Let me now observe
Ongoings of our world
Has it gone insane
Or sloshed with disdain?
How has it replaced
All the love with hate!
When friends are foes
For opinions they spoke
Do we bury the voices
Or risk being trolled?
When men are up in arms
Do we cower or take a chance,
To make amends, to call out
The lies and cover ups
The slyness and mess ups!
Frenetic winds of chaos
Blowing in our face
An ever-growing frenzy
Throwing us in a daze
Stunned, a few wonder
At this tempest of hate;
Where did we learn to
Speak in tongues false
Write in crooked ways
When did we go silent
And chose to turn away?
Is there hope still
For truth and trust,
To recover our lexicon,
Or all is lost in this storm?
I was drawn to this book primarily because of its name – Yuganta. The word carries a musical, soulful mystery – it is romantic, it speaks of history in gigantic (end of an epoch) terms, it promises insight into one of the greatest epics of Indian literature and religion – the Mahabharata.
Iravati Karve’s book is a storehouse of scientific and historical enquiry, of years of study and research, and deep-felt insight into the characters and the times of the Mahabharata. I confess to have found more than I had hoped for in this paperback. The Mahabharata was essentially a treatise of the life and times of certain people. It was a story told by ‘sutas’ or court bards, and further embellished by latter Brahmans and sutas, to make it an ever-growing epic.
Continue reading “Book Review: Yuganta, The End of an Epoch”
My son and I have much in common – from our introvert temperament to love for reading and writing. Last summer during a long Covid19 lockdown in India, which was labelled by some media houses as one of the toughest, my son asked me about blogging. I explained it was an online journal, diary, or a place to share thoughts and stories and engage with like-minded followers.
I told him I used to blog and can set up a blog for him. That is how I restarted blogging in an all-new blog space, which is this, and he got a brand new blog – www.blackpenstrokes.wordpress.com. What I find endearing is that he still writes his “private journal” by hand. Though, I know it’s more to do with his love for stationery; again something he has acquired from me!
Continue reading “Nurturing a Young Blogger and Reader”
An Exercise in Self-Indulgence or a Supremely Intellectual Modern Satire
While going through a spate of reading mythological literature and fiction, I came across Amazon’s recommendation to read Shashi Tharoor’s The Great Indian Novel. Curiosity made me purchase the novel and few pages into the book I was recommending it to all readers with similar book interests. The intricacies of word play and the liberal usage of intelligent pun made this a humorous and enthralling read. It stands high on the pedestal of a modern satire and is impressive.
Continue reading “Book Review: The Great Indian Novel”
Blue Pen Strokes 