Tag: Hawakal Publishers Private Limited

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Poetry

Therefore: A Poem by Sukanta Bhattacharya

Translated from Bengali by Kiriti Sengupta

Sukanta Bhattacharya
Sukanta Samagra

Sukanta Bhattacharya (15th August 1926-31st May 1947):  Called “Young Nazrul” and Kishore Bidrohi Kobi [1], Sukanta Bhattacharya died at the tender age of twenty of tuberculosis. He, like Nazrul, wrote poetry to protest the colonial atrocities. His poems describe the suffering of common people and looked forward to a world free of exploitation. His writings were anthologised in Sukanta Samagra (Complete Works of Sukanta, 1967), published posthumously, simultaneously in East Pakistan and West Bengal.

The once-paved paths 
 are now vitiated. 
    How can I endure 
       the trauma without 
         divine intervention? 

Death, death, everywhere... 

Life's earnings 
   must be renounced. 
    When the means 
      become futile, 
       they are best discarded like tattered rags

[1] Youthful Rebel Poet: Nazrul was called the rebel poet of Bengal. He wrote a poem called Bidrohi or Rebel and his poetry had been that of rebellion like Sukanta Bhattacharya’s.

Kiriti Sengupta, awarded the 2018 Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize and the 2024 Nilim Kumar National Honour, has had his poetry featured in various publications, including The Common, The Florida Review Online, Headway Quarterly, The Lake, Amethyst Review, Dreich, Otoliths, Outlook, and Madras Courier. He has authored fourteen books of poetry and prose, published two translation volumes, and edited nine anthologies. Sengupta serves as the chief editor of Ethos Literary Journal and leads the English division at Hawakal Publishers Private Limited, one of the top independent presses established by Bitan Chakraborty. He resides in New Delhi. Further information is available at www.kiritisengupta.com.

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Categories
Poetry

Short Poems by Kiriti Sengupta

From Public Domain 
‘I AM SORRY’ 

Figures of speech can appear lifeless. 
Words matter while submitting to the tone. 
They resonate when time allows them to be companions. 

CHRIST CONCIOUSNESS 

My friend,
you stand erect 
beyond the edge 
of life and death. — Rabindranath Tagore 

A friend asked, 
“Who would you talk to 
among the deceased?” 

I had to be quick.
Several names 
crammed my crown, 
Dad’s included. 

I answered, “God.” 


IN A FOOL’S PARADISE 

When legends depart, admirers claim, 
“They will come together in heaven, 
share everlasting bliss.” 

Is there life after death? 
Did these idols commend one another 
when they were alive?
From Public Domain

Kiriti Sengupta, awarded the 2018 Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize and the 2024 Nilim Kumar National Honour, has had his poetry featured in various publications, including The Common, The Florida Review Online, Headway Quarterly, The Lake, Amethyst Review, Dreich, Otoliths, Outlook, and Madras Courier. He has authored fourteen books of poetry and prose, published two translation volumes, and edited nine anthologies. Sengupta serves as the chief editor of Ethos Literary Journal and leads the English division at Hawakal Publishers Private Limited, one of the top independent presses established by Bitan Chakraborty. He resides in New Delhi. Further information available at http://www.kiritisengupta.com.

.

PLEASE NOTE: ARTICLES CAN ONLY BE REPRODUCED IN OTHER SITES WITH DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BORDERLESS JOURNAL

Click here to access the Borderless anthology, Monalisa No Longer Smiles

Click here to access Monalisa No Longer Smiles on Kindle Amazon International

Categories
Poetry

Four Poems by Kiriti Sengupta

Kiriti Sengupta. Courtesy: Bitan Chakraborty 
VIABILITY 

The laughter line 
adds to my age.

I make room 
for the concealer 
in my grooming kit.

PHOTOGRAPHY
(for Raghu Rai*)  

1
camerawork— 
anticipating 
the perfect moments 

2
camerawork—
recounting 
the stories 

3
camerawork—
the eyelashes 
freeze in place  

*Raghu Rai is a well-known photographer. 

HER SACRED MIST 

The daughter soaked joy
for the past few days
amidst her parents and children.
When I woke up early, 
the trees, the leaves, 
and the grasses were damp. 
The rising sun parched them 
before late.
I probed the air: 
Did the Mother weep as 
she left for Kailash? 

The wife returned to her spouse. 


Note: Hindu mythology holds that Goddess Durga brings her children when she visits her paternal home annually in autumn. After a designated period, she returns to her husband, Shiva, at Mount Kailash. 


DURVA 
(for Durba Chatterjee | DOB: 25 September 2023 )


1
As I learn more about you, 
I'll pick up a batch or two 
wherever I reach. 

2
The courtyard knew my boyhood days. 
You embraced my unshod limbs
and healed my bruises as I slipped. 

You made up the loving drape 
the earth donned for my convenience. 

3
You taught us harmony. Resting in your mesh 
were the rice grains. Strengthened by prayers, 
you sat on my scalp for the nuptials. The bride 
held you in her hair. 

4
You embody divine grace. 
You are more pristine than water 
that turns holy as it lets you sink. 

5
You add to the sanctity of the soil. 
Blessed are the humans raising you 
in their yards. 

Like Draupadi, the planet mourns 
when the veil is withdrawn. 


Notes: 

Durva or Durba is a common Bengali name for girls. It denotes Bermuda or Conch grass, known for its many therapeutic properties and frequent use in Hindu rituals. Numerous Puranic stories are linked to Durva grass. 

In the Mahabharata, the Kauravas stripped Draupadi, subjecting her to great humiliation and distress.

Click here to read a conversation with Kiriti Sengupta

Kiriti Sengupta, awarded the 2018 Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize and the 2024 Nilim Kumar National Honour, has had his poetry featured in various publications, including The Common, The Florida Review Online, Headway Quarterly, The Lake, Amethyst Review, Dreich, Otoliths, Outlook, and Madras Courier. He has authored fourteen books of poetry and prose, published two translation volumes, and edited nine anthologies. Sengupta serves as the chief editor of Ethos Literary Journal and leads the English division at Hawakal Publishers Private Limited, one of the top independent presses established by Bitan Chakraborty. He resides in New Delhi. Further information available at http://www.kiritisengupta.com

PLEASE NOTE: ARTICLES CAN ONLY BE REPRODUCED IN OTHER SITES WITH DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BORDERLESS JOURNAL

Click here to access the Borderless anthology, Monalisa No Longer Smiles

Click here to access Monalisa No Longer Smiles on Amazon International