Mahabharata by C. Rajagopalachari

I picked this book just to refresh my knowledge about the great Hindu epic. I knew most of the short stories of Mahabharata. But it was unclear to me how they are connected to the main story line. I am at loss of words to say anything about this as its a masterpiece and a milestone in the history of Hinduism which was written ages before civilizations by the great Saint Vyaasa.

The book is an abridged version of the epic. It is the word-to-word translation of the story originally written in a native language of India. The usage of words don't match the context and the sentences are contrived. I felt really sad about this. So, the translation fails miserably! Especially, the characters like Karna, the five Pandavas, Duryodhana and Shakuni are so powerful that the book fails to describe even a small amount of trait about each of them in an impressive manner. The loyalty and generosity of Karna, the evil thoughts of the devious Shakuni, the envy of Duryodhana, the suffering of the Pandavas, the agony of Draupadi, the clever game changing ways of Krishna and the final battle of Kurukshetra - all are poorly detailed! I strongly believe that this book could have been written in a lot better way. This book can only be used as a source to replenish the lost knowledge of Mahabharata. But it won't appeal to a reader like me who has moderate knowledge of English literature.

Further Reading:

Mahabharata - Wikipedia

Soldier Song

All alone in the dark, I am walking

My mind: I know what its thinking

Behind me, someone is lurking

Will I be able to carry this longer?

Step-by-step, I kept on walking

My hands holding it tight - trembling

A fully loaded rifle - brightly shining

I am afraid I can't carry this any longer.

I move on quietly, slowly, tiptoeing

I speak to God, I am earnestly praying

To get rid of this anxiety I am carrying

Why is the world fueling "hate" fever?

The world I knew was never like this

For those juvenile eyes, everything was bliss

Once so calm, why is the world now so amiss?

Why is it so hard to keep it happy forever?

I don't have a clue what am I doing?

To welcome terror, there is brutal killing

To flourish peace, why does it need fighting?

Now have a look at us; how do we differ?

Please answer me, is this morally justified?

I can clearly see how the world is petrified

It's painful to see terror and peace unified

Sad, but there is no choice left for me either.

Those enemies are called peace breakers

But, we, the soldiers, are called peacemakers

We both are on the same job; how ironic!

We both are nothing less than being acidic.

Because of a soldier, there is a ray of hope;

For me, peaceful thoughts are out of scope.

I'm only meant for treaties to be signed in blood,

Or to die fighting in the battle field of red mud.

With such burdening thoughts in this night

Of darkness, I am walking with all my might

When suddenly I turn to see what's on my right;

Unimaginable terror shoots inside me upright!

Dazed! I aimed and started firing hurriedly

Bursts of light and smoke are seen vividly

Noise of blazing gunshots are heard loudly

Presently I stumble and fall down in agony.

I fell down facing the sky gasping for air

I see that man is dead, his eyes gleaming in flare

My vision is going blurry; I am dying in vain

Alas! My motherland is still in a lot of pain.

"I've died with honor and pride," is what I brag,

Having served my nation denoted by a great flag

I see my soul is rising up from my body - separated,

Stranded between gates of heaven & hell - uninvited.

May 2013

Featured in Tuck Magazine!

Yay! My short story Bitter Sweet is published in October issue of Tuck Magazine! Click here to read it.

Many thanks to Val Michael Tuck, Editor of Tuck Magazine.

I am on air with Ken Cowle on Canadian Radio - WhiStle Radio 102.7FM

AWESOME NEWS!

I am thrilled and excited to be invited by Ken Cowle, Founder & President of Soul Asylum Poetry and Publishing Inc., as a special guest on his show on Canadian radio: WhiStle Radio 102.7fm. So, on Tuesday (October 8, 2013) 9:00 PM EST, CLICK HERE to tune in to the show, then sit back, relax and enjoy listening to me speaking about my idea on poetry and writing, and doing the spoken word on my poems! You will also enjoy some great music along with it! Repeat telecast on Sunday (October 13, 2013) at 1:00 AM EST. Please share this news with your friends who would be interested in listening to the show.

I thank Wendy Smale, an artist from Pennsylvania, USA, who looked into my work and admired it. It was very nice of her to introduce me to Ken right away! Ken is an awesome person, extremely down to earth and a very kind man. I thank him for his time and patience to go through my pieces of poetry and giving me a chance to showcase my work on his show! When he asked me to be on his show, I nearly fainted: "Me? On a show?!" It took a lot for me swallow that! When the recording was over, I didn't sleep that night. Yes, it happens to me; whenever I am excited I don't sleep; I just kept smiling, laying in my bed looking up at the ceiling. With such guys existing in the world we live in, talents can no longer be hidden from it! Its truly a great honor! Well, I am super excited about this! I'd glad to know what you think about it!

Many thanks & Best regards,
Amit Herlekar

Violet Rose

The sun was rising up from the mountain bed,

He beamed his rays and "Wake up!" he said.

Casting a rainbow across the farm of cattle,

It made the birds sing and streams to babble.

Suzie woke up early stretching her arms;

Wearing a bright smile, she ran to her garden

To see a rose blossom under the leaves of palms:

Violet in color which is not seen very often.

So delighted was she to see it in full bloom!

Her twinkling eyes were not enough to admire,

Those petals of velvet touch softer than any plume,

Speckled with drops of dew, sparkling like sapphire.

Suzie was mesmerized by its revered appearance:

The beauty of this flower drove her conscience

To touch it; but it was against her morality,

For the rose could have easily lost its divinity.

As soon as the sun was up, Suzie called her friends:

"Behold the one and only, Violet Rose!" she said.

The jubilance in their shining eyes was immense,

As there was no such thing so spellbinding instead.

Some began to tickle it, others touched it;

Suzie was not pleased to see this - not one bit!

They failed to understand it was for one's eyes only,

Which was enough to please all the senses entirely.

Slowly the rose began to lose its elegance,

Dewdrops were lost; wrinkles made it look worse.

Suzie just could not stand this awful nuisance

Of caressing it; it looked like an act of dreadful curse!

Sadly, the violet rose ultimately turned black;

So did her innocence which had no flaws.

She asked her friends never to come back,

And drove them away without regretting her loss.

It was born and nurtured by the heavens above;

A priceless being a while ago; now meaningless.

Without any value, it became worthless like lost love

And stood on its stem without pollens, nevertheless.

The rose which could have easily lasted for a week,

Suzie shed her tears seeing it so fragile and weak.

She was dismayed; it didn't survive even for a day,

Never such a flower bloomed again since that day.

May 2013