ONE BREATH POETRY by NEENA SINGH
Haiku is the Soul of Poetry A book with the above title has been lying on my desk for more than a year. I have opened it several times, but could not make much headway. It contains nearly 200 three-lined poems which have no titles. The poems are not in verse, and they can be recited in one short breath. …
HINDI POEM “PREM AUR SAMBANDHON KI SACHHAI”
Introducing Ritu Bhanot Ritu Bhanot is a linguist. A Punjabi by birth, she learnt Hindi and English in school. And then she fell in love with French to which she took like fish takes to water. Destiny put her in touch with a French young man, named Jaque de Juvigny, who became her soul-mate. She has now been working in …
A Ghazal Embedded in my Thoughts
I first heard this poem more than sixty years ago. Our eldest brother, Air Vice Marshal Manjit Singh used to sing it in parties, and it was always well received. Behzad Lakhnawi (born 1895) composed the lyrics, and he was an acclaimed poet. But after the partition, he migrated to Pakistan, and we heard no more of him. …
“Bahut dinon ke baad” by Sultan Malik
A Brief Introduction Col (Dr) Sultan Malik needs no introduction. He distinguished himself as a soldier as well as an engineer. In addition, he earned name and fame for himself in the field of music. His title song, ‘Samandar ki haseen laharon ke…’ was on the lips of many Indians. A qawwali in a DD film became a great hit. …
DIVINE TONES OR NOTES by Sultan S Malik
Editor’s Note I once asked a youngster, “Do you go to school?” The frank lad said, “No uncle, I am sent!” For a while, I was taken aback. But when I pondered over it, I felt that he had stated a profound truth. It dawned upon me that most of us do not ‘go’ to our place of work. We …
The ‘spirit’ of Mirza Ghalib
In praise of Mirza Ghalib The words of Ghalib have been recited in many gatherings. His ghazals have been sung by every singer from KL Saighal to Surayia, Lata Mangeshkar and Jagjit Singh. Movies and TV serials have been made on his life and work. But till date, no one has been able to capture his spirit in a single ’computer generated image’ (CGI). …
“Many Faces of the Eve” a poem by Ritu Bhanot
Ritu Bhanot [ Seventy-odd years ago, when I was born, the birth of a son in the family was rejoiced. Daughters were considered a burden, since they could not ‘earn’ money and needed protection. Their main job was cooking and house-keeping. Consequently, educating girls was not considered necessary. As a precaution against exploitation, they covered their faces with a veil, and generally …
JAGI OBEROI’s TRYST WITH LYRICS AND MELODY
Soldiering is generally associated with weapons and martial arts. Not many lay citizens know that deep within their rough exteriors, soldiers have very sensitive hearts. Jagdeep Oberoi joined the ‘Rashtriya Indian Military College’ at the tender age of eleven, and then graduated as a highly competent electronics engineer, trained in the UK. However, all along that gruelling period of training …
EGO by Ritu Bhanot
Ritu Bhanot is a free lance writer and translator. She knows four languages : French,English, Hindi and Pujabi. She also understands Urdu, but is not very familiar with the script, which she is trying to learn. Ritu migrated to Strausbourg, in Eastern France a few years ago, but left her heart behind, in India. She has composed a short poem for Guftagu. It is in free verse, or …
FON HAS A SMALL MESS BUT ITS OFFICERS HAVE LARGE HEARTS
Originally posted on 27 Sep 2010 : Agra is well known for the Taj Mahal. However, what is less known is that it also houses the 509 Army Base Workshop (nicknamed FON), which is unique in more ways than one. They hold what is called a “FON Milaap” at regular intervals for which veterans are also invited. The latest one was …
