Cascade of poems and Rivulets of fiction

Photo Credit: Sudip Bhattacharya Painting by Sejuti Biswas Your presence I feel When indigo rushes When darkness is a speck When train of waves gallop When they become the chariot When the Sun, on it, commands When warmth permeates into every sinew that respires When reflections are crystal clear each edifice is a pride When there is a uniformity   in non uniformity When moments are nurtured to be savoured to heal When distinction ends clouds become waves waves become clouds When miles are medley  of music Delving deep, the nectar rise Your presence is strengthened I feel,I feel...

I met him again in my forties through social media. I was taken aback. There was a drastic change. The skinny short timid boy in his teens had become a man with a sculpted body. That shy smile was no more shy but as bright as sunshine. It might have caused a few heartaches amongst opposite gender in his prime. Even at this juncture when burden of experiences had taken a toll, Sree listened to the chords, a different song urging her to be different, like the clouds searching for a rainbow. She wanted colour, dripping in red, yellow, orange, to change the grey canvas of her life. Ronojit Sen sat on a revolving chair resting his head against the head rest. His eyes were shut. Bows of radhachura and krishnachura bent downwards trying to reach the metalled road. Red petals were strewed on it. He was walking towards his school looking here and there to have a glimpse of Sree.  His Sree, two ponytails, each tied with a red satin ribbon, were bouncing as she rushed throug...

She came into the world, On the day of full moon, Black curls falling on her forehead, Brightness of moon pales, Fairness incomparable, Long eyelashes border, The blue viscous of her eyes, Black eyeballs dance to see, The world; her abode to experience, Love, pain, joy, disappointment. Fulfilment; a complete circle in essence. Her mother is petrified, A girl child once again, His ultimatum hammers, Diktat she has to follow, To murder her Purnima, A day old new born, Whose eager lips, Waiting for sustenance, The fountain of milk, Dimpled smile make her weak, A prayer to the demon for mercy, Blood oozes out from her lips, Purple is her face, Crippled with fear, A turmoil so intense. Purnima is naked, Sleeping on a charpoi, Freezing night, Even the stars hide, Bereft of tears, Waiting for her death, Agony of helplessness, Disdain and in shame, A listless existence, Whirlpool of thoughts, Tired, tired are the eyes, Drifting into sleep, Near the in...

Photo credit: Sudip Bhattacharya I jump up high, Beyond the realm, As if the sky is beneath, Twinkling are the stars, A carpet of infinite, My dainty steps are afraid, Quivering I, a step up, My feet on his hands, Leads me to a window, My dreams unravel, Flowers of gems, An ice cream mountain, Melted chocolate dripping down, My happiness knew no bounds, Another window, a palace, Butlers and maids rushing towards me, Each room is a splendour, Velvet curtains, upholstered chairs, A king size bed draped with a veil of lace, A marble topped table, Beyond that a small window; A hamlet I recognize, Huts with holes on roofs, Stuffed with plastic, A wail so familiar, My brother's cry for milk, My father's hunched frame, Shaking with bouts of cough, My mother's reddened eyes, Blank and crestfallen, Rag picker I am, Conscience reminded, The few I earn, Relief; a hapless mother feels, Tears trickle, I beg...

 Photo credit: Sudip Bhattacharya   Petals wonder! Enclosed within sepals, Green sustains life, Inspires creative ingenuity, But isn't abundance of green become redundant at times! Why can't we be like the Sun? Glowing red in its inception, A scarlet touch of passion, Enhancing spirits to rise high to emerge as a winner. What about that yellow! Brightest and vibrant, An acrylic brush on the undefined, limitless canvas. Why not that layer of red defining boundary surrounding the melange of white and yellow! A newness for the eyes to devour. We die for the soft blush scattered in the midst of cottony clouds, Smiling shy; eager to receive our beloved, the butterfly to caress us with a kiss sucking the nectar, a crescendo too high to bear. Oh! the mighty Sun, We beg you to let the colors seep through the sepals, Let us be different, An identity for each in the sea of green. Songs we sing together with green, Dance begin with the rh...

Painting by Sejuti Biswas Sweeping across is the gentle breeze, I walk along with a pack of sheep, Following the narrow dusty road, Wondering; what I gained, what I lost. Never knew a mother's love, Never slept on her lap, Never cuddled when trapped in fear, Never tasted her delicious platter, Never the fingers boxed the ears, Never the handkerchief brushed away the tears, Never heard those words of encouragement, When down with misery and discontentment. Never ever going was easy, Step mother's cane was always ready, Spineless father's pin drop of silence, Every day a bowl of gruel, Bled, when begged, Reckless with hunger, For a loaf of bread. Grueso me ten years, Then a flight to nowhere, Walked and walked, Met the shepherd, Grandpa he is, Tears cascade, A plate full of rice, Gatte ki sabzi and fries, Grandpa's fingers, Playing with my hair, A toothless smile is always there. Next morning, A bag full of books, Taking his hand, ...

Mantra: Om Namah Shivaya (I bow to Lord Shiva) Fountain arise from a mass of matted hair, The jatta; captured was Goddess Ganga, Her pride was her tumultuous flow, Shattered; gently she flows with Bhagiratha, The pious king; washed the ashes of his ancestors in the holy Ganges for salvation. Divinity shines, The snake round his neck, Manifests evil courting death, Unaffected and unperturbed, Embraces light and darkness in eqanimity, The mountain of Kailash, His abode, The eternal yogi meditates, Nilkanth, the saviour, Swallowed poison; released, when the ocean of milk was churned with Vasuki, the king of snakes, as the rope. Kindness so profound, In company with lesser mortals, To instill a sense of belonging, Faith in complete surrender to God, Devotion he seeks, Wishes fulfilled when pleased with prayers from demons and humans alike. A woman's pride is his pride, Sati's humiliation was his disintegration, Bereaved by her death, ...