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Tuesday, October 31, 2006

My body, a city - K. Satchidanandan

"My body, a city" is a poem in Malayalam.

The translation being posted here has been done by K. Satchidanandan, the poet himself. A simple search on Google will help you read about this great poet of our times and his works, which have been translated and transcreated across Indian and foreign languages.


My body, a city,
My eyes, its cantonments.
In them the eternal vigil of observant sentries.
A railway station between my ears—
There the unceasing tumult of crowds
that wait for a mate or a prey
and fall asleep, tired:
Folks who always miss their trains,
orphaned thoughts gone astray,
memories lost between the chiming of bells
and whistles of the wagons,
fire-filled dreams that pant and wait
for green signals.

My veins are rivers, noisy with anklets
My nerves, wires that carry music and light
My entrails are streets busy with traffic.

The four chambers of my heart:
one, a prison, black with the solitude of the dead
one, a church, white with the serenity of prayers,
one, a hospital red with the groans of the sick
and the odours of medicines,
one, a courtroom blue with its prolonged trials
and dispassionate judgements.

How shall I describe
the port of my nose
where smells unfold their sails,
the untiring mills of my teeth
that grind the hardest of pains
the market of my tongue
full of noises and flavours
the observatory of my skin that records
the change of seasons in its language of signs,
the garden of my hairs where the sun never rises
the towers of my legs brimming with still dances,
the office of my hands peopled with files and clerks,
the sleepless factories of my gland
and the busy junctions of my joints?

In this city are the cries of birth
and the groans of death,
the temptings of the pimp
and the gospels of the saint,
the bargaining of the merchant
and the detachment of the monk
caged forests and chained springs,
clouds that rain at a touch
and cuckoos concealed in mothers of pearl,
the wounds of departures
and the wonders of arrivals,
the inns of kisses
and the zoos of emotions.

Remember:
When you burn this body
You are burning a city.
Remember:
When you bury this body
You are burying its people.

[Transcreation] Post-revolution times

Post-revolution times


This title is merely a pointer

to lead you here to understand

post-revolution times

So now let me summarize


The comprehensive history of a revolution

can be slotted in three phases

Since this is important, and fail they will,

to historians, we cannot entrust this task



First, the pre-revolution times


When a feeling creeps in that a revolution is about to happen

It is just around the bend

Leaders convince their followers

In exile and out of it,

they toil to develop martyrs from within the lot

Followers gush with adrenalin pumping in their veins

In the political battle that ensues

dissenting heads and ideologies roll

Catchy revolutionary songs

spread the revolution far across

At the pinnacle of the movement

revolution is unfurled from flag-masts

Exhilarated followers sing in unison



Then, the revolution itself


To understand that they live in revolutionary times,

is not possible for the common folk

Lest they fret at the imminent losses and pitfalls

Intellectuals take on the mantle to explain it to them

The final triumph of a revolution is beautiful, certain

It is for the leaders to convince those

who holds doubts of a revolution’s destiny

Daunting, yet the ultimate duty, I must say

Through speeches and discourses

and if need be, through deeds

duty-bound are the leaders to do so

Our own, if they agree that a revolution is on

much easier would become then, the path ahead




Finally, the post-revolution times


The Revolution has triumphed

and today we have reached-

I say, and friends do lend me your ears

and be attentive-

the post-revolution times

Few may find it hard to believe,

followers may take time to comprehend

Do not lose your patience

for they were all immersed in revolution’s frenzy

If they are slow at it, let them be

They are not accustomed to

workers and leaders leading comfortable lives

Non-believers may increase

Intellectuals may sound dejected

In every polity, they are alike

Bad omens

Let them cringe and bark, but humanity is on an onward surge

To those who made this day happen, my salutations

We succeeded in not letting wealth concentrate in a few hands

What are we to do Mr. Brezhnev, if it now falls into our coffers?




A Malayalam poem by Late Sh. Ayyappa Panicker



Transcreation in English by Vijay © 26th October, 2006

[Transcreation] Highflier

This is how he justified, eulogized
his rented abode
on the top floor
of a fifty-storied building

Before sun shines
in the eyes of anyone,
I make it play on my lips

With a roll of string
and a paper kite,
I can leak rain from the clouds

In a garbage bag
I capture storms
With ease I capture moonshine
I relish the sounds of central A/C
as if they are the rumble of the waves below

I can see from here, on the moon,
shriveled flags, footsteps
and the angels
who flew off the stories I heard

If I shout at the top of my voice,
from seven skies across,
God sends back
shrill echoes

Even if all these
fail to camouflage my penniless life
in this fact I can take solace
that it is above the head of the rich
that I defecate each day

On a recent visit
to his rural roots
he committed suicide



Uchhasthan – A poem in Malayalam
by Kamruddin Amayam
Transcreation by Vijay © 19th October, 2006

[Poem] Betrayal

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Children of a lesser god?

The indifference and apathy of the powers-that-be qua those with disabilities is increasing by the day. Today, I was once again shocked to read the news item appearing in the following link.

The HINDU

One, those who are entrusted with public dealing are not educated about the rights available to these special friends of ours. Secondly, when confronted, the officials would in almost all cases be rude and unaccomodating taking shelter under ambiguous circulars and notifications.

I had the unfortunate ocassion of handling such a situation in a case decided last year of a student who had dyslexia had excelled despite the peculiar circumstances he was in. While the Court, having regard to the case, tried its best to persuade the Administration, the Administration was adamant and took umbrage under an insensitive law and policy. The Court's helplessness is apparent from the Judgement.

************************************************************

IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI

W.P.(C) 12761/2005

MASTER VENKATESH BHATNAGAR ..... Petitioner
Through Mr.Vijay Nair, Advocate.

versus

GOVT. OF NCT OF DELHI AND OTHERS .... Respondents
Through Ms.Sujata Kashyap, Advocate for
Respondents No.1 to 4.
Mr.Atul Kumar, Advocate for Respondent No.5.

CORAM:
HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE VIKRAMAJIT SEN

O R D E R
11.08.2005


Application was made on behalf of the Petitioner for changing subjects from Social Science to Painting by the School concerned, which request was allowed by the CBSE keeping the Petitioner's circumstances in view.

The Petitioner had appeared in the Common Entrance Test, 2005 and was found meritorious for admission to the Diploma in Computer Engineering. However, at the time when the fees were being deposited, by the Petitioner, his candidature has been cancelled by Respondent No.2, Board of Technical Education, Delhi acting through Respondent No.3, Gobind Ballabh Pant Polytechnic on the grounds that the Petitioner had not studied Social Science as one of his subjects in the Xth Class. The minimum eligibility as contained in the Information Bulletin for Admission to Full Time Diploma Programme in Polytechnics, CET-2005:
"Passed Xth class of 10+2 or Matric or any other exam recognized as equivalent to Xth class exam conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) or an equivalent recognized board with minimum 45% marks in the aggregate of five subjects securing minimum 33% marks in each of English, Maths, Science (separately in Theory and Practical), Social Science and one additional language (which reflects higher marks)."


Since the Petitioner has not appeared in Social Science at the stage of Class X, his candidature has been cancelled. It has been contended that in the Common Entrance Test there are no questions pertaining to Social Science. The argument that this subject may not be essentially relevant for Computer Engineering is indeed an attractive one. A review by the Respondent may be necessary.

Regrettably, the Petitioner cannot avail the benefits of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 since for reasons which I find inexplicable, only physical disabilities of three kinds are contemplated by that Act. This Court had occasion to observe the possible incongruity in this Statute in the context of a person suffering from heart ailment in Kumar Bharat Prasand Narain Singh Vs. Airport Authority of India, 2005 (5) AD (DELHI) 513.

Parliament may consider whether amendments are called for.

In a case where a mental disorder or disability is being suffered there appears to be no justification to exclude such persons from the meagre 3% reservation for the disabled. This is especially so because of the existence of National Trust for Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities Rules, 2000 which could possibly bring succour to the Petitioner if the Act is amended. Had the Petitioner been eligible for consideration under the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 the impasse in which he find himself may not have transpired at all.

The marks obtained by the Petitioner indicate that he has overcome his affliction. But nevertheless he has been shut out from pursuing a course in which he has already proved his merit. Educators are becoming too bureaucratic.

Unfortunately for the Petitioner, under Article 226 of the Constitution this Court would ordinarily not issue Writs of Mandamus or any other Orders which would have the effect of re-writing norms which have been spelt out well in advance by the Respondents concerned. Therefore, although the Petitioner is entitled to special consideration, which he has not received at the hands of the Board of Technical Education, Delhi which has obdurately stuck to its minimum eligibility norms and thus no relief can be granted to the Petitioner.

The Writ Petition is disposed of in these terms.

Sd/-
VIKRAMAJIT SEN, J
AUGUST 11, 2005
The Judgement