23/10/25 POEM APPRECIATION… DIWALI … THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS
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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POEM: DIWALI–THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS by Kamlesh Tripathi
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Diwali—The Festival of Lights
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–Kamlesh Tripathi—
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Diwali is a Festival of Lights,
A victory of day over the night,
Of good over the evil’s might,
Of truth, of hope, and what is right.
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Diwali fetches five days of vibrant cheer,
With sweets, lamps and love sincere.
With rangoli, hues and lanterns bright,
And fireworks swirling throughout the night sky.
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It highlights an all-time victory,
Where knowledge breaks through every blind,
Of ignorance and veils of gloom,
And radiant joy begins to bloom.
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As per the holy Panchang,
Diwali recalls tales of yore.
When the month of Ashwin wanes and Kartik begins,
And Amavasya plays a significant innings.
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It’s the darkest night,
With a lunar grace and swastik signs,
When the world looks prime,
At an opportune time.
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It coincides with the harvest’s golden end,
Before the frost and chill descend.
Communities emerge in joy,
As golden diyas paint the skies.
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As autumn breathes its cooler air,
October–November marks the affair.
The heart of fall, the soul of light,
Diwali shines in full delight.
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Myths unravel, tales unfold,
Of Gods and demons, celestial and corporeal.
From Dhanteras to the climax day,
Lakshmi and Ganesh light the way.
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Ayodhya celebrates and lights up,
On Rama’s arrival amidst the crowd.
With Sita, Laxman by his side,
And Hanuman’s attendance, sanctified.
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With Shiva, Vishnu, and Krishna’s grace,
Durga’s might and Kali’s face,
And eventually, Narakasura’s fatal end,
As deities and demons come face-to-face.
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From Ravana’s end to Rama’s victory,
From Dhanvantri’s healing touch,
The churning ocean’s mystic art,
Each finds a mention in Diwali’s heart.
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Sparks erupt in the skies,
With sparklers, phuljhadis that rise high.
The demons flee, the gods descend,
And in that event, the miseries end.
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In life’s struggle, in daily strife,
Diwali comes as a breath of life.
As does an oasis in a wide desert,
As a gentle pause, where peace can bide.
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On Amavasya’s cold, dark night,
Beyond the stars and in the cosmos,
The lights of Diwali softly bloom,
Spreading hope, dissolving gloom.
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The cosmos sports its finest robe,
Adorned in lights and loveliness.
And every heart, with joy infinite,
Sings together: Happy Diwali Night!
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Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi
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Book Review: The New Geography Of Innovation: The Global Contest For Breakthrough Technologies … by Mehran Gul.
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TIMES OF INDIA 11/10/25
HOW DO YOU CREATE A HOT TECH HUB?
–Via a culture that’s open to change and normalises risk-taking–
The US-China big power competition is the defining geopolitical issue of our times. Undergirding this dynamic is the race for tech, especially AI. In The New Geography Of Innovation: The Global Contest For Breakthrough Technologies, Mehran Gul investigates whether US’s Silicon Valley still retains near-monopoly over cutting-edge tech, or have other global locations such as China’s Shenzhen and even the greater London area taken over that mantle. Plus, what’s truly conducive for creating a hot tech eco-system? Is there a secret sauce that America has and China appears to have replicated? The answers are complex.
At first glance. China’s breakneck development in tech over the last decade appears to be eclipsing Silicon Valley. But closer inspection reveals a nuanced picture. True, Silicon Valley is undergoing change – described in the book as a vibrant rainforest being converted into controlled farmlands. But that necessarily doesn’t translate into US tech decline, the author says. New American tech hubs are coming up in New York, Miami and Austin that are taking the flame of Silicon Valley forward.
China, on the other hand, has created its own tech champions like Tencent, Baidu and ByteDance in record time. It certainly has speed on its side, and it’s quality and volume of research has also improved tremendously. But it’s still not doing pathbreaking research like US. Why? A combination of factors that includes strict guardrails of the Communist Party -exemplified by the 2021 crackdown on Chinese tech firms – a Chinese university system that is not quite yet at par with American universities, and an environment where govt policy guides the direction of innovation.
But to settle the debate, one statistic is enough to confirm US’s continued tech dominance: Apple became the first American tech company to cross a trillion-dollar valuation in 2018 with seven other American companies joining it since, but the rest of the whole world, including China, doesn’t even have one.
What then is the secret to successful tech eco-systems? The author interviews scores of tech entrepreneurs and stalwarts across geographies and comes to a somewhat underwhelming answer: there is no set formula. Almost all successful tech companies look the same. But they can come up in very different circumstances. In UK, the Greater London area is where all the action is. But that has come at the cost of increasing regional disparity that not only puts London at a risk but also undermines the dynamism of UK’s tech story. This disparity was also a reason for Brexit.
Switzerland and Germany have great education and no shortage of talent or infra, but their local cultural preference for stability over risk means they are just not able to realise the same tech innovation potential as US or China. South Korea and Singapore created their miracles through huge govt support. But there are also limitations to this approach as seen by calls to reform Korea’s chaebols.
But one thing appears clear, according to the author; societies that are more receptive to change appear to have a better chance of fostering tech successes. That means openness to talent, openness to Innovation, and openness to risks. In the Indian context, we may have Bengaluru. But we need many more Bengalurus that incentivise tech entrepreneurship and risk taking. That means a policy framework that fosters innovation and a culture shift that normalises failure. India has lots of catching up to do.
Posted by Kamlesh Tripathi
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Poem: Diwali The Festival of Lights published in The Shillong Times today 19/10/25.
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The Shillong Times 19.10.25
Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi
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Phantom Police
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(PHANTOM POLICE? TIMES OF INDIA EDITORIAL 11/10/25)
Seoul has a hologram cop. Not everyone thrilled.
He doesn’t quite crash land but takes form all of a sudden – a life-size apparition in uniform, if you find yourself in Seoul’s popular Jeo Dong Park. Don’t let him spook you – it’s only a hologram of a cop, appearing every two minutes between 7 pm and 10 pm to, well, spook those up to no good. Police claim the made-in-UK ‘assistant officer’ lowered crime rates in the bustling neighbourhood under Seoul Jungbu police station by as much as 22%, between Oct 2024, when the pilot was launched, and May 2025. The cop was officially posted in the park in Aug. So, if you’re wandering around, under the influence of whatever’s your poison, and itching to pick up a fight, well, chances are the sight of a ghostly cop could nudge you to abandon the idea. No need to break into a cold sweat or run, for he’ll disappear in two minutes.
So what does this hologram cop do if it comes across a fight? He can’t chase, let alone handcuff you. Yet, ‘Enhanced features’ are a work in progress. His role now is surveillance, a deterrent to low-key ‘impulsive’ crime. Privacy may be globally dead, but still, the idea hasn’t gone down well with everyone. Visitors find him annoying, while his ghostly presence is fast creating an urban legend of a ‘haunted park’. Clearly, tech-savvy policing is not yet a smooth walk in the park.
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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PEOPLE, ANIMALS & ENVIRONMENT–JANE GOODALL
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5/10/25 SPEAKING TREE
PEOPLE, ANIMALS & ENVIRONMENT
JANE GOODALL, primatologist and conservationist, would say that if one species becomes extinct, one thread in the tapestry of life is gone. When more species vanish, more threads are lost until the tapestry is in tatters– the ecosystem collapses. She spoke with NARAYANI GANESH on the sidelines of the Wildscreen Film Festival held in Delhi in 2007.
Q. After studying chimps for 40 years, you’re now focusing on people and sustainable development?
That’s not correct. I started work with chimpanzees in 1960 and spent several years teaching. Then I would spend six months of the year with them. In 1986, I realised that chimps and their habitats in Africa were disappearing with hunting, demand for bush meat and population mismanagement. I became an advocate, travelling 300 days a year. I realised that so many young people had lost hope because they seemed to be angry or depressed, or apathetic, as they felt we had compromised their future. I could feel their desperation. Some said nothing could be done, but I felt differently; that’s why I started Roots and Shoots, the Jane Goodall Institute for global environmental and humanitarian education programmes for youth. It’s about hands-on action projects in three spheres: animals, people and the environment. I think we, as humans, have an important responsibility to protect habitats and help the poor find sustainable livelihoods.
The most pressing issue currently is climate change. I am convinced that it’s vital to empower women to end poverty and realise the ideal of sustainable development.
Q. What kind of community-led conservation programmes do you advocate?
In Africa, we have the Tacare programme (‘Take Care’—Lake Tanganyika Catchment Reforestation and Education pilot project) that focuses on improving the standard of living in specific regions — for instance, reforesting the hills around Gombe to protect chimpanzee habitat– while promoting curbing of soil erosion, and delivering conservation education to the local population. We focus especially on women’s development. First, we have to deal with crippling poverty. For many, the only way to sustain themselves is to cut down forests. So we need to optimise population growth. Wealthy countries have less population but have very high standards of living, to maintain which they plunder the environment. Being responsible means striking a balance.
Q. Scientists say 99% of human and chimp DNA are similar.
Similarities in the brain are very important, and also similarities in behaviour-kissing, embracing, patting the back, and making tools… Chimps are capable of love, but they also make war. That we differ by just one per cent is something that should make us look at why humans are way ahead culturally and intellectually. Does the one per cent difference represent 6-7 million years of evolution? Humans are able to communicate through language, whereas chimps rely on postures, gestures; they cannot make vowel sounds.
They can learn up to 500 hand symbols, similar to what hearing and visually impaired people use to communicate. They can even learn computer-based language, but cannot articulate language. This raises the interesting question: what in the evolutionary process led to the development of language?
(This interview was first published in The Times of India on January 23, 2007, ganeshnarayani@yahoo.com
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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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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:
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SHORT STORY: THE PRICK OF CONSCIENCE by Kamlesh Tripathi
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Enjoy my short story published in The Assam Tribune on January 5, 2025. Happy reading.
THE PRICK OF CONSCIENCE
It reminds me of a time when I used to go to a park every day, early in the morning. The place was absolutely still and quiet and reminded me of those neat and peaceful words — pin-drop silence.
It was a long walk from where I stayed. It was also the midway for me, where I used to take a break. The park was located on the banks of a river and was about 25 to 30 feet higher than the normal flow of the river water, and in between the two, there was a deep gradient. To secure the area from anyone falling into the river, a rugged railing had been raised only recently. The other end of the park touched the busy road, coming all the way from the airport and passing into the main city. Beyond the river, there was a tall, dark hillock that gave a great sense of scenic fulfilment.
All around, it was lush green, especially during the monsoons, when the gushing water level, at times, used to rise and ripple past the edges of the gradient to enter the park. I normally sat there each day for about ten to 15 minutes, for some meditation and introspection that refreshed me to take on the tough day ahead. I had relocated to the city some six months ago as an inspector in the police department. In the park, I also met many health freaks coming for morning walks, and some just to lollygag.
Close to the main gate of the park, there was a small tea stall. I guess it grossed all its revenue early in the morning while serving the morning walkers. Once in a while, it also served hot bhajiyas that tasted deadly with the hot tea.
I had become a little pally with the tea stall owner, who was young and appeared somewhat educated. There was always a newspaper lying in the stall where tea buffs often rushed through the latest headlines, only to exchange informal barbs.
As a regular visitor, I had started recognising quite a few faces there. Gradually, I even got to know the names of a few. One out of them happened to be an old person who was normally quiet. One day, the stall owner, who knew that I was a police inspector, introduced me to him. His name was Robert.
In a matter of days, I started interacting with Robert and referred to him as ‘Uncle’. He must have been around 70. He spoke very little. But whenever he did, he was to the point. He was normally in his own world, and nothing amused him.
The days passed on as usual. One day, Robert walked up to me and asked, “Are you in the police?”
I said, “Yes.”
“Then can you do me a favour?”
I asked, “What favour?”
He looked at me for a while and said, “Many years ago, when I was young, while playing in this park, I fought with my best friend. Unfortunately, the fight took an ugly turn. As a result, I pushed him down the slope over there. Sadly, he fell into the river. It was the peak of the monsoon when the river was in spate and he was swept away, never to return.”
“Oh God! But did you tell the police that you had pushed him down the slope?”
“No!”
“But why?”
“Because I was scared I’ll be arrested. So, the police registered a case of an accident stating that he didn’t know how to swim, so he drowned.”
“So then, why are you telling me your story now, after so many years?”
“After 50 years, to be precise, to clear my conscience. You’re in the police, if you want, you can still arrest me for the crime.”
“Have you told this to anyone else?”
“No.”
“But why?”
“Because he was my next-door neighbour.”
“So how does that matter?”
“It matters because, years later, I married his sister.”
“But does she know that you were the one who pushed her brother?”
“A few years ago, I did tell her. She couldn’t bear the shock and passed away within weeks.”
“And what about your children?”
“I have two sons. Both are in Australia. They don’t know about my crime. But maybe you can tell them after I’m arrested or I’m gone.” After that, he picked up his walking stick and started walking. Perhaps, he was heading home.
After the unwelcome conversation, a couple of days passed, but I did not see Robert. One day, when I reached the tea stall. I was informed by the stall owner that Robert had committed suicide. I was shocked to hear the news. Perhaps, he was preparing for it, mentally, when he told me about his act of crime. I morosely attended his funeral, where I even got to meet his two sons, Richard and Simon, but I did not mention anything.
After that, I continued with my morning walk, as usual. One day, when I arrived at the tea stall, the owner gave me a sealed envelope that Robert had left for me. I opened it. There was another sealed cover within, bearing the name and address of Richard in Australia, with a request to send it to him through a reliable courier, which I did.
Robert, after losing his wife, couldn’t have taken a chance with his sons– he didn’t want them to commit suicide. But he wanted to confess his crime to his children, which he did after he was gone.
Most certainly, your pricking conscience is the most relentless jury in you.
Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi
Author, Poet, & Columnist
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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com
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