THE TONGUE INDIA -NARENDRA MODI CARTOON

THE TONGUE INDIA---

THE TONGUE INDIA- NARENDRA MODI CARTOON-the tongue india

The Tongue India.....I wonder how long he would survive with those tongue gimmicks in a country like India.. I doubt whether there is any sincerity in his speeches or for that matter his flamboyance is quite as genuine.......It's too early to rate him.....The Government has just begun.......Only time will tell if his tenure as the Prime Minister of a country with the most complex political system in the world, will be successfully completed since India is not Gujarat and Indians are not Gujaratis........It's anyway going to be a high drama affair.......    

CRPF Asst.Commandant Ajan R Nair at Deaf and Dumb School

RAPID ACTION FORCE- NALGONDA PRESS BRIEFING BY AJAN R NAIR , Asst.Comman...

JAYALALITHA- ASSET CASE-CARTOON

JAYALALITHA VERDICT_CARTOON

JAYALALITHA VERDICT-CARTOON

LOOKING TO THE SEVENTH HUE

LOOKING TO THE SEVENTH HUE

Thick black clouds poured down heavily without warning. The ruthless rain that pounded Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district on 18^th September caused considerable damage to lives and property. Nonetheless, the flood ravaged roads and bridges leading to the Guntur railway station did not deter the two main organizers, Prof. P. Gopichand and Prof. P.Nagasusheela of J.K.C college, from receiving the poets coming from different parts of the country and abroad to participate in the Seventh International Poetry Festival-2014, that too at odd hours.  That sheer determination and dedication paid off when the two day poetry fest which was officially inaugurated on 19^th September, turned out to be a massive success with as many as seventy poets from India and abroad turning up to enjoy the fascinating world of poetry. It seemed that the pouring rain floated midway on the clouds. The sun shone brightly in the cloudless sky. The beautifully decorated stage and the scrupulously carved arches festooned with marigold garlands leading inside the auditorium gave the whole place a mesmerizing appearance of orange hue. It was like a stream of blissful water flowing forth from a sacred shrine, like the seven rainbow hues, arc through the sky after a soft silvery drizzle. There we sat down together as a family in that sublime pleasure of reading and listening to some of the most compelling, beautiful and interesting poems from the anthology, “ The Rainbow Hues”…….!

This is the most exciting post I have had to write since creating this blog. I was enthralled to receive, and delighted to accept, an invitation from the organisers of the seventh international poetry festival 2014 early this year to recite my two poems, “The Wail Of A Forlorn Tree” and “Thus My Tryst With Peace Began”, before a galaxy of reputed poets and renowned writers from India and abroad. Now that I have returned from the poetry festival that culminated in a grandiose way at the JKC college located in the midst of sprawling lush green expanse at Guntur district in Andra Pradesh, I dedicate this post to two inspiring and altruistic academicians from the department of English, J.K.C college, Prof. P.Gopichand and Prof. P.Nagasusheela, who by virtue of their devotion and the special cause to which they were dedicated, proved once again that money and quality literature seldom mix. 

I have never been to a poetry festival before. Furthermore, I can’t even recollect an occasion in my life when I actually recited a poem in front of a live audience. Well aware of the challenge that awaited me at the festival in reciting a poem before a galaxy of very knowledgeable and reputed poets, particularly due to my restricted exposure to English poetry, I mustered up enough gumption to stand up and take on this new challenge and thus, if possible, chase down a dream. That nerve eventually took me to the Guntur International Poetry Festival 2014 as a contributing poet for the anthology, The Rainbow Hues, a brilliant collection of poems from almost 170 poets from all over the world.. Notwithstanding that I pursue much interest in literature and other literary activities, till now, my endeavors were limited to no more than a few write-ups in my personal blog and yes of course, in some e-journals. An opportunity to attend such an important poetry festival, I thought, will enable me to sink in the deep abyss of poetic bliss and perceive the beauty within the gentle and tranquil world of poetry. I will try to share with you the unique experience I had while participating at the fest.

When I reached the Guntur railway station after some 24 hours of dreary journey from Trivandrum, I was greeted with a taunting cacophony of noise produced by several passengers stranded inside the station due to heavy downpour and water logging all around.  Somehow I worked my way to the exit gate where I found the two fest organizers Prof. P.Gopichand and Prof.P.Nagasusheela, who came to receive me by overcoming all the challenges and adversities in driving through the flooded roads and bridges connecting the city to the railway station. There at the exit gate they introduced me to Prof.Dr.Balachandran, a renowned poet, academician and an Ex-dean from Tamil Nadu who came at the same time and in the same train. It was a pleasure meeting such a great scholar as a fellow poet.  

Nine kilometers after we set out on our journey from the station through the water clogged roads and boulevards, we saw a huge campus on the right side of the road with the name “Jagarlamudi Kuppuswamy Chowdary College” etched on its entrance arch that revealed that we had reached the venue for the festival. The organizers took us to a nearby canteen where together we had a sumptuous south Indian breakfast along with a much needed special Andra Tea. From there we were taken to the adjacent college guest house, a stunning newly built structure, well maintained and equipped with the most modern, state of the art facilities.  I felt very excited to have Dr. Balachandran as my roommate. We spent the day talking about art, literature and poetry. It immensely helped me to understand and experience his extensive knowledge of English poetry and literature. As a bilingual writer he has published nineteen books and number of poems, research articles and reviews in India and abroad.

In the afternoon, we visited the auditorium where we met among few other participants, Dr. Kedarnath Sharma and Dr. Sudarshan Sharma, some of the most prominent names among Indian poetry writers and critics. Those moments are worth remembering forever.

The weather was very kind to us the next day. There at the entrance of the main auditorium, the hosts, Prof. P.Gopichand and Prof. P.Nagasusheela along with a group of college students in colorful apparels greeted the poets as they arrived. After a quick breakfast, prearranged at the rear of the auditorium, I found a seat among one of the few empty chairs in the main hall. As I acclimated to the environment around me, which was by then filled up with enthusiastic college students and volunteers who came to listen and meet some of the best known writers in India, the two organizers took to the microphone to offer the welcome speech. While welcoming the distinguished invitees, they provided a brief introduction of the seventh poetry festival and the significance of conducting such an international event that encourages many poets to compose their best pieces and also guides the public understand and appreciate the value of contemporary poetry.  

Total silence reigned in the auditorium as the fest was inaugurated by Secretary and Correspondent J. Narendranath while Nagarjuna Educational Society president K. Basavapunniah released the e-version of the anthology “The Rainbow Hues”. Those who were looking for something different from the usual sequence of events were pleasantly surprised when the organizers opted to felicitate the chief guest and other invitees by presenting them with “Tulsi Saplings” instead of bouquet of flowers. The inauguration and the book release function were as graceful as a beautiful poem being recited in the backdrop of a serene river bank. Thereafter, nine poetry books authored by different poets were launched at the festival by eminent poets and the organizers as well.

After the inauguration was over, and the distinguished dignitaries had left the stage, the organizers took the center stage and then began the main function.  Over the next few hours we sat as a family and listened to many senior and renowned poets from India and abroad who took turns to recite their beautiful poems. There in the middle of them I found myself enveloped in a blissful world of rhymes.  Lured in by the intonation and denotation of their words, it was like a self introspection for me. As I listened to some exquisitely beautiful poetry covering the magnificence in life, nature, romance and love, I thought how blissful this planet is. That very thought lifted me through the morning session that ended well past 2.

By the time the morning session of the poetry festival drew to a close and the organizers invited us for a delicious multi cuisine lunch, I found myself wedged in my chair, trying to recollect some incisive, inventive, and profoundly lyrical poems proudly recited by the poets. I also thought through the brilliant comments made by those eminent poets who chaired the panel discussion on the dais, some of which, I must say, I did not fully understand. Dr. Balachandran, my roommate was indeed an enthusiastic participant in the critique discussions and his generous and honest comments were highly appreciated by the audience. The impact of such interpretations was the real take away from the session. 

The afternoon session continued with more poets reciting their poems with the same spirit of zeal and enthusiasm and with that keen social conscience and right perspective. 

Evening came and it was now the time to retire for the ‘high tea’. Immediately after that, it was my turn. Thanks to the many speeches and lectures I had delivered while I was in armed force, I didn’t feel like I was under any pressure and I didn’t feel any sort of stage fright as well. Fellow poets and public appreciated my effort with their kind words of encouragement and wisdom once I finished reciting my poems published in the anthology and the organizers traditionally honored me with a shawl and a certificate as they did with the other contributing poets as well.  

The first day of the festival finished late in the evening. At the end of the day’s proceedings we were treated to a two hour wonderful exhibition of cultural program by the enthusiastic and lively students of JKC College. Anusha, a pretty final year degree student stunned the audience with her flawless Kuchupudi dance. It was sheer magic with an exquisite blend of synchronized footwork, melody and eye-hand gestures. Sandeep, an active volunteer from 1^st year B com, entertained us with a set of devotional songs together with his friend Durga Prasad. It is worth mentioning here the beautiful voice these boys have and their relentless energy to perform. We were witnessing raw, visual splendor in its purest form, much more amazing than we ever could have imagined. The audience was really captivated by the performance of these young students. 

I was taken by surprise and actually had to politely refuse when one of the organizers, Prof. P. Nagasusheela asked me to come onto the stage and sing them a song. But then, a few fellow poets nudged me to sing at least a line or two.  Though I sang the famous “ Chand Jaise Mukhde Pe Bindiya Sitara” a song by the iconic Yesudas, I firmly believe that it was a pathetic performance, in spite of the fact that almost everyone appreciated my attempt.
 

This proved to be an excellent session, with poetry jaded sometimes, give way to spectacular dance and music and that too by enthusiastic young boys and girls of JKC College. The usual sumptuous vegetarian dinner was served shortly after the cultural program.  

Next day morning, all the guests were taken for sightseeing around Guntur.  A visit to the Shri Panakala Lakshmi Narasimhaswamy temple was a memorable one. The temple is situated on a hill. There is a legend about the offering of the panakam (jaggery water) to the Lord. It is said that the hill was once a volcano. Sugar or Jaggery water, it is said, neutralizes sulphur compounds found in a volcano and prevents a volcanic eruption. The Jaggery water is actually poured into the mouth of the Lord as an offering.  A gargling sound is clearly audible as if the Lord is actually drinking it.  

Finally, when it was time to bid farewell, we gathered again in the auditorium for a group photo with the organizers, volunteers and students. Undoubtedly the experience was a beautiful one. I wondered why it had taken so long for me to attend a poetry festival of similar kind. 

The seventh International poetry festival undeniably stood out for its marvelous participation of quality poets, excellent panel discussion, really powerful theme relating to our daily life and the sheer diversity of the participants. 

Congratulations to Prof. P. Gopichand and Prof. P.Nagasusheela and their team who made this event a grand success. This was possible with the strong support from the management of JKC College who consolidated their commitment to human values, world peace and environment protection. 

Before heading home, there was time to take a few snaps with fellow poets and volunteers. When I boarded my return train to Trivandrum from Guntur in the evening, with me were three young and brilliant poets from Kerala. Mr. Abdul Bari, Sreeja Nair and Seena Nair. Thanks to their exquisite talents not only in reciting poems but also in singing beautiful melodious songs, the ambiance inside the train transformed into a blissful one and I was resigned to their adamant resolution to keep awake till mid night. But more than anything else, their excellent oratory skills and lengthy discussions on conceptual understanding of contemporary English literature were what made my night special.   It was in fact a rare congregation of like minded individuals gather for some quality entertainment. 

I do not know if I will be invited to participate in the next poetry festival proposed to be conducted at Vishakhapatnam, but one thing is sure that I would love to attend any number of such festivals conducted in this manner. 

Here are some photographs of our most memorable moments in Guntur Poetry Festival.... 

With Poets, Prof. Dr. Balachandran, Dr. K.S.Chandrasekhar, Dr.Pon.Lakshmanan, Prof. Dr.Kedarnath Sharma and Dr. Sudarshan Sharma, at the auditorium.

Thus My Tryst With Peace Began........reciting my poem

On The Dais with Dr. Elizabeth Kurien Mona, Dr.K.S. Chandrasekhar, Dr. K.Balachandran, Dr.Rattan Bhattacharjee.

Chand Jaise Mukhde Pe......

Honored With A Shawl by the organizers, Prof. P.Gopichand and Prof. P.Nagasusheela. 

Certificate Of Participation

Inauguration by Lighting Of Lamp

Distinguished audience

Release of Anthology, "The Rainbow Hues"

Dr.Balachandran

Pornpen Hantrakool

Dr.Asim Kumar paul

Dr. Biplab Chakraborthy and Dr. Kedarnath Sharma- Panel Discussion

Dr. Sutapa Chaudhary

Poet. M.N.Rajeev

Poet . Sreeja Nair

Poet. Seena Nair

At Mangalagiri  Hills, The Malayali Gang

With Organizers and Volunteers

Group Photo with Organisers, Volunteers and Students

    

Poet. Dr.Majee

With Poet. Ointri Senguptha

Dr. Padmaja Iyengar

Dr.Supratik Sen , Dr.Padmaja Iyankar, Dr.Rajeev- All Smiles..

Dr. Deeya Bhattacharya with Dr. Poonam Sahay

Poet. Dr.Poonam Sahay

Poet Dr. Bharathi

Poet Abdul Baari (left)

Anusha

Sandeep

"THE WAIL OF A FORLORN TREE"

CHAND JAISE MUKHDE PE....What a pathetic performance...!

"THUS MY TRYST WITH PEACE BEGAN"

POLICETICS

POLICETICS

POLICETICS- CARTOON

RESPECT-CARTOON

All "MADE-UP" Things Come With An Expiration Date.

All "MADE-UP" Things Come With An Expiration Date.

WHEN THE SKIES CAVED IN

WHEN THE SKIES CAVED IN

Rudolph Giuliani, Mayor of New York receiving Sh.Vajpayee at Ground Zero

 

Friday,November 9, 2001. It was few hours past midnight. The roar of a low flying jumbo jet on its flight path to the nearby JFK airport reverberated through the floors of one of the finest premium luxury hotels in the world, “The Towers” at the New York Palace in the heart of Midtown Manhattan.  Quite pleasant and slightly traditional in aesthetics, this hotel is where most of the world leaders stay when they come for the United Nations summit.  Except for the occasional honking of a speeding NYPD patrol car or a distant wailing of sirens from the motorcade of some head of state arriving late for the summit, a total and complete silence reigned on the fifth floor where the Prime Minister of India Sh. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was staying. After two days of hectic diplomacy in Washington, he reached New York later that evening, and got into his bed early, knowing that the next day was likely to be even more busy as he would be addressing the 56^th UN general assembly followed by a series of bilateral meetings with several heads of state.

 Standing guard outside the Prime Minister’s suit along with my United States Secret Service night-shift counterpart, who befriended me after introducing himself at the hotel itself, I asked him a question the whole world has been asking with utter bafflement. 

“How could it be possible for such a thing to happen in the United States of America?”

Obviously with a heart writhing with agony and pain at the poignancy of that shocking incident, he stood in silence for a few moments and then he gave a tender look to me and said, 

“Because we have had this bad or good habit of trusting anyone very easily” 

I felt he was not prepared to commit his earnest opinion to it at this early juncture because it was only two months ago, just a mile away from where we were standing, that his motherland, the world’s most powerful country awakened to an attack of surpassing disproportion which easily qualifies as the largest single terrorist attack ever seen in the history of mankind. As several people still lie underneath a mountain of rubble and the federal agencies investigate into the possible involvement of insiders in carrying out this spectacular attack, it’s quite apparent that he muted his opinion. 

Notwithstanding the grim situation prevailing in the city of New York, the 56^th UN General assembly was held peacefully the next day, November 10, 2001, amid unprecedented security arrangements. The nation as a whole, it seemed was resolved to fight the terror and the anarchic bloodshed that had been deliberately unleashed on them. That day, at the United Nations premises, I felt the air was heavy with belligerence and on every face I met, it played out a weird grimace and distress.  It seemed they had suddenly become skeptical of absolutely everything and everyone around them. America, I thought, for the first time since turning into a super power went into defensive stance at least for the time being.

Sunday, November 11, 2001 was just a normal routine day. I went through the Prime Minister’s schedule for the day circulated by the mission control room and found nothing special in there. PMO staff and other members of the delegation were getting ready for our evening flight to the next destination, which was London. Since there was nothing else going on, the Close Protection Team members were sauntering along the pathway in front of the room having conversations with the secret service agents who focused more on security related issues.  But we were vaguely aware that there were some discussions going on in the diplomatic circle on the possibility of the Prime Minister of India visiting the Ground Zero site. Though the New York city authorities were reluctant to allow any international heads of state outside America to visit the site, particularly when tall flames were still visible and dead bodies still being recovered from the massive tomb of rubble, it was Sh. Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tall stature and immense popularity on international stage that drove the American authorities to welcome him to join their grief. 

It was only a five minute journey from New York palace to the Ground Zero. Due to safety restrictions, it was decided that only two cars, the main car and a security car will be going there with a depleted strength of CPT.  The entire area was already cordoned off by the NYPD. With the Secret Service escort vehicles accompanying the motorcade, the security of the Prime Minister was almost impenetrable. As the limousines moved slowly down the Liberty Street towards the Ground Zero, I could see the somber faces of the rescue workers, fire fighters and police men engaged in rescue and clearing-up operations in precarious circumstances at the site of the collapsed twin towers. A few trucks were seen carrying debris and wreckage out of the site. The whole area, I found, was still wrapped up in some deep melancholy. 

 

Signing the Victims Board

However on reaching the venue, the Prime Minister was received by the New York City mayor Mr. Rudolph Giuliani and his team. The security apparatus was, as expected, full-on and rather ubiquitous. Standing at an arm’s length behind the Prime Minister on a newly raised structure with a huge “victim’s board’ that will be used by the world leaders to sign as a part of paying homage to those who were killed by the terrorist attack on WTC, I glanced down at the ground and realized the place where the mighty World Trade Centre had once been, was now only a giant crater surrounded by burning wreckage, debris and tangled steel. Many people could still be trapped and dead beneath the rubble. Flames were still bursting from a number of completely devastated buildings. “This is total tearing down” I thought. 

After placing a wreath on behalf of the government and the people of India, the prime minister placed his signature on the “victim’s board’ thereby becoming the first head of state, if my remembrance is correct, to make such a gesture. Shortly thereafter he left for the hotel.

It’s been years, but still those horrifying scenes are fresh in my mind. And I also vividly remember watching the television footage on September 11 of the second plane hitting the WTC tower and the mayhem thereafter -citizens running for their lives along the road, some throwing themselves out of windows to escape the flame that engulfed their offices, fire engines, ambulances, screaming people and finally that most horrifying as well as the most nerve wreaking footage of WTC twin towers collapsing as thick clouds of pulverised concrete spewed in all directions. 

 In the days following this horrendous tragedy, the US saw rapid and dramatic changes in both domestic and foreign policy. There were significant shifts in approach towards outsiders.  I presume, the words of the secret service agent that midnight, literally permeated every actions subsequently taken by the United States of America. The “trust all attitude” that most Americans had long taken for granted was suddenly denigrated and the so far relatively simplistic approach towards the security measures became stringent and rigorous. Since then, the nation as a whole started believing in retaliation, revenge, preemptive attacks on all countries sponsoring terrorism and eventually the people became more skeptical about anything and everything. 

Rest is history. The Americans demonstrated their strength on the world stage in resolving a testing period that inflicted overwhelming feelings of panic and fear, painful intrusive memories and events that even questioned their nationalistic patriotism. They have proved categorically that they have not been defeated. Though it is widely accepted that it is pretty unlikely that international terrorism can be brought to an end by military actions, the post September 11 campaign to eliminate Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations, initiated by the United States and many other NATO and non NATO nations delivered a severe blow to the terrorists and their umbrella organizations all over the world. 

Just a couple of days ago, I read an article in “The Hindu” titled “No room for complacency” which discussed the Al-Qaeda’s declaration that it has set up a branch in the Indian subcontinent called “Qaedat al-Jihad”. This poses serious questions for India and its new government. To me, however, this news represented more than just an imminent threat that is looming over the entire nation. It throws at me a few unpleasant questions as to whether as a nation, we have the nerve to stand up to terrorism as precisely as the Americans have been doing since 9/11. Do we have the courage to admit our weaknesses and take curative measures? Can the government unilaterally take coercive actions to deal with terrorism without taking those religious aspects into account? Do we have a set formula at all or for that matter an effective domestic as well as foreign intelligence gathering set up or a National security System to effectively deal with a massive terrorist attack of unprecedented magnitude? 

 Let’s hope that the new government can strive to avoid the mistakes we made earlier and do something better to vanquish the threat by coordinated efforts even if it goes to the extent of small encroachments on civil liberties, if it be, in the larger interest of the country. We cannot afford to allow this desperate attempt by the Al-Qaeda to sustain in the sub continent and carryout insidious terror dealings. Furthermore, the government should simultaneously address the issue of a few Indian youngsters joining the terror network by understanding the causes that obviously stem from certain deep rooted disenchantment that was exacerbated by treating all members of a particular community as suspects. 

  

Today, United States of America is observing the 13^th anniversary of one of the deadliest terrorist attacks on the planet earth with tragic memories of over 3000 innocent lives lost. As an armed force officer who has seen the enormity of the situation on ground, and was briefed about how monumental this deadly attack was, my heart goes out to all those countless number of police officers, fire fighters, emergency workers, doctors, nurses, volunteers and several others who had risked and lost their lives in desperate efforts to save others. Let’s raise our hands and salute them on this occasion, for their act of supreme sacrifice for the humanity.

Let the new generation that has only heard about a post parliament attack, Akshardham, Mumbai blast or 9/11 world with no recollection of these incidents, join together in this fight against terror. You have in front of you an empty paper that no one but only you can write something on it. You fill it with your new hopes and aspirations and keep it well guarded with your unabashed patriotism and love for the motherland. 

At Ground Zero- When The Skies Caved In.