Category Archives: book talk,

John Milton and Surdas Surmounted Their Blind Vision … by Kamlesh Tripathi

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    Though, John Milton and Surdas lived in a similar world of poetry, they were separated by continents, century, race and culture. Surdas lived between 1479-1586, while Milton lived between, 1608–1674. Both are remembered today not only for the brilliance of their poetry, but also for their profound inner vision, which becomes even more brilliant by the fact that they both composed their enduring works after losing their eyesight.

    Milton was an English Puritan poet and a political thinker, whereas the Indian Surdas was a devotional Hindi saint-poet who spearheaded the Bhakti movement. They both belonged to different religions — Christianity and Hinduism, respectively but with a fire for poetry.

    Surdas was either born blind or had lost his eyesight in early childhood. Milton, on the other hand, lost his eyesight in his forties, around 1652, most likely due to glaucoma.

    Despite limitations, Surdas is widely recognised as a major figure in the Bhakti movement, primarily devoted to Lord Krishna. His emotive and spiritual dohas (verses) are said to have been passed down orally and later compiled in the Sursagar, or ‘Ocean of melodies or Ocean of tunes.’ His compositions, which were mostly in Braj Bhasha, are a dialect of Hindi spoken in the region associated with Krishna’s early life.

    By the time Milton lost his eyesight, he was already an accomplished poet and an intellectual. Milton’s blindness, instead of stalling his creativity, seemed to refine it. He composed his greatest epics–Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, and Samson Agonistes through dictation, relying on aides to transcribe his verses. Like Surdas, Milton too did not see blindness as a handicap but as a pathway leading to a higher form of spiritual attainment.

    Both poets had a religious mind. Although stylistically different, both had infused their works with philosophical and devotional seriousness. Milton, a devout Christian, wrote with the spontaneous aim of interpreting and elevating spiritual truth. In Paradise Lost, he sets out “to justify the ways of God to men.” He addresses themes such as the Fall of Man, temptation, obedience, and redemption. He wrote in Paradise Lost, “Solitude sometimes is the best society,” which reminds you of Ernest Hemingway’s words in his 1954 Nobel Acceptance Speech, “Writing, at its best, is a lonely life.” Milton’s theological affinity, shaped by the rigorous study of scripture and classical texts, transforms into a poetic splendour. Meanwhile, Surdas’s creations are acts of loving surrender. Krishna appears in multiple forms in his dohas (verses): as a mischievous child, a divine lover, and also the supreme being. Lines such as “Ka mangu kachu thira na rahai” (What should I ask for, when nothing is permanent?) captures the essence of his Bhakti without expectation.

    Milton’s epics are not just stories but musings on justice, free will, human suffering, and divine grace. His works show outstanding intellectual discipline, theological depth, and poetic mastery.  Surdas, too, uses his poetic expressions to explore the soul’s belongingness, the relevance of humility, and the spiritual path to surrender before God. Their works are more than a literary endeavour. They become a vehicle for exploring human conditions and articulating metaphysical realities.

    Another uniting theme between Milton and Surdas was their poetic sense of duty. Neither viewed poetry as mere personal or artistic expression. For both, it was a sacred responsibility, a way to convey, inspire and elevate. Milton’s epic verse seeks to engage the intellect and the soul, guiding readers towards a better understanding of divine justice and human morality. Surdas’s dohas were intended for oral performance and collective singing. It invited listeners into a shared space of devotion and spiritual intimacy. The duo’s poetry continues to be read, sung, studied, and revered, not only for its beauty but also for its power to move the soul.

    Language, for both the poets, was of the essence. Milton promoted the English language to unprecedented heights at a time when Latin was still seen as the language of serious scholarship. Milton chose English and, through his use of blank verse, gave it towering dignity. His English stood along with the classical languages of Homer and Virgil. On the other hand, Surdas did something outstandingly transformative. He wrote in Braj Bhasha, a regional and vernacular dialect. Braj Bhasha is written in the Devanagari script. By using it to express the spiritual and emotional state of his mind, he not only made religious ideas accessible to the masses but also raised Braj to the level of a respected literary language. Through them, both English and Braj Bhasha became vessels of sacred expression.

    Finally, what makes Milton and Surdas an enduring duo is not just their literary genius, but their ability to transform personal blindness into a powerful metaphor for inner vision. Where physical sight failed, spiritual insight flourished. Through their works, both poets remind us that the deepest prayers are often seen not with the eyes but with the heart. Whether through the sonorous cadences of Milton’s blank verse or the lilting melodies of Surdas’s bhajans, they teach us that poetry can be a form of prayer, and vision a matter of the soul. Surely, where there is a will there is a way.

Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

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BOOK REVIEW: ARISTOTLE’S POETICS: A Foundational Text in Literary Criticism

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Aristotle’s Poetics, written in the 4th century BCE, is one of the earliest and most influential works of literary theory in the Western tradition. Though originally part of a larger body of work, only the section concerning tragedy has survived in full, while other parts, especially those dealing with comedy and epic poetry, are largely lost or only referenced in later writings. Despite its incomplete nature, Poetics has had a profound and lasting impact on how literature, particularly drama, is analysed and understood.

At its core, Poetics is Aristotle’s attempt to systematically explain the principles of dramatic art, with a specific focus on tragedy. Drawing from earlier Greek drama and the works of playwrights like Sophocles and Euripides, Aristotle establishes a framework for evaluating and constructing effective tragedies. His method is analytic and empirical: he studies successful tragedies to derive general principles, rather than constructing abstract theories without reference to practice.

One of the central concepts introduced in Poetics is mimesis, often translated as “imitation.” Aristotle asserts that all art is essentially an imitation of life, but this imitation is not mere copying. Instead, it represents a process of distillation and representation through which the artist conveys universal truths. In tragedy, mimesis takes the form of portraying serious and complete actions that evoke specific emotional responses from the audience.

Aristotle identifies six essential elements of tragedy: plot (mythos), character (ethos), thought (dianoia), diction (lexis), melody (melos), and spectacle (opsis). Among these, he places the highest importance on plot, defining it as “the soul of tragedy.” For Aristotle, a good plot must have unity, meaning all its parts contribute to a single, coherent whole. It should also possess a beginning, middle, and end, adhering to a logical and chronological sequence of events.

A key feature of an effective plot, according to Aristotle, is peripeteia (reversal) and anagnorisis (recognition). Peripeteia is a sudden reversal of fortune for the protagonist, often from good to bad, while anagnorisis is the moment of critical discovery or recognition, particularly of a character’s true identity or situation. These elements are central to achieving the emotional effect that Aristotle sees as the primary goal of tragedy: catharsis.

Catharsis, one of the most debated concepts in Poetics, refers to the purging or purification of the emotions of pity and fear that tragedy is meant to elicit. While scholars disagree on whether Aristotle meant catharsis as a psychological cleansing or a moral-ethical clarification, it is clear that he viewed the emotional experience of the audience as essential to the function of tragedy. By experiencing intense emotions in a controlled environment, the audience gains insight, self-awareness, and emotional balance.

Character is the second most important element after plot. Aristotle emphasizes that characters should be “good,” “appropriate,” “lifelike,” and “consistent.” However, he makes it clear that character is subordinate to plot: it is not the portrayal of character that makes a tragedy powerful, but how the characters serve the unfolding of the action. The protagonist of a tragedy is typically a person of noble status who possesses a tragic flaw or hamartia—a mistake or error in judgment—that leads to their downfall. This flaw is not necessarily a moral failing, but rather a misstep that triggers a chain of events ending in catastrophe.

Aristotle contrasts tragedy with epic poetry, noting that while both share many elements, tragedy is more concentrated and immediate. Epic poetry, exemplified by Homer’s works, can encompass many stories and span long periods of time. Tragedy, by contrast, confines itself to a single plotline and typically takes place within the span of a single day. This concentration, Aristotle argues, gives tragedy a greater intensity and impact.

Though Poetics focuses almost entirely on tragedy, it laid the groundwork for centuries of literary criticism and theory. The Renaissance saw a revival of Aristotelian principles in the dramatic unities of time, place, and action, which were extrapolated from his emphasis on unity of plot. Later thinkers, including German philosophers like Hegel and Nietzsche, further developed Aristotelian ideas, while modern theorists have both built upon and challenged his assertions.

Critics of Poetics have pointed out its limitations, especially its narrow focus on a particular type of Greek tragedy. Aristotle privileges structure and form over thematic depth or emotional complexity in character, which contrasts with later literary traditions that emphasise character development or social commentary. Moreover, his prescriptions for drama may seem rigid when applied to diverse literary forms across cultures and time periods.

Nevertheless, the enduring influence of Poetics lies in its pioneering effort to systematize literary analysis. Aristotle’s emphasis on structure, causality, and emotional effect continues to inform the way stories are told and understood, not only in literature but also in film, theater, and even narrative psychology.

In conclusion, Poetics represents a milestone in the study of literature. Aristotle’s dissection of tragedy into its constituent elements and his articulation of how and why it works remain relevant to this day. While the specifics of dramatic form have evolved, the core questions Aristotle raised—about the nature of art, the function of narrative, and the emotional impact of storytelling—continue to resonate in contemporary discourse.

Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

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Book title: Gloom behind the smile by Kamlesh Tripathi

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Follow the link in WorldCat. Happy reading.

https://www.worldcat.org/title/gloom-behind-the-smile/oclc/694547181

Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

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The Book that brought Ponds to life was written by Anupam Mishra

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TOI article- 14/9/25 THE BOOK THAT BROUGHT PONDS BACK TO LIFE

Book Title: “Aaj Bhi Khare Hain Talaab (Ponds Are Still Relevant)” by Anupam Mishra
“Translated into eight languages and available in Braille, Anupam Mishra’s book has quietly sparked a revolution in water conservation across villages — one pond at a time”   
    What do you call a book that was first published without the author’s name on the cover, which has no copyright and encourages the reader to use it for free in any form, inspires common people to spend money from their own pockets and translate it, can be read in atleast nine languages, including Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, and also in Braille, has been broadcast by atleast 20 radio stations with over two lakh copies published, has almost become a holy book for water warriors and, yet, remains largely unknown to the educated public.
    Anupam Mishra’s ‘Aaj Bhi Khare Hain Talab (The Ponds Are Still Relevant)’ wasn’t launched in a farmhouse or nominated for major literary awards. But the book has become a movement. Spread over a frugal 119 pages, it reveals how ponds and lakes were fundamental to life and livelihoods across the country, and how their construction, preservation, and regeneration were embedded in community fabric-guided both by science and deeper philosophical values.
    First published by the Gandhi Peace Foundation in Hindi in 1993, the book continues to find fresh readers in new languages and forms. This year, it has been made accessible online in a disability-friendly e-text, says Kailash Pande of Delhi Blind School.
    Ramon Magsaysay award recipient Rajendra Singh says that at a time when headlines rapidly shift from drought to flood, the book remains as relevant as ever. “The change in weather patterns is an outcome of climate change and global warming. The book shows how to adapt to and mitigate the current crisis,” says Singh, whose NGO Tarun Bharat Sangh also shaped Mishra’s early ideas.
    Chasing Indigenous Wisdom:
    Aaj Bhi … was born out of Mishra’s extensive travels as a seeker and surveyor of India’s interiors in the 1980s. Mishra spoke less, listened more. A Gandhian by belief and environmentalist in action, he discovered a tradition of water-saving techniques in arid Rajasthan. In areas he couldn’t visit, Mishra sought the aid of friends and fellow travellers, naming each of them in the book. “The book harnessed indigenous water wisdom scattered across the country,” says social activist and old-time colleague Rakesh Dewan.
    At the turn of the 20th century, India had 11-12 lakh ponds, the book says. Mishra referenced the 1907 gazetteer to show that the princely state of Rewa in north-eastern Madhya Pradesh had 5,000 ponds. The early 20th-century Madras Presidency was home to 53,000 ponds. Who would believe that in the early 20th century, Delhi had 350 ponds, as a 1930 map illustrates. Dewan says that officers posted to Jabalpur during the British Raj were advised not to bring fans because the ponds there ensured a cool weather.
    The book also details the craft of building ponds and devotes a chapter to their anonymous creators. Mishra illustrates how, for centuries, communities such as the Odhs, the Gonds, and the Ramnamis had dedicatedly constructed ponds. Such acts often cut across the caste spectrum. Building ponds was also part of the financial system. “Those who built ponds in the kingdom of Gond rajas got a tax break. This tradition was strong in the Sambalpur region,” he writes. Digging ponds was among the punishments meted out by the caste panchayats of Bundelkhand. Ponds permeate every sinew of life.
    Deep Impact:
    Many found the addictive. Some finished it in one go and keep revisiting it. “People were mesmerised,” says Bhopal-based journalist Shabbir Quadri, who translated the book into Urdu and distributed it for free at madrasas and panchayats.
    Mishra, who passed away in 2016, would build a personal relationship with his readers. “I correspond with about 3,000-odd readers. The idea is to create awareness and build a movement through the book. You cannot do that without forming a long-standing relationship with them,” he told this reporter in 2004.
    One such reader was Surendra Bansal, then a freelance graphic designer in Punjab’s Malerkotla. He learnt about the book from a piece by journalist Prabhas Joshi in the ‘Jansatta’ newspaper. “I read that article four times and wrote to Anupam-Ji,” he says. “I didn’t have the address, so I just wrote, Anupam Mishra, Delhi”. Miraculously, the letter reached its destination. Mishra sent him two of his books with a handwritten note in his signature style.
    Bansal read the book and then translated it into Gurmukhi. He published it by selling off his prized cacti collection for Rs 11,000. “When Anupam-ji came to know about it, he first scolded me. Then he wept,” remembers Bansal, who now works for Haryana govt’s PR department. He has published five editions of the book in Gurmukhi. And he hasn’t stopped. Bansal regularly scans Punjabi magazines and sends free copies of the book to those he believes might be interested in water conservation. “I also distribute it to youth clubs and village libraries,” he says. Bansal has given away 6,200 copies so far.
    The book has also been used to groom community leaders. Aaj Bhi … was introduced as part of the syllabus in Chitrakoot’s Mahatma Gandhi Gramin Vishwavidyalaya. “It was taught to graduate students in 313 centres in a leadership course,” says retired civil servant B Rajagopal Naidu. The book was also part of the Hindi syllabus for graduates in Mumbai University between 2017 and 2019.
    Why It Still Matters
    Rajendra Singh, known as the ‘Waterman of India’, says Aaj Bhi … made a deep impact in MP and Rajasthan. Naidu, whose tenure as DM of Sagar in MP during 2002-04 was marked by a host of water management initiatives, says the book helped mobilise people and build awareness around check dams, and small drinking water ponds.
    He also remembers how the clean-up of Sagar’s sprawling Lakha Banjara lake got stuck due to a funds crunch. Help came in an unusual way. Film lyricist and Congres politician Vithalbhai Patel, who had penned the 1973 hit Bobby’s famous song, ‘Jhooth Bole Kawwa Kate’, went around every morning to the town’s different wards, asking people to donate Re 1 for the talab. The amount raised helped restore a huge portion of the lake.
    Such examples abound. Singh of Tarun Bharat Sangh, which constructed at least 7,500 ponds, says that dozens of initiatives were undertaken in Jodhpur and Barmer districts. “A sarpanch from Bikaner’s Nakhoda village called me after reading the book seeking help to build ponds,” he recalls.
    Chhatar Singh, a master of desert water conservation in Jaisalmer district, restored about 500 ponds, beris, and wells. A beri is a shallow well that harvests rainwater.
    “Reading the book, I felt my forefathers were talking to me. It was written in a way that inspired action,” says Chhatar, who was also impressed by Mishra’s book, ‘Rajasthan Ki Rajat Boondein (The Silver Drops Of Rajasthan)’. He explains Mishra’s approach: “If you had any doubts about building ponds,  Anupam ji would organise a gathering. He knew the answer, but would let the answer emerge from us.”
    Eastern Rajasthan’s Lapodia village is a famous conservation success story. Its head, Laxman Singh, read Aaj bhi… and encouraged fellow villagers to do so too. Impressed by its message of reviving traditional methods, they undertook a textbook application of rainwater harvesting and water management techniques to transform a sun-dried area into a village of three fecund ponds–Dev Sagar, Phool Sagar, and Anna Sagar, with a 300 bigha meadow.
    Laxman Singh says Mishra visited Lapodia twice every year for 30 years. “He was our guide and guru. Pehle woh insaan taiyar karte thhey, phir dharti (First, he readied people, then the land),” Laxman told this reporter in 2016. When the book’s Braille edition came out around 2009, Mishra visited Delhi Blind School, inspiring students to perform shramdan, or voluntary labour, recalls Pande.
    Academic Annie Montaut, who has translated ‘Rajasthan Ki Rajat Boondein’ into French, writes how even prisoners of a French jail could relate to Mishra’s lecture on water conservation. Some recalled their own childhood in Morocco. “I was surprised by the reaction; he wasn’t. Anupam-ji told me that he had learnt a lot from the uneducated,” she wrote in Hindi to Mishra’s wife, Manjushree, for an upcoming book in tribute to her husband.
    It is almost a cliché that a book can change your world. Mishra’s slim volume certainly reaffirms that adage. With global water shortage now an impending reality, the book’s significance has magnified in recent years. Today Aaj Bhi… is to water conservationists what Das Capital is to Marxists. A Ratna of Bharat, Mishra, never received even a Padmashri. But his book continues to usher in a silent revolution, one pond at a time.


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 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:

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BOOK CORNER: THE FINAL DIAGNOSIS by Arthur Hailey

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Illness … doctor … pathologist … investigation … diagnosis … treatment. Yes, I’m talking about THE FINAL DIAGNOSIS by Arthur Hailey.

At times, even an ace pathologist might have to send his findings in the form of slides to two experts who are contemporaries in the same discipline. Where one might say the tumour is malignant and the other non-malignant or benign.

So then, what does Chief Pathologist, Dr Joseph Pearson, finally script as his … final diagnosis? The basis on which the surgeon would have to decide whether the amputation of the leg is required or not. The pathologist is often known as the doctor the patient seldom sees.

In ‘THE FINAL DIAGNOSIS’, author Arthur Hailey unveils the tension-packed drama that is being played in the mammoth complexity of a great hospital. A world where one faulty diagnosis or one irrevocable error precipitates into appalling tragedies.

In the enthralling story, there is a continuous struggle between the Chief of Surgery, Kent O’ Donnel and Dr Joe (Joseph) Pearson, Chief Pathologist, who was once an ace pathologist, but with the passage of time, he has stagnated, which he realises towards the end of his career.

The book also describes the struggle of a young pathologist, David Coleman, who happens to be Dr Joe Pearson’s deputy, in terms of restoring the standards of a hospital laboratory. Controlled by the ageing but once brilliant doctor Joseph Pearson, Hailey takes us behind the reception areas, and into those emergency rooms and the bustling world of medicine, to reveal those hidden corridors of a world that the patient never gets to see.

The centre of action is the three-counties hospital in Burlington in Pennsylvania. The novel has a plethora of characters … the prime being:

Orden Brown—Chairman of Three Counties Hospital

Eustace Swayne—Board Member and a retail magnet of a departmental store empire.

Doctor Joseph Pearson—Chief Pathologist around whom the entire novel revolves.

Doctor Kent O’ Donnel—Chief of Surgery and Head of the Medical Board.

Doctor David Coleman—Deputy to Doctor Joseph Pearson

Doctor Charles Dornberger—The baby’s doctor … Paediatrician

Doctor Lucy Grainger—Orthopaedic Surgeon

Hilda Straugham—Chief Dietitian

Vivian Lobourton—Trainee nurse

Mike Seddons—Doctor

Alexander and his wife, Elizabeth.

The language is moving and precise, with tailor-made sentences that fit the bill. There is usage of high-toned vocabulary, but it doesn’t give that shade of verbosity. The intensity and tone of the sentences change as frequently as the change of scene. The flow of the book gives you a feel as if you’re seeing and not reading—something close to a movie. Most descriptions are vivid as if you are witnessing the scene. Especially, the ones that describe the happenings in autopsy, pathology and even surgery.

The novel makes an important point for doctors through the Chief Pathologist, Dr Pearson.  One should never give up his or her pursuit as far as the latest inventions in the medical world are concerned, no matter how much pressure of work there is. For that was the sole cause of doctor Pearson’s failure. And that holds good for any career today.

  And the scenes when Vivian is diagnosed with cancer and when Alexanders lose their newborn baby because of a faulty medical blood test report in the hospital are nail-biting and highly emotive.

I would give nine out of ten to this book. So, don’t just miss it.

One last point—I was amazed at the manner in which these doctors smoked in the hospital and drank at parties. And to their patients, they must be canvassing otherwise. It is said about authors that they try and paint the real picture of the times when the novel was written. I now believe in it ever more. This novel was written way back in 1959. Pick it up even if you have to find time.

Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

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BOOK REVIEW: THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH

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COVER PAGE

    The review refers to the Penguin Classics edition titled ‘The Epic of Gilgamesh’. The title is compact, about 125 pages, but accurately informative. The Epic poem is broadly narrated in prose. This English version with a lucid and accessible translation, and an introduction by N.K. Sandars is quite suitable for comprehending the gist of the work. The edition also offers practical tools like a glossary of names and a map of the ancient Orient. ‘The work of synthesis has been accomplished with a remarkable degree of tact and imagination,’ writes The Times Literary Supplement, a literary review platform.       The spine of the book is divided into two broad parts: One is the ‘Long Introduction’ of 59 pages, followed by the text of ‘The Epic of Gilgamesh’.

    The ‘Long Introduction’ is divided into multiple parts. It begins with the primitive history of the Epic and the discovery of the tablets on which the Epic is written. The tablets pertain to the heroic age of excavation in the mid-nineteenth century. In 1839, a young Englishman, Austin Henry Layard, set off with a friend on an overland journey to Ceylon, but in Mesopotamia, he was delayed by a reconnaissance of Assyrian mounds. The delay of weeks was stretched to years, but it was at a time when Nineveh and Nimrud (cities in Iraq) were excavated. It was from these excavations that Layard brought back to the British Museum a great part of the collection of Assyrian sculptures, along with thousands of broken tablets from the palace of Nineveh. When Layard began excavating at Nineveh, he hoped to find inscriptions, but in reality, what he found was a buried library and a lost literature.

    The book gives a historical and literary perspective of the Epic. It recounts the protagonists of the Epic. It describes the principal Gods of the Epic in bits and tells the story.

    The second part of the book opens with the introduction of Gilgamesh in Uruk. It is followed by the entry of Enkidu, their journey to the forest, followed by the appearance of brash and proud Ishtar (the goddess of fertility, love, sex, and beauty). Ishtar is enraged when Gilgamesh rejects her marriage proposal. This is followed by the death of Enkidu. Thereafter, Gilgamesh goes in search of everlasting life. He learns about the profound truth from Utnapishtim, who isthe king of Shuruppak, an ancient city in Mesopotamia. He learns from him  that “Life, which you look for, you will never find. For when the gods created man, they let death be his share, and life withheld in their own hands.” The message is clear: immortality is beyond human reach. The narration then goes on to tell the story of the flood myth. ‘For six days and six nights the winds blew, torrent and tempest and flood overwhelmed the world, tempest and flood raged together like warring hosts. When the seventh day dawned, the storm from the south subsided, the sea grew calm, the flood was stilled; I looked at the face of the world and there was silence, all mankind was turned to clay.’ The message was: Death is inevitable. The narration further describes the return of Gilgamesh, and equally moving are the verses that conclude the epic, climaxing with Gilgamesh’s death.

    “The king has laid himself down and will not rise again,

    The Lord of Kullab will not rise again,

    He overcame evil; he will not come again,

    Though he was strong of arm, he will not rise again”.

    These lines express the splendour of the work. It leaves the reader with a sense of decisiveness and reflects on the frailty of life. Though translated into prose, the text retains a sense of grandeur and weight. The language, while sometimes lacking the fluidity of modern English, conveys the heft and rhythm of an ancient oral tradition. Certain passages are especially striking, such as the description of the flood.

    The Epic of Gilgamesh remains not only a foundational work of Mesopotamian literature. It is also one of humanity’s earliest explorations of universal themes, such as friendship, the inevitability of death, and the search for meaning in the face of mortality. This Penguin Classics edition, with Sandars’ insightful introduction and careful translation, makes the epic accessible to modern readers without losing its ancient depth.

Written & 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 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:

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Literature: Three love stories published today in Cityessence.

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Don’t miss this unique comparison of three short stories.

Written 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 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:

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Book Title: Awadh Assam and Dalai Lama … the Kalachakra–Reader Comment

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Don’t miss reading this intriguing title, Áwadh Assam and Dalai Lama … the Kalachakra. The title is available on all online book stores, including Google.

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)

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HUXLEY’S TAKE ON TRANSLATED WORKS, BHAVAN’S JOURNAL

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Posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

Author, Poet, & Columnist

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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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Like it and Share it

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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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BOOK REVIEW: BEOWULF- AN ANGLO-SAXON SAGA

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   The super epic sonnet Beowulf is the most popular surviving piece of Anglo-Saxon literature that tells us the story of a renowned warrior and his battles with legendary mythical beasts across the Scandinavian world. Beowulf had the strength of 30 men in his hand grip.

    Beowulf, a hero of the Geats comes to the aid of Hrothgar, king of the Danes, whose great hall, Heorot, is plagued by the monster Grendel. Beowulf kills Grendel with his bare hands and Grendel’s mother undersea with a giant sword which he finds in her lair. Fifty years later, as king of Geatland, his last showdown is with a mightily annoyed dragon. The epic is a riveting adventure story at its heart.

    It has survived since the Anglo-Saxon period. The plot is set in Scandinavia and originates in the Nordic or Viking invasion of Britain, preceding the Norman invasion at the turn of the first millennium, in 1066. The composition has been frequently referenced as a source of socio-cultural information about the British people of those times because there is a shortage of historical documentation relating to that period. This was due to the historical significance of oral tradition, rather than written, so very little was actually recorded.

    There is a possibility that numerous other stories were also written at the same time as Beowulf, but Beowulf was the only one to survive the ravages of time. Remarkably, any manuscript of such antiquity should have survived at all, given that the British climate is better suited to deterioration and decay than desiccation and preservation. The manuscript was also badly damaged by fire along the way, but somehow its cargo of words journeyed from the Dark Ages, through the Middle Ages and into the Modern Age. As a result, Beowulf is a unique and significant artefact.

    The epic was written anonymously, adding an element of mystery and intrigue. As relatively few people could read and write then. The story was most probably written by a monk or someone with academic inclination.

    The manuscript is known as the Nowell Codex and contains several other documents in addition to Beowulf. It is written in Old English and is thought to date from around the 10th and early 11th centuries, which equates to the transition from the Early Medieval Period to the Middle Medieval Period. At that time, Old English was still in its archaic form, having absorbed some Norse influence, but was yet to be influenced by the Franconian tongue of the Normans, which led to the Middle English.

    Since Old English was constrained in its lexicon, the original Beowulf manuscript is written in alliterative poetry. This means that the poetic device is the repetition of vocal sounds, rather than the rhyme or syllabic structure we usually think of as poetry.

    Beowulf comprises 3,182 lines of alliterative verse. This method of documenting the story may have been the choice of the author. It is likely that the story itself was related in any number of ways by the different storytellers of the time, but that the author took it upon himself to add some artistic license because an epic poem carried more cachet as a literary work. This would have also presented the author with a far greater and more satisfying creative challenge.

    It is a fairly straightforward tale of a character Beowulf around the 5th century, who is destined to become the king of the Geats, a Swedish tribe. In the narrative, he battles a monster named Grendel and then faces an attack by Grendel’s mother. Many years later he is also confronted by a dragon. These three heroic trials are the key to establishing the legend of Beowulf, as they are used to demonstrate his fearlessness and strength as a leader of men.

    The major part of the tale of Beowulf is a work of entertainment imbued with supernatural elements that reflect the belief systems of specific people. In a world where tribes continually fought over territory and resources, there was constant uncertainty about the future. Add to the mix pagan superstitions and an unscientific view of the world, and the world in which Beowulf is set becomes one of supernatural possibility.

    But did Beowulf actually exist as a living person? Just like many accounts of kings in post-Roman Europe, there is probably an element of truth to this but we can never know for sure, precisely because there is no documentation or archaeological evidence to prove it.

    Upon the sad demise of Beowulf the people of Geats mourn their Lord as an ideal king before the Burning of Beowulf … ‘Said he was the kindest of kings under heaven, Gentlest of men, most winning of manner, Friendliest to folk-troops and fondest of honour.’

Posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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Like it and Share it

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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 and Arunachal Times. 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.

(POEMS 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;

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;

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;

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

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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