Like it and Share it

    *

    Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life-threatening diseases, especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers, including children and adults, and have a huge variety of content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate to the cause of cancer? The bank details are given below:

    NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

    Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

    IFSC code: BKID0006805

    *

    Publications of Kamlesh Tripathi

    BOOK TITLE: GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

    (The book is about a young cancer patient. Now archived in eight prestigious libraries of the US which include Harvard College Library; Harvard University Library; Library of Congress; University of Washington, Seattle; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Yale University, New Haven; University of Chicago; University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill University Libraries. It can also be accessed at MIT through Worldcat.org. Besides, it is also available for reading in the libraries and archives of Canada; the Open Library; Cancer Aid and Research Foundation Mumbai; Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida, India; Shoolini University, Yogananda Knowledge Center, Himachal Pradesh and Azim Premzi University, Bangalore and the Library of Cancer Aid and Research Foundation, Mumbai. The title also finds a mention in a book titled ‘Enduring Cancer: Life, Death and Diagnosis in Delhi’ by Dwaipayan Banerjee published by the Duke University Press).

    BOOK TITLE: ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

    (It is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi; It is also available for reading in the Indian National Bibliography, March 2016, in the literature section, in Central Reference Library, Ministry of Culture, India, Belvedere, Kolkata-700022)

    BOOK TITLE: AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

    (This is a fiction written around the great city of Nawabs—Lucknow. It describes Lucknow in great detail and also talks about its Hindu-Muslim amity, which is the undying characteristic of Lucknow. The book was launched at the Lucknow International Literary Festival in 2014. It is catalogued and included for reading in Askews and Holts Library Services, Lancashire, U.K; Herrick District Library, Holland; Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, USA; Black Gold Cooperative Library Administration, Arroyo Grande, California; Berkeley Library, University of California; The Peshastin Public Library and The George Public Library near Washington, a Northern Central Washington Libraries branch; the Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library in Arizona in the US and the Salina Public Library, Kansas, USA.

    BOOK TITLE: REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

    (Co-published by Cankids–Kidscan, a pan India NGO and Shravan Charity Mission, that works for child cancer in India. The book is endorsed by Ms Preetha Reddy, MD Apollo Hospitals Group. It was launched at the Lucknow International Literary Festival in 2016).

    BOOK TITLE: TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

    (Is a story of an Indian salesman who is, humbly qualified. Yet he fights his way through unceasing uncertainties to reach the top. A good read not only for salesmen but for any reader. The book was launched on 10th February 2018 at Gorakhpur Lit-Fest. Now available on Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

    BOOK TITLE: RHYTHM … IN POEMS

    (Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems are about our day-to-day life. Poems from this book have been published in Shillong Times, Bandra Times, Bhavan’s Journal and Arunachal Times and Goan net. The book is available on Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

    BOOK TITLE: MIRAGE

    (Published in February 2020. The book is a collection of eight short stories available on Amazon, Flipkart and Notion Press)

    BOOK TITLE: AWADH ASSAM AND DALAI LAMA … The Kalachakra

    (It is the story of the man who received His Holiness The Dalai Lama and his retinue in 1959 as a GOI representative when he fled Tibet in 1959. The book was launched on 21st November 2022 by His Holiness The Dalai Lama at Dharmshala. The title is archived in the library of the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR) Government of Tibet, Tibet Policy Institute (TPI) and the personal library of His Holiness The Dalai Lama. The title is also archived in The Ohio Digital Library, USA. It was recently included in the digital library of the world-renowned company APPLE. Included in the library of Friends of Tibet and Maharashtra Mitra Mandal Library in Bandra, Mumbai.

    (POEMS, SHORT STORIES AND ARTICLES OF KAMLESH TRIPATHI PUBLISHED IN JOURNALS AND MAGAZINES)

    BHAVANS JOURNAL

    Short stories, Book reviews and Articles published in Bhavan’s Journal: 1. Reality and Perception, 15.10.19; 2. Sending the Wrong Message, 31.5.20; 3. Eagle versus Scholars, June, 15 & 20, 2020; 4. Indica, 15.8.20; 5. The Story of King Chitraketu, August 31 2020; 6. Breaking Through the Chakravyuh, September 30 2020. 7. The Questioning Spouse, October 31, 2020; 8. Happy Days, November 15, 2020; 9. The Karma Cycle of Paddy and Wheat, December 15, 2020; 10. Power Vs Influence, January 31, 2021; 11. Three Refugees, March 15, 2021; 12. Rise and Fall of Ajatashatru, March 31, 2021; 13. Reformed Ruler, May 15, 2021; 14. A Lasting Name, May 31, 2021; 15. Are Animals Better Teachers? June 16, 2021; 16. Book Review: The Gram Swaraj, 1.7.21; 17. Right Age for Achievements, 15.7.21; 18. Big Things Have Small Beginnings, 15.8.21; 19. Where is Gangaridai?, 15.9.21; 20. Confront the Donkey Within You 30.9.21; 21. Know Your Strengths 15.10.21; 22. Poverty 15.11.21; 23. Top View 30.11.21; 24. The Bansuriwala 15.1.22; 25. Sale of Alaska 15.2.22; 26. The Dimasa Kingdom 28.2.22;27. Buried Treasure 15.4.22; 28. The Kingdom of Pragjyotisha 30.4.22; 29. Who is more useful? 15.5.22; 30. The White Swan from Lake Mansarovar 30.6.22; 31. Bhool Bhulayya 15.9.22; 32. Good Karma 30.9.22; 33. Good Name vs Bad Name 15.10.22; 34. Uttarapath—The Grand Trunk Road 1.12.22; 35. When Gods Get Angry 1.1.23; 36. Holinshed’s Chronicles 15.1.23; 37. Theogony 15.2.23; 38. Poem: Mother 14.5.23; 39. The Nag Mandir 30.6.23; 40. The Story of Garuda 30.7.23; 41. Janmabhoomi vs Karmabhoomi 31.8.23; 42. The Ghost Town of Kuldhara 15.9.23; 43. The Tale of Genji 15.10.23; 44. The Soul Connection 1.12.23; 45.Book review: Jungle Nama … a story of the Sundarban 16.3.24; 46. Book review: A Forgotten Chapter 16.5.24; 47. Exploring Ancient Egypt, 1.8.24; 48. The Story of Dhruva, 16.8.24; 49. Two Hundred Years of Tea in Assam 16.9.24; 50. The Cosmic Messenger 16.10.24; 51. Biblioburro: The Four-Legged Library 16.11.24

    THE SHILLONG TIMES

    Articles & Poems: 1. Poem: Happy New Year 8.1.23; 2.Poem: Spring 12.3.23; 3.Poem: Right and Wrong 20.3.23; 4. The Gush of Emotion—Writing, 26.3.23; 5. The Nag Mandir, 7.5.23; 6. Poem: Mother 7.5.23; 7. Poem: Rain Rain 9.7.23; 8. Poem: You Come Alone You Go Alone 6.8.23; 9. Poem: Rain Rain (Second Time) 10.8.23; 10. Poem: Guru Teacher 1.10.23; 11. Poem: Autumn … The Interim Heaven 15.10.23; 12. Poem: Happy Diwali 12.11.23; 13. Overcoming Blindness: Learn it the John Milton Way 10.12.23; 14. The Happy Prince and The Happy Man’s Shirt 31.12.23; 15. Annus Mirabilis -2024 7.1.24; 16. Gandhi to Mahatma Gandhi- Incidents that Shaped Gandhi in South Africa 28.1.24; 17. Poem: Together But Not Made For Each Other, 11.2.24; 18. The Birds Bees and The Spiders of Nicholas Guildford and Jonathan Swift 25.2.24; 19. The Overcoats of Nikolai Gogol and Ruskin Bond 10.3.24; 20. The Ethnic Colours of Holi 24.3.24; 21. A Lesson from Dalai Lama, 21.4.24; 22. Poem: Morning Walk 28.4.24; 23. Trip to Rhine Falls, Switzerland, 19.5.24; 24. Poem: Hurt 2.6.24; 25. Poem: Your Conscience Was My Sign On 16.6.24; 26.Poem: The Eerie Ways of Time 7.7.24; 27.Poem: Celebrating the T20 World Champions 14.7.24;28. Read to Rise above mediocrity, 4.8.24; 29. Poem: Desire vs Reality 11.8.24; 30. Jack Ma’s Pristine Advice to Employers, Employees and the Youth 22.9.24; 31. Tagore and Kipling 3.11.24;

    THE ASSAM TRIBUNE

    Article: 1. The Magic of Reading 11.12.23; 2. Gandhi to Mahatma 29.1.24; 3. Geography of Solitude 8.4.24; 4. A Lesson From Dalai Lama, 22.4.24; 5. A Source of Inspiration, 29.4.24; 6. The Four-Legged Library, 12.5.24; 7. Age and Achievement, 10.6.24; 8. Read … To Rise Above Mediocrity, 1.7.24; 9. Crusade for a College, 25.8.24; 10. Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory (Panorama) 27.9.24; 11. Short story: Love in the Air, 20.10.24;

    THE ARUNACHAL TIMES

    Poem: 1. Hope—In The Arc of Twilight, 13.8.23; 2.Poem: Spring 3.3.24; 3.Poem: The Morning Walk 10.3.24;

    BANDRA TIMES, MUMBAI

    Articles & Poems: 1. Poem: SPRING, 1.4.23; 2. Poem: Mother, 1.6.23; 3. Poem: Rain Rain, 1.8.23; 4. A Lesson From Dalai Lama, 1.6.24; 5. Read to rise above Mediocrity 1.8.24

    THE GOAN NET

    Poem: 1. Autumn – The Interim Heaven, 6.10.24; 2. Reader’s Rewind17.11.84

    ARTICLES IN THE DIGITAL MAGAZINE ESAMSKRITI

    Aritcles: 29.12.2020: Indica by Megasthenes; 14.3.22: About The Dimasa Kingdom Assam; 10.12.22: Grand Trunk Road–Uttarapath; 5.10.23: The Ghost Town of Kuldhara Near Jaisalmer;

    (ALL THE ABOVE BOOK TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE ON AMAZON, FLIPKART AND OTHER ONLINE STORES OR YOU COULD EVEN WRITE TO US FOR A COPY)

    *****

    TWO HUNDRED YEARS OF TEA IN ASSAM

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         After Captain Welsh’s expedition into Assam in 1792 and his commercial treaty with Ahom King Gaurinath Singha, the East India Company saw some possibilities of agro-commercial opportunities in the region. In 1823, the journey of tea began in Assam and gradually developed into a household beverage. No one could imagine a day without one’s morning cuppa. The discovery of an indigenous tea plant in upper Assam by a Scottish adventurer Robert Bruce in 1823 convinced the British of the possibility of turning the region into a ‘tea ground’ after the Burmese invasion. The Singpho and Khamti tribes knew about the benefits of the tea plant and drank the brew made from its leaves long before the British discovered it. Robert Bruce’s insights into the existence of the tea plant in upper Assam were acquired from a Singpho chief.

         In 1826, C.A. Bruce who commanded a gunboat division in upper Assam during the first Burmese war, collected some specimens of the indigenous tea plant. These specimens were sent to the Botanical Gardens in Calcutta. The Governor General of India, William Bentinck, then deputed Francis Jenkins in 1832 to Assam to evaluate her resources leading to plantation of tea.

        After tea was introduced in 1835, it became a stimulant of economic growth towards the latter half of the nineteenth century. Several tea gardens were opened in different parts of Assam between 1856 and 1859. The liberal grant of ‘wastelands’ enabled the newly formed ‘Assam Company’ to foray into the profitable venture of growing tea. Following the footsteps of the Assam Company, some more companies entered the turf of tea plantation. The Assamese noble Maniram Dewan was the first Indian who started two tea gardens in Chenglu and Chenimora. But due to his alleged complicity in the revolt of 1857, he was hanged and his gardens were confiscated.

        The introduction of the steamer service in the 1860s and the construction of railways by the British in the 1880s boosted the tea industry in Assam. It established closer geographical, economic, political and cultural relationships between the region and the world.

        Initially, tea planters imported Chinese labour, but it proved to be a costly affair. Even experiments with local labour were challenging due to their difficulty in adjusting to a time-work-discipline regime. Local Kacharis and Nagas were willing to engage in plantation work temporarily. Although a few gardens imported labour from Bihar and Chota Nagpur, it was only from 1859 onwards that tea gardens began to recruit labourers on a wide scale from Bihar, Orissa, Bengal, Central Provinces, United Provinces and Madras Presidency.

        Tea plantations attracted Marwari traders to Assam to start business ventures. They provided the necessary trade and finance services to the tea gardens.

        A planter’s wife Iris and her son Alan MacFarlane titled their book ‘Green Gold’ meaning ‘Tea’. They opined that the tea we drink is a product of the British Empire. While Assam tea has been able to cast its spell over different parts of the world, its impact closer home was also par excellence. Several noted Assamese were either sons of tea garden owners or were owners of tea plantations themselves. Apart from making significant contributions to the development of Assamese society during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, they played a useful role in the politics of their time, some of them being active Congressmen.

        ‘Without the tea industry, a stable middle class would not have come into existence in Upper Assam. Through tea, they secured business links in Calcutta and London. With the arrival of the tea planters in Assam came the capitalists. Tea was the only force of ’embourgeoisement’ in the economy of Assam. It offered the Assamese middle class a channel for professional self-expression. It increased the size of the middle class, with some working in clerical jobs and others involved in cultivation, trading, and selling of tea.

        The tea story is incomplete unless we acknowledge the contribution of some pioneer planters who turned the plantation industry into a flourishing enterprise in the Barak Valley. Planters from north Bengal also made huge investments in the tea plantation industry of Assam.

        The tea industry was key to the urban growth of Assam. It contributed towards the construction of roads, hospitals and the development of towns like Dibrugarh, Jorhat and Tezpur. It also helped Assam gain global prominence as one of the major producers and exporters of tea in the world.

        Despite several welfare activities and attempts to create employment opportunities for the locals, the management of the tea industry very often became the target of insurgency. The Indian National Congress brought tea garden workers under their umbrella after independence. The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) also attempted to spread its influence in the tea gardens. To counter the communist influence of AITUC the Congress formed The Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC).

        The Assam Branch Indian Tea Association (ABITA) was a pillar of strength and support to the tea industry in Assam. The history of the ITA goes a long way back to 1879 when the first association of tea producers known as the Indian Tea Districts Association was formed in London. Considering the geographical distance from London, an association which could be easily accessible became the need of the hour to regulate matters at home. In 1881, a discussion was initiated in Calcutta by representatives of Jardine Skinner & Co., and Begg, Dunlop & Co. which led to the birth of ABITA on 29 October 1889 in Jorhat. James Buckingham of the Amgoorie Tea Company was elected chairman of the association. Due to his meritorious service to the tea industry, he was later known as Sir James. In 1904, he was appointed secretary of the ITA, London. Known as the ‘Father of the ABITA’, Sir James Buckingham contributed towards the development of tea science in India. The CTC machine introduced by another chairman of the ABITA, Mr. William McKercher revolutionised the manufacturing process of tea. India exports large quantities of CTC tea produced in the tea gardens of Assam. The world’s biggest auction market of CTC is located in Guwahati. Lt. Col. W.D. Smiles, chairman of the ABITA was later conferred the honour of knighthood for his valuable contribution to the tea industry and development works in Assam. ABITA’s contribution towards the development of road and railway communication in Assam is noteworthy. Many airfields in Assam were built with the help of tea garden workers during the war. The ABITA has been closely associated with the research and development of tea in Assam since its formation in 1889.

       The oldest and the largest tea research institute in the world – is the Tocklai Tea Research Institute located in Jorhat. It was only with the establishment of the Tocklai Experimental Station in Jorhat in 1911 the systematic research on tea was initiated. The Tocklai Experimental Station was established in collaboration with the Governments of Assam and Bengal by the Indian Tea Association (ITA).   

        Although the tea industry has significantly contributed to the development of the state’s economy and provided a livelihood for many, it has also led to the growth of trade union activities.

        The trade union movement in Assam was led mainly by two fronts- the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) led by the Congress and the Hind Mazdoor Sangh led by the Socialists. The Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangh (ACMS) was established as a branch of the National Mazdoor Congress in 1947 through the efforts of Bijoychandra Bhagwati (1905-1997), Robin Kakoti (1910-1996), K.P. Tripathi (1910-1984), Mahendranath Sarma and many others.

    ***

    Posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

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    Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life-threatening diseases, especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers, including children and adults, and have a huge variety in content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate to the cause? The bank details are given below:

    NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

    Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

    IFSC code: BKID0006805

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    Kamlesh Tripathi’s Publications

    GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

    (The book is about a young cancer patient. Now archived in 8 prestigious libraries of the US which include Harvard College Library; Harvard University Library; Library of Congress; University of Washington, Seattle; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Yale University, New Haven; University of Chicago; University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill University Libraries. It can also be accessed at MIT through Worldcat.org. Besides, it is also available for reading in libraries and archives of Canada; Cancer Aid and Research Foundation Mumbai; Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida, India; Shoolini University, Yogananda Knowledge Center, Himachal Pradesh and Azim Premzi University, Bangalore).

    ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

    (Is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi; It is also available for reading in the Indian National Bibliography, March 2016, in the literature section, in Central Reference Library, Ministry of Culture, India, Belvedere, Kolkata-700022)

    AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

    (Is a fiction written around the great city of Nawabs—Lucknow. It describes Lucknow in great detail and also talks about its Hindu-Muslim amity, which is the undying characteristic of Lucknow. The book was launched at the Lucknow International Literary Festival in 2014. It is included for reading in Askews and Holts Library Services, Lancashire, U.K; Herrick District Library, Holland and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library, Mecklenburg County in North Carolina, USA; Black Gold Cooperative Library Administration, Arroyo Grande, California; Berkeley Library, University of California).

    REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

    (Co-published by Cankids–Kidscan, a pan India NGO and Shravan Charity Mission, that works for child cancer in India. The book is endorsed by Ms Preetha Reddy, MD Apollo Hospitals Group. It was launched at the Lucknow International Literary Festival in 2016).

    TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

    (Is a story of an Indian salesman who is, humbly qualified. Yet he fights his way through unceasing uncertainties to reach the top. A good read not only for salesmen. The book was launched on 10th February 2018 at Gorakhpur Lit-Fest. Now available on Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

    RHYTHM … in poems

    (Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems describe our day-to-day life. A few poems from the book have been published in Shillong Times, Bandra Times and Bhavan’s Journal. The book is available on Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

    MIRAGE

    (Published in February 2020. The book is a collection of eight short stories available on Amazon, Flipkart and Notion Press)

    AWADH ASSAM AND DALAI LAMA … The Kalachakra

    (The story of the man who received His Holiness The Dalai Lama and his retinue in 1959 as a GOI representative when he fled Tibet in 1959. The book was launched on 21st November 2022 by His Holiness The Dalai Lama at Dharmshala. The title is archived in the library of the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR) Government of Tibet, Tibet Policy Institute (TPI) and the personal library of His Holiness The Dalai Lama. The title is also archived in The Ohio Digital Library, USA. It was recently included in the digital library of the world-renowned company APPLE).

    BHAVANS JOURNAL

    Short stories, Book reviews and Articles published in Bhavan’s Journal: 1. Reality and Perception, 15.10.19; 2. Sending the Wrong Message, 31.5.20; 3. Eagle versus Scholars June, 15 & 20, 2020; 4. Indica, 15.8.20; 5. The Story of King Chitraketu, August 31 2020; 6. Breaking Through the Chakravyuh, September 30 2020. 7. The Questioning Spouse, October 31, 2020; 8. Happy Days, November 15, 2020; 9. The Karma Cycle of Paddy and Wheat, December 15, 2020; 10. Power Vs Influence, January 31, 2021; 11. Three Refugees, March 15, 2021; 12. Rise and Fall of Ajatashatru, March 31, 2021; 13. Reformed Ruler, May 15, 2021; 14. A Lasting Name, May 31, 2021; 15. Are Animals Better Teachers? June 16, 2021; 16. Book Review: The Gram Swaraj, 1.7.21; 17. Right Age for Achievements, 15.7.21; 18. Big Things Have Small Beginnings, 15.8.21; 19. Where is Gangaridai?, 15.9.21; 20. Confront the Donkey Within You 30.9.21; 21. Know Your Strengths 15.10.21; 22. Poverty 15.11.21; 23. Top View 30.11.21; 24. The Bansuriwala 15.1.22; 25. Sale of Alaska 15.2.22; 26. The Dimasa Kingdom 28.2.22;27. Buried Treasure 15.4.22; 28. The Kingdom of Pragjyotisha 30.4.22; 29. Who is more useful? 15.5.22; 30. The White Swan from Lake Mansarovar 30.6.22; 31. Bhool Bhulayya 15.9.22; 32. Good Karma 30.9.22; 33. Good Name vs Bad Name 15.10.22; 34. Uttarapath—The Grand Trunk Road 1.12.22; 35. When Gods Get Angry 1.1.23; 36. Holinshed’s Chronicles 15.1.23; 37. Theogony 15.2.23; 38. Poem: Mother 14.5.23; 39. THE NAG MANDIR 30.6.23; 40. The Story of Garuda 30.7.23; 41. Janmabhoomi vs Karmabhoomi 31.8.23; 42. The Ghost Town of Kuldhara 15.9.23; 43. The Tale of Genji 15.10.23; 44. The Soul Connection 1.12.23; 45.Book review: Jungle Nama … a story of the Sundarban 16.3.24;

    THE SHILLONG TIMES

    ARTICLES & POEMS: 1. POEM: HAPPY NEW YEAR 8.1.23; 2. POEM: SPRING 12.3.23; 3. POEM: RIGHT AND WRONG 20.3.23; 4. THE GUSH OF EMOTION—WRITING, 26.3.23; 5. THE NAG MANDIR, 7.5.23; 6. POEM: MOTHER 7.5.23; 7. POEM: RAIN RAIN 9.7.23; 8. POEM: YOU COME ALONE YOU GO ALONE 6.8.23; 9. RAIN RAIN (SECOND TIME) 10.8.23; 10. POEM: GURU TEACHER 10.8.23; 11. POEM: AUTUMN … THE INTERIM HEAVEN 15.10.23; 12. POEM: HAPPY DIWALI 12.11.23; 13. OVERCOMING BLINDNESS: LEARN IT THE JOHN MILTON WAY 10.12.23; 14. THE HAPPY PRINCE AND THE HAPPY MAN’S SHIRT 31.12.23; 15. ANNUS MIRABILIS 2024 7.1.24; 16. GANDHI TO MAHATMA GANDHI- Incidents that Shaped Gandhi in South Africa 28.1.24; 17. POEM: TOGETHER BUT NOT MADE FOR EACH OTHER, 11.2.24; 18. THE BIRDS BEES AND THE SPIDERS OF NICHOLAS GUILDFORD AND JONATHAN SWIFT 25.2.24; 19. THE OVERCOATS OF NIKOLAI GOGOL AND RUSKIN BOND 10.3.24; 20. THE ETHNIC COLOURS OF HOLI 24.3.24; 21. A LESSON FROM DALAI LAMA, 21.4.24;

    THE ASSAM TRIBUNE

    ARTICLE: 1. THE MAGIC OF READING 11.12.23; 2. GANDHI TO MAHATMA 29.1.24; 3. GEOGRAPHY OF SOLITUDE 8.4.24; 4. A LESSON FROM DALAI LAMA, 22.4.24; 5. A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION, 29.4.24;

    BANDRA TIMES, MUMBAI

    ARTICLES & POEMS: 1. POEM: SPRING, 1.4.23; 2. POEM: MOTHER, 1.6.23; 3. POEM: RAIN RAIN, 1.8.23;

    ARTICLES IN THE DIGITAL MAGAZINE ESAMSKRITI

    29.12.2020: INDICA BY MEGASTHENES; 14.3.22: ABOUT THE DIMASA KINGDOM ASSAM; 10.12.22: GRAND TRUNK ROAD-UTTARAPATH; 5.10.23: THE GHOST TOWN OF KULDHARA NEAR JAISALMER;

    (ALL THE ABOVE BOOK TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE ON AMAZON, FLIPKART AND OTHER ONLINE STORES OR YOU COULD EVEN WRITE TO US FOR A COPY)

    *****

    A LESSON FORM HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA

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    What does it take for a person to smile when he has lost his country. Learn it from HH The Dalai Lama. Read my piece in The Assam Tribune, 22.4.24.

    Posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

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    https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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    Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life-threatening diseases, especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers, including children and adults, and have a huge variety in content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate to the cause? The bank details are given below:

    NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

    Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

    IFSC code: BKID0006805

    *

    Kamlesh Tripathi’s Publications

    GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

    (The book is about a young cancer patient. Now archived in 8 prestigious libraries of the US which include Harvard College Library; Harvard University Library; Library of Congress; University of Washington, Seattle; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Yale University, New Haven; University of Chicago; University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill University Libraries. It can also be accessed at MIT through Worldcat.org. Besides, it is also available for reading in libraries and archives of Canada; Cancer Aid and Research Foundation Mumbai; Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida, India; Shoolini University, Yogananda Knowledge Center, Himachal Pradesh and Azim Premzi University, Bangalore).  

    ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

    (Is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi; It is also available for reading in the Indian National Bibliography, March 2016, in the literature section, in Central Reference Library, Ministry of Culture, India, Belvedere, Kolkata-700022)

    AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

    (Is a fiction written around the great city of Nawabs—Lucknow. It describes Lucknow in great detail and also talks about its Hindu-Muslim amity, which is the undying characteristic of Lucknow. The book was launched at the Lucknow International Literary Festival in 2014. It is included for reading in Askews and Holts Library Services, Lancashire, U.K; Herrick District Library, Holland and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library, Mecklenburg County in North Carolina, USA; Black Gold Cooperative Library Administration, Arroyo Grande, California; Berkeley Library, University of California).

    REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

    (Co-published by Cankids–Kidscan, a pan India NGO and Shravan Charity Mission, that works for child cancer in India. The book is endorsed by Ms Preetha Reddy, MD Apollo Hospitals Group. It was launched at the Lucknow International Literary Festival in 2016).

    TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

    (Is a story of an Indian salesman who is, humbly qualified. Yet he fights his way through unceasing uncertainties to reach the top. A good read not only for salesmen. The book was launched on 10th February 2018 at Gorakhpur Lit-Fest. Now available on Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

    RHYTHM … in poems

    (Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems describe our day-to-day life. A few poems from the book have been published in Shillong Times, Bandra Times and Bhavan’s Journal. The book is available on Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

    MIRAGE

    (Published in February 2020. The book is a collection of eight short stories available on Amazon, Flipkart and Notion Press)

    AWADH ASSAM AND DALAI LAMA … The Kalachakra

    (The story of the man who received His Holiness The Dalai Lama and his retinue in 1959 as a GOI representative when he fled Tibet in 1959. The book was launched on 21st November 2022 by His Holiness The Dalai Lama at Dharmshala. The title is archived in the library of the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR) Government of Tibet, Tibet Policy Institute (TPI) and the personal library of His Holiness The Dalai Lama. The title is also archived in The Ohio Digital Library, USA. It was recently included in the digital library of the world-renowned company APPLE).

    BHAVANS JOURNAL

    Short stories, Book reviews and Articles published in Bhavan’s Journal: 1. Reality and Perception, 15.10.19; 2. Sending the Wrong Message, 31.5.20; 3. Eagle versus Scholars June, 15 & 20, 2020; 4. Indica, 15.8.20; 5. The Story of King Chitraketu, August 31 2020; 6. Breaking Through the Chakravyuh, September 30 2020. 7. The Questioning Spouse, October 31, 2020; 8. Happy Days, November 15, 2020; 9. The Karma Cycle of Paddy and Wheat, December 15, 2020; 10. Power Vs Influence, January 31, 2021; 11. Three Refugees, March 15, 2021; 12. Rise and Fall of Ajatashatru, March 31, 2021; 13. Reformed Ruler, May 15, 2021; 14. A Lasting Name, May 31, 2021; 15. Are Animals Better Teachers? June 16, 2021; 16. Book Review: The Gram Swaraj, 1.7.21; 17. Right Age for Achievements, 15.7.21; 18. Big Things Have Small Beginnings, 15.8.21; 19. Where is Gangaridai?, 15.9.21; 20. Confront the Donkey Within You 30.9.21; 21. Know Your Strengths 15.10.21; 22. Poverty 15.11.21; 23. Top View 30.11.21; 24. The Bansuriwala 15.1.22; 25. Sale of Alaska 15.2.22; 26. The Dimasa Kingdom 28.2.22;27. Buried Treasure 15.4.22; 28. The Kingdom of Pragjyotisha 30.4.22; 29. Who is more useful? 15.5.22; 30. The White Swan from Lake Mansarovar 30.6.22; 31. Bhool Bhulayya 15.9.22; 32. Good Karma 30.9.22; 33. Good Name vs Bad Name 15.10.22; 34. Uttarapath—The Grand Trunk Road 1.12.22; 35. When Gods Get Angry 1.1.23; 36. Holinshed’s Chronicles 15.1.23; 37. Theogony 15.2.23; 38. Poem: Mother 14.5.23; 39. THE NAG MANDIR 30.6.23; 40. The Story of Garuda 30.7.23; 41. Janmabhoomi vs Karmabhoomi 31.8.23; 42. The Ghost Town of Kuldhara 15.9.23; 43. The Tale of Genji 15.10.23; 44. The Soul Connection 1.12.23; 45.Book review: Jungle Nama … a story of the Sundarban 16.3.24;

    THE SHILLONG TIMES

    ARTICLES & POEMS: 1. POEM: HAPPY NEW YEAR 8.1.23; 2. POEM: SPRING 12.3.23; 3. POEM: RIGHT AND WRONG 20.3.23; 4. THE GUSH OF EMOTION—WRITING, 26.3.23; 5. THE NAG MANDIR, 7.5.23; 6. POEM: MOTHER 7.5.23; 7. POEM: RAIN RAIN 9.7.23; 8. POEM: YOU COME ALONE YOU GO ALONE 6.8.23; 9. RAIN RAIN (SECOND TIME) 10.8.23; 10. POEM: GURU TEACHER 10.8.23; 11. POEM: AUTUMN … THE INTERIM HEAVEN 15.10.23; 12. POEM: HAPPY DIWALI 12.11.23; 13. OVERCOMING BLINDNESS: LEARN IT THE JOHN MILTON WAY 10.12.23; 14. THE HAPPY PRINCE AND THE HAPPY MAN’S SHIRT 31.12.23; 15. ANNUS MIRABILIS 2024 7.1.24; 16. GANDHI TO MAHATMA GANDHI- Incidents that Shaped Gandhi in South Africa 28.1.24; 17. POEM: TOGETHER BUT NOT MADE FOR EACH OTHER, 11.2.24; 18. THE BIRDS BEES AND THE SPIDERS OF NICHOLAS GUILDFORD AND JONATHAN SWIFT 25.2.24; 19. THE OVERCOATS OF NIKOLAI GOGOL AND RUSKIN BOND 10.3.24; 20. THE ETHNIC COLOURS OF HOLI 24.3.24; 21. A LESSON FROM DALAI LAMA, 21.4.24;

    THE ASSAM TRIBUNE

    ARTICLE: 1. THE MAGIC OF READING 11.12.23; 2. GANDHI TO MAHATMA 29.1.24; 3. GEOGRAPHY OF SOLITUDE 8.4.24; 4. A LESSON FROM DALAI LAMA, 22.4.24;

    BANDRA TIMES, MUMBAI

    ARTICLES & POEMS: 1. POEM: SPRING, 1.4.23; 2. POEM: MOTHER, 1.6.23; 3. POEM: RAIN RAIN, 1.8.23;

    ARTICLES IN THE DIGITAL MAGAZINE ESAMSKRITI

    29.12.2020: INDICA BY MEGASTHENES; 14.3.22: ABOUT THE DIMASA KINGDOM ASSAM; 10.12.22: GRAND TRUNK ROAD-UTTARAPATH; 5.10.23: THE GHOST TOWN OF KULDHARA NEAR JAISALMER;

    (ALL THE ABOVE BOOK TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE ON AMAZON, FLIPKART AND OTHER ONLINE STORES OR YOU COULD EVEN WRITE TO US FOR A COPY)

    *****

    BIBLIOBURRO: THE FOUR LEGGED LIBRARY

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    Luis Soriano and his donkey library

         The Biblioburro (The Donkey Library) is a travelling library that distributes books to book readers being carried on the backs of two donkeys, Alfa and Beto. The concept was initiated in La Gloria, Columbia, by one passionate teacher Luis Soriano. The Biblioburro operates within the central municipalities of the Department of Magdalena, on Colombia’s Caribbean shore. In La Gloria, Columbia, many rural communities lack access to books, which limits the educational opportunities of children. Luis Soriano’s Biblioburro aims to bring books directly to these communities, by bridging the terrain gap and giving children the chance to experience the magic of learning.

        If you can’t reach the books let the books reach you is Luis Soriano’s philosophy of life.  He introduced knowledge to the children in remote areas through books. Luis Soriano reminds me of a Tibetan folk-tale which is about a village that had no mirrors. As a result, no one had ever seen his or her face until a local trader who travelled to distant locations bought a mirror and introduced it in the village when for the first time everyone saw their faces and got emotional.  

         Remaining ignorant or illiterate is like the dormant Kumbhkaran who slept for six months at a time and that brings me to the short story of Rip Van Winkle by the American author Washington Irving, first published in 1819. The story is about a Dutch-American village in colonial America. There a character by the name of Rip Van Winkle meets some mysterious Dutchmen, drinks their mysterious liquor and falls asleep in the Catskill Mountains. He wakes up 20 years later to a changed world, having missed the American Revolution. So that’s what a (metaphoric) slumber or ignorance might do to you. The Catskill Mountains conversely remind you of La Gloria, Columbia and Luis Soriano’s Biblioburro where the rural communities lacked access to books and that limited educational opportunities for children leading to illiteracy. Not reading and learning is like sleeping. Sadly, Rip Van Winkle did not have Luis Soriano and his Biblioburro to wake him up before the American Revolution.

        In ancient times Brahmins were considered as moving libraries or knowledge reservoirs when scriptures were not written.  Killing a Brahmin was therefore a grave crime because in actuality you were destroying knowledge or burning down a library.

        In the heart of rural Columbia, where the rugged terrain meets the horizon, a man and his two faithful donkeys carry a precious cargo of knowledge and imagination.

        Together, they form the Biblioburro (the donkey library), a mobile library of around 120 books that roam the countryside, spreading the joy of reading and learning to children who would otherwise have no access to books. As they journey across mountains and valleys, Soriano and his companions are greeted with excitement and wonder by the young readers who eagerly gather around them.

        After finishing high school in La Gloria, Columbia, Soriano knew he wanted to become a teacher. He got a job at a small rural school while completing a degree remotely from the Universidad del Magdalena. However, he found that his students were not progressing and did not do their homework, which he attributed to their lack of access to books at home.

        Despite his limited access to resources, he resolved to bring knowledge to his pupils by bringing books to them. One day in the year 1997, with the help of one of his donkeys and a stack of books, he set off before dawn and embarked on a challenging journey across the countryside. He travelled several miles, stopping at the homes of each of his students to read with them. Afterwards, he lent them the books and promised to come back to collect them the next day. Day after day, he repeated this process, arriving in the early hours of the morning, long before school started. Soriano’s Biblioburro soon became more than just a mobile library. It became a beacon of hope, a symbol of possibility, and a gateway to a brighter future.

        More than two decades later, Luis Soriano has not stopped. Despite being robbed a couple of times, facing violent threats, and enduring many injuries during his travels, Soriano continues to promote literacy because he believes it is crucial for ending violence and bringing peace to his country. His library which started with only 70 books, today, boasts a collection of more than 7000 titles, most of which were donated after his inspirational story was made known to the public via media.

        But who inspired Luis Soriano to do this noble job? The scourge of illiteracy perhaps and the libraries showed him the way. Established in the early 19th century was the world’s biggest Library—The Library of Congress which retains copies of significant English publications deemed significant for America. Bookstores in Taiwan allow young students to read their books (on the display shelf) while sitting on the store premises. Books nurture ideas just as William Shakespeare got the idea of Macbeth from Holished’s Chronicles. Babbington Macaulay never remained without a book. Whatever the occasion he had a book in his hand. Luis Soriano had realised the importance of books for his countrymen.

    *****

    Posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

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    https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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    Like it and Share it  

    *

    Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life-threatening diseases, especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers, including children and adults, and have a huge variety in content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate to the cause? The bank details are given below:

    NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

    Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

    IFSC code: BKID0006805

    *

    Kamlesh Tripathi’s Publications

    GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

    (The book is about a young cancer patient. Now archived in 8 prestigious libraries of the US which include Harvard College Library; Harvard University Library; Library of Congress; University of Washington, Seattle; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Yale University, New Haven; University of Chicago; University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill University Libraries. It can also be accessed at MIT through Worldcat.org. Besides, it is also available for reading in libraries and archives of Canada; Cancer Aid and Research Foundation Mumbai; Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida, India; Shoolini University, Yogananda Knowledge Center, Himachal Pradesh and Azim Premzi University, Bangalore).  

    ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

    (Is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi; It is also available for reading in the Indian National Bibliography, March 2016, in the literature section, in Central Reference Library, Ministry of Culture, India, Belvedere, Kolkata-700022)

    AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

    (Is a fiction written around the great city of Nawabs—Lucknow. It describes Lucknow in great detail and also talks about its Hindu-Muslim amity, which is the undying characteristic of Lucknow. The book was launched at the Lucknow International Literary Festival in 2014. It is included for reading in Askews and Holts Library Services, Lancashire, U.K; Herrick District Library, Holland and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library, Mecklenburg County in North Carolina, USA; Black Gold Cooperative Library Administration, Arroyo Grande, California; Berkeley Library, University of California).

    REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

    (Co-published by Cankids–Kidscan, a pan India NGO and Shravan Charity Mission, that works for child cancer in India. The book is endorsed by Ms Preetha Reddy, MD Apollo Hospitals Group. It was launched at the Lucknow International Literary Festival in 2016).

    TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

    (Is a story of an Indian salesman who is, humbly qualified. Yet he fights his way through unceasing uncertainties to reach the top. A good read not only for salesmen. The book was launched on 10th February 2018 at Gorakhpur Lit-Fest. Now available on Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

    RHYTHM … in poems

    (Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems describe our day-to-day life. A few poems from the book have been published in Shillong Times, Bandra Times and Bhavan’s Journal. The book is available on Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

    MIRAGE

    (Published in February 2020. The book is a collection of eight short stories available on Amazon, Flipkart and Notion Press)

    AWADH ASSAM AND DALAI LAMA … The Kalachakra

    (The story of the man who received His Holiness The Dalai Lama and his retinue in 1959 as a GOI representative when he fled Tibet in 1959. The book was launched on 21st November 2022 by His Holiness The Dalai Lama at Dharmshala. The title is archived in the library of the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR) Government of Tibet, Tibet Policy Institute (TPI) and the personal library of His Holiness The Dalai Lama. The title is also archived in The Ohio Digital Library, USA. It was recently included in the digital library of the world-renowned company APPLE).

    BHAVANS JOURNAL

    Short stories, Book reviews and Articles published in Bhavan’s Journal: 1. Reality and Perception, 15.10.19; 2. Sending the Wrong Message, 31.5.20; 3. Eagle versus Scholars June, 15 & 20, 2020; 4. Indica, 15.8.20; 5. The Story of King Chitraketu, August 31 2020; 6. Breaking Through the Chakravyuh, September 30 2020. 7. The Questioning Spouse, October 31, 2020; 8. Happy Days, November 15, 2020; 9. The Karma Cycle of Paddy and Wheat, December 15, 2020; 10. Power Vs Influence, January 31, 2021; 11. Three Refugees, March 15, 2021; 12. Rise and Fall of Ajatashatru, March 31, 2021; 13. Reformed Ruler, May 15, 2021; 14. A Lasting Name, May 31, 2021; 15. Are Animals Better Teachers? June 16, 2021; 16. Book Review: The Gram Swaraj, 1.7.21; 17. Right Age for Achievements, 15.7.21; 18. Big Things Have Small Beginnings, 15.8.21; 19. Where is Gangaridai?, 15.9.21; 20. Confront the Donkey Within You 30.9.21; 21. Know Your Strengths 15.10.21; 22. Poverty 15.11.21; 23. Top View 30.11.21; 24. The Bansuriwala 15.1.22; 25. Sale of Alaska 15.2.22; 26. The Dimasa Kingdom 28.2.22;27. Buried Treasure 15.4.22; 28. The Kingdom of Pragjyotisha 30.4.22; 29. Who is more useful? 15.5.22; 30. The White Swan from Lake Mansarovar 30.6.22; 31. Bhool Bhulayya 15.9.22; 32. Good Karma 30.9.22; 33. Good Name vs Bad Name 15.10.22; 34. Uttarapath—The Grand Trunk Road 1.12.22; 35. When Gods Get Angry 1.1.23; 36. Holinshed’s Chronicles 15.1.23; 37. Theogony 15.2.23; 38. Poem: Mother 14.5.23; 39. THE NAG MANDIR 30.6.23; 40. The Story of Garuda 30.7.23; 41. Janmabhoomi vs Karmabhoomi 31.8.23; 42. The Ghost Town of Kuldhara 15.9.23; 43. The Tale of Genji 15.10.23; 44. The Soul Connection 1.12.23; 45.Book review: Jungle Nama … a story of the Sundarban 16.3.24;

    THE SHILLONG TIMES

    ARTICLES & POEMS: 1. POEM: HAPPY NEW YEAR 8.1.23; 2. POEM: SPRING 12.3.23; 3. POEM: RIGHT AND WRONG 20.3.23; 4. THE GUSH OF EMOTION—WRITING, 26.3.23; 5. THE NAG MANDIR, 7.5.23; 6. POEM: MOTHER 7.5.23; 7. POEM: RAIN RAIN 9.7.23; 8. POEM: YOU COME ALONE YOU GO ALONE 6.8.23; 9. RAIN RAIN (SECOND TIME) 10.8.23; 10. POEM: GURU TEACHER 10.8.23; 11. POEM: AUTUMN … THE INTERIM HEAVEN 15.10.23; 12. POEM: HAPPY DIWALI 12.11.23; 13. OVERCOMING BLINDNESS: LEARN IT THE JOHN MILTON WAY 10.12.23; 14. THE HAPPY PRINCE AND THE HAPPY MAN’S SHIRT 31.12.23; 15. ANNUS MIRABILIS 2024 7.1.24; 16. GANDHI TO MAHATMA GANDHI- Incidents that Shaped Gandhi in South Africa 28.1.24; 17. POEM: TOGETHER BUT NOT MADE FOR EACH OTHER, 11.2.24; 18. THE BIRDS BEES AND THE SPIDERS OF NICHOLAS GUILDFORD AND JONATHAN SWIFT 25.2.24; 19. THE OVERCOATS OF NIKOLAI GOGOL AND RUSKIN BOND 10.3.24; 20. THE ETHNIC COLOURS OF HOLI 24.3.24

    THE ASSAM TRIBUNE

    ARTICLE: 1. THE MAGIC OF READING 11.12.23; 2. GANDHI TO MAHATMA 29.1.24; GEOGRAPHY OF SOLITUDE 8.4.24;

    BANDRA TIMES, MUMBAI

    ARTICLES & POEMS: 1. POEM: SPRING, 1.4.23; 2. POEM: MOTHER, 1.6.23; 3. POEM: RAIN RAIN, 1.8.23;

    ARTICLES IN THE DIGITAL MAGAZINE ESAMSKRITI

    29.12.2020: INDICA BY MEGASTHENES; 14.3.22: ABOUT THE DIMASA KINGDOM ASSAM; 10.12.22: GRAND TRUNK ROAD-UTTARAPATH; 5.10.23: THE GHOST TOWN OF KULDHARA NEAR JAISALMER;

    (ALL THE ABOVE BOOK TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE ON AMAZON, FLIPKART AND OTHER ONLINE STORES OR YOU COULD EVEN WRITE TO US FOR A COPY)

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