QUEER CHRONICLES – STORIES OF PRIDE AND PREJUDICE BY DR. TANUSHREE GHOSH

 

This collection of short stories by Dr. Tanushree Ghosh begins and ends as an exercise in subtlety. The themes begin on a serene note and meander onto issues that are all relatable. India has gradually progressed beyond the taboos that were linked to homosexuality and diversity in the past, beyond the criminalisation of the same, though there is room for more scope. There are still myriad people who have not yet opened their minds to these ideas. 

Misconceptions still prevail, and the author tries to hint at them through her narratives. Sensitive, caring men exist, and they need not be gay. Since when have qualities like kindness and tenderness been associated with being gay?

Likewise, group sports like men's hockey have always been perceived as macho sports. Women hockey players also are aggressive, and it was a chance statement in the movie 'Chak De' that gave birth to the story titled ‘Hamaari Hockey Mein’. A main character opines, "Persecution is terrible. The lives most transgenders have to live is terrible."

Sometimes, a person finds it difficult to fathom his or her sexuality. As Tanu, the protagonist in 'After the Wedding' summed it up; "The end of all the confusion and the incessant chatter within." Did the chatter end or was it just a pause in her present?

Some of the stories leave one with an ache in the heart. Praneeth and Raja live in their bubble in ‘Love in a Limbo’, till the rhythm which made their living together breaks down.

"There was silence, not like one after storms. The silence was the silence inside a storm. The silence in the eye of a storm."

‘The Wedding Night’ is another such story, where the helplessness of a character going through her own storm is palpable. It underlines her dilemma of not being able to exist in her identity, and with no place to belong.

‘Sulekha & Rukshana’ plays like a familiar litany in my mind as the narrative unfolds, the story of a woman possibly owning her sexuality and making her own choices, a story of power, not acceptance. The motif of power continues in ‘The Mother-in-Law’ where the protagonist refuses to conform to the normal definition of how a woman should behave, a woman who does not care to fit in. Not surprisingly, this nonchalance makes others finally accept her as she is.

It is a credit to the author that she has been able to cover diverse topics which she is passionate about in  a manner that brings out the pathos, minus the melodrama. That is exactly why her stories work so effectively.

As Dr. Tanushree Ghosh said in a recent interview, “Stories don’t need to be answers; they just need to be questions.” That is so true, because when questions are asked, they lead to discussions from which answers are born. 

POETRY – THE BEST WORDS IN THE BEST ORDER

In 2021, I took part in the Blogchatter A2Z Challenge and later brought out an eBook titled ‘Poetry – The Best Words in the Best Order’. 

BLURB: The magic of poetry can never be denied, be it in any country or any language. It is the music of the soul. Samuel Taylor Coleridge defined it thus: Poetry: The Best Words in the Best Order." What better title could there be for a volume that eulogizes poetry, and waxes eloquent about classic poems with a wealth of meaning within? 

THE CONTENTS: Have you ever imagined delving into a treasure trove to pick out little gems glittering on the surface of your palm? That is how I felt when I began to sift through the classic poems over the ages. My favourites were all going into the mix.

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A.  ABOU BEN ADHEM BY LEIGH HUNT

B.   BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP FOR DEATH BY EMILY DICKENSON

C.   CLOUDS AND WAVES BY RABINDRANATH TAGORE

D.  DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT BY DYLAN THOMAS

E.   EARTHLY PRIDE BY ELLA WHEELER WILCOX

F.    FACES BY SARA TEASDALE

G.  GOD’S-ACRE BY HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

H.  HUMAN NATURE BY EUGENE FIELD

I.     IF BY RUDYARD KIPLING

J.     JOURNEY BY EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY

K.   KRISHNA, YOU KNOW ME NOT BY SUGATHA KUMARI

L.   LA BELLE DAME SANS MERCI BY JOHN KEATS

M. MENDING WALL BY ROBERT FROST

N.  NIGHT OF THE SCORPION BY NISSIM EZEKIEL

O.  OZYMANDIAS BY PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY

P.   PALANQUIN BEARERS BY SAROJINI NAIDU

Q.  QUAINT SPRING BY GEORG TRAKL

R.   REMEMBER BY CHRISTINA ROSETTI

S.    STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING BY ROBERT FROST

T.   THE ARROW AND THE SONG BY HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

U.  ULTIMATUM BY DOROTHY PARKER

V.   VOCATION BY RABINDRANATH TAGORE

W.  WE WEAR THE MASK BY PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR

X.   X BY JEAN VALENTINE

Y.   YOU ARE OLD, FATHER WILLIAM BY LEWIS CARROLL

Z.   ZINNIAS AND TEA BY RANDALL DAVIS BARFIELD

THE BEGINNING:

‘Abou Ben Adhem’ by Leigh Hunt has always been ensconced within my heart. It is my mother’s favourite, a poem she quotes every time she speaks in public. It eulogises the significance of being one who loves his fellow beings, a relevant poem in a world in which the moral fabric seems to have been ripped apart.

My idea in writing this book was to transmit the beauty of the poems in their entirety, speak about their main themes and the poets.

1.      ABOU BEN ADHEM

Leigh Hunt

Public Domain Pictures.net

 

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)

Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,

And saw, within the moonlight in his room,

Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,

An angel writing in a book of gold: —

Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,

And to the presence in the room he said,

"What writest thou?"—The vision raised its head,

And with a look made of all sweet accord,

Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."

"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"

Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,

But cheerly still; and said, "I pray thee, then,

Write me as one that loves his fellow men."

The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night

It came again with a great wakening light,

And showed the names whom love of God had blest,

And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.

    One night, Abou Ben Adhem awoke from ‘a deep dream of peace’ to see an Angel writing in a book of gold, recording the names of those who loved the Lord. To Abou’s disappointment, his name was not one of them.  

     Abou stayed cheerful and requested the Angel to put down his name as one ‘that loved his fellow men’. The Angel finished writing and disappeared.

    The next night, the Angel reappeared with ‘a great wakening light.’ As Abou looked on, the Angel revealed the names of those blessed by the Lord.

    ‘And lo! Ben Adhem’s name led all the rest.’

   What a beautiful message the poem conveys! Its central idea shines out as clearly as the Angel’s light in the dim room. When you love your fellow men, you become worthy of being loved by God. The poem embodies the idea ‘Love thy neighbour as thyself.’ If only the whole world could follow this tenet, what a peaceful place it would turn into!

The Poet: Leigh Hunt (1784 – 1859)

James Henry Leigh Hunt, born in 1784, played a significant role in the Romantic Movement in England. He was a prolific poet, essayist and journalist. His poems were lyrical and vividly descriptive and imbued with atmosphere and mood.

THE REPERTOIRE:

Over the entire month, I breathed poetry, choosing poems that would touch the hearts of my reader and writer friends. The challenge was to find a beatific blend of English, Indian and American poets.

ENGLISH POETS:

In school, I was enthralled by a poem by the Romantic poet, John Keats, titled ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’, the saga of the beautiful lady without mercy who entrapped men and then left them high and dry.

‘Ozymandias’ by PB Shelley talks about the ruin of the statue of an erstwhile monarch. Over time, tyranny and boasts come to an empty end, just as the giant statue that now lies in ruins, a travesty of its past glory.

‘Remember’ by Christina Rosetti is a sonnet of grief, dealing with the themes of life, love and death where the poet exhorts her lover to remember her even after she has moved to the realm of death.

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Lewis Carroll is best known for his ‘Alice in Wonderland’, but it was his amusing poem ‘You Are Old, Father William’ that fit in perfectly in this repertoire. This poem appears in Chapter Five of Alice in Wonderland. When Alice complains to the caterpillar that she is losing her memory, the latter advises her to recite this poem to test her memory.

‘Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night’ by Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas, is a poem in which a son exhorts his aged father to fight against death and not fade away gently into the night.

 INDIAN POETS:

The magic of Indian poetry in English can not be denied. It was when I began to look that I discovered so many outstanding examples.

‘Clouds and Waves’ by Rabindranath Tagore is evocative. Tagore’s poetry is known for its sensitivity and its tenderness. This poem is especially beautiful as the poet shares his tribute to the vivid imagination of a child.

Rudyard Kipling’s ‘If’ is one poem loved by many. The poem is replete with sound advice and inspiration on how to live life and face its challenges.

If there is one poem that moved me with its passion and imagery, it is ‘Krishna, You Know Me Not’ by poet Sugatha Kumari, translated from Malayalam by Ministhy S. Nair.

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It is a classic poem, describing the feelings of an unknown gopika who sings her heart out, but who has kept away from the beautiful, blue-bodied Krishna.  The refrain, 'Krishna, You Know Me Not' comes at the end of every stanza. 

I enjoyed teaching ‘Night of the Scorpion’ by Nissim Ezekial when I was in school. The poet describes a rainy night when his mother was bitten by a scorpion. Couched in simple language, the poem reveals superstitions and attitudes commonly found in villages and small towns.

Another delightful poem is ‘The Palanquin Bearers’ by Sarojini Naidu, the Nightingale of India. In olden days, brides were carried on beautifully decorated palanquins by sturdy palanquin bearers who considered this a privilege. 'Palanquin Bearers' brings this joy alive in the delicate usage of images and the refrain that goes along with the movement of the palanquin bearers.

Tagore’s poem ‘Vocation’ gives voice to a little child who wishes to be free. The child envies people like the bangle seller, the gardener and the watchman, who appear to be free and unfettered. He sees the freedom they enjoy, but not the toil and the hardships that go with their jobs.    

AMERICAN POETS:

 Emily Dickenson (Because I Could Not Stop for Death), Robert Frost (Mending Wall and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening), and HW Longfellow (The Arrow and the Song) all found their own niches. I was filled with wonder when I came across other works that greatly impacted me.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox’s 'Earthly Pride', a poem of four lines, conveys the futility of pride on earth.

‘Faces’ by Sara Teasdale talks about how she can pierce through the masks and facades of the people hiding secrets within themselves. Ironically, people were wearing masks to combat the deadly Corona virus.

Eugene Field’s ‘Human Nature’ describes the poet’s disappointment when a beggar, to whom he offers a dime, buys a loaf of bread instead of drinking a toast to him.

A few more poems studded my list, but due to paucity of space, I decided to leave them out in this post.

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 This post is a part of '/Verse Wave Blog Hop' hosted by  Manali Desai and Sukaina Majeed under #EveryConversationMatters.