IAPENSaraswati Nagar, Itaba-pipra Road,

Pipra, P.O. : Dumri, Dist. : Begusarai, Bihar - 851 117, India

Poetic Perspectives of

BIPLAB MAJUMDAR

Edited by :Dr. Arbind Kumar Choudhary

POETIC PERSPECTIVES OF BIPLAB MAJUMDARA critical anthology on the works of Biplab Majumdar

Edited byDR. ARBIND KUMAR CHOUDHARY

ISBN : 978-81-906165-6-0

© Author

First Publication :10th January 2012

Publisher :IAPEN

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Dedicated

to

All the Poets

and

Poetry Lovers

ContentsBiplab Majumdar

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY ……............…........................…....................………… 7AN INTERVIEW ……......……........................................................………… 9

Articles

PROF. SURESH CHANDRA DWIVEDITHE RAYS OF TRUTH IN BIPLAB MAJUMDAR'S EPIPHANIES ......… 16

DR. ARBIND KUMAR CHOUDHARYPOETIC PERSPECTIVES OF BIPLAB MAJUMDAR .........................… 23

DR. MAHASHWETA CHATURVEDIBIPLAB'S ISLAND DOLPHIN SONG IS AN INSPIRATION TOHUMAN HEARTS ..........................................................................… 31THE HAIKUS OF "GOLDEN HORIZON" ..........................................… 33

DR. RAM SHARMADIFFERENT SHADES OF LIFE AS DEPICTED BY BIPLAB MAJUMDARIN HIS POETRY VOLUME 'GOLDEN HORIZON' ..............................… 37

M. S. VENKATA RAMAIAHVIRTUES & VICES : TOWERING LITERATURE WITH THE ESSENCE OFPHILOSOPHY .................................................................................… 44

PROF. P. V. LAXMI PRASADBIPLAB MAJUMDAR'S "ISLAND'S DOLPHIN SONG" ....................… 48HAIKU AS ACCOMPLISHED PHILOSOPHY IN BIPLAB MAJUMDAR'S"GOLDEN HORIZON" ........................................................................ 52

ANTARYAMI SAHUBIPLAB MAJUMDAR'S "GOLDEN HORIZON" ................................... 59

JASVINDER SINGHCHARMING FREE VERSES .............................................................. 62BIPLAB MAJUMDAR : A POET PAR EXCELLENCE ........................... 64

NALINI SHARMABIPLAB MAJUMDAR : AN APPRAISAL OF HIS POETRY ................... 68

DR. MANORANJAN DASPERCEPTUAL TRUTH IN BIPLAB MAJUMDAR'S POETRY ................ 78

SHALEEN KUMAR SINGHKALEIDOSCOPIC COLORS OF SPIRITUALITY IN GOLDEN HORIZON.. 89

DR. SUNITA JAKHARGOLDEN HORIZON : THE SLIM COLLECTION OF HAIKUS ................ 92

PURNIMA RAYISLAND'S DOLPHIN SONG : A POETRY PAR EXCELLENCE .............. 94

PROF. KURT F. SVATEKBIPLAB MAJUMDAR : A POET OF BEAUTY AND EXCELLENCE ....... 107

BERNARD M. JACKSONVIRTUES & VICES : IT IS A VERITABLE CELEBRATION OFLIFE ITSELF ...................................................................................... 112MERA BHARAT MAHAN : AN ANTHOLOGY OF POEMS ................... 115

PATRICIA PRIMEVIRTUES & VICES : AN EXCELLENT MANOEUVRE OFHUMAN VALUES .............................................................................. 119

PROF. KAZUYOSI IKEDAVIRTUES & VICES : A SUPERB POETRY BOOK, SINGING OF ETHICSAND MORALS IN HUMAN LIFE ........................................................ 123GOLDEN HORIZON : AN EXCELLENT COLLECTION OFENGLISH HAIKU ............................................................................... 126MERA BHARAT MAHAN : AN ANTHOLOGY OF POEMS ................... 134

About the authorLIST OF SOME BOOKS …............................................……..........……… 137LIST OF SOME MAGAZINES …...................................................……… 138LIST OF ANTHOLOGIES …..........................................................……… 140LIST OF AWARDS ..............….....................................................……… 142SELECTED COMMENTS ..............…............................................……… 144

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BIPLAB MAJUMDAR, D. Litt, Honoured KNIGHT, isone of the brilliant stars in Asian poetic firmament. Born inKolkata, India on 10th January, 1966 has attained a phenomenalmeteoric rise in his literary career. He has written nearly 70books on poetry, prose, rhyme, translation, research works, novels, short story etc. Most of his works are in Bengali, his mothertongue.

He is a Forensic Document Examiner by profession.Biplab Majumdar - a living literary legend - a prolific

source of creative cascades revered and adored all over theworld for his multifaceted literary talent . He wrote his firstpoem at the age of 12, but his first book "Kichu SadharanKavita" was published at 31 (1997).

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His poems have been published in Bengali, English,Assamese , Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telegu, Kannada,Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Hebrew, French, Japanese, Chinese,Maltese, Spanish, Serbian, Russian, German, etc. languages inIndia , Greece, Italy, Austria , Germany, Japan, Australia,Argentina, China, Brazil, .Malta, England, Yugoslavia etc.countries.

For his outstanding contribution to literature he hasreceived more than 50 awards from different parts of theglobe. Some of his exceptional awards are :

K The Grand Prize of Civilizing Olympiad, 1999, Athens,GREECE.

K Padus Amoenus , 2000, sissa, ITALY.K Hon. D. Litt, 2001, WAAC, (UNESCO), USA.K The Best Poet of 2002, 2003 P.R. CHINAK The Glafka, 2003 SOUTH AFRICA.K Decree of Merit, 2003, AUSTRIA.K Honorary KNIGHT. 2005, MALTA.K Golden Padus D'ORO. 2009, ITALY, etc.

Some of his famous works are Golden Horizon, JharaBakuler Swapney, Locker Rahasya, Murder in Victoria, Virtues& Vices etc.

Biplab Majumdar, a dedicated and tireless worker ofliterature and international understanding, has been successfullyediting " SAHITYA UTSAV" (Bengali) and "VOICE OFKOLKATA" (English) , two literary magazines since last 12years.

He is the founder of "International Poetry Society ofKolkata, India".

"Global love, peace and brotherhood through poetry andliterature" is the mission in his life.

Address :BIPLAB MAJUMDAR, 3/34, SURYANAGAR, Kolkata-40, INDIACell- 98040 39249 E-mail : biplab66@gmail.com

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BIPLAB MAJUMDARin an interview with

Dr. Arbind Kumar ChoudharyEditor - Ayush & Kohinoor

J When did you write your first poem?I wrote my first poem at the age of twelve. That has been lost,never published. Subsequently when I was 18, I felt atremendous attraction to compose poems from the deepest coreof my heart.

J Do you have the reminiscences of Childhood days?I was born in a middle class family. During my childhood Iwas very naughty. I was always a headache to my mother. Iwas fond of outdoor games and liked to play all day long if Iwas allowed to. At the same time I had an obsession for readingstory books, rhymes, comics, fairy tales, ghost stories etc.

J How could your literary genius blossom? Any person/poet inyour life, who impressed you most?I told you during my adolescence I felt a strong urge to expressmy feelings through poetry. Perhaps that urge was develovedin my subconscious mind due to excessive poetry reading. Iwrote a good number of poems but did not dare to send themfor publication, lest they were rejected. My poems were keptin diaries for a quite long period. My first book "KichuSadharan Kavita" (Some Ordinary Poems, 1997) was publishedat the age of 31.Later I have been impressed by the works of Rabindra NathTagore, Jibananda Das, Sankha Ghose, Sunil Gangopadhyay,Purnendu Patri etc. some eminent poets in Bengal. At the sametime Shelly, Keats, Yeats, Neruda, Matthew Arnold are alwaysinspirational for me.

J You have written and translated more than thousand poemsin Bengali and English. Your poems have been translated

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into 22 languages, published in different countries, criticallydiscussed by so many poets and scholars. What is poetry inyour context? Is poetry a gymnasium of words or glacier ofthought?Poetry is neither a gymnasium of words nor glacier of thought.It is the right compilation of intellect, imagery, impulse, basicgrammer and artistic presentation of thought, these are inherentelements of good poetry.Once in the Preface of my book Golden Horizon I wrote,"poetry is an art of words mirrored by the emotional escape ofa poet's perceptual deconstruction." I mean what a poet feelsor perceives that cause reactions in his brain. He deconstructsthe feelings through his personal analysis, interpretation andevaluation in his subconscious mind and subsequently he penshis personal equations in an artistic flavour that the world callsas poetry.

J Is poetry an art or a skill?Of course poetry is an art, rather I should say, it is an art ofwords. Many a person compiles a bunch of philosophical ideas,social anomalies, atrocities, or surmonial speeches etc. in thename of poetry. But the fact is, true poetry is something else.The greatest discovery in the life of a poet is to know what ispoetry actually. Whatever we think or feel that should bepresented in an artistic way, it must attain that height ofaesthetics. Poetry is the highest form of art, to know this art isthe needed skill that a poet has to learn.

J Shall we allow the parameters of grammer to poetry?A poet must know the parameters of grammer to poetry. Heshould be aware of different forms of it. At the initial stage hemay practise with different forms, later he may adopt the formin which he is most comfortable. It is not true that a poet shouldalways follow the structured verse only, otherwise his poetrywill not be accepted by the readers. From Pablo Neruda toMatthew Arnold, lots of world famous poets accepted free verseto reach the heart of their admirers.

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J You are considered as one of the finest poets of today's India.What do you think should be the role of a poet in the presentday society?I think a poet can play a vital role in the present day society.Because when all the electronics medias try to divert away thepresent generation from the basic cultural flow of one's country,poetry helps there to come back to the roots. It is not an artdevoted to worship beauty and truth only but also has a strongcommitment towards society and civilization.There was a time when poetry was dedicated to glorify lovestories, tragedies etc. Sometimes poetry was written for thesake of poetry. But with the passage of time poetry cameforward to assimilate the day to day incidents, different socialproblems, everydayness etc. and became the most humanelanguage, an important cultural subject. In today's life poetryis an artistic expression that provides us a sense of unity. But itis a pity in most of the cases a poet does not get the dignity ofan artist.

J Why Indian poetry does not get patronage from the readers,admirers and Corporate houses?I do not agree with the statement that Indian poetry does notget patronage from the readers and admirers. Yes, it is true thatthe percentage of poetry loving people is meagre. Because thefact is poetry is not for all. In all ages in all countries poetry isonly for a selected class of people who are thoughtful, deep,tender and beautiful by heart.Poetry does not get patronage of the Corporate houses becauseit cannot give them good return. Publishers show cold shouldertowards poetry because it does not sell like hot cakes. Perhapsnowhere in the world a man will dare to take poetry writing asa profession.

J Is it necessary to organize the orientation or workshop forthe budding poets? Do you think that by organizing suchevents we can create their poetic sensibility?

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By organizing workshops we can encourage the budding poetsto a greater extent. We can spread the message of poetry amongthe common people. Poetry reading sessions, discussions overdifferent subjects of poetry, exchanging views etc. can attractthe present generation more and more. If the senior poets deliverlectures on the basic difference between a poem and a goodpoem, the soul purpose and mission of poetry, the prospects ofpoetry in our day to day life and future, the need and glory oftranslating poetry etc. we can create a congenial atmospherefor them. And it will certainly enhance the dignity of poetry,at the same time arise the poetic sensibility of the buddingpoets.

J What is your message to the budding poets? What is yourexpectaton from them?Man is attacted to beauty by nature. Every human being hasthis secret sense. That is why they love, sing a song, goes ontourism, read books, listen to music etc. But common mancannot express their felt beauty in the form of art. There is thediference between a common man and an artist. Budding poetsmust remember that they are no ordinary man, they have a godgifted special soul. And they can enrich this magnificient worldwith their inborn personal contribution. As there is no suchschool where one can be taught poetry writings, therefore, whatI expect from the budding poets is they will read more andmore works by the famous poets, especially the works of thecontemporary poets so that they can learn the secret of the art.

J We know you have been successfully editing the two poetrymagazines e.g. VOICE OF KOLKATA (English) andSAHITYA UTSAV (Bengali). VOK has been awarded as "TheBest Poetry Magazine in India" in Italy, China, USA andSouth Africa. Please say something about those magazines.I have been editing VOICE OF KOLKATA uninturreptedlyfor last 12 years and at present it reaches to 40 countries aroundthe world. Poets of Greece, Italy, USA, Australia, China,Canada, Russia, France, England, Cyprus, Brazil, Spain,

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Morocco etc. write in it. "Global Love, Peace and Brotherhoodthrough poetry" is the mast line of it.In SAHITYA UTSAV (1999) there is a special column "KavitarViswayan" (Globalization of Poetry) in which poems ofcontemporary poets across the globe are translated into Bengali.Another column "Pradeshic Batayane" (Through theneighbouring window) is there in which poets across India getplace among the poets and readers of Bengal. All these aredone in order to encourage the feelings of mutual respect andbrotherhood.

J We see that most of your works are dedicated to the culturalfriendship between two countries or victims of terroristactivities, global love etc. What thought plays behind suchexceptional dedications?If you think for a moment will find that all the branches of artare destined to the welfare of mankind and society. Thedevelopment of science and technology, the progress of a nationetc. are ultimately aimed at good for human beings. From thedeepest core of my bosom I expect a peaceful, pollution free,war free world. So all my deeds, thoughts, creations arededicated to the welfare of common people. You may thinksuch dedications are my humble prayers before the powerfulpolitical leaders of the world who take decisions regardingfate of millions of innocent lives.

J You have got lots of awards from Greece, Italy, USA, Malta,South Africa, China, Malaysia, Austria, the number maytouch 50. Do you believe that awards and rewards areshowered on the basis of proximity and sycophancy?As far my knowledge goes you are partly true. I have heardthat lobbying is done to bag the famous awards. Till now Ihave not got such awards and I am not interested in them if Ihave to follow such practice. In my life whatever awards, rewardetc. came that were due to love or respect on my works. I donot pay more importance on this thing because though at theintial stage awards, rewards may be good but time comes when

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a poet or writer expects nothing but immortality of his creation.

J You have earned so much name and fame as an Internationalpoet, an editor, a critic, translator, short story and juvenilewriter --- are you satisfied as a person vis-a-vis your literarypersuit?Poetry has given me an identity, but to speak the truth I am notsatisfied with the work that I have done so far. I have donevery little that I want to do in my life time. Till today I havewritten 76 books, out of them nearly 70 books have beenpublished. I believe my best works are yet to come.As a person I am satisfied with my worldly status but regardingliterary persuit I have to scale new height. As you know everyceiling when reached becomes a floor. So a creative personshould not be satisfied with his present position. On and on, hemust march ahead.

------ k k k ------

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Prof. Suresh Chandra Dwivedi

Prof. Suresh Chandra Dwivedi, is a great scholar in India headingthe department of English, University of Allahabad. A poet, critic,translator and editor of distinction. He writes poetry and criticismin Hindi, English and Bhojpuri languages regularly. Apart fromthese he edits TITIKSHA, the international journal of culture,literature and criticism from the dept. of English, University ofAllahabad.

Prof. Dwivedi got Hon. D.Litt. from the World Academy ofArts & Letters, California in 1988, Bharatiya Sahitya Sudha RatnaAward in 2004, Life-Time Achievement Award from InternationalPoets Academy, Chennai in 2009, Certificate of Honour from Prof.Ikeda International Earth University, Japan in 2004.

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The Rays Of Truth InBiplab Majumdar's Epiphanies

" Kala-kam parmatmanam lati grahnati iti kala "" Atma Sanskarti vava Chilpani "

I have known Biplab Majumdar for more than two decadesas an eminent poet, editor, intellectual and translator, I welcomehim as one of the finest poets of our times. He is certainly a brilliantpoet who has produced some of the most astonishing andremarkable poetic collections in our troubled times. He shineslike a poetic star in the Asian poetic sky. Indeed he is a valuablepoetic voice who has written excellent poetry for thepromotion of global love, peace, brotherhood and humanvalues. He was born and educated in Kolkata and to me is arepresentative poetic voice rising from Kolkata. He has authorednearly 70 books on poetry, prose, rhyme, translation, researchworks and novels etc. All these books have made a home in thehearts of many national poets, professors, editors, readers andscholars like Hon. Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, M. Ramalingam. M.S.Venkata Ramaiya, Mahashwata Chaturvedi, Shaleen KumarSingh, Purnima Ray, Antaryami Sahu and Shubha Dwivedi.Besides these noted Indian scholars and writers, his poetry andpersonality have been praised by such international scholars andpoets as Prof. Dr. Kazuyosi Ikeda, Dr. Gustawa Stending Lindberg,Prof. Seiji Hino, Patricia Prime, Bernard M. Jackson etc. He haswon national and International honours, recognitions and awards.Mostly he writes in Bengali and his corpus is full of the Bengaliflora and fauna, Bengali social, cultural, political, historical andanthropological atmospheres that beautifully conveys and exhibitsfragrance of Bengali soil which we often get in the novels ofMahashweta Devi or poems of Tagore. Biplab Majumdar's poemshave been published and translated in more than 22 languages.That shows his great popularity in India and abroad. According toDr. Shubha Dwivedi, " Biplab Majumdar is a great Indian Englishpoet because his poetry gives us an element of wonder ". I havegreatly enjoyed poems of Island's Dolphin Songs. The titles ofthe poems like " Wave of Dreams ". " Expectation ". " The Rays ofTruth ". " Om " " Friends " " Towards Sky " " India, under the grip ofTerrorism " are simply wonderful. Through resasved and

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chittasamvad they endow us with enlargement of our hearts. Thatprecisely is the need of hour in a Biplab Majumdar poem:Rasanubhuti is all in all. He knows that Rasa is Rasa and it is ofparamount importance. The wars, terrorism, social evils make himsorrowful. He experiences Shoka (sorrow) in his heart. And thesorrow ultimately takes the shape of a Sloka (a poem). Poems ofthis volume like " In Dreamy Love Midnight ". " Waves of Dreams". " Expectation ", " The Rays of Youth ", Time Gets Dreams ", "Kuruskhetra ahead ", " Last Night ", " Within Water-shed ", " Om "," Dead Birds ", " Concealed Confessions ", " Friends ", " A LovePoem ", " A Picture ", " A Canvas ", " Someone in the Garden atthe midnight ", " Songs of Yellow Season ", " Let's Set Free ", "Island's Dolphin Song ", " Autumnal afternoon ", " Wintry river ", "Towards Sky ", " Indian under the Grip of Terrorism " have beenwritten in a certain blissful state of mind. The poems of this volumeremind me the poems of Epiphanies and Other poems written bySuresh Chandra Dwivedi Poet- Professor of Allahabad University.Both are the major poetic voices of our times who believe in thepower of the world Shabda as a Brahma and their poems believein some divine intrusion in the mundane affairs. The poems ofIsland's Dolphin Songs and Epiphanies and Other Poems are twovery important poetry books of our times where the poets mindsare established in the Satva- guna devoid of Rajas or Tamas.What the world needs today is the tendency of Satvik. Island'sDolphin Songs will be read for a very long period of time for Peace.Love, Equality, Liberty, Fraternity and Humanism. I have gladlyread and enjoyed all the Rasas present in the poems of this volume.I am quite sure that the volume will be read by poetry lovers allover the world for its technical skills like rhythm, imagery,symbolism, irony, suggestion, vakrokti and capacity to presentseries of pictures from Bengal. The volume uses images both asan ornament and speech. Biplab uses images which becomespeech ultimately. The images like " unfathomed depth of youreyes " and " I break repeatedly/ in defencelessness/ as the moonof twelfth lunar day/ at dark fortnight/ breaks into pieces upon lapis-lazuli water " are eye- catching and quite attractive. The volumeshould be read by all professors, students and readers of poetryfor Biplab's image- making technique and his capacity to show usa series of pictures from Bengal which a gifted poet of Bengal likeBiplab can show us so beautifully, nicely and artistically. Every

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poem contains divine manifestation. The poem comes to Biplabas a divine event where he seed flashes of epiphany. 21st centurywill be the century of the poetry of Epiphany. Tired of wars, riots,violence, apartheid, recessions, greed selfishness, anger, jealousy,madness, rat race competitions, fast food, junk-food, pollution andhealth-hazards more and more readers will go to Poetry ofEpiphany. Poems of Biplab fill us with new-meaning new ideas,new experiences and succeed in the enlargement of our hearts.Biplab's images transport us beyond tiredness, troubles, turmoils,terrorism and anguishes of a tattered economy. They come to uslike a divine event and fill us with experience of wholeness,harmony, radiance sense of revelation, light, love, beauty andgoodness. The poet of Bengal addresses the entire humanity. WhatBiplab thinks today others must think it tomorrow. His poemsfill us with a sense of epiphany and hope for the future. If theterrorism has come today, peace cannot be far behind. Island'sDolphin Songs must be read and heard carefully. Biplab is full ofbasic creative power and basic creative impulse. He has thecapacity to make new songs and experience new thoughts. Hisimages are hard, sharp, sensitive and it is quite admirable that heis hitching his wagon to the new stars shining high in the sky. Hispoems are glittering, astonishing, profoundly remarkable andunforgettable. He is master of facts. I am impressed by hiswonderful sense of fact and universal appeal. If wide appealis the test of true poetry, Biplab is a true artist who has alwayscombined technical skill, epiphany and a sense of fact. Biplabis never heavy, prosaic or dull. He is always imaginative and hasproduced poetic lines like bricks of stones and diamonds. Heendows his every fact of life a sense of wonder, joy, epiphany andwisdom. He builds a temple of epiphany on each word and poeticline. In Biplab we experience a solution of extraordinary in ordinary.The soul of the commonest object begins to shine in Biplab. Astaste of pudding is in its eating, I strongly recommend this book toall the poetry lovers to enjoy the sudden spiritual joys of Biplab.Poets and critics like Prof. Dr. A.P.J. Kalam, Ikeda, Lindberg, Hino,M. Ramalingam, Patricia Prime, Bernard M. Jackson, ShubhaDwivedi, M.S. Venkata, Ramaiah, Mahashweta Chaturvedi,Shaleen Kumer Singh, Antarjami Sahu and most of other poets.Critics and professors of distinction have praised the elements ofBiplab Majumdar's poetry. A poet has to pass the test of other

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poets, scholars, critics and editors. I am personally of thisopinion that Biplab has succeeded in satisfying the demandsof poets and critics all over the world. His poetry is entirely aproduct of his own imaginative efforts, concentration, wisdom, feltexperience and blissful state of mind. Biplab is aware of thedreams, aspirations and sorrows of our times. He is a poetwith higher purposes of life. He deserves all honours.

A poem by Biplab is a short composition in verse whereBodhichitta is an important merit. His poetry fills our hearts withqualities of generosity, ethics, patience, right efforts, rightconcentration and wisdom. As the poet is generous and he shareshis felt experience in his book " Island's Dolphin Songs " we readersalso should be generous and willing to give. The poems of thisbook take us miserliness, selfishness and terrorism and inspireus to be generous, full of patience feel epiphany in day to day life.

I am totally impressed by Biplab's power of imagination asrevealed in this book. I have seen Dolphin's and heard its songsin 2007 with my wife Prabha Dwivedi and poets of Orissa like S.Samal, L.N. Mahapatra, Seemanchal Patnaik, T. Pati. I had enjoyedthe way the Dolphins made movements as moon makesmovements in the sky. It was a wonderful experience. Within suchshort span of times I am enjoying Dolphin's songs again. Biplabcombines Nature and human nature in this volume.

I am reminded of Coleridge :" O lady we receive what we give In our life alone doth nature live. "

Biplab's Dolphins are singing songs to us all the time. Whatis required of us is to pursue Anand, Rasanubhuti, Brahmaswadand bliss of mind. The volume is characterized by a concentratedand heightened language. If poetry is an emotive speech vakyamrasatmakam Kavyam this book of Biplab is an excellent piece ofpoetry. Here is God's plenty- utterances of a Bengali poet onBengali life, mingling of nature & human nature, selective choiceof words for their sound and suggestive power, the use of properpoetic technique, rhyme, rhythm, vision, imagery and symbols.To read this volume is to experience the light and epiphany of thelines, and to appreciate the subtleties, of cadence rhythm the varietyof pace and pattern and music of Biplab Majumdar's poetry.

To sum up, Biplab Majumdar is a great poet of Tattvagyan

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or knowledge of Brahman. He sings of the soul or self and aims atAtmagyan. It is bliss-gyan or Anand which is the stahaym in hispoems. The Atman is the basis and root of all his poems. It isupon this rock that poems of both Lok and Lokottar have beencomposed by Biplab. Even mundane and external objects revealtattvagyan or epiphany. The impact of Bible, Bhagvadgita andBengali's folk tradition stimulates him to write poetry of love, light,friendship and epiphany.

References :1. R. Parthasarathy, the Twentieth Century Indian Poets (O.U.P., Delhi,

1984).2. I.W. Bjor Kman, LLA.S., Hyderabad, Vol. 13, No. 2.3. S.C. Dwivedi, Titiksha. The International journal of culture literature

Criticism special number on Sansked Poetics, Guest Ed. ShubhaDwivedi, Allahabad, 2009.

4. S. Radhakrishnan, The Creative Life (Vision Books, 1975).5. V. Raghavan, The Number of Rasas, (Adyar Madrass, 1975).6. Dance of Shiva and Dance & Music of Dolphins, " Suresh Chandra

Dwivedi in conversation with Shubha Dwivedi of Amity University,NOIDA, dated 15-08-2009.

7. Biplab Majumdar, Islands's Dolphin Songs, (Kolkata, 2009)

j j j

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Dr. Arbind Kumar Choudhary

Dr. Arbind Kumar Choudhary is the founding father ofInternational Association of Poets, Essayists and Novelists (2006)at Begusarai, Bihar and one of the founding members of WorldLiterature Society, Agartala, cum editor of two reputed literarymagazines KOHINOOR (ISSN 0973-6395) and AYUSH (ISSN0974-8075) known globally amidst the creative milieu. Some ofhis poems are translated into Portuguese by Teresinka Pereira,president of the I .W.A.,U.S.A ,German by Kurt.F.Svatek, nominated2002,04.06,08 for Nobel Prize for literature, Greek by P.C Zaloni,editor of Kleino ,Maltese by Patrick Sammut, Vice-president ofMaltese Poets Association, Italian by Toni Picconi, Mongolian byHadaa Sendoo, editor of World Poetry Almanac and several Indianlanguages . He has been published in England , Greece ,Malta,Mangolia, and Cyprus .There are one thousand poems in English

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on websites of many poetry societies including six poetry collectionsentitled 1. Eternal Voices(2007), 2. Universal Voices(2008) ,3.My Songs (2008) ,4.Melody(2009), 5. Nature Poems(2010) and6. Love Poems (2010) to his credit. He is viewed ,reviewed andinterviewed globally .He has also interviewed prominent literaryluminaries such as Teresinka Pereira , John .B. Lee, Stephen Gill,Kurt.F. Svatek, Joy Rainey King,Paul Curtis, Charu Sheel Singh,D.C.Chambial, M.Chaturvedi, Biplab Majumdar and many othersknown globally.

He is included in Cambridge Dictionary of InternationalWriters in 2009, World Poetry Almanac, Ulaanbator, 2008 & 2009and International Writers Dictionary,Seoul, 2010. Presently Dr.Choudhary is heading the Deptt of English at RangachahiCollege, Majuli, Assam.

Visit : www.kohinoorjournal.blogspot.comEmail : arbind442002@yahoo.co.in / kohnoor@rediffmail.com

/ arbind.choudhary11@gmail.com

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Poetic Perspectives ofBiplab Majumdar

Biplab Majumdar is a glittering star of the creative milieuacross the globe. As the poet, critic, reviewer, translator and ,aboveall, an editor he has earned his name in a short span of time. Themuse lovers can inhale the fragrance of his poetic rosarium to itsutmost degree and can exhale the fetor of earthly filth. He is happyto proclaim himself as a citizen of the world devoid of caste, creedand class. The main motto of his creative thought is to provide amajestic platform to raise voice in favour of the unnoticed voicesfor the welfare of whole mankind. ToProf. Kazuyosi Ikeda, "Dr. Majumdar is a great poet envelopingthe whole world of human beings and establishing a glorious,glittering flower garden of happiness and Justice on earth." Theliterary Eden garden that is planted by him will remain ever fragrant& cynosure even in the years to came amidst the muse lovers ingeneral and sufferers in particular.

Dr. Majoranjan Das in his book Biplab Majumdar : "A CriticalAnalysis and Evaluation of His Poetry", (2009) that is dedicatedto trio global literary luminaries Dr. Zhang Zhi, Dr. Syed Ameeruddinand Dr. A.K. Choudhary, opines that " Majumdar confirms his viewwith the statements of beauty, where the aesthetic enjoyment andthe divinely spirit are exalted more as glimpsed soul, that is theextreme joy of life. He, the unconfined poet of the modern poetryworld, is confident of his upliftment through poetry where the natureof the world like dewy grass, night, morning etc are related toslumberous mass as a way of starry floor or watery shore resemblethe theme of Blake.'' 1 He later adds that "As a true tester of thebeauty of nature Biplab Majumdar contrasts himself with poetryand optimism where only the soul and what pertains to it is trulybeautiful and the beauty of nature is only the reflection of naturebeauty of the spirit. Notwithstanding Biplab has the thematicparallelism with Shelley where the sun's beauty is encircled withthe gathering of dawn, and immortal awakening of life is godlikedelight is sunk into the light of lamps." 2 I think the true gardeneris a lover of his flowers, not a critic of them. To Reginald Farrer Ithink the true gardener is the reverent servant of Nature, not her

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truculent, wife-beating master. I think the true gardener, the olderhe grows, should more and more develop a humble, grateful anduncertain spirit.

To John Keats Poetry should please by a fine excess andnot by singularity. It should strike the reader as a wording of hisown highest thoughts, and appear almost as a remembrance. ToColeridge A poet ought not to pick nature's pocket. Let him borrow,and so borrow as to repay by the very act of borrowing. Examinenature accurately, but write from recollection, and trust more tothe imagination than the memory.

In an interview the poet responds about the idea of goodpoetry.

" Like all other branches of Art, good poetry also is the rightblend of intellect, impulse, imagery, basic grammar and hide andseek quality in presentation. These are the inherent ingredients ofmost of the timeless creations.

" Veins of a poet Don't carry blood But the blue Venom of poetry. " 3

The poet opines in the preface of Golden Horizon' " Poetryis an art of words mirrored by the emotional escape of a poet'sperceptual deconstruction. In any branch of arts, an artist has theinnate indignation to mix up his personal shade of colours with theoriginal with a view to give his work a timeless dimension. Eachcreative person paying due homage to the traditional views, alwaysexperiments with his new forms, new ideas, new colours in orderto offer the world a magnificent masterpiece.'' 4

To Antonin Artaud Written poetry is worth reading once,and then should be destroyed. Let the dead poets make way forothers. Then we might even come to see that it is our venerationfor what has already been created, however beautiful and valid itmay be, that petrifies us. Prof. Kazuyosi Ikeda, president ofInternational Earth Environment University, Japan, has glorifiedhis poetic caliber as a Haikuist: " The poet Dr. Biplab Majumdar'shaiku are superlatively fascinating, having surpassingly profoundsignificance. His haiku glitter gorgeously like heavenly stars and

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are exceedingly lucid like genuine pearls in the sea's bottom. Hishaiku have the two peerless features. First, their forms are verybeautiful, exactly following the 5-7-5 syllable meter. This metermakes the Japanese traditional poetry structure, peculiar to haiku.In the countries in to which haiku have been introduced from Japan,sometimes short poems of three lines, not in the 5-7-5 meter, arecreated and are called, haiku. It is our great pleasure that thereare haiku poets, like Dr. Majumdar, who obey exactly the 5-7-5meter in writing English haiku. Such English haiku are highlyevaluated as true haiku by Japanese people.

Secondly, the poet Majumdar's haiku have remarkablefeatures in there contents.

I am extremely impressed and immensely moved with theeminence, profundity and sublimity of the philosophies underlyingthe poet Majumdar's splendid works." 5

To Ikeda each haiku within this collection (Golden Horizon)is not an end in itself, but each sparks a new beginning.

" Seasons bring blossoms Trees need decades for full growth Maturity takes time. " 6

Dr. Mahashweta Chaturvedi, an editor-poet, claims, " Allhis haiku are witty, logical, sensual and celebratory, despite thetsunami of the age, the poet himself remains not only perfectlycalm but understands also the responsibility of a true poet." 7

In an interview Dr. Majumdar expressed his ideals in sucha beautiful way, " I prefer to speak for mankind in the voice of theunheard. My deed and creations speak for the deprived lot. I amnot an active member of any social organization and political party,neither I am a leftist nor rightist. But contemporary events arereflected in my writings. As a poet and writer, I think my duty is topresent my thoughts, beliefs, reactions, protests, philosophy oflife etc. before the world in an aesthetical and artistic manner.

The basic purpose of my artistic and creative thought is toprovide a Majestic platform to raise voice for the common goodand welfare of whole mankind so that it may reverberate in theuniverse." 8

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To Bertrand Russell It has been said that man is a rationalanimal. All my life I have been searching for evidence which couldsupport this.

To Thomas Paine The world is my country, all mankind aremy brethren, and to do good is my religion.

To G. K. Chesterton But a somewhat more liberal andsympathetic examination of mankind will convince us that the crossis even older than the gibbet, that voluntary suffering was beforeand independent of compulsory; and in short that in most importantmatters a man has always been free to ruin himself if he chose.

To Leigh Hunt Whenever evil befalls us, we ought to askourselves, after the first suffering, how we can turn it into good.So shall we take occasion, from one bitter root, to raise perhapsmany flowers. Biplab Majumdar sings:

" Human life is a long Journey From ignorance to eternal light, Against hatred, anger, greed Life should keep on constant fight. " 9

Life itself is a bone of contention. It ever leads from ignoranceto eternity, from earthly to spirituality and from hatred to love andaffection. Human life is a long Journey. It always contends fordivine light. Hatred, anger and greed dazzle the divine psyche.Spiritual life gives immense pleasure to the sensitive souls to itsutmost degree. Kirby Larson opines that The lessons this lifehas planted in my heart pertain more to caring than crops, more toGolden Rule than gold, more to the proper choice than to thepopular choice.

Like E.M. Foster the poet brings to light the heavenlyquality of tolerance, a sign of maturity . Like D.C. Chambialthe poet wonders why men do not follow the axiom of disciplinelike the nature ? But his heart is filled with Ulysses' type willpower in life white people can reach mountains summit.

These striking lines of his poem mind' -

" Success or defect that life mirrors Is nothing at all but a mind's affair. '' 10

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reminds the muse lovers the following lines of Paradise Lost Iby Milton -

" Mind is its own place and in itself Can make a hell of Heaven, Heaven of hell. " 11

The root cause of all sorts of miseries is the realization ofthe raw minds. This is the reason the poet suggests that anature mind can face all worldly strife. The mature heart is everbenign. To him love is called a miracle medicine. It can heal upa mortal wound. One can imagine the profound impact of duolines composed by Biplab Majumdar and A.K. Choudhary :

" Love is the soul of our living Through our life let us practice it. " 12

And,

" Love is the fragrance of life. It blooms only in perfect psyche. " 13

Like monumental star his poetry is beyond time and space.He is found ever optimistic for the betterment of mankind as awhole. His heart murmurs.

" All even cheerful view of life A hopeful attitude to all events, All will turn out well at end The only message that optimism sends. " 14

To him thinking is the heart of soul. It can reveal life's beauty.To him failure offers us the golden chance to begin again withmore prudence. To him Fear is the sickness of soul.

To Keats Don't be discouraged by a failure. It can be apositive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success,in as much as every discovery of what is false leads us to seekearnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points outsome form of error which we shall afterwards carefully avoid. WaltWhitman opines thatHave you heard that it was good to gain theday? I also say it is good to fall, battles are lost in the same spiritin which they are won.

Some of his striking proverbial lines appeal to the heart and

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mind of the muselovers across the globe.

* Life should keep on constant fight. P.9,* Liberty is the essence of life and salvation is the final

goal. P.10,* Tolerance surely is a sign of maturity. P.11,* A man of discipline is a man of honour. P.14,* Life is ever for the courageous. P.18,* In fact, character is higher than truth . P.25,* Golden silence is the eternal speech. P.27,* Truth is superior to man's wisdom. P.32,* Truth is the religion of all religions. P.34,* Self-conquest is our first most goal. P.45,* Thinking is the heart of soul. P.55,* Gratitude is the father of virtues. P.62,* Forgive to glorify the human race. P.65,* Fear is the sickness of the soul. P. 103,* Desire alone is the dearest mother. P. 115,

Aphorisms fall thick and fast, " human life is a long journey"." Simplicity is a rare virtue", and " Maturity demands we live in thepresent".

Some of the popular phrases are used here and there throughhis poems such as hand in hand, day by day, face to face, on andon, get rid of, wink at, again and again, neat and clean, beware of,more and more, out and out, look for, add fuel to fire, at all andseveral others by this famous poet. Here is some examples ofalliteration used by the poet in his poems.

Miracle means to make us fearless,Love the word, servethe world whoever you may be,Past, pride and passions,Learn tolive and live to learn,Colour, class and creed,Snatches sleep,steats our peace,

Slowly but steadily it stealthily cuts,Please him poorly in themesh of passions. The usage of such words - plethora of pride,fangs of failure, deserts of defeat, and malice and prejudice etcreminds us Syed Ameeruddin's works. Peacefulness is hisinborn style . Simplicity, free expression and clarity are the

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ornaments of his writings. In a nutshell one can claim thatBiplab Majumdar is a great poet of the 21st century whosepoetic garden is perfuming the creative milieu across theglobe . He is serving the humanity through his poetry inthe tradition of bards. His literary lamp will remove thedarkness of hate, greed and Jealously in the years to come.

References :1. M. Das, Biplab Majumdar : A Critical Analysis and Evaluation of his

Poetry, (2009), P-36. Future Publication, Kolkata.2. Ibid, P-423. A.K. Sharma, C.V, issue 14, 2009, P-104. Biplab Majumdar : Golden Horizon (2004) IPSKI, Kolkata P-55. Kazuyosi Ikeda, Voice of Kolkata, Vol-6, Issue 1, P-266. Golden Horizon - P-67. M. Chaturdevi, Voice of Kolkata Vol-6, Issue 1 , P-238. A. K. Sharma ed C.V, issue 14, 2009, P-109. Biplab Majumdar : Virtues & Vices, P-9

10. Ibid, P-1911. Milton, P.L.I, Lines.254-25512. Virtues & Vices, P-4413. A.K. Choudhary, My Songs, (2008), P-2014. Virtues & Vices, P-73.

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Dr. Mahashweta Chaturvedi

Dr. Mahashweta Chaturvedi , Ph.D., D.Litt., L.L.B. is aninternationally renowned, Indian English poetess. She writes inEnglish, Sanskrit & Hindi.

Some of her poems have been translated into Greek, Latin,French, German, Spanish, Urdu, Czech, Japanese, Chinese,Nepalise, Russian, Hebrew, Bengali etc. languages. Recepient ofnearly 70 Awards from different corners of the world, member /Hon. Member of nearly 40 Literary Organisations, author of 35books in Hindi, 10 in English, 3 in Sanskrit. Mahashweta is awonder in the realm of Literature. More than 250 Research papers,4 Ph. D. works, 4 Dissertation works on her literary achievementshave been done so far. Her biodata have been included in 50National & International Who's who and reference books. AResearch Guide, editor of an International Magazine'Mandakini', the founder secretary of Mandakini Sahityak AvamSanskritic Sanstha. A Legendary figure in Indian literature.

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Biplab's ISLAND'S DOLPHIN SONGis an inspiration to human hearts

Biplab Majumdar, an International eminent Indian Englishpoet, a prolific writer, a champion of global peace, has been hailedin the recent times as a poet of the millennium by creative writersall over the world. He edits 'Voice of Kolkata' & 'Sahitya Utsav'and his poems are published in many languages.

Biplab Majumdar has more than 60 books & booklets tohis credit. He has so far received many prizes & honours. Most ofhis works are in Bengali, his mother tongue. 'Island's Dolphin Song'is his recent collection of English poems. The collection of twentyfive poems starts --- 'In Dreamy lone midnight',

' At moonlit night I get crazy move alone with lonliness in filds & forests Empty I am '

For the poet Biplab 'a thing of beauty is joy forever.' Thepoem 'Waves of dreams' inspires 'Between vastness of sea andsky somewhere lies the endless wisdom of history'. Like P. B.Shelly who says 'If winter comes can spring be far behind', thepoet Biplab too says 'Believe, someday the dawn will be ours andour favourite pebbles would be bright in enough unworldliness'(Page-9) It's optimistic approach to life is indeed inspiring. ThePoet has profound faith in the Rays of truth.

Degeneration of the modern time causes creation of poemslike 'Kurushetra Ahead' ---

' A steel swear gets sharpened in myriads neurons of grey matter Pandavas will return someday To come to terms of their states. ' (Page-12)

The poet is the staunch believer in the omnipotence of 'Om",one of the best names of the Lord 'the Omniscient." Here all the

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three alphabets A - U - M, are symbolical --- A = Symboliges theAlmighty, U = Symboliges the being, M = Symboliges the Nature,hence it is the best name of our Father. I also wrote 'Recite Oum',each & every moment. In the dark days we need faith andinspiration as we are globally falling apart. In such a self annihilationsituation has taken shape, poets have to play defining role. Thestudy of poetry forms our character, courage, peace, welfare &many other excellent qualities. Poets are the pillars on which loveand peace rests. The poet Biplab writes to awaken the hearts ---

' Sun-burnt wings, still the pride of blue sky how intensely beckons me Repeatedly arose the finger of prohibition 'Beware Beware Ikarus.' ' (P-31)

The poet Biplab's poems are not only simple but veryinspiring. Pregnant with high philosophical insight, and Indianmythology, he delineates the function of the human being. Hiscollection of poems entitled 'Island's Dolphin Song' is symbolical,An Island is human life, Dolphin song is his yearnings, wishesand efforts. Dolphin is very intelligent, incase Dolphin is misguided,she can't achieve what she desires. Dedicated to global love, allthe twenty five poems inspire the misguided human being to becomelike intelligent Dolphin to sing melodious song for the wellbeing oflife, otherwise the life is worthless.

The poet Biplab Majumdar wants to give to his readersmessage of global peace, self amendment, love, beauty andself courage. In order to enliven humanity, self-improvement isvery necessary. I do hope the present collection 'Island's DolphinSong' will be admired by the poetry-lovers and the able readers.

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The haikus of "GOLDEN HORIZON"For many years, I have been a great admirer of the

prodigious works of the Indian English poet Biplab Majumdar,a remarkable poet of considerable merit. This slim collection ofhaikus contains 30 pages, haikus here are 116. My favouritehaikus are those which reveal his compassion, logic, philosophy& noble ideas. The poet Biplab Majumdar has written these haikusin his middle years during the period when there are universaldevastating, social, economical, national and political problems,terrorism, wars, social evils and mental pollutions.

All his haikus are witty, logical, sensual and celebratory,despite the turmoil of the age, the poet himself remains not onlyperfectly calm but understands also the responsibility of a truepoet. Mammatacharya, the great classical critic and SanskritScholar said 'Kavyam Yashse Arthkrite. Vyavaharvide' (KavyaPrakash 1/1)

He means to say that poetry is for fame & to teach behaviour.Every poet is guided by these views. True poet writes for thewelfare of the world. When a belief is held dogmatically & the lawyerpoet thrusts it down the throat of the readar poem suffers. Theviews & beliefs in these haikus are 'belief as felt'.

The haikus of the collection entitled 'Golden Horizon' by thepoet Biplab, 'dedicated to the innocent victims of terrorism all overthe world' are full of the humanitarian outlook, the poet is expressinghimself in multi-dimentional texture. In the world of the poet Biplabhimself says - 'I think, poetry is an art of words mirrored by theemotional escape of a poet's perceptual deconstruction'. (Preface)These are his experimental haikus, but he is fully successful inoffering the world a magnificent musterpiece. These haikus arethought-provoking :-

* Indian poetrySprings from natureDeep spirituality. (P-1)

* Silence sleeps deathlessOn the banks of the riverWater of time flows. (P-1)

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* Poetry transcends whenIncomplete reality fuses withComplete idealism. (P-15)

* A life long journeyToday is mine tomorrow tooMy works are forever. (P-30)

* At last 'the end' comesBut the fact is there's an endAfter the end ever. (P-30)

These inspiring haikus are easy to understand though deepin thoughts. All these haikus of exceptionally gifted poet Biplabare suggestive and inspiring for present day world. His highlycrafted poetic technique makes this literary achievement asa valuable contribution to Indian English poetry. His rarecontribution to international understanding is unforgettable.

[ VOK; Vol. 6, Issue 1, Pg. 23 ]

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Dr. Ram Sharma (INDIA)

Dr. Ram Sharma [B-1974], is an accomplished poet and writerboth in English and Hindi in the field of literature. He has addedmany feathers to his cap. As a student he has been exceptionallybrilliant from class first to M.Phil. He did his doctorate on 'Post-Modernist Trends in Indian Novels in English : A Study of AnitaDesai, Arun Joshi, Amitav Ghosh and Vikram Seth.

He is a renowned poet, critic, reviewer and translator. Hispoetry is indeed of very high order which is read throughout theworld. He has several research papers, articles, poems and reviewspublished in esteemed journals magazines and newspapers of Indiaand abroad including Poets International (Bangalore), Bizz Buzz(Mysore), Rock Pebbles (Orissa), Contemporary Vibes(Chandigarh), Skylark (Aligarh), Shine (Tamilnadu), Poetcrit(Himachal Pradesh), Indian Book Chronicle (Jaipur), The Vedic

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Path (Haridwar), Metverse Muse (Vishakhapatnam), Young Poet(Tamilnadu), Samvedna (Mangalore), Pegasus (Agra), Hyphen(Shimla), IJPCL (Kerala), Indo-Asian Literature (New Delhi),Replica (Cuttack), Cyber Literature (Patna), Point of View(Ghaziabad, Kohinoor (Bihar), Voice of Kolkata (Kolkata), Re-Markings (Agra).

Beside this his works has appeared in such web journals likeMuse India, Boloji.com, Literary India, Neo-poet, Academic India,Indian English Literature Forum, Impressions Online Journal,Creative Saplings. His poems are showing presence in foreign e-journals like Poems-hunter.com, Coffe-connection.com, AutumnLeaves, The Houston Literary Review, Asian-American poetry.com,Poetry Sketch Book etc. Hea has to his credit two poetry volumesMuse (2002) and Serene Moments (2008), Poets for World PeaceVol. 1&2 (2010), A String of Words (2010), Anthologies 1 (2011).At present he is working as a senior lecturer in English in J.V.P.G.College, Baraut, Baghapat, U.P., India.

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Different Shades Of Life AsDepicted by Biplab Majumdar

In His Poetry Volume'GOLDEN HORIZON'

Biplab Majumdar is the significant voice in contemporaryIndian-English poetry. He is a bilingual poet, translator, reviewerand short story writer. Present volume is a haiku collection havingdifferent colours and shades. In the preface of this poetry volume,the poet himself asserts,

"I think, poetry is an art words mirrored by the emotionalescape of a poet's perceptual deconstruction. In any branch ofarts, an artist has the innate inclination to mix up his personalshade of colour with the original with a view to give his work atimeless dimension. Each creative person paying due homage tothe traditional views, always experiment's with his new forms, newideas, new colours in order to offer the world a magnificentmasterpiece."

In Indian philosophy four aims have been told, Dharm(religion,) Arth (Earning money), Kama (Sex), Moksha(Enlightenment). The poet also asserts,

Indian poetrySprings from natureDeep spirituality

[p. 7]

Life has different shades happiness, joy, merriment,contentment etc. In this way life is a puzzle which can't be solvedeasily. Even great saints are not able to find its answer.

Life is a puzzleThat remains unsolved everTill light transcends'

[p. 11]

Poet feels deathless silence on the bank of the river. Past,Present and Future are the pillars upon which our whole life rests.Poet is comparing defeated persons to withered leaves which are

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blown away by the wind. Poet is describing life by comparing itwith nature. Nature too has different shades lie human life at timeit is as enthusiastic like a woman. Affection of the persons shouldflow like a free flowing river.

Affection too flowsEver downwards like a riverDo you know why so ?

[p. 10]

We should be like the earth in accepting and shelteringeveryone. Our heart should be as large as earth but when we arewounded we cry in the manner of the earth. We should take lessonof gratitude from the nature.

Every blade of grassGratefully recalls debt of sunBut a man does not

[p. 10]

Marriage or Grihasth life is an important shade in man's lifebut after that man entangles in a great illusion and these shadesbecome more permanent. Sri Aurobindo writes in his essay, TheEssence of Poetry',

"This power makes the rhythmic word of the poet the highestform of speech available to man for the expression whether of hisself vision or of his world vision. It is noticeable that even thehighest experience , the pure spiritual which enters into the thingsthat can never be wholly expressed, still, when it does try toexpress them and not merely to explain them intellectually, tendsinstinctively to use, often the rhythmic forms, almost always themanner of speech characteristic of poetry. But poetry attempts toextend this manner of vision and utterance to all experience, eventhe most objective, and therefore it has a natural urge towards theexpression of something in the object beyond its mereappearances, even when these seem outwardly to be all that it isenjoying." 1

[p. 4]The poet tells us that joys are like dewdrops which come

and disappearJoys are like dewdropsThey fall, evaporate : againA long dryness there

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[p. 12]

Happiness and sadness are two shads which go on together.The cradle of life swingsBetween two shades of darknessHappiness and sadness

[p. 12]

In the light of selfishness love disappears so the poet advisesus to keep away from selfishness.

Dew of love vanishesWhen the sun peeps in the skySun of selfishness.

[p. 12]

Time decays everything or destroys everything evenShakespeare has forced this thing in his sonnets. Our ultimatereality is death, we have to go in the oblivion where we have topresent our true account.

Common men are bornDay and night, aspire for lightEnds in dying dusk.

[p. 13]

There are many allurements in this world or glitters but oursole aim should be the attainment of truth,

In quest of truthIn quest of light, I move onAlong path of time

[p. 14]

Life runs very fast and these shade mingles in his life. Theseshades make a person sensitive and later on a poet. Mind flieslike butterflies. Majumdar is best when he mixed images andsymbols from life and present these in his verses. Madhav Achwalwrites in his paper Ideas and modern poetry,

' The human mind is constantly straining to grapple with theessential nature of this ' Vital force'. Forming ' ideas' is the mind'sway of going about this business, whether in the psychologicalsense, or the metaphysical, ideas are, by their very nature,.Abstractions of and from perpetual experience.' 2

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[p. 183]These different shades form a good poet.

'Poet's can't resistInevitable blows of realityThey bleed through verses

[p. 16]

Desires, aspirations, shades, these things are engulfedOld age cares littleSpring comes or not, life does getAged without love

[p. 17]

The poet gives us the lesson of to be optimistic in allcircumstances.

All the buds and seedsTell us the tale of morrowA dream never dies'

[p. 18]

Like P.B. Shelly, he tells us that our happiness has sometinge of sadness in it because happiness and sadness are thetwo sides of one coin.

Mosaic life doesReflect celebration ofColour, day and night

[p. 26]

The poet also has faith in OSHO'S Samadhi se sambhogtak

After forty butAbnormal sex provides funPerversion tiptoes.

[p. 20]

Every experience of life provides the verses a new word orpoem whether it is bed or sorrows. The river of muse starts flowing.All the shades remains there in the form of experiences.

All come, sit besideThe sea, and they get agedAgeless ripples shine'

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[p. 22]

These experiences provide the man a new vision and loveremains there in all the manifestations. Life is a deep ocean andwe have to delve deep into it to get jewels of life. Love for isimportant and for love for all Buddha left home and Jesus Christwas crucified. Silently words come to make a poem

Poems as night birdsSpread wings at night on the beachOf silent darkness

[p. 26]

The poet himself asserts in the preface,"In my opinion, if anything can be the subject of poetry and if

haiku too is considered as one type of poetry, there should be nobar in choosing subjects of haiku. Because it begets variety." Prof.Seiji Hino observes 'Biplab' s poems are very simple butsuggestive. They are pregnant with high philosophic insight likethe experienced, old and wise man, sayings, In this volume, thepoet has presented different shades and experiences of life whichcompels to write poetry.'

Veins of a poetDon't carry blood, but the blueVenom of poetry

[p. 30]

References :1. Sri Aurobindo - The Essence of Poetry' in Critical Thought, S. K.

Desai, G. N. Devy (ens), Sterling Pub., New Delhi, 1987, PP-4.2. Madhav Achwal - Ideas and Modern Poetry in Critical Thought,

S. K. Desai, G. N. Devy (ens), Sterling Pub., New Delhi, 1987,PP-183.

3. Biplab Majumdar- Golden Horizon, International Poetry Society ofKolkata, Kolkata, 2004, PP-6.

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M. S. Venkata Ramaiah

M. S. Venkata Ramaiah, Editor 'BIZZ BUZZ' was born in 1944 atMandya where he did his SSLC, PUC and he did his D.E.E. at S.J.Polytechnic, Bangalore in the year 1964. He joined National DairyResearch Institute as Engineer in 1965 and served the organisationin several capacities till he took voluntary retirement in the year1987. For few years he was consultant for several industries andinstitutions which include Kannada University, Hampi.

Mr. Vekata Ramaiah has started BIZZ BUZZ in 1998 whichbecame a complete literary journal over years. He has broughtout his first collection of poems in English 'Flash Point' and alsoin Kannada 'Bisilu Kolu', both in 2002. His second collection ofpoems in Kannada 'Hochha Hosathu Have' along with 'Antaryami'on temple history, both came out in 2005. As editor of BIZZ BUZZhe has brought out Six collections of poems in English edited by

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him, 'The Pride of Asia' on the poetic excellence of Prof. Dr.Kazuyosi Ikeda, Japan, in the year 2002.

Mr. Venkata Ramaiah commenced a second centre at Mysorefor his literary activities where he started creative works in Kannadaunder the banner 'Sirigannad Vedike' in the year 2003. The Vedikehas conducted several programmes which include, poets meets,symposia, lectures on enlightened presonalities, competitions inKanada poetry, short stories, Mini-Stories, Criticism of Kannadanovel as well as a facous TV Serial 'Muktha'. He has edited twocollections of poems in Kannada, one book on 'Kasaragod' ofpapers presented in the symposium, one book 'Perlara Sahitya' ofthe papers presented in the symposium arranged by the Vedike.

Mr. Venkata Ramaiah has read his Kannada poems in AllIndia Radio, Mysore and Mangalore. He has also given a numberof 'Chinthana' lectures at A.I.R. Mysore. He was invited by UdayaT.V. for 'Parichaya' in 2004 and also by A.I.R. Vividhbharathi,Bangalore for 'Sadhana' in 2007. He is the recipient of severalAwards given by Kannada Sanghas at, Yelandur, Mysore,Bangalore. He was one of the invited poets to read poem in theprestigious 'Mysore Dasara Kavigoshti' in 2006. EdizioniUniversem, Italy, had conferred 'A poem for Life Award' for one ofhis poems in 2003. He is in the Editorial Advisor to ChetanaLiterary Group, Mangalore.

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VIRTUES & VICES :towering literature

with the essence of philosophyThe book 'Virtues & Vices' aroused curiousity in me after

it was handed to me by the author, during my stay in a KolkataHotel in November 2001. Biplab Majumdar, well known bilingualpoet, has achieved many laurels at his young age. In this collectionof four line stanzas about all possible Virtues and Vices, eachlooking like an aphorism, the poet's efforts are seen in hisresearched meanings perfect and, very much convincing.

It is like unwinding of a coil of superior thoughts in a way.' Human life is a long journey from ignorance to Eternal light ..... '

(Life)

The limits and the limitless things have been given for oneto choose and live, in a manner that selfless service, unattachedattitude are to be inculcated in life.

' ...... with a heart full of tolerance We can walk with hand in hand. '

(Tolerance)

The essence and importance of tolerance have been aptlyexplained aiming at its benefits. What is memorable and what isnot is well established here.

' Discipline makes one tough as an anvil That does not bother the blow of hammer .... '

(Discipline)

The essential manner in which one should live in the worldis well substanitiated. It is discipline that brings us success in ourendeavours. Like this there are many examples under virtueswhich would transform a person. The author has taken pains toacquire variety of meanings to each one of the virtues as well asvices.

' Steady cheerfulness mirrors happiness .....

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a global passport to every heart. '(Cheerfulness)

Even the visible smile on the face has been attributed tothe happy condition of the soul and body. There are many suchquotations throughout. The author has excelled in providing vividthoughts in affirmation to each virtue valued precisely high.

' Thinking is the heart of soul It can reveal our life's beauty '

(Thinking)

Complex subjects dealing with abstract matter have beenvery efficiently defined in these lines, the credit should go to theauthor. However tiny or young the thinking mind may be ittransforms the nature to evolve man.

' In this world of dire conflicts Peace comes not through Armament ..... A peaceful mind can perceive alone The purpose of our life and birth. '

(Peace)

In a situation like ours however much we stress the needfor peace, armament may be necessary too, but it is not guaranteedthat we achieve peace through its usage. But universally, whatthe author is trying to sum up the ultimate goal, the purpose andfrom that angle peace is necessarily a medium to arrive at solutions.

There has been a line of thoughts related to anger as oneof the vices.

' Anger is not at all a masculine trait Surely it is a sign of weakness ..... '

(Anger)

Once we understand this, anger never gets its priority inlife.

' Violence celebrates the festivals of blood Can demolish world within a day '

(Violence)

These lines reverberate in our ears especially after

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September 11, 2001 incidents. Violence has a repeating character.It never gets extinguised. Violence as a culprit leaves its prints inthe form of blood, fatality and devastation easy enough to trace it.Violence has no expiry date, but its doses are unbearable for themankind to survive.

In all the topics, the author has exhibited his superiorityand in-depth study which are indeed remarkable. The collection'Virtues & Vices' is a pride collection by virtue of its thoughtfulmessages and well churned meanings. Biplab Majumdar hasshown a path in which the titles traverse through each line of allthe poems. He has done his job very carefully giving no room forcontradictions. His ability to give the precious life its place ona high pedestal proves that he is akin to values in life. It isalso hoped that many more works of greater depths would beseeing the light of the day by him.

To conclude, the work of Biplab Majumdar could beconsidered as inner truth of both positive and negativeaspects of life well exposed.

[ VOK; Vol. 3, Issue 2, Pg. 29 ]

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Prof. P. V. Laxmi Prasad (INDIA)

P. V. Laxmi Prasad hails from Andhrapradesh. He is a lecturer byprofession in different Govt. Colleges in Andhrapradesh. He holdsM.A. in English Literature from Kakatiya University, Warangal.He cleared the U.G.C. N.E.T. in 1998. At present, he works atGovt. Degree College, Manthani, Karimnagar. As part of creativecredentials, he publishes Poetry, Articles, Book-reviews and Short-stories in 33 Journeals of International ruputation. As a poet, hehas to his credit 100 published poems in English. He is widelypublished and anthologized poet. As a critic, he has published 22articles and 22 book-reviews. He is the official book-reviewer forcontemporary Vibes, Chandigarh. He is also in the editorial boardof Indian Journal of Post-Colonial Literatures, Kerala. He is theResource person for A.P. State AIDS control Society, Govt. of A.P.Hyderabad.

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Biplab Majumdar's"ISLAND'S DOLPHIN SONG"

Dedicated to global love and published by InternationalPoetry Society of Kolkata, India, "Island's Dolphin Song" is acollection of 25 poems in English by Biplab Majumdar, a renownedpoet of international repute, a recipient of more than 50 awardsand coveted honours, and an author of 70 books on prose, poetry,translation, research works and novel. He is one of the brilliantpoetic voices in Asian poetic firmament who has attained aphenomenal meteoric rise in his literary career. In the preface tothe collection, the poet defines poetry as timeless creationsinvolving a perfect blend of intellect, impulse, imagery and artisticquality in presentation. According to Biplab Majumdar, poetryhas to reach to the heart of readers irrespective of the kind ofverse in which it is written.

The poems of "Island's Dolphin Song" deal with all theworlds i.e., mundane, spiritual and eternal. They are composedon diverse themes --- themes of which are eternal beauties craftedon elegant thoughts, subtle expressions, sound imagery andstreaks of imagination and above all, glittering truths guiding theuniverse.

As such, they are, to say, highly imaginative & philosophicalverses in that they contain worldly wisdom like nature, imagination,Time, Spiritually, Truth & Beauty, Love as romantic concept cycleof seasons and imaginations soaring finally the moving picturesof dreaded terrorism.

The poet begins the collection with a poem titled "In dreamyLone midnight" where imaginative deposits of the poet are takenon heightened scales.

In dreamy lone midnightwith stained moona sparkling stream flowsfrom life to deathin vast expanse ofmeadow's stillness

--- In dreamy Lone MidnightA heightened imagination coupled with superb handling of universal

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objects is quite noteworthy in the context. Else where in the poem,the poet goes crazy by moving in Loneliness in the forests & fields.

At moonlit nightI get crazyMove alone with LonelinessIn fields & forests

--- In dreamy Lone MidnightWaves of Dream's is a poem rich in imagery and the richnessgoes highly penetrative in the lines below :

Between Vastness of sea and skySomewhere lies the endless wisdomof history

--- Waves of DreamsThe poet is dreaming of the roots of wisdom that is existing betweenthe worlds of sea and sky.

In another poem titled "Expectation" the poet stronglyexpects that a day comes in our life when pebbles of water wouldbe ushered into a bright life-force.

Believe Some day the dawn will be oursand our favourite pebbles would be brightin enough unworldliness

--- ExpectationRealities of life are philosophically expanded in the poem "the Raysof Truth" :

Experience gets agedIn the morning SunUnder the rays of truth

--- The rays of Truth"Last night" is the poem the poet recalls how those words whichconquer him for long years have finally matured his mind.

Words get vanquished, step by stepon decaying bonesthey come up to the depth of skull

--- Last NightAgain, the poet wishes to root out the ills of modern world :

Wish to extinguish all the burningcandles of selfishness with a single puff

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wish to mop up the grains of jealousyfrom all human hearts

--- Last Night"Dead Birds" presents the doleful picture of birds i.e., Captured,hunted, preyed upon and finally killed.

The emptiness of a cagewithout birds was swayingwithin my heartI proceeded a bit to WestAs the Sun

--- Dead BirdsIn the beautiful lines that run through the poem, "ConcealedConfessions", the poet sees how the abuses of verbal war reachthe level of heated intensity, it is here that life is compared to athrown arrow through which words pierce into the hearts.

Lashes of words reachIts height of intensityLife too takes its turnAs a thrown arrow.

--- Concealed ConfessionsWriting on "Friends", the poet pities that the world of friends isreplaced by the world of enemies.

Friends are leaving one by onebeing lonely day by dayEnemies are taking their positions

--- Friends"A Love poem" is a poem set in beautiful imagery and

comparison. The poet compares the ebullient moods of lovers withthat of parrots and the excitement of lovers is compared with"Lotus" a flower that blooms happy moments for the onlookers.

A flight of parrots in skythey plunge into the depthof dreamsHearts of loversbloom in lotus excitementThoroughly drenchedvoice of romance.

--- A love poem

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The poet in a fine display of imagery exhibits the roots of poetryfrom the skeleton of words :

From white bones of wordsrises up the sandal backgroundof poetry.

--- Songs of Yellow Season"Our colourful stories" is a long poem of the collection that givesnostalgic moods of typical Kolkatan.

Green budsbloom sporadically in joyat schools and collegeson the streets and roadsat shopping malls ....--- Victorial Memorial ofMy loving city Kolkata

--- Our Colourful StoriesThe title of collection "Island's Dolphin Song" is the title of a poemin which the poet asks dolphin to rise up once again upon thecrystal waters of island.

A lonely dolphin plays herein this island's coolSpell-bound Sun-rays will create magicupon the crystal water, ifyou come back once,just for once.

--- Island's Dolphin SongIn one of the poems "Towards Sky", the poet captures thosemoments when he feels attracted to colourful clouds & their magicmystery. The poem presents eternal truths of how men aremystified in the mystique surroundings of Nature.

Strata of colorific cloudsallured me all throughHigh clouds call me frequentlywith its magic mystery.

--- Towards SkyFinally, the poem that concludes the collection is on terrorismremembering 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai. Again, the poem runson beautiful images through which the sight of harrow climaxes :

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Some hated vultures hoverthe dome round and roundWith live-bombs in chestour unsecured movementevery day ....Fiesta of thousand bones,Bloody hearts jump in air.

At the end, the poet proudly proclaims the victory of eternal powerof human entity.

Still the historic geniusof our livingtriumphs as a soaring phoenix

--- India, Under the Grip of TerrorismTo condude the review, I reckon that Biplab Majumdar has comeout as an experimenter of superb imagery in the collection --- theexperimentation from dreamlands to genuine destinations of lifethat ever holds out mysteries for man. Radiance of Truths entirelydominates the collection with sound knowledge & wisdomintruded into the poems. It is said that an artist lives in theworks he does and similarly, a poet lives in the technique heemploys. The poet fits perfectly into the latter and the collectionwill surely hit the hearts of readers and sustain his position aspoet of maturity.

[ VOK; Vol. 10, Issue 1, Pg. 34 ]

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Haiku as accomplishedphilosophy in Biplab

Majumdar's "Golden Horizon"Biplab Majumdar's 'Golden Horizon' is a collection of haiku

poems in English. As haiku is known to beget variety and remain

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congenial to Nature, the collection of one hundred and eighteenhaiku has gained significance. In the words of Prof. Seiji Hino,Japan, "the poems are very simple but very suggestive. Theyare pregnant with high philosophic insight like the experienced,old and wise man's sayings". True to these comments, the haikusdeals with subjects of perceptual truth and philosophy. Theelements of imagery, scenery, economized vocabulary and notesof spiritualism mark the genius of the poet. There are glimpses ofquiet contemplations which give the readers food for thought.Though simple in construction, these haikus leave behind fertilesources of Nature for man. Thought is the key element of anyhaiku and the haikus in Biplab Majumdar are about the world'smost attractive subjects of discussion.

Bernard M. Jackson, Much-acclaimed poet-critic of thehour, England remarked that "In the truest sense each poem withinthis collection is not an end in itself, but each sparks a newbeginning. It is indeed impressive how this writer has been ableto being such grace of movement, colour and introspection to somany of his poems, Biplab has written his own preface providingan illuminative and instructive forward to the book" The poetstrongly asserts, introspects, reflects and reacts to the globalphenomena, a great work that demands great thinking. This iswhere Biplab Majumdar excels as a poet of haiku through themaster-piece 'Golden Horizon". He has the innate inclinationto mix up his personal shade of colour with the original witha view to give his work a timeless dimension. Every creativeperson pays due homage to the traditional views, alwaysexperiments with his new forms, new ideas, new colours in orderto offer the world a magnificent master-piece. Yes, it can be termedas "tradition in experiment" and "experiment in tradition". Heexperiments haikus in both tradition and modernity and the truespirit of the haikus find place in the world of Nature.

In the comments of Prof. Purnima Roy, "poet Majumdar'spoems are very suggestive and symbolic and herein lies the truespirit of his haikus. Through these poems, we get one such apoet who is illumined with deep philosophical as well as spiritualideas and beliefs, and social commitments that declare himself asa complete man. "That is why he says : (Voice of Kolkata 9:1, 24-25)

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" Enigma flows on From realism to surrealism Poetry becomes a poet Poetry transcends when Incomplete reality fuses with Complete idealism. "

Haikus that depict nature symbolize eternal lessons fromNature :

" Seasons bring blossoms Trees need decades for full growth Maturity takes time. "

Man has to take years of life to undergo maturity like seasonsthat give trees decades fro growth. The poet traces the roots ofnature in shaping the maturity of man in the dimensions of Time.The universal truth that worthiness cannot be gained in a day isfound in one of haikus:

" In quest of truth In quest of light I move on Along path of Time "

A haiku full of sustenance and thought that depicts Natureas guide, follower and teacher can be found in the lines :

" A fruit loaded branch Bent low to ground, gratitude Never forgets debt. "

A philosophically matured Majumdar gets the readers movingin the womb of thought :

" Silence sleeps deathless on the banks of the river Water of Time flows "

The queen of silence makes her presence in the ever-flowingwaters of time. At times, it breaks her silence into sensationswonders, and secrets. But, Time can never reveal how silencepounces upon the world. Silence, though rules for a moment,makes a lasting impression. It has immortal existence and everactive all the time.

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" Silence Sleeps deathless on the banks of the river Water of Time flows "

According to Shaleen Kumar Singh, the critic, who revisedMajumdar's works has this to say: "Thus it is, undeniably admittedfact that the poetry of Biplab Majumdar is a bouquet of multi-coloured roses and jasmines filled with aroma of spirituality. Hispoems are all drenched in the rain of spiritual ecstasy andtranscendental joys which make him a poet of eternity & parexcellence."

There is spirituality, ecstasy, and transcendental experiencein the haikus. A note of nostalgia also runs through them. Hope,optimism inspiration, introspection--- all greeting haikus are atestimony to poet's handling of this Japanese verse form.

The movement of pepping Sun into the sky as a natural objectof comparison with that of lovers who disappear on selfish terms.

" Dew of love vanishes When the sun peep in the sky Sun of selfishness "

The fugitive creature like mind escapes constantly andcrafted along the lines of comparison.

" Never you will see Butterflies sit for minutes Mind is fugitive. "

Mind runs away to far-off places within seconds just asbutterflies move from place to place and don't rest at one place. Aheightened comparison, indeed.

A hopeful & optimistic Majumdar finds that dreams neverget buried but keep life brightened.

" All the buds & seeds Tell us the tale of morrow A dream never dies "

Inspired by nature, the poet sees fruition of dreams, hopes,promises like those of evening buds & seeds that hope to sproutand flower the next morning.

A sound knowledge of the poet in using penetrative thoughts

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moves through the world of birds when they are forced to moveround suddenly seeking shelter in the trees signify that mankindis sinful and treacherous.

" Birds darted into the crowd of leaves concealed sin in human-breasts. "

Continuing the same spirit of haikus, the poet sees life inKolkata as actually happening when flooded roads make themovement impassable. It is water logged roads that cover veilsof darkness for pedestrians, imagery of life in Kolkata in livedescription :

" The roads get flooded I return wading through Water, Water of darkness. "

Haikus bring on moments of nostalgia for the poet when heis haunted by memories through the depth of tears:

" Lovely drops of tears Alone know the depth of night Memory ever bleeds. "

Assertions of haikus get strongly asserted in the lines thatdescribe the glories of poetry.

" Veins of a poet don't carry blood but the blue venom of poetry. "

Thought as the mainstay of haikus is colourfully mixturedi.e., comparison heightened to give extra force of sustenance.

" Milk in poly pack who knows when gets a leak life within body. "

life of a man is uncertain like that of milk in poly pack coverthat may leak at any time. Uncertainty of life is affirmatively builtup with lifeless object.

To conclude the paper, Majumdar's assertion of haikus in"Golden Horizon" leave a kind of stunning effect on the thinking ofthe readers. Rather, introspection is the moving force of philosophythat haikus aim to reveal to the readers through innovation. It is

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worthwhile to quote what Prof. Kazuyosi Ikeda, the poet from theland of Haikus, Japan: "The poet Biplab Majumdar's haikus aresuperlatively fascinating having surpassingly profoundsignificance. His haiku glitter gorgeously, like heavenly stars andare exceedingly lucid like genuine pearls in the sea's bottom. SuchEnglish haiku are highly evaluated as true haiku by Japanesepeople" Such is the greatness and uniqueness of haikus and thatthey are crafted in the true spirit of haikus, quite accomplishedand worthwhile existences in the world of haiku as poetry.

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Antaryami Sahu

Antaryami Sahu, is a Lecturer in English in M. G. Degree College,Orissa. His poems, articles, reviews have been published in asmany as 30 Journals in India and abroad. To name a few, Voice ofKolkata (Kolkata), The Brain wave (Chennai), Poets International(Bangalore), Osaka University News Letter, Osaka, Japan etc.

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Biplab Majumdar's"GOLDEN HORIZON"

Dr. Biplab Majumdar's ''Golden Horizon'' is a collection ofhaikus. Though now-a days haikus are written in one to five linesMajumdar's haikus are restricted to three lines like the originalJapanese haikus and restricted to five-seven-five syllable structureof the Japanese haikus. Majumdar's haikus are not restricted tothe world of nature like the traditional Japanese haikus. Dr.Majumdar has suggested in the preface of the book that haiku isone type of poetry and like the other types of poetry, there shouldbe no bar in choosing the subjects of haikus. So anything underthe sun can be the subjects of haikus, according to Majumdar.This book of Majumdar is dedicated to the innocent victims ofterrorism all over the world. This reflects the poet's humanitarianoutlook. If we go ahead with the haikus, we will be sure that Dr.Majumdar is a person, who is concerned for the humanity. Hishaikus are also full up with high philosophic insights and areextremely instructive for the present day mankind.

Biplab Majumdar says of ingratitude of men in some of thesehaikus. We can see two haikus on Page 10. These haikus are -

Every blade of grassGracefully recalls debt of sun

But a man does notk

We live like the earthBeing wounded, bloody by dear ones

Compelled to cry withinIn the former of these haikus Majumdar says a natural object

like grass is indebted to the sun on which it depends on its smoothgrowth but man is not grateful to him who has done favour. Thepoet has attributed human quality to grass and he wants us tolearn from the grass to be indebted to him who has done good tous. In the later of these haikus the poet says that the earth isalways wounded. The wound is caused by deforestation, diggingup mines, etc. We are also wounded in the same way like that ofthe earth. Here two messages are entangled. We must not beungrateful to our environment on which we depend to live and wemust not do harm to other human beings - as we all are brothers

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and sisters being the sons and daughters of Mother Earth.We can see another two haikus at Page 26 to be sure that

Majumdar's haikus are full up with worldly knowledge. These twohaikus are -

Children are not bornOf love now, so there is much

Scarcity of lovek

Bamiyan BuddhasTell us, in all ages Jesus

is crucifiedThe former of these two haikus reminds me of a maxim

'Corrupt mother bears corrupt children.' This means that a motherbears corrupt children if she is corrupt. The same way if there isno love between the two of a couple, how a child can be born tothem with love and if the children are not born out of love, theworld will be a loveless place. In this haiku the poet wants to teachus that love begins at home and it is spread to the outside world.Again, we must learn from this that the two of a couple shouldhave love for each other, so that their children will learn to loveand can spread it in the outside world and make the world aworthliving place. The latter of these two haiku is one on religiousintolerance. Here the poet has juxtaposed the present and thepast. The destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha in recent time andthe crucification of Lord Jesus in the past suggest that there is/was religious intolerance. Here the poet's message is that we mustwage a war against religious intolerance and fanatism so that therewill be co-operation among the people of different religions in theworld.

For restricting my review, I am not taking more examplesfrom this collection. but without doubt, I can say that all thehaikus of this collection are full of worldly wisdom andknowledge. The haikus are on the subjects of perceptual truthand philosophy. These haikus are amazingly beautiful,according to their spirit. I would like to recommand all the poets,poetry lovers and critics of the whole world to read this book fortheir aesthetic pleasure.

[ VOK; Vol. 6, Issue 1, Pg. 30 ]

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Jasvinder Singh

Jasvinder Singh, is a Delhi based freelance jounalist, poet andliterary critic. He was born in 1947 in a remote village of DistrictJalandhar (Punjab), subsequently graduated from the Universityof Delhi in 1972, and studied M.A. (English) in H.P.

His 200 articles on copious stream of subjects got publishedin magazines and newspapers.

So far his 4 anthologies of poems : Shattered Pebbles (1980),The Glimpse (1990), What I Feel (2000), Stray Thoughts (2005)and 480 book reviews for books of Indian authors and poets, andforeign poets published in : The National Herald (New Delhi),The Patriot (New Delhi), The Scoria (Chandigarh), Samvedana(Manglore), Voice of Kolkata (Kolkata), Poetcrit (H.P.), Bizz-Buzz(Mysore), Canopy, Shine, Poet International (Banglore),Perigramma (Greece), Contemporary Vibes (Chandigarh).

He was conferred Life Time Achievement Award "Inrecognition of a lifetime of excellent contributions to Literatureand Journalism" from the United Cultural Convention of Austriain August, 2006.

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Charming Free VersesBiplab Majumdar is a poet par excellence. His poems are

spellbinding, thought-provoking and succinct. His revelations takeone towards journey of life. He has set a novel trend in the verseswhich are emulative and avidly admirable.

Island's Dolphin Song is Biplab Majumdar's superbly writtentwenty five poems about which he tells us that they pertain to'truth and beauty'.

In his preface to the poems the poet has informed thereaders that he is trying his hand at free verse to perform hisjourney of success of truth and beauty.

In free verse, generally, thoughts get greater importancethan strict adherence to rules, as the ancient poets like W. B.Yeats, William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth or P. B. Shellydid follow to make their poems lively and entertaining. It is a niceincidence that the poet has advocated the cause that with changingtimes the trends also change.

In the poem 'In dreamy lone midnight' the poet has madethe best use of his imagination through his assertion that :

' Empty I am, destitute break repeatedly in defenselessness as the moon of twelfth lunar day at dark fortnight breaks into pieces upon lapis-lazuli water. '

and' Someone dips me ruthlessly into your dreadful dreams I break, repeatedly in defenselessness as the moon of twelfth lunar day at dark fortnight breaks .... '

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When imagination and imagery get co-ordinated thethoughts emerge glowingly with a subtle revelation of the objectivityas the poet's following lines from the poem 'Rays of truth' suggest:

' Experience gets aged. In the morning Sun under the rays of truth can identify my real friends. '

Friendship is pious and sacred. It enriches life withsustenance and support in love. In this poem thoughts offered bythe poet are very convincing and admirable.

'Time gets dreamy' poem also suggests poet's subtle co-ordintion between thoughts and imagination, with which he presentstrue reality to phenomena which makes one to realise one'sencounters with truth and ground reality in life. At one place in thepoem he reveals :

' Even today many a love of this earth get dried in indifference at the curse of spoilt stars. '

One feels Wordsworthian romanticism when goingthrough the poem 'Within Watershed'. Poet's imagination arise hisindepth feelings when he tells that :

' Lips are extended towards the lips of uncertainty, conviction and doubt are twisting in violent wind standing with outcast grief Blue even above the head. '

There is a glimps of spirituality in the small but thoughtfuland revealing poem 'Om' chanting which one gets enlightenedinwardly and outwardly. The poem also inspires introspection overthe idea contained in the poem.

Other poems in the book which leave a longer-lastingimpression on the reader's fancies are 'Friends', 'A love poem', 'Acanvas', 'Someone in the garden at midnight', 'Island's Dolphin

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Song', and whet reader's admiration for poet's sharp acumen ofintellect with which he makes his poems attractive andcommunicative to reveal his finer feelings.

The poems also suggest that in Majumdar there dwells apoet who endears himself in every heart of poetry lovers by meansof his universal approach to sing the songs of life so enchantinglyand rhythmically.

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Biplab Majumdar :A Poet Par Excellence

In the vast firmament of contemporary Indo-Anglicanliterature Biplab Majumdar has become a constant shining starlike Polestar in the universe by virtue of his writings and his editorialdexterity in his poems. He is a multi-faceted personality from ahandsome debonair to a distinguished poet, and an editorof international literary journal and a compiler of manyanthologies of poems and literature like essays, literarycriticism etc.

As a poet and by virtue of his inherent qualities he has earnedan immaculate disposition in every field he has been attached to.He has been putting in strenuous efforts through his literaryjournals Voice of Kolkata and Sahitya Utsav to widen the scopeof genres of contemporary Indo-Anglican literature, especiallypoetry and literary criticism.

Biplab Majumdar is one of the best known poets who isinternationally known for his multi-faceted traits as an author, poet,essayist, a literary critic, story writer and above all a man endowedwith humanistic thinking in the society. He has been honouredwith numerous national and international awards in recognition onof excellence in poetry and other achievements like a renownededitor of International literary journal. He also holds the distinctionof being President of International Poetry Society of Kolkata (India).

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He has been doing his best to reach literature lovers by means ofown meticulous communications through his writings, and hisliterary journals which are nonetheless his giant steps forward toscale the heights of grand success in his strides to communicatehis avid observations, and through his thoughts around himself.

He has been doing a yeoman's service to contemporaryIndo-Anglican literature by widening its scope to reach in othercountries of the world. His works. Golden Horizons, Mera BharatMahan (an international poetry anthology edited by him), Virtuesand Vices, Island's Dolphin Songs (2009). A collection of write-ups on Dr. Kazuyosi Ikeda edited by him, speak volumes of grandachievements in like which are more beneficiary to all and oneattached with the activities of writing.

A distinct feature of Biplab Majumdar's writings in proseand poetry is that he always brims with newer ideas whichare succinct and innovative, and sets emulative trends whichare perennial source of inspiration not only for upcoming andfledgling poets/writers but also for the renowned and grownup once. A hallmark of excellence in his writings is that heexpresses himself in the most attractive manner. By virtue ofhis fine poetic diction and other admirable writing qualities, BiplabMajumdar has attained topmost position in the realms of modernliterature.

It is well known that the purpose of poetry is to penetrateinto the virtues and finer feelings of the society and to reveal thesubtleties realism of phenomena truthfully. And since eons agopoets have been putting in their best talents to make notablerevelations delving upon excellencies with their expressions ofearnest perceptions and precincts. Biplab Majumdar has also beensuch a poet as he has exhibited his best talent to entertain andeducate the readers with his remarkable understandings aboutroutine occurrences and phenomenal changes which influencelife in one way or the other.

His poems reflect the perceptual truth and philosophy ascontented by him in his preface to Golden Horizon, an anthologyof haiku poems. The poems in this anthology suggest that histhoughts spread the fragrance of ecstasy all around, and that heis an epitome of incessant lover for tradition and greatness ofculture without an exaggeration, Majumdar pens down his

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innovative thoughts on core issues which emanate from his avidobservations and experiences in the general drama of life.

It has been found that going through the poems of BiplabMajumdar one finds it an opportunity to feel the fascination of anattraction to thoughts which inspire serenity, humanness, andwhets in the reader an urge to explore more and more thoughts orthe poet by reading his poems more once, and to plunge into an indepth philosophy.

To cite an example here is the following excerpt from hispoem 'Love' in ' Virtues and Vices'.

" A house is changed to a homeWith the magical power of it,Love is the soul of our livingThrough our life let us practice it."

Another glimpse of poet's strong sense of communication ofan emulative idea of optimism when he suggests and entreats inthe poem ' Self Revolution' that.

" Let us break off the chains of pastIn order to develop a newer vision,Let's turn and march aheadTo give our life a better dimension."

Dr. Majumdar has from time provided ample of opportunitiesto the readers to know about his avid observations emanatingfrom his experiences. He has been a brand ambassador ofcontemporary Indo-Anglican literature universally. He is apoet of the world. Without a tinkle of doubt may be called apoet par excellence, and a poet extraordinary, because histhoughts in his poems leave a resounding impact on theimagination of the readers. His poems also reveal the charm ofhandsome thoughts which reflect the charm of his personality toauthenticate the saying 'handsome is that handsome does'. Witha sting in his pen Majumdar's contemporary literature has beenenriched through his innovative and succinct thoughts. He is anoble soul with noble thoughts.

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Nalini Sharma

Nalini Sharma , M.A. in English Literature, B.Ed. RetiredPrincipal, is a bilingnal writer (Hindi & English). Her poems,articles, essays, short stories, novels etc. have been published inreputed journals e.g. Naya Gyanodya, Sarita, Grihashova, SumanSaurabh, Harigandha, Chhatisgarh Today, Woman's Era, Alive,Poet, Metverse Muse, Free Expression etc. So far her 10 bookshave been published, 4 under publication.

She has been honoured with lots of (more than 18) Awardse.g. SAHITYA SHREE, Bharat Bhasa Bhusan, Shreshth SadhanaSamman, Vishist Sadhana Samman, Rashtra Bhasa Sewak Samman,Tulika Samman, Best poet of the year 2003 by Poets International,Metverse Muse Awards, Sarojini Naidu Award and Shweta PatilAward etc.

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Biplab Majumdar :An Appraisal Of His PoetryBiplab Majumdar, the editor of Voice of Kolkata (English) &

Sahitya Utsav (Bengali), has earned global repute as anInternational poet, translator, reviewer, litterateur and Juvenilewriter. A prolific writer he has authored more than 70 books and isthe proud recipient of more than 50 awards from different countries.His thought provoking inspiring poems have been published inIndia, Greece, Italy, Argentina, Australia, Malta, Brazil, Japan,Yugoslavia, England, China, Germany - certainly no mean feat,Kudos to him !

Some exceptional awards worth mentioning conferred uponthis genius are GRAND PRIZE OF CIVILIZING OLYMPIAD,GREECE 1999, PADUS AMOENUS, FIRST PRIZE, SILVERMEDEL ITALY, 2000. HON. D LITT USA 2001, THE BEST POETOF 2002-2003 PR CHINA., DECREE OF MERIT AUSTRIA 2003,1st PRIZE INTERNATIONAL POETRY COMPETITION SOUTHAFRICA 2003, HONOURED KNIGHT MALTA 2005, GOLDENPLADUS D' ORO ITALY 2006.

A gifted man Dr. Majumdar is the Hon. Member of ISGW &A, GREECE, Hon. Member of Padus Amoenus. Italy. Member ofWAAC, USA, Advisory Council, Anstead University. ENGLAND,Art Director. IPTRC, PR CHINA and Founder -President, IPSKI,KOLKATA, INDIA. He has successfully carved a niche of hisown in the literary world with his valuable contribution toIndian English Poetry. He has won acclaim as an internationalwriter whose works have been translated into quite a numberof languages. Indian Languages are Assamese , Bengali, Hindi,Punjabi, Marathi, Tamil, Telgu, and Kannada. Foreign languagesinclude Greek, Italian, Chinese , Maltese Serbian, Spanish,Japanese, German, French, Hebrew, Portuguese and Russian.

Through his poetry and other literary activities he istirelessly striving for international peace and co-operation. In his inimitable simple style he expresses lucidly easilyunderstood by the common man. He does not make use ofhigh flown words and idioms that only highbrow class canunderstand . With his disarming naivety he captures the heart

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of the readers . His outpourings are the outbursts of a sensitiveheart. Down-to-earth in his approach he suggests practicableways to improve quality of life. In short he teaches youthe art of meaningful living. His poems are highly inspiringand suggestive, pregnant with philosophical insight likethe sayings of an experienced old and wise man full ofworldly wisdom and knowledge steeped in spiritual. Whilereading them at times you are misled to think that you arehearing the spiritual religious discourse of a sage. With superbease he fashions amazing verses that leave the readers awe-struck.

He deserves accolades for presenting the readers suchthought provoking and religiously oriented philosophicallyillustrations of his poetic outpourings that will certainly act as abeacon to the present day suffering humanity aimlessly floating inthe murky water of materialism struggling to get some securefoothold. I am sure these poems will provide them much neededstrength and solace. These poems steeped in spirituality willprovide an anchor and guide them to have a communion and unionwith the Almighty a panacea of all the ills. Highly skilled at churninghealing verses .Dr. Majumdar like a dedicated physician strivesto soothe the tortured psyche of mankind weighed down withmultiple worldly woes result of his own doings. His divinehandiwork successfully stirs the conscience and one feelsthe glow of a thousand suns lighting up his soul dispellingthe gloom of sorrow and despair. In his poems the poet stressesopen the various ingredients essential for attaining mentaltranquility. To attain it one needs to be one with the divine and tooreach perfection one needs to shun pride, vanity and ego. Thushe is a humanitarian poet.

I had the pleasure of going his three poetry books - VIRTUES& VICES (2001) GOLDEN HORIZON (2004) and ISLAND'SDOLPHIN SONG (2009). They are beautifully designed and havequite an impressive look.

GOLDEN HORIZON is a collection of 116 haikus dedicatedto the innocent victims of terrorism all over the world - a raretribute indeed that speaks volumes about his sensitive heart. Thesoul stirring haikus are full of worldly wisdom and knowledge.

Here are some of the pick of the bunch that reveal his high

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sensibility and insight -A true patriot he is all praise Indian poetry -

Indian poetrySpring from natureDeep spirituality -

The following haiku has a tinge of irony. It touches the reader'sheart -

The marriage is overParents are happy, anxious for everWho knows when bad news comes.

How true indeed !

He pays a fitting tribute to the tribe of poets -Poets are worshippersEternal worshippers of truthTo enlighten the world.

It reveals his inherent goodness -To be a poetI tried to be good, butIt's so difficult.

His philosophical musings -Seasons bring blossomsTrees need decades for full growthMaturity takes time.

He spreads the lesson of love -The violin of heartGets instantly alive withMagic touch of love.

ISLAND'S DOLPHIN SONG is a collection of 25 superbpoems on varied themes. With ease the poet has used imageryand irony to express his emotions that appeal the readers.

In dreamy lone midnightWith stained moonA spark stream flowsFrom life to death.

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Converging all soundsThe resounding OMWords hang on it.

He muses philosophically -Upon the bare breasts of infinite indifferenceI lay, watchingThe smile of a dreaming infant.

He is in quest of a justifiable reason -Does anyone turn the face awayFrom his beloved for nothing ?

He laments the loss of his friend just parted or turnedinto foes -

Friends are leaving one by one, beingLonely day by day.Enemies are taking their position.

He captures Nature in a different mood -The echoes of church bellsVibrate in the lonesome olive valley.Shapeless while clustered cloudsWith wild smell are coming upFrom the plains.

The glory of his KOLKATA gushes out from his heart in theform of a poem -

Millennium parkBeside the waterline of myLoving city KOLKATA.

Here is a gem in the crown from the title song. His longingfor his beloved manifests itself in the following verse -

Spell- bound sunrays will create magicUpon the crystal water, ifYou come back once,Just forOnce.

(ISLAND'S DOLPHIN SONG)

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Like a master craftsman he used imagery with superb caseto capture his overwhelmig emotions -

Sometime I comeBeside the bank of the loving riverAt sleepless nights.

He sings the glory of nature in its pristine purity. Thedescription is vivid and picturesque that instantly creates a mentalpicture before our eyes -

Sun-burnt wings, still the pride ofBlue sky how intensely beckons me !

His anguished cry finds expression in INDIA, UNDER THEGRIP OF TERRORISM

With the difference of caste, creed, andReligion my mother can not sleep peacefullyEven for a night.With live bombs in chestOur unsecured movements everyday.

His pain is unfathomable and evokes sad feelings in ourhearts. Terrorism has eaten away the vitality of our nation. It hasreached beyond endurance level.

VIRTUES & VICES is a thoughtful collection of well- craftedpoems that will lead man to the right path through the perilousuncertainty of materialism. Aptly title divided into two parts it has77 poems in total. The first part has 57 poems extolling differentvirtues while the rest 20 in the second part deal with the vices tobe shunned like a deadly disease that surely lead to a man'sdownfall.

An amazingly significant and impressive book ' VIRTUES &VICES ' stresses upon the value of ethics and morals in humanlife extremely relevant in present scenario for misguided mankindsteeped in materialism. The poet endeavors to bring out puritywithin you by removing the pollution of vices from your body, mindand the spirit. According to the poet the virtue that make life fulfillingand worth living are- life, tolerance, memory, discipline, will power,simplicity, courage, mind, humility, confidence, character, work,silence, honesty, victory, creativity , righteousness, truth,patriotism, joy, maturity, respect, commonsense, success, love,

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self-revolution, kindness, charity, cheerfulness, equanimity,courtesy, thinking, divinity, action, peace, service, gratitude,freedom, enthusiasm, decision, friendship, education, prayer,optimism, efficiency, hope, humour, justice, morality, leadership,gracefulness, faith, persistence, forgiveness, religion, duty anduniversal brotherhood.

His musings on life -Human life is a long journeyFrom ignorance Eternal lightAgainst hatred, anger, greedLife should keep constant fight.

He teaches us the value of tolerance -'It makes us forget colour and race'

On discipline -A man of discipline is a man of honourThe storms of life he cares little.

Will power is the essential ingredient for success -A crack- jaw that 'I can do'Only ensures the philosophy of victory.

He eulogizes simplicity -'Devoid of ego, anger and vanity''Faith in God in humble chest'

On humility -'Humility opens the doors to heart.'

Confidence works wonders -Ordinary man becomes an extra-ordinaryWith the golden touch of confidence.

On honesty -'Honesty is the most noble virtue'

On truth -The noble path of golden truthIs the surest path to peace.

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A true patriot knows no distinction of caste, creed andcolour -

Patriotism is a strong convictionThat neither I am a Hindu or MusalmanNor I am a Sikh or ChristianMy identity is I am an Indian.

On love -A house is changed to a homeWith the magical power of itLove is the soul of our living.

He exhorts us to practice kindness -'Let's kindle thousands candle of kindness'

On cheerfulness -'A cheerful heart promotes healthGives a sparkle to the face.''A global passport to every heart'

He urges us to cultivate equanimity of mind -The mind that is perfectly balancedNot disturbed by joy or sorrow.Success defeat he does not care.

He pays a glowing tribute to friendship -True friendship is a rare virtueThe quest of is a noble goalWhere a heart merges with anotherFriendship becomes a marriage of souls.

On education -In fact education refines a personAnd it nourishes, causes to growWithout the light true educationHuman life becomes full of sorrow.

In another poem he says -'Humour is like the salt in a curry'

In another poem he preaches us the value of forgiveness -

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Hatred, anger are corrosive venomsForgive, therefore, for personal gain.

The book deals with the issues that concern mankind andsociety. There are many virtues he wished us all to cultivate toadd meaning to life. Virtuous living is the very essence of ourexistence. The right minded people should not suffer from the sinsof hatred and the avarice committed by others. The main aim ofcomposing these poems is to inspire to hear the call of theirconscience. Quite vociferously he condemns the vices depictedby him. They are- anger, greed, tension, jealousy, failure, passion,fear, hatred, suspicion, pride, ignorance, lying selfishness,frustration, sorrow, idleness, corruption, desire, crisis andviolence. Unless or until we get rid of them we are bound to sufferfailure, ignominy and sorrow. In short they are the short-cut tohellish suffering.

In the end I must say that the poet is successful in voicinghis mission of bringing peace upon this earth. His candid andforthright expressions leave indelible impressions on theheart and the mind of the reader. His poetry is the outburstof his soul. It uplifts the readers to higher level of meditativestate. His poetry has philosophy of life and wisdom of theworld. In conclusion his poetry is an instrument of love,understanding, peace, harmony, hope, faith and all that isgood and perfect.

With lucidity and directness he writes enchanting free versebecause in his opinion structured verse is suffocating and toomuch mechanical unable to express his thoughts and feelingproperly that I humbly disagree because I never found the followersof traditional verse suffering for want of free expression of theiremotions restraining smooth flow of their sensitive outbursts thusletting them practice it with aplomb. I feel as the rules of moralconduct add glory to human life rules of structured/ traditional verseenrich and adorn the damsel of poetry by making it look dignified,gorgeous and captivating with proper metrical construction (uniformin length in terms of meter) and the norms set for number ofsyllables per line with proper rhymes and rhythmic patterns.

A poet is called an unacknowledged legislator ofmankind because he tries to set erring on the right path bythe baton of his forceful writing and sweep away the dirt of

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vices with the broom of his hard hitting words. BiplabMajumdar has successfully carried out this duty in this regard.

Selected comments published at end of the books are anample proof of the appreciation of his literary achievements. It isindeed encouraging and extremely heart warming to receive praisefrom the praise worthy ! None other than Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam,a poet par excellence and a connoisseur of good poetry hasappreciated Dr. Majumdar's poetry ! No mean feat indeed !

I wish him longer healthy life to enable him to offer us moreand beautiful poems full of finer feelings and endowed with subtlephilosophy of life. With due regards to his supreme creativity.

j j j

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Dr. Manoranjan Das (INDIA)

Dr. Monoranjan Das writes both in English and Bengali language,is a prolific writer and poet par excellence. Already in widepublication in the Indian magazines, Das's poems have also foundplaces in various foreign magazines and in many anthologies. Apartfrom poetry, Dr. Das also takes keen interest in translating manyliterary works. These translations have earned their own niches inliterary world. 'The Future' in English which is edited by him.

He was awarded l Bpabion Prize, April, 1999, Greece lBpabio Prize, March, 2000, Greece l Best Critic Prize, February,2003, China l Diplama of Finalist Prize, November, 2003, Italyl A Enainoe Prize, March, 2004, Greece l Anonemei Prize,June, 2005, Greece l Dove Peace Prize, (Silver) in Literature,December, 2005, Australia l Bpajon Prize, July, 2006, Greecel Hon. Doctorate, IWA, 2008, USA l Lifetime AchievementAward, 2009, Chennai, India.

Dr. Das was born in January 15, 1958, at Narayanpur, in districtNadia, W.B., India is his motherland. He graduated from theUniversity of Kolkata. He is M.A. (English & Economics), L.L.B.,B.Ed. He teaches in Kendua Mahendranath High School (H.S.).

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PERCEPTUAL TRUTH INBIPLAB MAJUMDAR'S POETRY

Biplab Majumdar, the shining poet of modern times, hasthe sense of beauty where the norm of individuality and objectivityare a form of realistic view, relating to perceptual truth. He, abideswith the words through poetry as a road to philosophy. He wantsto postulate the applied truth with the explanation of pluralism,basing the life's experience. He has the base of essential identityby abouding the presence of life's virtues and vices. He has thetheme accompanying by the poems where reality is accomodatedin the new area of truth. The ever-widening poet like BiplabMajumdar has the authentic idea basing on simplicity where thevirtue relates to willingness as a path of peace, and sometimes itgoes to the wave of ego. Thus he writes,

'' Though simplicity is a rare virtueOne can have it at ease,Just willingness to be simpleIs more than enough to live in peace.A heart that is free as birdDoes fly above all silly narrowness,Devoid of ego, anger and vanityRemember simplicity there dwells." 1

Biplab has the quality to terminate his thought throughpoetry, relating to the perfect wisdom as a form of gentleness wherethe graceful simplicity is faithful to the Gods humbleness followingthe best form of best happiness. Thus he writes,

" A soul with a perfect wisdomPossesses love and true gentleness,Mercy makes one gracefully simpleAnd he rises above all meaness.Simple living and our simple wantsFaith in God in humble chest,Keep us healthy, happy and wise,Simple life is always best." 2

Biplab Majumdar carries about his view in favour of theperceptual truth through poetry that the quintessential kernel of

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pure thought is delighted by a soul liberated from the prison ofego. He feels, the beautiful is that which has the intrinsic capacityto soothe and it makes us sympathise with life, and makes us onewith all that it pervades or manifests, and admire life. He has thetruthful expression which is acceptable to readers through thevision of past, present and future as perceptuality, gearing withthe earthly and strangely enigmatic depth of moments like light.Thus he writes,

" A young girl waitsWith her mom : past, present, future ---Are freezed in a frame.Earth like womanGets strangely enigmaticAt the depth of night." 3

Biplab Majumdar's poetic thought is accorded with theperceptual truth that the unity with life that is displayed in an artisticproduction by an individual, who in his turns calls us to the unity ofourselves with that life, is the characteristic mark of genius andbeauty. Poet, Biplab acts for the perceptual truth, basing thediscovery of truth where the mental power of man is privilegedwith generation, growing with the performance of perpetualtask.Thus his idea is compared with the following,

" In the discovery of truth, in the development ofman's mental powers and privileges, eachgeneration has its assigned part; and it is for usto endeavour to perform our portion of thisperpetual task of our species. " 4

Biplab Majumdar gets down his idea through poetry,referring the idea of life and reality, where perceptual truth ischaracterised with the individual in relation to finite view as uniquequality of reality by accepting the freedom of views of the absoluteauthenticity. He acts upon his philosophical wills, bearing the man'sworks and activities from ordinary to extra-ordinary with theconfidence of golden touch as a fact of supposition glaring withthe history of evidence. Thus he writes,

" Ordinary man becomes an extraordinaryWith the golden touch of confidence;This is fact, not a suppositionHistory itself its glaring evidence." 5

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Notwithstandingly, Majumdar bears upto readers with hispoetry, by accepting in his heart the perceptual truth througharchetype-personal expression as an ideal awakening of sympathyin all its harmony and divergence in emergence and evolution. Hefollows the form of courage by heroic dareness through hiscombination of words. Thus he writes,

" Come out from fear and mediocrityDare to be different from common mass,It is courage that makes a HEROLife is ever for the courageous. " 6

Biplab Majumdar accomplishes in writing poetry, like theintuition of soul which consists the future development as a trueand harmonious feeling. He acquaints with worldly things andincidents, relating to the perceptul truth. He holds forth his ideaand theme publicly where the life's reeling is to attach withanxiousness. Thus he writes,

" The marriage is overParents are happy, anxious for everWho knows when bad news comes. " 7

Sometimes he mingles his views through perceptuel truthwhere season's blooming is related with the full grown trees asthe wave of maturity of time. Thus he writes,

" Seasons bring blossomsTrees need decades for full growthMaturity takes time. " 8

The ever matured poet, Biplab is accessible to all whererealm of beauty and percectual truth are sensible and aestheticand when the experience realises the state, the norm of life isperfectly free. He bears upon the poetic thought, carrying norm ofbeauty through experience where the version of any servicematerially for exciting or less exciting. Thus it may be added,

" Experience has taught me, when the versions ofthe same story given by two wire services differmaterially, to prefer the less exciting." 9

Meaningfully it is authenticated that Majumdar's poetry islike a monumental realm beyond space and time, which can beeither conceived by the logical intellect or perceived by perceptualsenses. His poetry, carries as the quest for perfection, relating to

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beauty, truth and sweetness where the meditation of life assertsto creation, following nature, philosophy under the faith of life'streatment; and his poetry is the source of life's breath and life'sforce like first love. This poem may be applicable for Biplab :

" His poetry is his quest for perfectionBeauty, truth, sweetness and light,His poetry is the best answerTo the cause of God's sendingHim to this world." 10

Biplab has the realisation with mystic summons to sharethe bliss perceptuality which is communicable and employs sensesysmbols to give glimpse of transcendental beauty. He describesfailure and success of life through perceptuality as an undertakingof reality where the sporting spirit is related to the joy of final victory.Thus he writes,

" Risks of failure may be thereIn all undertakings, that is realityWho can face it with sporting spiritDiscovers the joy of final victory." 11

Again with the predestined result, Biplab Majumdar adeptsin writing poetry, by positivating the demands and success wherethe endless journey is mingled with eternal progress. Thus hewrites,

" Success is ever a predestined resultAnd it demands all positive traits,Real success is an endless journeyOn and on, an eternal progress." 12

Really speaking Biplab acts for poetry, by adding to theview of worldly things where the truth and integral beauty isinstrinsic for the view of assured conduct that englows with throneof God. Thus it may be added,

" Keep one thing forever in view --- the truth; and ifyou do this, though it may seem to lead you awayfrom the opinions of men, it will assuredly conductyou to the throne of God. " 13

Biplab Majumdar actuates by his own will with the meaningof life through perceptnal truth where the purpose with principleholds to the immanent in the historic process leading to an ultimate

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goal. He is allied to his views with the worldly things where thebutterflies' sittings and minds fugitiveness are iterated. Moreover,he, the sweet-poet brings forward his poetic excellency from historywhere Buddha and Jesus are the same for life's shelter. Thus hewrites,

" Never you will seeButterflies sit for minutes :Mind is fugitive,... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...Bamiyan BuddhasTell us, in all ages JesusIs crusified." 14

Authentically speaking, Biplab is ahead of his thought withevery change in the process by explaining in terms of monisticprinciple where the rendrence of historic process is subjectifiedwith the perceptual truth. He has the aptitude for refering themeand thought through poetry where the fundamental knowledge isacknowledged with meaing, through the application of life'sprinciples for ever. Thus we may add,

" There is no progress in fundamental truth. --- Wemay grow in knowledge of its meaning, and in themodes of its application, but its great principleswill forever be the same. " 15

He, the great poet Biplab Majumdar is kind to the readersby giving his idea through poetry where the common principle oflife, relating to perceptual truth, is the goal and guiding spirit of thehistoric process that constitutes the supreme value of the process.He bears upon with words and theme by many sentences inpoems, where human activities are destined with the change ofindividual one's powerful or powerless works which is under faithto his heart with HIS grace. Thus he writes,

" Man can change is own destinyHe is powerful, not at all powerless,With a strong faith in his heart,Can he change life by HIS grace." 16

Truthfully speaking, Biplab bears away the mind of readers,uplifting the human values through his poetry which carries thereality of process as integral element, by cheerfulness andhappiness as a vibration of life and soul, i.e., the global passport

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to heart. Thus he writes," Steady cheerfulness mirrors happiness,

As it known as a finer art,It is vibration of life and soulA global passport to every heart." 17

Biplab has a strong affinity to poetry, where perceptualtruth is like a system from the traditional point of view, of life andthought that relates to the time-series, by accepting the ultimatereality of progress. He has the road to feelings, basing on worldlythings like the view of butterfly's flying, where God's will live intempestuous moments as the feeling of whirlwind or stormy day;and the perceptual truth is noticed by his poetry where floodsituation of river is the fearful condition of mind, and somehowperceptual truth is viewed into the root of oak and mountain. Thuswe may add,

" Look at that beautiful butterfly, and learn from it totrust in God. One might wonder where it couldlive in tempestuous mights, in the whirlwind, or inthe stormy day; but I have noticed it is safe anddry under the broad leaf while rivers have beenflooded, and the mountain oaks torn up from theirroots. " 18

Biplab Majumdar bears away with the good deeds byfollowing form of perceptual truth where the major truth that aphilosophy of history can imply the futility and meaningfulness ofthe empirical concept of progress, and the consequent reality andsignificance and value of the transcendental being. He brings uphis idea through poetry, by symbolizing the burning of candle, lonelyroom and with the depth of 'self'. He has reality with perceptualfeeling by comparing with leaking polypack filled with milk andduration of life. Thus he writes,

" The candle was burningIn the lonely room, withinYour depth it was I... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...Milk in polypackWho knows when gets a leakLife within body." 19

Biplab carries away passion, through his ism, with the

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apparent forms to constitute the appearance of reality. He furtherforwards his thought through poetry with the base of truth wherenature in associated with searching or seeking the result or newview. Thus we may add,

" First, let the truth itself teach you that you seek itin your neighbours before seeking it in its ownnature. Later, you will see why you should seek itin yourself before seeking it in your neighbours." 20

Biplab Majumdar comes to reality by positivating thephilosophy of history and time which shows the explanation of theappearances in the time-surrounding with reference to theperceptual truth that constitutes the ground and being. He, theBiplab assembles the positivity with negativity as a criticaldifference of higher ordinary range. Thus he writes,

" A moment comes to everyones lifeTo say 'yes' or 'no' to a challenge,That critical hour makes the differencePuts us higher or in ordinary range." 21

Majumdar allots his thoughts to the readers, by theprogressing of individual's mind like an institution where theprogressive purity is mingled with inward spirituality relating to theindividualistic mode of mind. He emphasises on hope that shineswith life's feelings as a deep relation. Thus he writes,

" Hope comes first and life shinesIf hope is banished life fails,Hope and life are Siamese twinsOne is finished if other dies. " 22

Biplab postulates his view through poetry where theprogress from apparent imperfection to the real perfection, frommistaken bondage to conscious perceptual truth, from the life'sreading to the eternal well-being of non-contradiction. He carriesoff his view, relating to the grand character of truth with enduringcapability of universal experience that has a possibility to classifymore. Thus we may add,

" The grand character of truth is its capability ofenduring the test of universal experience, andcoming unchanged out of every possible form offair discussion." 23

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The acceptable poet, Biplab carries out the main theme ofuniversal truth, with base of perceptual truth because he knowsperceptual truth truth reaches to universal truth after a longduration. He comes through the point, basing the real experienceof life where the goal of progress must be one of perfection, not ofthe mere individual, but of the true, of the good, of the beautiful andof the holy; and yet it raises at every step a fresh problem ofadjustment. He carries on writing poetry through the base ofperceptual truth where talent and genius replacement are greatlypersisted with the smiles of sucess by clapping. Thus he writes,

" Neither talent nor even the geniusCan replace the role of great persistence,When it smiles on the stage of successEducated hands all clap outside the fence. " 24

He, the Biplab Majumdar has the progressive idea throughthe base of perceptnal truth where the visualise-process isgoverned by the fundamentality, of the universe and revealedthrough the activities of the self-governing and free individuals.He feels with the pulse of people, seeing the wetting eyes, thosewho have broken heart, but they are with greatness. Thus hewrites,

" Sometimes people cause severse blowsOur hearts are broken, eyes get wet;But think of them who can forgiveThey are stronger; they are great. " 25

He deals with his poetic view, where human progress,therefore, can only mean the coherent progressiveness andadaptiveness with perceptual truth, manifested through a life ofconcrete experience and of the self-consfident reason. He, thefamous poet alights from his thought to the body of poetry,accelerating the fashion, measurement of knowledge whereunderstanding is authorised with the command by rarity assomething worse or not. Thus we may add,

" Truth, whether in or out of fashion, is the measureof knowledge, and the business of theunderstanding, whatsoever is beside that,however authorised by consent, or commandedby rarity, is nothing but ignorance, or somethingworse." 26

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Biplab Majumdar, the ever sparkling poet of the moderntimes, bursts upon the purity of thoughts through his basic ism asthe movement of moments within the experience of family life andreality where absolute views are entangled with consciousness.He knows suspecion is like a poisonous cobra in life with day today dealings. Thus he writes,

" If once bitten by the poisonous cobraMiserable becomes his life indeed,What to speak of day to day's joyEven hunger, sleep then he badly needs." 27

Moreover, he has the state of his own self-consciousnesswhich is created into the existence of nature. The poet extractshis views from society, relating to human virtues and vices, wherepride like disease deters from distant vision and it is like self-madekingdom and lighted darkness. Thus he writes,

" Pride is like the disease of eyesDeters to see one from distant vision,And it forms a self-made kingdomIt is nothing but a lighted darkness." 28

Generally speakeing, Biplab Majumdar comes on with newphenomena, bearing the systematic philosophy of history in relationto perceptual truth with process of organic movement whereinhuman reason is the chief factor. He affirms that truth is theexpected adaptation of policy which sensifies the worldly affairswith the light as straight lines. Thus we may add,

" Truth can hardly be expected to adapt herself tothe crooked policy and wily sinsuosities of worldlyaffairs; for truth, like light, travels only in staightlines. " 29

Majumdar goes upon his authentic principle, forwardingwith the life's view, where the gradual realisation of theconsciousness is evapourated with the spirit of man. He againgoes upon in this way that the changing of life is the main root ofperceptual truth where health as well as wealth beamed to fortunelike golden sparrows come from the land of hoax. Thus he writes,

" ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...Today's beauty may be spotted tomorrow,Health, Wealth, fortune are the golden sparrows

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Those ever come from the land of hoax." 30

Biplab, the heart's of poet of readers, finds the spirit ofman with the objective and concrete expression in the actionsand institutions of man through perceptuality where vice like prideis mere oblivion by discarding one and all, and there historyremembers with collosal or afar ideas. Thus he writes,

" Pride leads to nowhere but mere oblivionAs it is discarded by one and all,History remembers only some talents humbleWho offer the world collosal ideas alone." 31

Biplab's poems do not burst with emotion, but run afterreality through realisation where the concrete shape of real subjectwith action and experience transmits from one to another in thedevelopment of thoughts. He knows that perceptual truth is thepresentation of history, bearing the movement of times with religionand social reformation. He, moderates his thought with the help ofmatter of real experience that generalises honesty to know spiritualpart of being. Thus his idea is mingled with the following,

" Truth is as much as matter of experience as ofspeculation. --- An honest man will generally findit. --- To know it, one must feel it; above all mustlive in it. --- Then it becomes vital to his spirit --- apart of his being. " 32

With whole-hearted speaking, Biplab Majumdar's poetrycarries the feature of beauty with harmony like musical notesbearing architecture like themes and thoughts are originally viewedperceptual truth, life and the micro events of day to day dealing;and here is his supremecy.

References :1. Biplab Majumdar; Virtues and Vices, Mainstrem Publication, 12,

College Roe, Kolkata - 700 009; India; 2001; P-16.2. Ibid.3. Biplab Majumdar, Golden Horizon, International Poetry Society of

Kolkata, L/1, Suryanagar Housing Estate, 174/A, N. S. C. BoseRoad, P.O. : Netaji Nagar, Kolkata - 700 040; India; 2004; P-7 & 10.

4. Whewell - The New Dictionary of Thoughts, Ed. T. Edwards, D. D.,C. N. Catrevas, A. M., Standard Literature, India, 2002, P-687.

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5. As No. 1; P-23.6. As No. 1; P-18.7. As No. 3; P-11.8. As No. 3; P-12.9. Elmar Devis, Book - as No. 4, P-686.

10. Mandal Bijoy Beg-Indian Poets United The Home of Letters (India),27, Industrial Colony, Kharavala Nagar, Unit-3, Bhubaneswar-751001,Orissa, India, 2000, P-1 or vi.

11. As No. 1; P-29.12. As No. 1; P-40.13. Horace Mann, Book as No. 4, P-687.14. As No. 3, P-14 & 26.15. W. Radcliffe, Book - as No. 4, P-687.16. As No. 1; P-46.17. As No. 1; P-51.18. Jeremy Taylor, Book - as No. 4, P-686.19. As No. 3, P-21 & 27.20. Bernard of clairvaux, Book - as No. 4, P-686.21. As No. 1; P-67.22. As No.1; P-75.23. Sir John Herschel, Book - as No. 4, P-687.24. As No. 1; P-83.25. As No. 1; P-85.26. Locke, Book as No. 4, P-687.27. As No. 1; P-106.28. As No. 1; P-107.29. Colton, Book as No. 4, P-687.30. As No. 1; P-107.31. Ibid.32. R. Turnbull, Book as No. 4, P-688.

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Kaleidoscopic Colors ofSpirituality in GOLDEN HORIZON

by Shaleen Kumar Singh

A Japanese Haiku, in the words of Basho, a seer goes asfollows :-

'Dewdrops How Better wash away World's dust'

(Excerpted from Kyozan : A true Man of Zen)

So are the dewdrops - like Haikus of Dr. Biplab Majumdarwhich are the celestial experience of truth & ecstacy washing allthe dust of worldly ignorance and tomfoolery leading to an El doradoof spirituality. Haiku, the short verse of 5-7-5 syllables structure isa tiny teaching theory of modern poetry. Biplab Majumdar is amodern poet conveying modern themes and subjects of modernlife. The nectarine- nutshell poems of Golden Horizon are the puredewdrops of spiritual Euphoria which contain universal themes ofLove, Religion, Truth, Peace, Non-violence, Kindness,Compassion, Aim of Poetry and much more. The book firstly openswith declaration of the sublime source of Indian poetry, thespirituality -

'Indian poetry Springs from nature Deep spirituality. ' (Page-7)

The poets are the votaries of eternal human values who givevent to the notions of eternity and infinity. The poet poetizes -

'Poets are worshippers Eternal worshippers of Truth To enlighten world. ' (Page 11)

The poems of Dr. Majumdar are highly philosophical & deep.Prof. Seiji Hino from Japan writes aptly about the poems ofMajumdar, 'They are pregnant with high philosophic insight likethe experienced old wise man's sayings.'

Selected Comments, (Page 31)

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He has tried marvellously and excellently in conveying highphilosophy in his three-lined haikus. Here one can mark out hisoutstanding craftmanship in poetry -

'Where are you going fast? Do we go anywhere at all Going follows coming. ' (Page 15)

****'Along edge of Time We do live a carefree life Accompanied with death. ' (Page 16)

****'All come sit beside The sea, and they get aged Ageless ripples shine. ' (Page 22)

****

In his ripe-maturity and indepth understanding into the deeperaspect of life is unique where the fusion of imagery andthoughtfulness is mingled and extemporized -

'Men never grows up Only he changes his toys With each spell of time. ' (Page 23)

At another place he discloses the dawn of poetry into earthwhen he says -

'Poetry trenscends when Incomplete reality fuses with Complete idealism. '

(Page 15)

And in the meantime, he exhorts -'Poets, Strange creatures Their hearts, most sensitive parts Lie outside their bodies. ' (Ibid)

He considers it too hard to be a poet in himself and admittingit, he pens -

'To be a poet I tried to be good, but

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It was too difficult. ' (Ibid)

But he acknowledges the power of love and hate and itsexpression, so he states -

'Sometimes our eyes say More than the speech of our lips In love or in hate. ' (Page 14)

Sometimes the poet is so intensified that he goes into thedeepest of philosophy of life and he himself says -

'Endure as a tree Silently, Patiently : We Live with unknown birds. ' (Page 17)

Similarly, Tagore observes 'Man truly lives in the life that isbeyond him. He toils for the unknown master, he stroves for theunborn.' (Tagore R.N., Tagore Birthday Booked. - Andrews, C.F.New Delhi Roopa & Co. d. 17 Jan.) Man is brittle & transcient, buthis works and compositions live & remain forever. Dr. Majumdaraccepts it finally -

'A life long journey Today is mine, tomorrow too My works are for ever. '

(Page 30)

Thus it is, undeniably admitted fact that the poetry ofMajumdar is a bouquet of multicolured roses and Jasmins filledwith the aroma of spirituality. His poems are all drenched in therain of spiritual ecstacy and transendental joys which makehim a poet of eternity and par excellence.

[ VOK; Vol. 6, Issue 1, Pg. 26 ]

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GOLDEN HORIZON :the slim collection of Haikus

by Dr. Sunita Jakhar

Poets can't resistinevitable blows of realitythey bleed through verses

(P-16), to drive this point home the poet Biplab Majumdarhas dedicated the slim collection of Haikus to the victims ofterrorism all over the world.

In the preface the poet introduces a traditional JapaneseHaiku-3 lined consisting 5-7-5 syllables structure. Poets with theirpoetic license have moulded its form to suit their need. The bookis a collection of experimental haikus on subjects of perceptualtruth and philosophy.

The first haiku is about the origin of Indian poetry and itsdepth :

Indian poetryspings from naturedeep spirituality.

Handling abstract topics like silence and love deftly the poetsays :

H Silence sleeps deathlesson the banks of riverwater of time flows.

H Sometimes our eyes saymore than the speach of our lipsin love or in hate.

H The violin of heartgets instantly alive withmagic touch of love.

H Children are not bornof love now, so there is muchscarcity of love.

The poet feels that defeated persons are weak and light likethe dry leaves which can be blown with a whiff :

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Defeated personsof day today life blown awaywith withered leaves.

An apt picture of marriages in today's context where there isa question mark :

The marriage is overparents are happy, anxious for everwho knows when bad news comes.

A down-to-earth approach of short lived joys :Joys are like dewdropsthey fall, evaporate againa long dryness there.

The lucid haikus appeal to the mind and heart through simplewords and make the reader ponder over the poets venture intovarious themes. The ambiguous title 'Golden Horizon' about whichone doesn't know whether it is sunrise or sunset ; We hope thatthe present Golden Horizon is a sunrise which would lead to along-long day.

[ VOK; Vol. 7, Issue 1, Pg. 25 ]

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ISLAND'S DOLPHIN SONG :a poetry par excellence

by Purnima RayPoet Biplab Majumdar's Island's Dolphin Song is a slim

volume of twenty-five thoughtful and suggestive poems. He is nota new name in the arena of Indian English poetry, but widelypublished in India and abroad as well as recognised well with hisseventy books on literary works and fifty literary awards. At thesame time he contributes to Indian Literature by editing the Bengalimagazine Sahitya Utsav and the English one Voice of Kolkata.

Poet Majumdar's poems are very suggestive andthoughtful. As he chooses the free verse to express himselfthere is a spontaneous flow of emotion loaded with powerfulmeaning, so there is current as well as speed to move thereaders to take part in it with his thoughtfulness and feelings, toconcentrate, and to be associated with all this process.

The first poem 'In dreamy lone midnight' sets the readersto think as to why the poet chooses the 'midnight' hour, and onegets the answer because it is the prime time to be 'dreamy' as wellas to be thoughtful :

' In dreamy lone midnight with stained moon a sparking stream flows from life to death in vast expanse of meadow's stillness .... '

A 'sparkling stream' is a symbol of vibrant Nature, wherethere's movement and vivacity, yet the poet reminds us theinevitable truth as it 'flow / from life to death', and it is here the poetdiffers from common humans, and at the same time the poet andthe readers get united in their realm of thoughtfulness. The poet isa seeker after 'Truth' and 'Beauty', so he is moving alone:

' .... At moonlit night I get crazy, move alone with loneliness in fields and forests .... '

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but he overcomes his craziness, and realizes :

' .... Empty I am, destitute break repeatedly in defencelessness as the moon of the twelfth lunar day at dark fortnight breaks into pieces upon lapis-lazuli water .... '

and we must say that this poet is thoroughly watchful, and rationalas he cannot overlook the facts based on science. At one momentthe poet finds that he has not the full control over himself, over hisprocess of thinking :

'.... Someone dips me ruthlessly into your dreadful dreams I break repeatedly in defencelessness .... '

Here 'someone' is important, and we shall meet this'someone' again and again later --- 'someone' who is invisible yetpowerful. The process stumbles at the thought of vastness of theunlimited 'sea' and 'the sky' :

' Only sea is the proper answer to sky Between these two blues I fly away as pollens, great uproar of blue within heart .... '

The poet becomes spiritual with his rational frame of minds.The line 'only sea is the proper answer to sky' establishes theinevitable relation between the Creator and the Creation, andvastness is their only similarity. The following lines :

'.... Bunch of white clouds move carelessly throughout the day waves of frothy dreams get wounded incessently by delicate wind .... '

suggest that mind overpowers body. That is why ---

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'.... sea-gulls fly with humid wings waves of frothy dreams get wounded incessently by delicate wind. '

its wings get 'humid' because of experience, experience of realisinginfinity, experience of truth. So the poet says :

'.... Between vastness of sea and sky somewhere lies the endless wisdom of history, some genuine conversations confusedly bustling mind in the blows of waves .... '

we can say that the poet is successful at the outset of his 'journeytowards truth and beauty'.

In the next poem 'Expectation' the poet becomesphilosophical :

'.... Pebbles too have no past like time, nor have they stories of tomorrow, .... '

yet he becomes optimistic :

'.... Perhaps pebbles are in the promise of crimson dawn .... '

and he shows us the way :

'.... I get down the slop, uphill in front of me, let us look for the rest of the night, if we find anything .... '

and makes us believe :

'.... Believe, someday the dawn will be ours and our favourite pebbles would be bright in enough unworldliness. '

We should notice the word 'unworldliness', and hesuggests that there is light in it. When the poet says in 'The Raysof Truth' :

'.... A terrible vow became muscular gradually In every bones

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A stony promise picks up a burning charcoal in his fist of consciousness .... '

it suggests how a fit of self-realization works and demonstratesitself and emanates the 'rays of truth'. The poet knows that truthwill overcome and he writes :

'.... Pandavas will return someday to come to terms of their states. '

(Kurukshetra Ahead)

In the 'Last Night' he faces himself, his innervoice askingthe meaning of his existence as a poet :

' Last night my surrounding four walls with what an endless white ridicule! .... '

As the brain controls all the parts of the body, the mindcontrols the body, so in this age of devaluation of values assuggesting by 'decaying bones', all is not lost or decayed, so thewords full of wisdom and relating to value try their last effort tostrike to the sensitive mind :

'.... words get vanquished, step by step on decaying bones, they come up to the depth of skull .... '

in order to restore humanity, love and peace in the world :

'.... wish to extinguish all the burning candles of selfishness with a single puff '

Like Baudelaire's Albatros, poet Majumdar's 'Sea-gulls'are :

'.... hovering over the water-shed of affliction under the sun in midday .... '

(Within water-shed)

in the atmospher of

'.... conviction and doubt are twisting

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in violent wind ..... '

'Sea-gulls' here represent the large-hearted good-souls,yet the poet sees that there is scope for repairing :

'.... Standing with outcast grief Blue even above the head.

'Om' is a beautiful poem, where the poet stresses on theimportance of the sound, not on the word, for in the language ofthe sound there is universal appeal, perhaps it has the solo-meaning, while a word has several meanings. So 'Om' is not aword, but a sound, and its appeal is enormous :

' Converging all sounds the resounding OM, words hang on it Numerous ducklings towards the call of bran .... '

'Numerous ducklings' symbolise people of the worldspeaking in different languages, when the 'call of bran' is thedevotion towards God, human's ultimate goal. The poet describeshis agony as a poet through a powerful image :

'.... The emptiness of a cage without birds was swaying within my heart, I proceeded a bit to West as the sun .... '

(Dead Birds)

and expresses his helplessness and futility as a poet :

'.... My incomplete inauspicious verses lost their words, rhythm, language being attacked by an incurable disease And all of my bloodless dreams lay before their feet as dead birds .... '

(Dead Birds)

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The poem 'Friends' beautifully depicts the friendless society,and sets before us an irony :

'.... Under this inauspicious hour who live with pressing jaws, are all my F R I E N D S. '

We should also notice the letters of the words 'friends' areplaced separately suggesting the broden friendship having noimtimacy, faith and love, and also it is important that it is the poetwho remembers them and wants to reunite them with one another.The poet can compose a Love-poem only when the world,particularly Nature is in action, only when there is a healthyenvironment, when there is spontaneity in Nature :

' A bright song comes up from the roaring stream, extinct bluish flows in marrow A flight of parrots in sky, they plunge into the depth of dreams Hearts of lovers bloom in lotus-excitement .... '

(A Love-Poem)

The poem 'A Picture' symbolically depicts the struggle ofa creative artist, the process of creativity and the final stage :

' All day long I have been chased In the wood as a shattered stag .... .... ....

A tiny spot on the lips of poem, soft breasts of a bird touch its warmth .... .... ....

Someone moves the chin of time, surprising violate light upon the dazzling face of dream At last all the tragic clouds vanish to blue.

'A shattered stag' is important, beacause it suggests the

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latent talent of a creative person is comparable to the stagunconscious of having musk within itself. 'A Canvas' is also abeautiful poem. Here the poet is optimistic, his attitude towardslife as well as towards religion is positive :

'.... A soft enticing sunset of 21st centry waits patiently .... '

 He informs us that the true spirituality has its good effect :

' The echoes of churchbells vibrate in the lonesome olive valley .... '

He again emphasizes that Nature also plays a key role inthis matter :

'.... Freezed stillness in heart, startles at the call of squirrels, festivity of birds .... '

and it is when a true boon comes before us :

'.... Suddenly a shower of flowers .... '

He sings a paean of the woman who adds beauty to beautifulNature :

'.... At this magic moment a teen-age girl comes into the canvas with a marvellous drizzling pose. '

The poet believes in action, but he does not find normalrhythm in the activities of the world of Nature in the poem 'StillAlive' :

' Pages turn over day by day, tune of untruth in the murmur of water ---

A neglected afternoon drops with faded dry leaves All known alphabets are spreaded around .... '

'An Afternoon' is 'neglected', because no good work is done, andthere is not any proper utilisation of time. In the poem 'Let's set

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fire' poet Majumdar regrets that time is passing uselessly :

' One more topaz afternoon goes down the hill waving hands towards us .... .... ....

Time gets aged gradually with constant chatting .... '

The poet makes us cautious that there is everything we needbefore us, yet we are inactive :

'.... Shapeless white clustered clouds with wild smell are coming up from the plains Still we are unmoved .... '

He kindles fire into our heart :

'.... A deep darkness in expectation, when we say, come, let us set fire a bit. '

We should remember that 'fire' is not only a life-giving forcebut also a symbol of knowledge, yet the optimistic poet can seethat everything is not lost :

'.... An elongated silence rolls in this exotic ether Destitution of immersion on the waves floats away far with distant boats The rare heart of dusk gently trembles sticking to the pricky thistle of time .... '

and he becomes positive :

'.... The immediately extinguished smoke I am, with a dream of dazzling dawn still alive intensely at darkest hour nearby the island. '

And in this perspective the poem 'Somone in the garden at

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midnight' is very important and very suggestive. The very firstlines suggest that nobody or nothing is denied God's mercy :

' Pebbles in the garden are being drenched in torrential downpour at midnight, someone else is there .... '

Obviously 'someone' here is the Creator of the Universe :

'.... Innocence sleeps in compact crowd side by side purpose of dream knows him His eyes are sleepless, only endless aspiration of Leonardo is there, .... '

We should notice that 'pebbles' are being drenched externally.The poet suggests also that there is no end of longing and for that'He' has to be reincarnated. He convincingly declares :

'.... He is well-known to the poets, much familiar to poems .... '

because this all-powerful Creator is full of poetry. We see in 'Songsof yellow Season' that Nature is fated or ordained by God to dosome good work, but failed to complete its mission. The mostthoughtful lines in this poem are :

'.... Nothingness is no broken voice of death, she herself shivers at the sound of fallen-leaf .... '

suggesting even 'death' expects some maturity. But the optimisticpoet in the midst of all this can compose 'songs of yellow seasonand love' :

'.... From white bone of words rises up the sandal background of poetry .... '

for he knows that this 'love' can make yellow into green. 'Yellow'is yet not the colour of the 'fallen leaf', of ageing, but also'fruitfulness'.

'Our Colourful Stories' is a beautiful poem, wherein the storyof by-gone age and the story of a 'colourful' (suggesting full of

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incidents) life are mixed up together, and the realization is well-expressed through a fine imagery :

'.... faded light of afternoon on the faces of you and me spreaded they are as the particles of sugar-candy, smithereens of a windscreen smashed by accident lying on the asphalt of the road. '

The poet makes us remember that love is still alive in thiscolourless age :

' The love of restaurant remaining still today in the gum-sticky curtains .... '

and he believes that Nature remains natural for this :

'.... That's why the sun rises even today, goes down to the west green buds bloom sporadically in joy .... '

The title-poem 'Island's Dolphin Song' is the optimisticpoet's call to us :

'.... Spellbound sunrays will create magic upon the crystal water, if you come back once, just for once. '

for he believes that Nature is natural till now, and the "amorphousthousand hands of air didn't say you goodbye". 'A lonely dolphin'is the poet himself who alone fights for the belief in Truth, Love,Freedom' etc. and encourages people to live for a meaningful life.We should remember that the French poet Baudelaire's 'Albatros'is also a lonely sea-bird and feels uncomfortable in this world full

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of meanness. In the 'Wintry River' the poet recalls the 'Nightbirds- calls' when 'silence is ruptured'. At wintry 'sleepless night' thepoet remains awake, not only that he comes 'beside the bank ofthe loving river of my heart'; this 'loving river' is nothing but thepoet's sensitive and creative soul to enlighten and kindle theconscience and hearts of the people respectively. That's why hesays :

'.... Scorched-wing I am, blue in dedication, daringly flown away from sky to sky. '

(Towards Sky)

How beautiful and poetic these lines are :

'.... white shore of sand sleeps beside her as a trusted boy-friend, formless deadbodies of memories move on the wings of chilled fog, all the loving faces get soaked In bluish moonlight, sensitive souls are broken into thousand pieces .... '

(Wintry River)

I hope that the above discussion should justify the title ofthis article and place poet Biplab Majumdar as a poet parexcellence.

Purnima Ray is a noted poet and sensitive review writer of thishour. She teaches in Burdwan University, W.B.

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Prof. Kurt F. Svatek (AUSTRIA)

Prof. Kurt F. Svatek was born 1949 in Vienna, he lived and workednearly for four decades in southern Lower Austria, and then hereturned with his family to his native town.

He has made a name for himself as an author for a longtime, publishing 44 books of fiction and poetry, several pamphletson aspects of philology and one schoolbook. His texts were featuredin 204 anthologies and 577 magazines and periodicals all overthe world and translated into a lot of foreign languages. The authoris member of the World Advisory Board of the journals PoetsInternational (Madras/Chennai), Replica (Cuttack) and Voice ofKolkata (Calcutta), Ambassador of Eternity (all India) and ArtAdvisor of The World Poets Quarterly (China).

He has been awarded honors, prizes and distinctions (a totalof 141) by Austria, England, France, Italy, Greece, Japan, India,

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Israel, China, Brazil, Korea, Spain, Hong Kong, Mongolia andUSA, has been repeatedly proposed for the Nobel Prize inLiterature and in Peace by proponents from India and China andvoted the best international poet of the year (2005, 2006, 2007,2008) by several literary periodicals. He is honorary professor,honorary doctor of literature and a corresponding member ofnumerous academies. In 2005 he was selected "International Manof the Year in recognition of his services to Literature". He hasbeen appointed a „Consular Representative of the United CulturalConvention"(USA) and Senator for life of the World NationsCongress. In 2003 he was awarded the International Peace Prizeby the United Cultural Convention and 2004 the Olympic Medalof Peace in Athens. The journal of World Poets Quarterly (China)selected him as the international best poet of the year 2005, theEnglish Poetic Circle in West Sussex as the best poet of the years2006 and 2008, the Indian magazine Voice of Kolkata 2008 as thepoet of this issue. In 2010 he received also the World Poetry Prizefor "Distinguished Poet" sponsored by Dr. CHOI Lai Sheung (HongKong) and the Hangchon Culture Prize (Korea). A symposium onhis works was held in Sringar (Bangalore, India) 2009.

Kurt F. Svatek is a member of the Austrian Centre ofInternational P.E.N., the London Diplomatic Academy („FounderDiplomatic Counsellor"), the Academy Thea Athina (Athens), theInternational Society of Poets (USA), the International Writersand Artists Association (USA), the International Forum for theLiterature and Culture of Peace (Haifa), the WAAC / WorldAcademy of Arts and Culture / Hangchon Culture Foundation (Member of the Executive Board, Seoul, Korea) and of The Cove /Rincón International (USA). Corresponding Member of theAccademia Tiberina (Rome, Italy), the Nova Academia MomentoLítero Cultural, Brasil or the World Academy of Letters (USA)and member of many other literary organizations in Austria,Germany, Switzerland, England, Italy, Greece, India, China, Israel,Korea, Canada and in the USA. The International Poetry for PeaceAssociation appointed him as its Coordinator for Europe.

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Biplab Majumdar : A Poet OfBeauty And Excellence

Biplab Majumdar is a well known excellent poet and editorof the international Journal ' Voice of Kolkata and the Bengalijournal Sahitya Utsav. His Poems were published in 22languages and he received a lot of prestigious awards.

Somebody who holds this book in his hands will be putin a cheerful mood. Because the cover page shows a lonelyisland with palm trees and with a white sand beach, nestledbetween the blue of sky and the blue of sea. (Quotation frompage-8 - Waves of dreams : Only the sea is the properanswer to sky). Who would not like to spend some time aloneor with whomever.

An Island is any piece of land smaller than a continentand larger than a rock completely surrounded by water. Verysmall island are also called islets . Although seldom adhered to,it is also proper to call an emergent land feature on an atoll anislet, since an atoll is a type of island.

There are different types of Islands. An island can beformed by a raging river ; It can be surrounded by a quit lakeor by the breakers of the roaring sea. In all cases an islandcan withstand the raging floods for a long time. So an islandcan also be an oasis amidst the throbbing time and resist theoften too superficial spirit of the times. The own home may bean island in everyday life.

But there exists also prison islands not only for the bodybut also for the mind. Another type is the volcanic island, builtby volcanoes and often not part of any continent or thoseformed over volcanic hot spots. That's meant of course alsosymbolical.

This is the world in which Biplab Majumdar wants toabduct us mentally.

So it's evident that the author describes in the forewordhis way from writing structured verses to write more andmore free verses. By all the due respect to structured verse inthe age of liberalism he will also free the world of words from

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chains as Pablo Neruda, Mathew Arnold or so many otherfamous poets have done who feel more comfortable in freeverse as in the perfect blend of intellect and mechanical artisticwork. It really does not correspond to our busy time to expressthoughts and feelings only in such a disciplined form becausethe world is far away - and was always far away- from beingdisciplined, peaceful or simply said kept in order.

So it can't have happened by chance that the last poem,titled India, under the grip of terrorism (page-32) is turnedtowards terrorism remembering the awful terror attacks inMumbai 2008.

The cut hand of security cries bitterlyBeneath the demolishing pandemoniumBlusted jeeps and buses to and fro;Blood-soaked hands and legs, cut headsFiesta of thousand bones, bloody heartsJump in airStill the historic genius of our livingTriumphs as a soaring phoenix

I remembered reading these lines to the bloody attempton the life of gurus in a Sikh temple in Vienna in spring 2009probably by Sikhs of another sects or with other dogmas thatproduced also disturbances in a part of India.

What can we put forward ? Peaceableness, religiousfreedom, tolerance, cooperation and sympathy or to supportpeace and .love with poetry as Biplab Majumdar and manyother poets did, at the beginning in the last century the AustrianNobel prize winner for peace Bertha Von Suttner with herbook against war yet before first world war. But we all have tohope to be a bit more successful as she was. Only the worlddoes not look accordingly.

Biplab Majumdar :

With the difference of caste, creed andReligion my mother cannot sleep peacefullyEven for a night……

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But he is also confident (A picture, page -20)..….

At last all the tragic cloudsVanish to blue.

One of the remarkable features of the author is both his hardwork on the poems and his self-criticism coupled with the feelingof his own value. So he selected from a mountain of written poemsonly 25 for this book. Surely with the result to offer timeless quality,to connect best possible form and sound, truth and dreams,philosophy and reality, darkness and colour, thoughtfulness andzest for life, and to show us the way to a life rich in content and inlove.

An island can be solitary and lonely in the nearly endlessocean or live with a lot of sisters and brothers. All that definite thecharacter: or charming, to be prepared and forearmed or openand free. But in all cases if you were once there you will comeback surely as the dolphins and the sea-gulls do.

Spell-bound sunrays will create magicUpon the crystal water, ifYou come back once,Just forOnce.

(Island's Dolphin Song, page-28)

All great poets are singing of ethics and morals in humanlife, work for present day humankind, for peace, internationalunderstanding, international cooperation and peace. Their poemsare mostly pregnant with high philosophical instinct like theexperienced, old and wise men's and women's sayings, just asBiplab Majumdar is doing.

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Bernard M. Jackson (ENGLAND)

Bernard M. Jackson, a retired teacher, is a notable English poetand international writer of repute. As a review writer, many of hisappraisals have been published in India, the U.K., Australia, theU.S.A., Greece and Korea.

Formerly a prominent member of CINQUE PORTS POETS(Sussex, England) he was later appointed its secretary by Founder-member, Dame Stella Browning.

BMJ has also been awarded membership of the American-based INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WRITERS ANDARTISTS (Blufton, Ohio - U.S.A.) and is a recipient of the GoldMedallion Award, together with Fellowship of the Temple of ArtsAcademy, New Zealand. His poems have a number of times featuredin THIS ENGLAND and EVERGREEN magazines, besides being

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extensively published in WRITERS' FORUM and in many othermagazine publications. He is Articles Editor for QUANTUM LEAPpoetry magazine (Scotland) and principal review writer for REACHPOETRY (Leics., - England). For several years now, he hasofficiated as Adviser to NORFOLK POETS AND WRITERS(Norwich - England) and is a member of THE SALOPIAN POETRYSOCIETY (Shropshire - England).

BMJ's work in India is rather more widespread. He is U.K.Adviser and close working associate with METVERSE MUSE(Visakhapatnam - India), and review writer for a number of otherhigh profile Indian magazines. He has recently been named CRITICOF THE YEAR by the INTERNATIONAL POETRY SOCIETY OFKOLKATA.

Six of his poetry collections have been, in recent years,published in the U.K.

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VIRTUES & VICES : it is a veritablecelebration of life itself

' Man can change his own destiny He is powerful, not at all powerless, With a strong Faith in his heart Can he change life by His grace. '

(Biplab Majumdar)

Perhaps one of the greatest identifying differences betweenEnglish poetry written by an Indian poet and that which has actuallybeen written by an English poet, is that the Indian poet is ofteninclined to write with a higher spiritual intent and, what is more,such high-minded poetry is generally more readily acceptable tohis enlightened circle of readers. This is not to say that Englishpoets do not produce poetry of a spiritual nature. Frequently theymay, indeed, do so, but as regards to publications, religious poetryis very much regarded as a specific genre in the U. K., and fewpoetry magazines allow for its inclusion. How delightful, then, tobe presented with such an inspired, thought-provoking collectionof spiritual verses written by an eminent Indian poet and editor,who has won such acclaim as an International writer, and whoseextensive works have already been translated into quite a numberof languages.

'VIRTUES & VICES', A handbook of sensitively composedspiritual maxims is presented in a well-developed series ofquatrains, whose topics cover such titles as : Life, Discipline,Humility, Truth, Patriotism, Commonsense, Courtesy, Peace etc.- While, conversely, the poet examines such occasions as : Anger,Greed, Fear, Hatred, Idleness, Desire, Violence - and a numberof other such issues. As an English poet, I have always beenfascinated by the poetry of my Indian brother-poets. There arenoticeable differences in syntax and figures of speech, however,and sometimes in grammatical agreement, too, but on the otherand hand, the Indian poet generally makes maximum use of theresources to hand, and his deployed imagery is quite startling andresoundingly effective. Biplab, time and time again, exemplifiesthese finer qualities :

' Love is considered a beautiful bouquet

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Where humility, friendship and tolorance Uniformly smile as colourful flowers To fill the world with sweet fragrance.

(LOVE)  As the above verse patiently shows, Biplab is a poet at

the very heart of the matter. At no time does he resort to anyform of obscurity in his verses; and it should ever be bornein mind that the very essence of genius is to be bound inSimplicity, itself. Coincidentally, there is a poem include here onthe theme of Simplicity, wherein he tells us :

' A soul with perfect wisdom Possesses love and true gentleness, mercy makes one gracefully simple And he rises above all meanness. '

(SIMPLICITY)This is a collection that may be opened at any page,

for truly this work, in its entirety, is imbued with an underlyingtenderness of spirit, which is the very main-spring of itsuniversal appeal. We need poets like Biplab Majumdar tobridge those gulfs that exist between the major religions ofthe world, and in this context, Biplab poses the question :

' Why do we go to Mecca, Medina? Why do we go to Varanashi? Better we should delve into us Only Truth can provide ecstasy. '

(TRUTH)Indeed, the whole of his poem, 'TRUTH', which flows like

a beautiful stream throughout its eleven sparkling verses, is redolentwith the sheer joy of Living. Here I feel I should mention that thoughof a different religious persuasion, I wholeheartedly embraced thewisdom contained within these superb quatrains, especially wherethe poet maintains that :

' For revelation of sublime truth A man needs his moral perfection. To acquire truth, must practise it. Truth is the religion of all religions. '

(TRUTH).... And that final line, 'Truth is the religion of all religions',

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simple in context but infinitely powerful in concept and decree,seems to epitomise the full force of this inspired writer's work. It isin the common sharing of these precepts that true brotherhoodbetween the nations is to be forged in future generations. Let theworld in general be made aware that our enlightened poets,regardless of creed, nationality, caste or social distinction, are themajor trail-blazers in a world crying out for Peace, Justice andEqual Opportunities.

The concluding section of Biplab's collection dealswith vices; and here again, his approach is entirely positive.Rather than dwelling upon the sordid manifestations of suchmatters, he has left such details to the Tabloid Press, known theworld over for such indulgences. Instead, he has directed us backtowards the welcome path of Righteousness, as in his poem,'FRUSTRATION', where he wisely advises :

' In order to arrest the vice of frustration One must trace back to its source, His inherent strength, Faith, must be reinforced Should form an inner balanced disposition. '

The poet's fine use of simile and metapphor is here againseen much in evidence. Selfishness, he avers, is 'like a desertedsea-beach', a fine simile. Metaphorically, he also excels as hestates that 'A man who thinks for self alone / Lives in a self-madeglass capsule'. And again, within the same poem, he emphaticallystates that Selfishness 'that unholy hidden rat ....' As always,whenever I read such a great spiritual work, I instinctivelyturn to examine the final poem in the collection. What, Iwondered, would be his final thoughts" - And I can truly saythat I was not to be disappointed in my quest. The final poemcontained four verses on the theme of VIOLENCE, and in his finalverse, Biplab Majumdar leaves us with this hauntingly memorableplea :

' Violence celebrates the festival of blood Can demolish the world within a day, The violin of violence should be seized Let us all unite to stop its play. '

(VIOLENCE)In commending this lovely collection to a greater circle of

readers, let me remind critics, review-writers and poetry-lovers

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everywhere that 'VIRTUES & VICES' by Biplab Majumdar, Poetand Founder-Member of INTERNATIONAL POETRY SOCIETYOF KOLKATA, is not just another poetry collection, it is a veritablecelebration of Life itself.

--- Read and enjoy. It has been a great privilege to beallowed to review this book.

[ VOK; Vol. 3, Issue 1, Pg. 29 ]

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MERA BHARAT MAHAN :an anthology of poems

" For we are guardians who must strive to see That we preserve our hard-own liberty Restoring concord, and ending strife, In every sphere of national life. "

Dr. Louella lobo Prabhu (KARNATAKA)

India is much more than merely a vast land with great political,economic and cultural potential, she is virtually a sub-continent, amassive united nation endowed with extensive resources that willone day enable her to become a super-power and leader in thefields of Peace, Justice and Brotherhood in the world at large.When India finally achieved her independence from the British (herformer Colonial rulers), the relinquishing of control by Britain waseffected with the greatest of amicability so that true bonds offriendship were fostered and encouraged between our two nationsin the ensuing years. Perhaps the most important part of the legacywe British left behind was the English language, itself; for it mustbe remembered that India being a nation of several majorlanguages, the adoption of the English language has proved to bemost beneficial in all matters of Governmental legislation andinternational commerce; also in medical science and in all areas

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of educational development. Furthermore, schools and universitiesthroughout India readily accept and appreciate the approvedclassical writings of notable English novelists and poets, so thatwe now share a common literary heritage. But it must ever beemphasised and entirely borne in mind that though the Indian writermay choose to write in English, his thoughts, ancestral motivations,political perceptions and spiritual concepts are essentially Indian.

Biplab Majumdar (Editor of Voice of Kolkata), a tirelessinternational worker for world peace, has within his worthypublication, 'MERA BHARAT MAHAN', gathered together thework of a number of prominent Indian writers, ablycomplemented with the poems of well-known internationalsupportive poets happy to be included in this prestigiousshared anthology. Many readers will be impressed to discoverwill be impressed to discover here ( page 10) a delightful offeringby His Excellency, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the President ofIndia. Proof, if any were indeed required, of how smoothly India'sdemocratic process can work for the good of the community as awhole. Dr. Kalam's poem, 'GRATITUDE', an allegoricalrepresentation of Man's special relationship with God reminds usthat we must ever pay due respect and thanksgiving to ourCreator, the Father of us all. Several of the Indian poets, soincluded, have expressed sadness and disappointment that India,their motherland, has not matched up to her true potential in theyears since independence was declared:

" The world's biggest democracy Is almost slipping into oligarchy. Let us put an end to the rule of a few; Keeping Democratic spirit in view, our laws need a through review. "

INDIA -by R. A. JanakiramanWeighed against this phlegmatic response, there are poems

filled with the unquenchable flame of patriotic spirit and sentiment :" Unique is my motherland Unique her shining soul unique are India's ideals unique the spiritual role. "

UNIQUE IS MY MOTHERLANDby Jayanta Bhattacharjee (WEST BENGAL)

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It would seem that the death of Mahatma Gandhi, in the mid-twentieth century has had far-reaching effects that are acutely felteven to this day, yet India is a great and wonderful nation, andever shall remain so.

In his concise introduction, Dr. Biplab Majumdar extends awarm welcome to a number of notable international poets whosepoems appear by special invitation. As the editor generouslymaintains, it is important that friends from abroad should be includedin an anthology of this nature for, as with any auspicious celebration,honoured guests are ever to be made welcome. It must be bornein mind, of course that the included international poets (from 11other countries) have, in the main, opted to write on other subjects,but the importance of their presence and sterling support isimmeasurable. Here you will find 4 finely conceived poems in theSitigotyo mode, by Japanese poet, Dr. Kazuyosi Ikeda; there arepoems, too, by Prof. Joy B. Cripps (Australia), Dr. Rosemary C.Wilkinson (U. S. A), Patricia Prime (New Zealand) and severalother well-known poets, myself included.

As an international review writer, I am very impressed bythe tremendous effort that has been devoted to the preparation ofthis worthy publication, and in that same context, I am doubly proudto be featurned alongside His Excellency the President of Indiaand fellow-poets who have so ably participated in this fine venture.

[ VOK; Vol. 5, Issue 1, Pg. 26 ]

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Patricia Prime (NEWZEALAND)

Patricia Prime, is co-editor of the New Zealand haiku magazine,Kokako, review editor of Haibun Today, and writes reviews forTakahe, Gusts and Atlas Poetica, and for several Indian magazines,Simply Haiku, Haibun Today, Stylus and for several print journals.

Patricia writes the Japanese short forms of poetry haiku,tanka, haibun and tanka prose and has published her poetryworldwide. She has also nominated tanka for the Take FiveAnthologies 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011. Her poems, interviews andreviews were published in the World Poetry Almanac (Mongolia)in 2009, 2010 and 2011. She is a member of GIEWEC (India) andis on the Advisory Board of New Fiction Journal (India).

She has interviewed several poets and editors for Takaheand for the online magazines.

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VIRTUES & VICES : an excellentmanoeuvre of human values

'The timeless quality that makes the best of BiplabMajumdar's work is due in part to careful attention to formand sound. Each poem is tuned to the ear in a way that makesthem ideal to be learnt by heart, form the subtle assoance of'Humility', the conventional end-rhyme of pieces such as 'Faith',or the formal lyrical construction of the collection's many songs.

This is consistent with Majumdar's use of imagery, whichlargely avoids ornate metaphor or convoluted description. Thenatural imagery is uncomplicated, e.g. eyes 'get wet', and a colourfulflower 'may be beautiful'.

Aphorisms fall thick and fast : 'human life is a long journey'.'simplicity is a ratre virtue' and 'maturity demands we live in thepresent'. The permanence of the land and, by comparison, thetransience of existence, is a theme given a bittersweet treatmentin many of the poems.

Take the world we live in 'Creativity', for instance :' The world where we live in today All of it were immersed in thoughts, The superb minds with creative rays Shaped the world, everything brought. '

Or the eternally graceful face of 'Gracefulness', or faith,which is 'the best of friends' and thrives long after the crossing of'the human border'.

These are poems about virtues, as in 'Optimism'.' To cross the hurdles of our life Optimism puts a greater fight, Handles stresses with better grip It makes the burden easy and light. '

The emotional response to the many virtues (and vices)represented in this collection is itself changeable, however. Thenatural world is insensible to human emotion, bloodless and beyondpersonification. Yet at the same time :

' The world where a man does stay

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That is sustained by his society, The dues he owes must repay That is called a man's 'duty'. '

An abiding affection for humanity is also a theme of 'Virtues& Vices' in which the physical experience of existing within thelandscape is championed over the internalised landscape of themind. Actuality wins out over the labours of the human imagination,and it is here that Majumdar's approach diverges from the romantictradition.

It would be impossible to discuss Majumdar's manoeuvrewithout dwelling on the poems in the latter half of the book, thosedealing with vice. These poems are characterised by acontemplation of the world of fallen humanity, finding truth incommon emotions and experiences, often recorded in Majumdar'scase by aphorisms and vignettes. This technique is welldemonstrated in the poem 'Greed'.

Majumdar alludes to philosophical dilemmas, from the manwho 'succeeds in any field' ('Failure') to the clash of religious andethical traditions in 'Lying'.

The poet has evolved an economy in style that is admirablydemonstrated in his superbly controlled vignettes. The poemsare characterised by the eternal themes of memory, loss andthe inevitability of change, and they also ask questions. Thereare self-referential moments, too, where the poet questionsthe nature of humanity and the purpose of life, as in 'Desire'.

' Desire is known the prime factor That drives a man into strife, Desire alone is the dearest mother Of anything that comes to our lives. '

Majumdar's highly crafted poetic technique makes thisan accomplished and valuable contribution to poetry. This isan attractively presented book that will make a welcome additionto many bookshelves.

[ POET; Vol. 42, No. 8 ]

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Prof. Kazuyosi Ikeda (JAPAN)

Prof. Dr. Kazuyosi Ikeda D.Sc., D.Litt., DDG, IOM, LFWLA,LPIBA, MOIF has been repeatedly nominated for Nobel Prize inLiterature from different corners of the globe.

He was a Professor of Theoretical Physics at OsakaUniversity and a Poet. He was born on 15 July 1928.

Professor Ikeda is active and has various responsibilitiesin numerous organisations, including New York Academy ofSciences, Modern Poets Society (board member), WorldParnassians Guild International (honorary director),Confederation of Chivalry (Grand Council), AccademiaFerdinandea di Scienze, Letiere ed Arti (academician of honour),Maison Internationable des Intellectuals (senator), AccademiaInternationale Trinacria Lettere-Arte-Scienze (academician ofmerit), National and Professors-Students Coalitions for Unificationof North South East West (chairman, Osaka Branches), OlympoetryMovement (honorary founder, representative of Japan), Council

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of the States for Protection of Life (Senator and Ministerplenipotentiary for Asian States), International Parliament forSafety and Peace (Senator, Minister plenipotentiary for Japan)and the London Diplomatic Academy (founding member).

For outstanding contributions to theoretical physics andpoetry, he is listed in over 40 International biographical volumes,Including 20 dedication sections. His numerous distinctions includeChevalier Grand Cross, Golden Academy Award for LifetimeAchievement, 20th Century Achievement Award, Catania Prize,Pandit Prize, International Commendation of Success in theProfession of Science and Poetry, Cultural Doctroate in PoeticalLiterature, Outstanding Scientist of the 20th Century, AlbertEinstein Academy Award for Outstanding Achievement,International Order of Merit, World Laureate, Netaji SubhashChandra Bose National Award for Excellence in the field of Poetryand Environmental Sciece, Prize Oscar 2000, Grand Prize ofauthor, International Literary Prize "Libro d" Oro", InternationalArtistic-Literary Prize of Primavera Catanase, International Medalfor Scientific Excellence, Man of the Year 2001, Global Peace andFriendship Award, Greatest Minds of the 21st Century Award,Lifetime Achievement Award. D.Litt. (hon), Dr EnvironmentalScience (hon), and titles of Grand Ambassador of Achievemnet,Interational Man of the Millennium. Knight of the Templar 'Order,Knight of the Lofsensto Ursinius Order, Knight of the Holy GrailOrder, Knight of the Universal Knights Order, Knight of the SanCiriaco Order and Knight of the Year 1995, International Writersand Artists Association, Outstanding Man of the 20th Century,Best World Poet of the Year and Poet of the Millennium, Voice ofKolkata Award, 2003, India, besides being inducted into the WorldWho's Who Hall of Fame and others.

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VIRTUES & VICES : a superbpoetry book, singing of ethics

and morals in human lifeAn amazingly significant, impressive and brilliant book of

poetry has appeared in front of us. It is the book titled 'Virtues &Vices' written by Biplab Majumdar.

That title itself is unique and attractive; it means both thebright and dark sides of the spiritual essence of human life, andgives the reader a mental impulse of gravity and of solemnity andat the same time an intense desire to read the book immediately.

The first poem titled 'Life' is the most important one,governing the whole spirit of the book. The first, second and laststanzas of the poem, consisting of five stanzas, are as follows :

' Accept life as a precious gift From the hand of Supreme Power, You can achieve a great wonder Love your life, have an affair ..... Human life is a long journey From ignorance to eternal light, Against hatred, anger, greed Life should keep on constant fight ..... A life-long quest to know oneself To find integrity of inner soul Liberty is the essence of life And salvation is the final goal. '

The fundamental bases of the poet's thoughts are thereligious belief that human life, which is very precious, is a giftfrom the supreme God, and the ethical idea that man should loveand esteem his own life. These are the most important principlesunderlying human life in this world, which run through the whole ofthe book. Majumdar considers life to be continual progress from alow level to a high one of human virtues and to be severe fightsagainst various vices, such as hatred, anger and greed. He regardslife as a very long journey of knowing oneself towards the goal ofperfection and salvation of one's soul. The above is the highest-level recognition of human life from both the religious and ethicalstandpoints, and the poet sings of this sublime idea with the use

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of rhythmic and beautiful words. Thus the reader's mind becomesfull of highly sacred spirit, strongly emotional feelings and deeplyintelligent thoughts.

The book is divided into two parts, Virtues and Vices. Inthe poems in these parts, various examples of the virtues, on thebright side of life, and the vices, on the dark side of life, whichhave been mentioned in the first poem 'life' as things to be attainedand as things to be rejected, respectively, are sung movingly andenchantingly with refined poetical words.

The part one (Virtues) contains tolerance, memory,discipline, willpower, simplicity, courage, mind, humility,confidence, character, work, silence, honesty, victory, creativity,righteousness, truth, patriotism, joy, maturity, respect,commonsense, success, love, self-revolution, kindness, charity,cheerfulness, equanimity, courtesy, thinking, divinity, actions,peace, service, gratitude, freedom, enthusiasm, decision,friendship, education, prayer, optimism, efficiency, hope, humour,justice, morality, leadership, optimism, efficiency, hope, humour,justice, morality, leadership, gracefulness, faith, persistence,forgiveness, religion, duty, and universal brotherhood.

On the other hand, in the part two (Vices) the reader findsanger, greed, tension, jealousy, failure, passion, fear, hatred,suspicion, pride, ignorance, lying, selfishness, frustration, sorrow,idleness, corruption, desire, crisis, and violence.

The above magnificent display of virtues and vicesastonishes the reader's eyes. The items on the bright and darksides of life have been almost exhaustively taken up andrhythmically sung by Majumdar. How extensive, profound andkeen his discernment of the world and his insight into lifeare! Each poem penetrates deep into the reader's heart, to makehim approach virtues and recede from vices, and to make himwalk on the correct way towards the noble and sublime goal oflife. Biplab Majumdar is a great poet enveloping the wholeworld of human beings and establishing a glorious, glitteringflower garden of happiness and justice on earth.

Let us see a poem in the part one, entitled 'Righteous-ness'.

' Righteousness in heart provides celestial radiance Fortifies a man with such a power,

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He becomes invincible that all vices dareHis intense integrity reflects morning's holiness.

(three stanzas omitted) Righteousness bestows beauty in character Brings harmony in home, strength in society, It paves the way to national integrity Global peace becomes a possibility there. '

This poem, singing finely of righteousness, is powerful soas to reject all vices, and is brilliant, beauteous and holy like thesunlight to the morning. Finally the poet grasps righteousness fromthe high standpoint of society and nation, and emphasizes that itbrings about social strong harmony and the world's eternal peace.The poem is gracious, and the thoughts contained are lofty.

Let us read one more poem, entitled 'Action', from the partone.

' Dreams and hopes, aims and goals All are baseless, absurd things, Until start we marching ahead Nothing solid there can we gain.

(three stanzas omitted) Action sculptures earthly existence And it determines our final fate, Let us practise that art of action Behold! Yonder the golden gate. '

A mere theory, not accompanied by action, is usuallydespised as 'an armchair theory'. The poet sings of this thoughtwith a very delicate sense. 'Theory' is of course essential for action.The poet does not deny this fact : In the second stanza (omittedhere) he compares theory, without action, to the treasure of truthor the pearl of wisdom remaining eternally in the depth of the ocean.Action is picking up it onto earth. The poet's wording expressingthe indispensability of action, while indicating the great beauty tothe poem.

Let us pick up one poem, entitled 'Jealousy', from the parttwo (Vices).

' No one is a complete failure Until he gets jealous of others, At that moment he ceases to grow

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Jealousy makes him a devil's brother.(three stanzas omitted)

Jealousy is a sign of weakness Out and out a destructive force, Jealousy is an emotional immaturity One must root out finding the source. '

Jealousy is one of the worst feelings, which captures manypeople's hearts. The poet's power rejecting this vice isextraordinarily great. In the first stanza he uses the word 'a devil'sbrother'. In the other stanzas omitted, he attackes jealousyseverely. In the last stanza the words 'weakness', 'destructive'and 'immaturity' will weaken or even remove this harmful sense inhuman heart. These words in pleasing rhythm soak deep in thereader's mind; the effects are enormous.

This humble review only shows an outline and a small partof the book by Biplab Majumdar. Please read the whole volume.The reader will find that it is a superb poetry book, singing ofethics and morals in human life, and being extremelyinstructive for present-day humankind.

[ VOK; Vol. 4, Issue 1, Pg. 30 ]

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GOLDEN HORIZON : an excellentcollection of english haikuThis book 'Golden Horizon' is a collection of 116 Haiku

created by the Indian distinguished poet Dr. Biplab Majumdar. Thepoetry form Haiku was originated and developed in Japan, so I, aJapanese poet and critic, feel a wondrous destiny and an immensepleasure in writing a review of such an excellent collection of English

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Haiku. Each page, on which elegant drawings and inspiring haikucoexist in exquisite harmony, gives the reader's heart enormousdelight and inexpressible lyricism.

The poet Dr. Biplab Majumdar's haiku are superlativelyfascinating, having surpassingly profound significance. Hishaiku glitter gorgeously like heavenly stars and areexceedingly lucid like genuine pearls in the sea's bottom. Hishaiku have the two peerless features. First, their forms are verybeautiful, exactly following the 5-7-5 syllable metre. This metremakes the Japanese traditional poetry structure, peculiar to haiku.In Japan, short poems not following the 5-7-5 metre are not calledhaiku. In the countries into which haiku have been introduced fromJapan, sometimes short poems of three lines, not in the 5-7-5metre, are created and are called haiku. It is our great pleasurethat there are haiku poets, like Dr. Majumdar, who obey exactlythe 5-7-5 metre in writing English haiku. Such English haiku arehighly evaluated as true haiku by Japanese people.

Second, the poet Majumdar's haiku have remarkable featuresin their contents. Many of his haiku contain profound philosophicalsignificance; even if he sings of natural phenomena he oftenconnect them with philosophies, e.g. the problems of how to livein this world, and the problems of human mind, human love, sociallife, poet's activities, effects of poetry, etc. His poems which purelysings of sketches in nature are very few. In the realm of haiku inJapan, there are groups of haiku poets placing emphasis on thesketches of nature only, while there are groups of poets who mainlysink in the problems of human mind philosophically. Haiku poets'tendencies of creation are various in Japan and in the West. I amextremely Impressed and immensely moved with theeminence, profundity and sublimity of the philosophiesunderlying the poet Majumdar's splendid works.

I myself am active not only as a poet and critic but also as atranslator of haiku and other forms of poetry. Often I translateEnglish poems into Japanese. I translate English haiku, wheatherin the 5-7-5 metre or not, into Japanese 5-7-5 haiku, otherwiseJapenese people do not read the translated works as haiku.(Incidentally, I translate other forms of English poems, whetherfixed-form poetry or free verse, into Japanese sitigotyo poems;hitherto I have translated Shakespeare's Sonnets and many otherEnglish poems into Japanese sitigotyo poems.) I have translated

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all haiku in the poet Majumdar's book 'Golden Horizon' intoJapanese 5-7-5 haiku. In the following, whenever I quote his haiku,I will add my translated Japanese 5-7-5 haiku in italics.

I have selected two of his haiku making sketches of nature;such sketch haiku are very few in the book.

All come, sit beside Umi no sobaThe sea, and they get aged Mina oyu, Nami waAgeless ripples shine Towani tatu

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

The poet portrays the agelessness of ripples in contrast tothe agedness of all things beside the sea. Though the haiku is asketch, one can find a metaphor from it. The haiku, below,beautifies a song as a body coming on the wings of air; it isimaginative rather than realistic; accordingly, the above and thenext haiku are not pure sketch haiku.

Body of a song Utagoe woComes in on the wings of air Kuuki no TubasaKisses my hearing Nosete kuru

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

In many of the poet Majumdar's haiku taking up nature, heconnects them with the phases of life, the moving of mind, thebeauty of a girl, the philosophy of living, etc. For example,

Lone wind of evening Yuukaze niBrings here a soggy darkness Kuraki KyoosyuuOf nostalgic wound Mune uzuku

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

in which the wind is connected with the sentiment ofnostalgia. The following is a beautiful depiction of the human mindwith the use of the image of a lake.

A transparent lake Sora no IroReflects the colour of sky Utusu Kosui ya,Will you call it mind? Hito no Kokoro

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

The next haiku portrays a man stepping towards theNorthstar. From the scientific point of view, the movement of the

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earth and the star is very speedy, so the distance between theman and the star does not necessarily shorter, but the readerrealises the man's futile endeavour to approach the ideal; theprofundity of this haiku is admirable.

Distance gets shorter Hokkyoku-sei,At every step of moment, Hitoasi gotoniYonder the Northstar Tikazukeri

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

Next, let us enjoy the magnificent haiku including the bookstitle 'Golden Horizon'.

Golden horizon Kin no TiheiSpeaks eternal duality Towa no Nigensei:Sunset or sunrise! Hi no De-iri!

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

The noble, lofty philosophy contained in this haiku isamazingly significant. If buildings and mountains vanished inimagination, the horizon would be a gigantic cirular line around us.This single circle involves duality eternally, because across thisline the two opposite phenomena Sunset and Sunrise are repeatedfor ever. In extraordinary sublimity the horizon matches gold. Thusthe poet calls it golden horizon. It symbolises all pairs in duality inthe universe: light and dark, heaven and earth, joy and sorrow,positive and negative, male and female, etc. Duality, symbolisedby Horizon, implies important essence in the structure of theuniverse; the above haiku is exceedingly meaningful, so the book'Golden Horizon' is immeasurably significicant. Incidentally, thepoet's haiku and my translation of it are a pair in duality.

Let us transfer to another haiku, in which the poet picturesan amorous scene involving the moon, a bed, a woman, wine anda poem, to evoke bewitching feelings in the reader's heart. Alsomy translation will allure Japanese reader's hearts to fall inamorousness.

Breezy moonlit night Tuki to SakeWarm woman and some fine wine Omina no NedokoBed becomes a poem Si-huukei

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

In the next haiku too, a woman appears on the stage of

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poetry; She is heartless, so the poet suffers from solitude.I am drenched in rain Ware Ame niYou are responsible for it Nururu wa kimi yue,The rain of solitude Kododu no Ame

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

Also in the following haiku the woman is heartless. She doesnot come to the poet, so that he feels inclined to the fullmoon.

I await for long Kimimo Haru mo

Neither you nor spring comes, I Matedomo Koneba,Move towards fullmoon Tuki ni mukau

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

But the poet sings of a warmhearted woman, with burningsentiment;

The candle was burning Roosoku-beyaIn the lonely room, within Kimi no Hukami niYour depth it was I Ware ariki

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

A woman is often compared to a flower. Maintaining this oldcustom, however, the poet Majumdar sings of women very freshlyand enchantingly:

Every flower bears Yo no OminaFragrance of its own, like each Sorezore kusikiWoman of this earth Hana no Ka ya

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

Dawn smiles on the rose Akebono noIt appears so beautiful Bara, Hatukoi noTeen girl in first love Otome, kana

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

Dewdrops on petals: Hana no TuyuSentimental as the lips Kanasi, Otome noOf a young lady Kutibiru ya

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

The poet Majumdar's haiku portraying his philosophical

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conceptions and thoughts are of surpassing lucidity and ofmarvellous eminence, sometimes with relation to the observationof the natural world. The following emphasises the role of the brainof control in maintaining the stainless, pure life:

Eye, ear, nose, tongue, even Gokan minaSkin, all of them are innocent Tumi nasi, Gai waAll poison in brain Noo ni ari

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

The next haiku asserts the necessity for thanks to the sunwhich gives grace to all creation:

Every blade of grass Kusa no Ha waGreatfully recalls debt of sun Hi no On ni syasu,But a man does not Hito wa sezu

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

Now read a haiku, singing of the fear for aging. Ascribing itto the sinless things is very witty:

I am afraid of Osorosi yaWatch and calender, only Ware wo oisasuThey make me aged Tokei Koyomi

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

The force of eyes superior to lips in expressing love or hateis depicted as

Sometimes our eyes say Ai-zoo woMore than the speech of our lips Me wa Kuti yorimoIn love or in hate ooku iu

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

The time flows eternally from the origin of the universe,carrying human lives and sentiments, hence the grand andmagnificent haiku:

The endless rivers Goosyo yoriFrom the distant dawn of TIME: Toki towani nagaru:Desire, joy and pain Hi-Ki-yokuboo

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

Man lives along the flow of time – truly with sharp danger butapparently with tranquil safety –, and the shadow of death ever

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adheres to him, hence the haiku with immense profundities:Along edge of time Sei nodokaWe do live a carefree life Toki ni soi-yukuAccompanied with death Si wo turete

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

However, our life should be flooded with merry dreams,hence the hopeful, encouraging haiku:

All the buds and seeds Me mo Tane moTell us the tale of morrow Asu wo katariteA dream never dies Yume kiezu

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

Love suddenly visits us, this is brilliancy of our life, thusThe violin of heart Mune no KotoGets instantly alive with Ai no Ma no Te niMagic touch of love Sugu hibiku

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

The effects of languages in our life are important, and theyshould be lucid. The poet compares languages to fishes, sea:

Our life ever moves through Uo no gotoTransparency of words, a fish Sumeru KotobaIn world of water Umi oyogu

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

Another striking feature of Biplab Majumdar's book of poetry'Golden Horizon' is that it cantains many poems singing of poetryand poets. Thus the book is that poetry of poetry, and Majumdaris a poet singing of a poet. This peerless characteristic plays themeaningful roles of poetry's self-expression and poets' self-depiction.

Let us quote, from Majumdar's haiku, the one picturing thevaluable, wondrous situation in which poetry is born.

Poems as night birds Si wa SeiyaSpread wings at night on the beach Hamadori no gotoOf silent darkness Hane hirogu

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

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'Night' symbolises the poet's quiet, deep meditation forcreating poetry. Poetry is not necessarily born at night. Thesituation in the above haiku beautifully and adequately expressesthe mental state of the poet creating poetry.

Majumdar emphasises the surrealistic spirit of the poet bythe following three haiku. This is important, because even poetswriting realistic poems cherish surrealistic thoughts in order tomake good poems.

Enigma flows on Nazo haramuFrom realism to surrealism Tyoo-genzitu gaPoetry becomes a poet Si woba umu

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

Poetry transcends when Genzitu gaIncomplete reality fuses with Risoo ni toketeComplete idealism Si sugururu

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

Poets can't resist Genzitu niInevitable blows of reality Aragau SizinThey bleed through verses Kokoro itamu

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

The poet Majumdar pictures poets as strange persons veryinspiringly interestingly and humorously in the following two haiku.These are dexterous and applicable to artists in general includingpoets, writers, painters, sculptors, etc.

Poets, strange creatures Sizin niwaTheir hearts, most sensitive parts Taigai ni satokiLie outside their bodies Kokoro ari

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

Veins of a poet Sizin niwaDon't carry blood, but the blue Doku aru aokiVenom of poetry Si no Ti nagaru

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

However, Majumdar does not forget the noble, sublime andlofty mission of poets in the society and in the world, thus

Poets are worshippers Sizin towani

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Eternal worshippers of truth Sinri tootobiTo enlighten world Yo ni osiu

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

Finally, I will quote the following touching haiku containingthe poet Majumdar's modest and sincere soul.

To be a poet Yoki SizinI tried to be good, but Taramu to sesi gaIt's so difficult Ito katasi

(Translated into Japanese by Kazuyosi Ikeda)

My soul is utterly the same as this. I ardently request thereader of this review to get the book 'Golden Horizon' and to enjoygreatly and appreciate highly all of Dr. Biplab Majumdar's haiku inthe book and to be deeply immersed in the extraordinarily brilliantand enormously gorgeous poetic world established by him.

[ POET; Vol. 45, No. 11 ]

j j j

MERA BHARAT MAHAN :an anthology of poems

This book ''Mera Bharat Mahan" is a superexcellent, inspiringand fascinating anthology of poems, edited by the Indian world-famous poet and editor Dr. Biplab Majumdar. It contains therepresentative works of 63 Indian poets and 12 foreign poets. Thismagnificent anthology, as shown by its title "My India is Great",vividly manifests how greatly the Indian poetry is prospering andhow proudly and energetically Indian poets are proceeding on thebrilliant way deeply admired in the world. All Indian poets arebilingual, using their native language and English. This anthology

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contains English poems. As this book clearly shows, Indian poets'English is surpassing,beautiful, elegant and graceful. The Englishpoetry written by Indian poets may be said to be an admirable,superb pattern of the English poetry in the world. The poem byHis Excellency the President of India adds great dignity to thisbook; it is an immense pleasure not only for Indian readers butalso for foreign readers. The editor, Biplab Majumdar's geniusfor editing is amazingly outstanding. Owing to his peerlessediting, this book is brilliantly glittering in the literary field inIndia and abroad. (Incidentally, it is my great honour that mypoetry has been included in the 12 foreign poet's works andoccupies one page in such an invaluable book.)

Originally God, the Creator, created the universe and all thethings (including men) in the universe with intense aspiration forthe happiness of all creation, the global brotherhood and the eternalpeace of the world; but enmity, hatred, conflict, terrorism, war,and misery have not yet been eradicated on earth. I believe thatpoets can realise the brotherhood and everlasting peace byunifying the hearts of the people in the world with beautiful, rhythmicwords. The poets included in this splendid anthology are all stronglypeace-loving. This book will be a most powerful instrument formaking our earth a paradise of brotherly love and eternal peace.This book will shed a dazzling light full of happiness and peace onthe earth polluted with cruelties, tragedies and strifes.

All poems in this book are full of genuine love for humankindand intense desire for peace. I cannot measure excellence. Allpoems are the most excellent. I will quote the poem by the editorof this book, i.e., Biplab Majumdar's poem, paying my highestrespect to his superlative achievements of editing this admirableanthology :

MERA BHARAT MAHANby

Biplab Majumdar

Mountains, plains, plateaues, seas and sandy desrtsEnrich my land with smiling six seasons,Resonating murmurs of pious candid riversAre the boons that heaven happily showers.

Behind the curtain though dragon terrrorism hisses

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Heaps of problems, vices disturb her brain,A country that has witnessed many ups and downsRecalls history, her innate sublime supreme strength.

Age-old principles of universal peace, brotherhoodTolerance, forgiveness and her lofty spiritual values,Made this land unique, strong and stoutA colourful heritage she carries in breasts.

High and low, rich and poor here merrily breatheAnd in crisis they all chant spontaneous bold slogan;Nevertheless diversity in class, colour and creedBrothers are we and MERA BHARAT MAHAN.

The reader, whether Indian or foreign, is requested to getthis superb book and read it earnestly and sincerely and muchenjoy and highly appreciate each poem enchanting tasteful,inspiring and thrilling. Then, in front of him, a hopeful, vast, brightand paradisiacal world will be opened vividly as a panoramicspiritual view.

[ VOK; Vol. 5, Issue 1, Pg. 23 ]

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List of Some Books by BIPLAB MAJUMDARPOEMS

1. Kichhu Sadharan Kavita2. Jhara Bakuler Swapney3. Mahasamayer Antarjali4. Kavita Samagra (Vol. 1)5. Nirjita Nirjan Kaanchghar6. Adhunik Australian Kavita7. Adhunik Greek Kavita8. Bharatbarser Kavita9. Americar Kavita

10. Miriamer Gaan11. Dr. Ikeder Kavita12. Nirvachita Kavita : Kurt F. Svatek13. Virtues & Vices14. Golden Horizon15. Island's Dolphin Song16. Island's Dolphin Song (Greek)

RHYMES17. Khoka Khukur Chhara18. Kamlaphulir Tieta19. Railcom Jhamajham20. Dalim Gachhe Mou21. Chand Utheche Phool Phuteche22. Bone Thake Bagh23. Pakhisab Kare Rab24. Book Varti Chhara

PROSE / TRANSLATION / OTHERS25. Murti Bungalowr Bibhisika26. Locker Rahasya27. Murder In Victoria28. Golcha Murder Rahasya29. Alpo Salpo Bagher Galpo30. Hitopadesher Notun Galpo31. Galpo Balen Shakespeare32. Sherwooder Robinhood33. Alice In Worderland

34. Macbeth35. King Lear36. Romeo And Juliet37. Panchatantrer Galpokatha38. Jataker Galpo39. Adventure of Sindbad40. Nirbachita Detective Galpo41. Greek Puraner Galpo42. Baronia Nari43. Acharya Prafulla Chandra44. Vivekanander Chhelebela45. Austrier Rupkatha46. Scotlander Rupkatha47. Japaner Rupkatha48. Germanir Rupkatha49. Greecer Rupkatha50. Russiar Rupkatha51. Rupkatha Panchak52. Rainbow Rhymes-I53. Rainbow Rhymes-II54. Rainbow Rhymes-III55. Chiildren's Ramayana56. Children's Mahabharata57. All About Love58. Mera Bharat Mahan59. Prof. Ikeda : The Living Legend60. Prof. Ikeda : A Phenomenon

In World Poetry61. Banibitaan62. Smaranio Viggyani64. Muslim Manishider Jibankatha65. Kalo Raat Nil Aatanka66. Rahasya Galpo : E. A. Poe67. Bharat Aamar Bharatbarsa68. Dashti Kishore Upanyas (Vol-I)69. Dashti Kishore Upanyas (Vol-II)70. Dashti Kishore Upanyas (Vol-III)

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List of Some MAGAZINES wherehis works have been published

List of Bengali Magazines

k SHUKTARA k TATHYA KENDRA k NABA KALLOL k GRIHASHOVAk KISHORE BHARATI k KAVI PATRA k CHANDRAMAS k EBONGk RITI k SAHITYA UTSAV k EDANING k UPALABDHI KATHAk SANGEET TARANGA k KAVITAR AAKASH k MUKTI PATHk DHARABAHIK k AAGDUM BAGDUM k GUIENIPIG k EKHONRODDUR k AAJKER KAVITA k EAKHON KAVITA k ANUPATRIk PAPARATJI k SUMANA k KOLKATAR KAVITAR KAGAJ k KALOTANk VASUDHA k KALPONIK k MONOBHUMI k ARATRIKk ANOPEKSHO k PRIYA SHILPA k MANASI k JANA SAMUDRAk PANCHISE VAISAKH k 1400 SAHITYA k MANJARIk PROTNABHASH k SAHITYANKUR k KAVITANKUR k AGUNERPHULKI k SAMAY k CHOTODER SONARKHANI k METHO PATHk ABAYAB k PARNOMOCHI k CHHARAMUKH k ADDAYAk KALER KHABAR k SANDHIKAL O PADAKSHEP k ANANNYANANDANIK k CHOKH k LEKHANI k NILAKASH k SAGAR BELAk SAHITYA KAHAN k SAHITYA MANGAL k MANGAL PATHk SAILADAHA k SAMASAMAY k ACADEMY OF BENGALI POETRYk LUBDHAK k MUKTA KALAM k COFEE HOUSE k SAHITYABISARI k DOORBIN k AARAKSHA BARTA k SPANDANk MEGHNAD k ANUBHAB k SAHITYA RANG BERANG k KETAKIk EBONG AAMRA k JHORO HAOWA k SAILI k UNMESHk CAMELIA k PRORENATA k EHO DELHI k JALAPROPAT SAHITYAk VITEMATI k AAJKER ANUBHAB k JALANGI SAHITYA PATRIKAk OXYGEN k MANDAKRANTA k ARUNDHUTI k ANJASk PRABAHA k SAMOKAL k NILAKSHAR k VASUNDHARAk AROHA k ANASWAR k NABA NAKSHTRA k AGNISIKHAk KAVI SAMMELAN k EKUSH SATAK k TAMOHAR k PRIYACHITRASATHI k UDVAS k CHARUPATRA k ROSHNI k ARITRAk EKALER GANDIB k SAMBHAB

List of English Magazines

k THE FUTURE (WB) k METVERSE MUSE (TN) k CONTEMPORARYVIBES (CHANDIGARH) k MANDAKINI (UP) k POET (TN)

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k POETCRIT (HP) k KOHINOOR (ASSAM) k BY WORD (NEW DELHI)k CANOPY (UP) k POETS' INTERNATIONAL (KARNATAKA) k CYBERLITERATURE (BIHAR) k GREEN LOTUS (ORISSA) k KAFLAINTERCONTINENTAL (CHANDIGARH) k LITCRIT INDIA (HP)k INDO-ASIAN LITERATURE (DELHI) k BRIDGE IN MAKING (WB)k HINDUSTHANI INNOVATOR (MP) k SHINE (TAMILNADU)k SRABONI (WB) k THE STORM (WB) k BIZZ BUZZ (KARNATAKA)k VOICE OF KOLKATA (WB)

List of Magazines of Other Languages

k CHIRAG QUARTERLY (PUNJAB) k AKKHAR (PUNJAB) k JANAPARIBAR (MAHARASHTRA) k UDAYAVANI (KARNATAKA)k PURBASHA (ASSAM) k PRASANNA BHARATI (KERALA) k ILAKKIACHIRAGU (TAMILNADU)

List of Magazines of Other Countries

k PERIGRAMMA (GREECE) k FREE XPRESSION (AUSTRALIA)k INTERNATIONAL POETRY LETTER (ARGENTINA) k SCENTS ANDSOUNDS (ENGLAND) k FOKUS (MALTA) k ERNST UND HEITER(GERMANY) k KELAINO (GREECE) k BALI (BRAZIL) k LOTOS(YUGOSLAVIA) k ESTRO (BRAZIL) k OINIKHTEE (GREECE)k POMEZIA-NOTIZIA (ITALY) k WORLD POETS QUARTERLY (P. R.CHINA) k INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE (GERMANY)k LITERATE-SP (BRAZIL) k POETIC CIRCLE OF FRINDSHIP (ENGLAND)k CHINESE POETRY INTERNATIONAL (P. R. CHINA)

Poems Published in the following Laguages

k BENGALI k ENGLISH k HINDI k PUNJABI k MARATHIk ASSAMESE k TAMIL k TELUGU k KANNADA k GREEKk HEBREW k SPANISH k FRENCH k SERBIAN k MALTESEk JAPANESE k CHINESE k RUSSIAN k PORTUGUESE k ITALIANk GERMAN

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List of ANTHOLOGIES1. Heaven, 1999, Ed. B. Dutta, Kolkata, INDIA.2. Padus Amoenus, 2000, Ed. Silvia Ragazzini Martelli & Luciano

Martelli, Sissa, ITALY.3. The Brain Wave, 2000, Ed. Prof. K. Jagannathan, Chennai,

INDIA.4. Poetry Bridge-in-Making Millennium : 2000, Ed. P. K. Majumder,

Kolkata, INDIA.5. Heaven, 2000, Ed. B. Dutta, Kolkata, INDIA.6. Indian Poets United, 2000, Ed. M. B. Beg, Bhubaneswar, Orissa,

INDIA.7. Eta Otepa Tou Anemon, 2001, Ed. Dr. Danae G. Papastratou,

Athens, GREECE.8. Heaven, 2001, Ed. B. Dutta, Kolkata, INDIA.9. The Road between Mountains, 2001, Ed. Dejan Bogojevic,

YUGOSLAVIA.10. We the World Poets, 2001, Ed. M. B. Beg, Orissa, INDIA.11. Poetry Bridge-in Making, 2001, Ed. P. K. Majumder, Kolkata,

INDIA.12. Padus Amoenus Anthology, 2001, Ed. Silvia R. Martelli & Luciano

Martelli, Sissa, ITALI.13. Millennium Mood, 2001, Ed. Dr. C. L. Khatri, Bihar, INDIA.14. Mukhor Hok Kabitar Mukh, 2002, Ed. S. Das, Kolkata, INDIA.15. Mandakini, 2002, Ed. Dr. Mahashweta Chaturvedi,

Uttarpradesh, INDIA.16. Padus Amoenus, 2002, Ed. Silvia R. Martelli & Luciano Martelli,

Sissa, ITALY.17. Titiksha, 2002, Ed. Prof. Suresh Ch. Dwivedi, Allahabad,

Uttarpradesh, INDIA.18. Stars In Transition, 2002, Ed. Dr. V. S. Skandaprasad, Mangalore,

Karnataka, INDIA.19. Manjari Special Issue on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, 2002,

Ed. S. Saha & Amit Pal, Kolkata, INDIA.20. Pratibader Kavita, 2002, Ed. Apurba Goswami, Kolkata, INDIA.21. Chhotoder Abriteer Class, 2002, Ed. A. Bandyopadhyay, Kolkata,

INDIA.22. Selected Poems of Contemporary International Poets (English-

Chinese), Dec. 2002, Ed. Dr. Zhang Zhi & Dr. Choi Laisheung,IPTRC, Chongquing City, P. R. CHINA.

23. Above Treetops, 2003, Ed. Dejan Bogojevic, YUGOSLAVIA.24. I Vincitori Del 'Padus Amoenus', 2003, Ed. Silvia R. Martelli &

Luciano Martelli, Sissa, ITALY.25. Baxobharti Bachai Chhara, 2003, Ed. Tulsi Basak, Kolkata,

INDIA.

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26. Prufoker Gaan, 2003, Ed. S. S. Das, Kolkata, INDIA.27. Mera Bharat Mahan, 2003, Ed. Biplab Majumdar (D.Litt.),

Kolkata, INDIA.28. Gendaishi - Kennkyuu, 2003-2007, Ed. Genzo Watanabe,

Fukushima-Kenj, JAPAN.29. Panathinea 2004, Ed. Chrissoula Varveri-Varra (D.Litt.), Athens,

GREECE.30. Millennium Peace, 2004, Ed. Paulose V. D., Assam, INDIA.31. Fourth World of Poems, 2004, Ed. M. S. Venkataramaiah,

Bangalore, Karnataka, INDIA.32. Mon Jaha Chai, 2006, Ed. S. S. Das, Kolkata, INDIA.33. Anthology of Poetry of Greek Literary Writers, 2007, Ed. Vassilik

Kalahani, Kiato, GREECE.34. Kavitanjali, 2007, Ed. S. S. Das, Kolkata, INDIA.35. Contemparary Poets, 2007, Ed. M. S. Venkata Ramaiah,

Bangalore, Karnataka, INDIA.36. Shrestha Bhuter Galpo, 2007, Ed. U. Bijoli, Kolkata, INDIA.37. Bhalobasar Dooi Diganta (Vol. 27), 2007, Ed. Amal

Mukhopadhyay, Kolkata, INDIA.38. Anthology of Indian Poetry, Perigramma, 2008, Ed. Dr. Danae

G. Papastratou, Attens, GREECE.39. Veyiolugum Kudisaigal (Leakage of Sunrays into the Huts), Tamil,

2008, Ed. M. Ramalingam, Pattukkotta, Tamilnadu, INDIA.40. Angel of Muse, Aug. 2008, Ed. Dr. Zhang Zhi, Chongqing City,

P. R. CHINA.41. Nirbachita 200 Chhara, 2009, Ed. Keshabranjan Dey, Kolkata,

INDIA.42. Nirbachita Kavita Sankalan, 2009, Ed. Samir Roy, West Bengal,

INDIA.43. Kavita Samay Manushyattwa, Jan. 2009, Ed. S. Chattopadhyay

& Amalendu Dey, Kolkata, INDIA.44. Romanchakar Bhuter Galpo, 2009, Ed. U. Bijoli, Kolkata, INDIA.45. Chhando Chhara, 2010, Ed. Samir Roy, W.B., INDIA.46. Nirvachio Kavita Sankalan, 2010, Ed. Samir Roy, W.B., INDIA.47. Poetry World, Vol. I, 2010, Ed. Ashis Sanyal & Partha Raha,

Kolkata, INDIA.48. Poetry World, Vol. II, 2011, Ed. Ashis Sanyal & Partha Raha,

Kolkata, INDIA.49. Francis Hopkinson, An Anthology in Memoriam, Nov. 2010,

Ed. Grace A. Adele, USA.50. Ekush Shataker Kavita, 2010, Ed. Biplab Majumdar & Jayanta

Rashik, Kolkata, INDIA.51. Sara Bangla Sahitya Utsav Sankalan, 2011, Publisher, Durgadas

Midda, Kolkata, INDIA.

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List of AWARDS1. The Grand Prize of Civilizing Olympiad, 1999, Athens, GREECE.2. M. M. Award, 1999, Kolkata, INDIA.3. Padus Amoenus, International Poetry Competition (First Prize,

Silver Medal), 2000, Sissa, ITALY.4. BPABEION Prize, 2000, Athens, GREECE.5. BPABBIO Prize, 2000, Athens, GREECE.6. Celebration of Poets Award, 2000, Athens, GREECE.7. Honoured Poet, Purbasha, 2000, Assam, INDIA.8. Award for Anthology, 2000, Athens, GREECE.9. Dr. S. B. Smriti Award, 2001, Kolkata, INDIA.

10. 10 Premio F. C. (Silver Medal), 2001, Sissa, ITALY.11. Hon. D.Litt., WAAC (UNESCO), 2001, USA.12. E. E. A. Award, 2002, Athens, GREECE.13. 70 P. L. Internazionale (Bronze Medal), 2002, Sissa, ITALY.14. Honorary Member, Advisory Courcil, ANSTED UNIVERSITY, 2003,

MALAYSIA.

15. Honoured at National Poets Conference, 2003, Kolkata, INDIA.16. GOURANGA BHOWMIK Smriti Puraskar, 2003, Kolkata, INDIA.17. Hon. Member International Society of Greek Writers Letters-

Arts-Culture, 2003, Athens, GREECE.18. MANASI Sahitya Samman, 2003, Kolkata, INDIA.19. The Best Poet of 2002, 2003, P. R. CHINA.

20. The "GLAFKE" Award, 2003, Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA.21. Decree of Merit, 2003, AUSTRIA.22. 1st Prize in Int. Traditional Poetry Compt. 2003, Johannesburg,

SOUTH AFRICA.23. Padus Amoenus Silver Plated Memento, 2004, Sissa, ITALY.24. BPABBIO Award, 2004, Athens, GREECE.

25. Celebration of Poets Award, 2004, Athens, GREECE.26. Award for Editing the Best International Poetry Magazine IWA,

2004, USA.27. Award for Anthology, 2004, Athens, GREECE.

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28. PADUS AMOENUS Award, 2004, Sissa, ITALY.29. Honorary KNIGHT, 2005, Gzira, MALTA.30. A BPABEIO Award, 2005, Athens, GREECE.

31. ANUPATRI Maanpatra, 2005, West Bengal, INDIA.32. Editor of the Best International Poetry Magazine, IPTRC, 2005,

P. R. CHINA.33. 10 Premio Speciale Estero Calcutta, 2005, Sissa, ITALY.34. Hon. Member XASTERON Club, 2005, GREECE.35. PADUS D'ORO, Gold Plated Memento, 2006, Sissa, ITALY.

36. Honoured by Edaning Nattogoshthi, 2006, Kolkata, INDIA.37. BPABEION Award for 2006, Athens, GREECE.38. KELAINO Award "Prize for your Spirit", 2006, GREECE.39. Award for Editing the Best Magazine in India, IWA, 2006, USA.40. 10 Premio Estero India, 2007, Sissa, ITALY.41. SANGEET TARANGAA Literary Award, Kolkata, INDIA.42. BPABEI0 Prize, 2007, Athens, GREECE.43. Diploma of St. George in Locrida, 2008, Athens, GREECE.

44. Celebration of Poets Awards, 2008, Athens, GREECE.45. Honoured by Austrian Poetry Circle, 2008, Vienna, AUSTRIA.46. Settere Padus D'ore Memento, 2009, Sissa, ITALY.47. Sahitya Gaurav Awards, 2009, Orissa, INDIA.48. A. BPABEIO, ISGW&A, 2010, Athens, GREECE.49. Vishistha Kavi Sambardhana, Pbngpks, 2010, Kolkata, INDIA.50. Lifetime Achievemnet Award, Jan. 2010, International Poets

Academy, Chennai, INDIA.51. Samman Arghya, Roshni, 2011, Howrah, W.B., INDIA.52. MANDAKINI Award, 2011, Bareilly, U.P., INDIA.53. PADUS D'ORO A, 2011, Sissa, ITALY.

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Selected CommentsF Dear Dr. Biplab Majumdar, July 28, 2003

Thank you for sending me your poem book ''MeraBharat Mahan''. I liked the poems particularly your poem ''MeraBharat Mahan'' as in page 14. My greetings and best wishesto you.

Yours Sincerely,A. P. J. Abdul Kalam,

PRESIDENT OF INDIA

F Dr. Majumdar is an exceptionally gifted man, a poet andtranslator, who as I do, works untiredly for internationalcooperation and peace .......................... I wish to vouch forhis integrity and his admirable and rare commitment tointernational understanding.

Dr. Gustawa Stendig Lindberg,Chairperson - Miriam Felicia,

Lindberg Memorial Foundation, ISRAEL

F Your poems are very simple but very suggestive. They arepregnant with high philosophic insight like the experienced,old and wise men's sayings.

Prof. Seiji Hino,JAPAN

F It is a modern Upanishad. (About VIRTUES & VICES)M. Ramalingam,Ed. : Shine, INDIA

F 25th Jan., 2010......... you are a rare genius, who really deserves all worldlyexposure and encouragement to further touch the pinnaclesof literary glory in the contemporary field of world poetry.

Prof. Syed Ameeruddin,Founder-President, International Poets Academy, Chennai, INDIA

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