Dassehra Diary Global Day 3

autumn equinox

happy birthday #brucespringsteen

this, too, is haiku

cakes and cloches, stands.

simultanelously: court

-same-sex mariage -yanks!

clarenceclemons gone

hand-woven jazz towel shored up

-UN concert's on

'Haiku: It's Still Day 2 somewhere on Day 3

Deep-fried McCain bites
-a health-food coincidence
Not. Arizona preached, drew?!

Meanwhile, Hilary's
Shakespearean cosmonaut dress
creates waves on air

Haiku from Trilochan Enclave (First day of Dasara 2017)

By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

Bruce Springsteen: BS
Campbell, a country singer
rescues Bruce Brothers

My Amazon cart
holds a book by Bruce Campbell,
published by UC

On the death anniv
of Annie Besant, CP
(into Theosphical)

literature, i see
Isis Unveiled, duo-gy
reading list for we

Autumn Equinox
public-sector energy
spiritually

A Clue to a Book Review

By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

i don't mean to flog
a dead horse
but
those reading verse
might wish
to hop across
to my political blog
at shrutidevi.blogspot
to take a dekko
at
my reco
(and other commentaries)
- a series
on
#brucesprungsteen's
book
#borntorun

go on, then,
what-are-you-waiting-for!

trip around starlight

By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

and so on and so forth.

 

Just to be clear:

It’s always the next day somewhere

Unless you’re talking realms.

And then it’s all irrelevant

anyway.

Almost.

That said,

in terms of

the experiential

and the variously interpreted

existential

across

space and time…….

Infinite avenues of conjecture

Could make for a freezer-full

of nintendogames

or whatever they’re called these days.

Blog it, flog it, or just slog it.

Alternatively,

talk straight

into my charms

if any

Which brings me

to an old billy joel number this time

and I’ll cherry-pick

for the line

that points out

that one

essentially

wakes up

with one’s self.

Clones and spirits,

memories and verse

Interesting clues

to one’s retrospectively viewed

universe

Shadow-boxing

at the grandest scale

-which the river

And whither the vale

Honesty

the virtue

that doth  prevail.

Network Earth and Beyond

By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

from my facebook wall of today:

another pome
this time from home
from me in india
(and to the reading non-english-speaking enthusiasts:
please don't rely on my grammar and spelling...
in these abstractly-rendered
yellings - or typings - or whatever).

so the day will dawn earlier
on earth
than on the hearth
at number sixteen
the first time the white house's seen
a recce by the non-political class
-top brass
soon to step in
to slightly diminished flipflops
but hawaiis nevertheless
even on a cold day

no problem with the heating?
and one hears they'll be greeting
      at the front door all ready
and waiting....
(thanks, jackie, for the interior decoration tips
from continuity to continuity
and from your aristocratic trips
before the advent of
modern-day veganism
and other political correctnesses!)
(ye olde worlde order definitionally subverted by now!)

and now for the gems:
legal opinion handed over
in tech-bound poetry
no less
that's how it is
at this esteemed appointment-house
your highness

article two, section one, clause eight
wait, wait!
this be the american constitution
(hereby nonchalantly claim one's expertise
and string thou on with researched ease)

(bung in the quasi federalness of our fast-expanding empire
and you get the big picture)

so twixt the land of the star-spangled banner
and the dharti-asmaan-zameen-antarix and beyond
of hamara bharat mahan
overlaps
the spirit of our
constitutions

key differences:
the harmonious one first:

you are free to join us,
we pirouette and/or stand at ease
and go nowhere,
but do assimilate.
so that sorts out
the secession bit.
no conflict, cando.

then, the bit on secularism.
ahem.
we provide the option of solemnly swearing, or swearing in the name of god
(for heaven's sake!)
whereas
you folks
forsake the holy joey bit
and insist on rubber (god in punjabi, i gather from a daler mehdi song).
(though one of your chappies did throw in a bit about an almighty
no record of it, i'm afraid
and just as well
in terms of garnering all-round
common minimum consensus

fair enough
for governance
and so we co-operate
-in the name of bizness?!-

bring on the magic oath!

to preserve, protect and defend
the Spirit
of our Constitutions
on Earth
and beyond!

One Love: i, me, myself!

(now you know what to amend)
or slip in at the end
:)

Addendum a few hours later:
Socialism is inherently implied, you seeeeeee

punjab elections and other matters (poem)

By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

the latest from my facebook wall!

(written after having surfed my twitter feed, and on having read a snippet or two of india-news connected to my party and punjab elections; an elocution competition, and other news from punjab, as far as the beginning of the poem goes)

punjab elections and other matters (poem)

be it elocution, be it politishun, i have the script, jee.
it shall be read, and we might win instead
and if not, we'll try for a less beastly scene...
esp since shru recited
a fairy went a-marketing
but that was in class teen!
no bourgeois responses to this, please
i would
rather prefer
an appeal to the atmosphere
to retrieve me lost poetry book, cloth-bound
(from giggles, those days, not archies)
and perhaps even the unlocatable book that grates
the one with poetry
that was written
after the one about the golden gates!
(sourced from gal-go-tia's those days)
-a part of a prize
which reminds me of wright
and so
coincidences
of things lost; literature (read and created)
and the deity
and fest
in
AP
where the belief is that you go there if you've lost something.
so a magnifying glass, and a microscope and a telescope
and a few ayes
would
do
to regain
paradise! (chronicles of empire)

Allegation/s (and another poem)

By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

Two bits of verse that i just wrote on facebook:

Allegation/s (a poem)
another poem
close on the heels of the one i just wrote
(it was a facebook update that turned into imitated synctactic verse)....
automatedly.

now:
just to state a few seemingly obvious stances:
if people in one's immediate surroundings
deliberately attempt to indulge in devious methods of communication
(like i said, immediate surroundings being: while in one's presence)
and do so with no explanations
(and one isn't talking about artistic communication among friends, or small children who might unconsciously imitate adult behaviour), or about when linguistic forensics skills are called into play while reading or writing works of any kind (such literature is analysed as and when relevant, if at all).
but about those either deliberately mirroring (and/or stonewalling) one,
or deliberately, and, without explanation or preface, exhibiting random behaviour, (most often, to one's detriment), then there is definitely cause to doubt aspects of integrity at some level or the other.
usually with petty origins.
(more specifically, check my facebook note on Day 1, Dasara 2016).
they do so at their own peril.

................................................................................

dear those sending me linkedin invites!
a politician can't really have work contacts, that's conflict of interest.
even when one doesn't actually hold a post.
that's been my policy so far.
everyone's a social contact....
and nothing 'matlabi' or selfish about it
if/when we're on the same page
ie
supporting the goal of achieving world peace
via good governance.
my loss, your gain
as always
(at a personal level).
inter-galactically, no doubt,
we rule!
(no points for guessing who hogs the credit,
not me, so far).

...the attainment of which is not an ego-need,
but its a logistical nightmare
when appropriate credit isn't accorded
and causes and effects are misinterpreted
or not factored in, to use parlance

Mass Delusion/s

By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

written and posted on facebook on 22nd Dec., 2016

switch to poetry! (or risk being called -and dealt with as- delusional)
peerless and priceless constitutional interpretaion
(even if i say so myself)-
WE the people: WE as in addressing our World Empire
(see what i mean by intangibles?!)
there's a hindi phrase that goes meri billi mujhee sey miaon
which, if you're invoking it approx twenty years down the line,
signals that you've totally empowered your student, and/or are in a bit of a thankless position
and what sort of mission would that entail, kundalini?
thus spake a muse

"However, NO to a nuclear power plant at Kuvvada" or "The Voices of the Rosy Flamingo"

The hunters moon,

it gathers sway

Bricks are made of mortar

but also of hay

Piggies’ tales and greenwich times

The Quill-o-the-Wisp’s

back to rhymes.

Woods and lakes in Anastasia’s wake

do find a page or million

via the vermillion

lore

of India’s gates.

Convergence

with the Mohawk

the Spock

and even the

digeridoo.

Draw a tarot card or two

And dowze the realms

In dreams.

Oh, Blineys?!

jest like that: (shanty-morning poetry)

By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

jest like that: (shanty-morning poetry) OR Day 13 Monsoon Session 2016 Non-comprehensive Observations

star bright, star light, this last draft, i read tonite.
i wish i may, i wish i might, with one fell stroke, revoke the blight.
a council's diktats shall prevail, the pallor of the upper house shall pale.

pull up your socks, get ready, vox
from now till november, there's limited time
pull the tide, or endlessly abide hyphens, siphons, elusive stipends

Beautiful Solitude (written in 1990)

By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

Hi, this is a poem i wrote on the 15th of February, 1990.
Am currently working on an annotated version of my entire collection of poems, for publication in a book, but i choose to upload this work here today:

Beautiful Solitude

                                                            15/2/1990

Much has Man created

__Much more than meets the

     Eye

And I speak not of fancy things

Nor of war and peace speak I.

Stop, my friend, and think

                                    awhile

Of human relationships and

                          human ties

We revere and accept these earth-time bonds

__Live we not in a fool’s paradise?

     Some time of ours is spent on

                                             Earth

Call it a gruelling test,

Call it a short respite

Where human beings align

                         themselves

With others of their race

As if forever

Here, in this dream-like place.

These bonds are but the

                 creation of Man

That offer him security

In this short span.

Hark! let the truth unfold

It is not as bitter as it seems

__Not as cold.

    For alone we come

    And alone we go

  And so alone we shall be

      Forever more.

Reportage

By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

i suppose only nonsense verse
would serve to converse
on matters such as dreamt thoughts
or heard news
such as 'holy communion' quite far away from the pews
(realms of dreams)
-applied then
to visuals in the morning's papers:
a striped one with the pope
being administered
holy pop!

then the word 'campaign'
quite universally applicable, no doubt
irrespective of which podium
or exit
you use.
you know what.
earth first.
RIP? the spirit stays.

then a racy, heart-stopping actionsequence
wherein
a ferocious canine
retrieves fair game.

signature: 'barack'?
how awesome is that
but i have to ask:
how does one ensure the republicans' defeat?
would a bernie think-alike, look-alike suffice as a last-minute entrant from another party?
yeahyeah
we could speak for the greens
if only to set the stage
first, for hilary
and in time to come
for a successful green party candidate
before the planetary system
is ready for an earth president
(for now, divinely ordained earth empress shall clumsily write)

and read.
i suppose.
and string together

#DreamtOfRamanaMaharishi

By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

I wish i could recall the trick

For how to write a limerick

A simple feat,

one could tap into the beat,

and google would solve the mystery quite soon

(i’ve done it before, a syntactic score

of minor import

in the larger picture, no doubt)

But a simple rhyme

ought to suffice this time

-twixt this era and another divine.

Woke up to a near-holler-heard:

“Do you know a Monk!”

(ah, that bottle of dark rum of the said nomenclature

that was a part of the previous day’s caricature resurrected as such) (and one returns here to clarify that one hadn't imbibed any, so that wasn't why!)

But what was a bit much

To comprehend

Was the visage of a monk-like

Or, rather, sage-like persona

That came into focus without any hocus-pocus

Followed by the visual of a yantra

You know, a diagram of the holy sort

All authentic, with a dot and what-not.

Just researched images of saints and monks

And believe it or not, the funk

-It was the face of Ramana Maharishi

(one barely recalls the names of individual saints and suchlike

So the coincidence was not entirely trite)

And the bio says born on 30/12 (just like me)

Though neither of us uses linkedin much as of yet

the right-hand felt the stirring of an electro-magnet

Aaj Ajmer Kee Soch (A Hindi/Urdu poem)

By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

This is one of the only two non-English poems i've written. (The other one is in Telugu: Nirnayalu (Decisions), which is on this blog...and there's an Oriya-to-English translation of one of my grandpa's Oriya lyrics which one will post here soon).

Ajmer Kee Soch was written on 30th July, 2013 in New Delhi, inspired by the daily media-tracking and analysis of the election campaign of the Pakistani politician, tribal leader and former cricketer, Imran Khan, and an earlier personal peace pilgrimage of mine to the dargah at Ajmer. (i'd posted this on my Facebook wall some time after writing it...a footnoted version is on the cards...and will tune in to watch the forthcoming India-Pak match at Eden Gardens).

AAJ AJMER KEE SOCH

Mukhtalifiyat sey

Aa pahunchey

Ek khazaaney par

Kya wakahi

Yeh

Ek khabar hai

Ya nazariyaat

Kee honee unhonee

Khwaab?

Badaltey idaarey

Adaalat kinaarey

Padee huey jamooriyat.

Junoon key zarooriyat

Ho toh aisee.

Jalsey mein phirey

Mashallah girey

Par qualm ney jashn manayee

Beshak.

Abh jashn aur bhee baaki hai

Jabh insaaniyat aur insaafiyat

Chaa jaayegee har monsoon kee gulley mein.

Tabh Jashn-e-Jannat kahengey hum.

Us mannat ko poora

Samjheyngey hum.

HAPPY DEEPAVALLI

By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

happy divali! wrote this today, and posted it with images on my facebook wall. :).

HAPPY DEEPAVALLI (A POEM)

This year, i thought i'd order
a solar lamp
here at the border
'tween orissa and andhra.

liberty lamp seemed an apt moniker
of all the products
i'd viewed
online
(e-commerce, i tell you!)
-holds solutions for consumers
once our rights
are put in line.

the lamp arrived and stood in the sun
soaked in celestial light for fun
and perhaps for a little spark.

the candle-mode, 
it works ok
the brighter look
is more of a solar flare.

i'm all for solar grids, you see
mainstream-plus
but in the meantime
this liberty lantern
works
for drink and dine.

has a hand-crank as 
the literature says.
USB ports and other ways
to charge your phones, computers, all.
in-bound, out-bound
the wherewithal
to work on starlight
and dispel
the darkest hour.
Oh, well.

here are two images
but there'll still be
a finer power:

radio-waves
might charge our shells
hi-fi, sci-fi, not quite what you think:

don't have to mine 
don't have to quarry
-that's primitive tech
for this scientific age.

we have advanced
it's not restricted
to the world
of postage
or daily wage

here's the irony:
science has the answers
technology's lagging behind
and i suspect it's to do with the sponsors

ie 
the possible
cluelessness 
of those who plan the economy
-makes for a deadly combination
with 
the corrupts (sic) of the nations
and beyond.

Anyway,
happy diwali, all!
-let there be light.
(infact, there shall).

My travels begin on the morrow
and i'll see you soon!

Refined Committees Vs Helter-skelter Legalese

By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

greetings
from
the past-masters
of collations.

be it nbsap
or JPCs
or all sorts of democratically elected committees
(conducted in good faith
and fettle).

this is why
one said, yesterday,
that the leg. is the leg.
and the bats
should stick to their
exclusive
hats.

Orchestrating

By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

Having accessed
a thousand-plus
pages
almost everyday
in the recent past
and so
having exhausted
and renewed
the data-plan
Also, in part,
atrributable
to tricksels of pixels
of the billionosphere

The iris
was trained
on
post-dark-sky-gazing.
An inter-galactic
hangover.

Now, this differentiates itself
from the muse
And talks to one
from the pews
of the
higher
judiciary.

At the outset
i'd say avaunt-
go scurry
-tabulate their ramblings
into a matrix,
a sort of grid
-the worthies on an axis
And on the other:
citations, doctrines, pearls
of the constituent assembly,
the law commission
(Just to rid the plebs of all confusion,
and to ensure there's no ommission
While reading.)

Now back to what
One thinks
-Irrespective.

The legislature and exec
were all within their right
to expect
to have a stake in the process
Of handling the justice-delivery mess.

However, it might've been
a bit extreme
(to say the least),
to have slipped in clauses
that allowed the beast
of democracy to make
certain
future amendments
Without a by-your-leave
to the
Constitutional Amendment
process.

And p'raps
The manners
and the provisions pertaining to their eminences
Should've envisioned
something more elaborate
at that stage
rather than leaving the rules (poetic for details)
to alleged crooks
and assorted fools.

All in all, it's the parl's domain
But one can hardly complain
If their lordships have
plugged a gap
(Deftly, i must add),
To call for a sap
Yeah, that's a strategy
And an action plan.

We're buying
some time,
spouting some words
Occupying garden benches,
and sun-bathing mats,
Listening to the sonics
of senior bats.

Having reinstated
bygone-era
realities.

The zombies in the circular house
Must, no doubt,
this flame arouse
(and, ironically, douse).

Without any hesitation,
we reiterate
-we are one nation
So let's hope we're over-heard
And an appropriate legislation
(Or amendment)
Is preferred
without much delay.

The Panchami Day This Dasara

By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

strolled into the semi-ruined quadrangle
where the twin-sword deities
were placed till 2003 AD.
this panchami day

greeted unusually by
a feline
that ran to the closed door
of the mixed tiles
of peacocks
and fruit.

from there,
to scamper
into the old, dark area
with carved wooden
beams
that could well be buddhist or jain or hindu
or none of the above
or martian even

on this, a day of saturn
deliberately
clad in black and recycled
silver
and amethyst.

on the net
one reads
that its the day of the worship of skanda devi who rides a lion
and that skanda
was also a general
of the chinese-buddhist tradition

thereafter, walked through the orchard.
the feline
reappears
having chased noisy poultry
and then onward
to the sacred grove
of tulsi-plants and multi-hued flowers

plucked some tulsi
boiled, infused, pepper-water
and now bound
to prepare one's own lunch
while
single-handedly
battling
kitchen-abusers
& Ors.

Mahalaya

By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

we are known
to have descended
from the cerulean-blue-peacock-sky

the mahalaya 
pooja
to begin with.

the third eye knocks.
eye of the tiger
stirs

sounds and fumes and thought-matter
shake
the status quo

yet
again

shifts
in consciousness
heralded in
by science

racer-backs, gowns
from silk to silk

hurtle through the wormhole

a magnetic
is the trick.
connected

from theta to delta
and so on
your holiness

celestial bliss
(comet-descended)

pervade
rock on
electric

rhinestones, spatikas
sieves by rivers
mountains
galaxies swirl
-glittering eyes of infinite
beings
shimmer fleetingly.

the tyranny of
lazer-beams
and suchlike
to be kept
in check

A year in Kurupam

By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

A year in Kurupam

(written on 29^th June, 2015, Kurupam)

The afternoon storm rolls in

as i type

into this laptop

on an antique marble round-table at which i sit everyday

facing the terrace

and the old repaired bloc

that i’ve written verse

on

in the context of fruit bats and ruins long ago.

And the hills and trees.

Struggles against quarrying, mining, land and rights:

Orchestras heard, reverberated

A continuum.

Greater focus now

on gender-justice

in socio-economic planning.

A thunder-clap just heard

as i declare

that one

has been here since forever

And also

since exactly a year ago from today

(coincidentally, last year’s Jagannath Rath Yatra date).

in the avatar

of Democratic Princess of the Palace

(alliterative, that, but also Fort).

(As compared to earlier postings:

-people’s princess; ambassador to delhi and elsewhere)

And so on!)

Surfing the tech n media wave

For all it’s worth

And perhaps

calling a few shots.

Here, mostly in solitary splendour

holding fort and connected.

That would’ve been the destination and envy

of many a monarch

that might’ve chased Empire

through the course of the history

of this planet.

Not amused

by subtle surveillance:

remote frequencies: sounds, odours, thought and dream projections

reek

of pressures being exerted

on surrounding troupes

local factors, petty actors, no doubt.

Is this how a mansabdari system

talks to its Empress?

(One only approves

of direct, straightforward forthright communication

in the realm of direct communication

-even reality theatre should be Declared to be as such

Or it degenerates

into deceit).

Grim measures

-though nature’s treasures

compensate somewhat,

conjuring epic grandeur

from drudgery (ill-defined)

esp when thought of

in the light

of the masses.

This last bit

of reasoning

a narrative

with its own constraints.

A trick for the altruistic:

To calibrate the charisma

(esp when not in the running

for sainthood and the like).

Strike out, watch out,

a whistle’s a chant

-pierces though flutes,

wanders through stars.

...............................................

~poetry~

...to put today’s writing into another perspective, i share with readers, a verse that i wrote in 1996:

KURUPAM – WAIT FOR ME (written on 5/4/1996 in New Delhi)

The earth, it moves so quickly now

And i’m so far away

The sun and night

They come and go

While winds of change blow through those trees.

Women and men

They also sway

Struck, perchance, by some global breeze....

“Waste no time but lead me there

There, to do as Nature decrees.”

[“Nay, tarry awhile

Perhaps there’s something here today

Which is why you’re here.

Here, so far away.”]

Spring Equinox 2015: Fort Kurupam and Many Worlds (Mystical)

Spring Equinox 2015: Fort Kurupam and Many Worlds (Mystical)

greetings
from the high priestess
of the earthen empire
today, we chant of ashes and also of fire.

there's a holy season on
with sanskrit rituals being performed
on time
but the dreamscape brings forth prayers
from a different clime: the Buddhist Sampa Sadhana
was embedded in some muscle
and heard
and so today, its been surfed to and posted
from a random search of sites that have hosted
such mantras.

sharing it
here on my facebook wall
(a link)
and i think
i've located
a relevant
article
on immolations by tibetan monks
that i'm
uploading
without fear or favour

Inida, China, their minds might waver
when you look deeper
into the Odiyana question.

From the valley of Swat
to the grand Hyatt
oases and ravines en route
the ever-expanding empire
will spiral through
and render the uncouth
soothsayers
at least.

~poetry~
By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

Once Upon A Watering-Hole On World Water Day

Once Upon A Watering-Hole On World Water Day

sticking with the diary theme
but not quoting directly
since it's a publisher's dream
(hint hint!).

however, bits n bobs i now scatter
such as the matter of Mary Malone
Spanish, Swiss n French
Many Indian languages, all in a sense
chillin at an Irish tent
aeons ago, but on 22 March!

now i find the song's on youtube
-been addressin' their Caliph
for some years i find
trillions of hits
but only today did i wind my way
to the particular rendition
(there's a poster with a mention
of Robinhood!)

Kangaroo courts might work for Oz
but please do note
here, we strive to walk the tightrope
when it comes to justice-delivery.

Unlike the executive and legislative wings
that might function like pizza delivery,
when it comes to applying the rules of natural justice
you need checks and balances to keep a watch on quirks
and this is how the unliveried
Supreme Intelligence
lurks!

(oh my goodness!
it's also the birthday of His Holiness!!!)

~poetry~
By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

Ugadi greetings n all 2015

Ugadi greetings n all 2015

my diary entry
of 21st March (Sat), 1998
is as
follows:
"Went with Jenni and Nandini 
to North Beach-
Italian dinner.
Walked through Chinatown,
drove past Fisherman's Wharf,
drove through
the crookedest street".

(i've just changed the syntax
for my beat).

as for lunch arrangements
one cooks up a daily storm
or plain weather
Kaar seva of sorts
workwise- on an even course
for now.

so Ugadi subhakankshalu
and all manner of greeting
the Navaraatra begins today:

wiccan folk are out to play
who made who
and who is who
a picnic song is on it's way
shuroo shuroo
kiya jaayey
yay yay yay
a chant's in line
thunder, lightning, sun n stars
women were from Venus, men were from Mars
ajeeb hai logic, aisee waisee
abh research karo
Stasi!

By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

Land Lore

written and posted on Facebook yesterday (19th March, 2015)

Land Lore

today, i write from the grand durbar
lets take no chances
we're way into the required action!
time to take charge
and bring each faction
into line.

land laws, water-wars, administration counts.
sign up, sign up, memorandum 'n all
don't just sit there and bawl (wait: the protests must continue as well)
but do the needful, although time might tell.

there are a number of reasons for which this must go to a committee
fashionable or not,
and irrespective of whether or not
people have read the Hermes mythology
(monaco biscuits, english loaves, appetite now
for more invisibility cloaks
to eavesdrop on all of humanity
-spare me!)

think of a good chairperson
one who (obviously)
shouldn't be swayed
by personal agendas
and who's got a good nose
for the gender-justice
cause.
or the differently-abled and inter-generational
equity
one.
that's the priority
and the context
from which to view all the other vexed aspects of this subject.

then, of course, one who is adept at chairing sessions in an unbiased manner
with a good rapport with MPs and parties of every demeanour
and not personally dogmatic with decisions and views
all in all, one who can find the proper consensus
-might make sense to make a shortlist of such people from the current pool
yes, yes, we're still talking legislative matters: focus is the rule.
(speaking French needn't be a criteria, but there's got to be unprecedented
support extended by the secretariat
to seek inputs, translate and collate them, assist the chariot
and ensure that nobody's sidelined.)

haha, it should go to a committee
are there any doubts?
Trash the ordinance; set up a time-bound parliamentary committee
i don't see reasons to delay the timing, all that'll do is have the opposition whining
with consequences.

By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

In Defence Of Intelligence

In Defence Of Intelligence

back to my favourite topic:
Land.
let me tell you
you can't just command
people to leave their homes
in a democracy.

Then what would be the difference
between that
and the army
taking over
like in smaller neighbouring countries
tell me please
is that what we want?
definitely not.

SO
so for as to not let the system
go to rot
we have to make sure the systems work.
nobody shirk
your duty
to your nation and very importantly
to future generations.

ms shrutidevi has lots of friends
but to get the exact trends
of what people think and want
she would know
as she roams around
quite a bit
please read her poems
and see what you can gauge
even if its in the english language.
But better still would be
if brighter sparks such as we
could peruse the fine-print
on her political blog.

you see, it is almost an emergency
this ordinance, the previous act
all smack
of patriarchy, fascism what-not
and has to be all brought
to a better, more logical conclusion
ask only v shruti devi her detailed views
that's the only way to avoid confusion
is what i today think.

older and wiser
and with only dues
towards the Almighty
(who am i to refuse!)

By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

A Birth Anniversary

A Birth Anniversary

mum's dad (aja's)
birth anniversary is today
he'd have turned
eighty-four (my tenth-standard Hindi score)
had he been around,
and there'd have been some laughs.

his early retirement from politics
led him to other trysts
with books and ideas, explorations of many worlds
that he'd been introduced to
back in the Rajkumar College
the one at Raipur
where they were trained to administer and to rule.

come independence
and the family made the unusual choice
of joining the congress party
instead of the other one
towards which most of the other rajahs and maharajas made a beeline.

of his stint in parliament
he had many anecdotes
and of the time
he went around the world in fashionable coats
(as seen in the pictures and black and white reels)
- he was an avid photographer,
had set up a dark room
and presented me with my first camera
when i was very, very little.
made me a member of the wizbiz club
(a Telegraph corner for kiddies of the era).

Was interested in hypnotism, ventriloquism, spirituality
and stationed himself in Vizag (my grandma's town)
-a longish drive from his one-time kingdom in Orissa, Daspalla
(the hotel on the premises in Vizag's named after it, and makes
the best dosas in town, i can tell ya).

That's also in the Eastern Ghaats
- lands where Lord Jagannath's worshipped,
the harbour-town from where goods are shipped out and so on.

Helped to set up the local Jagannath temple, became the President of the
Ramakrishna Mission, Vizag
Went on occasional evening drives to vendors of newspapers, juices, gadgets
and mags.
Had a number of shikar-stories from the olden days
With his feet on a moodah (the same one on which one stood at age four-plus
shouting vote-for-Congruss),
he'd tell us stories
of beats and bisons, jungles, bullets and pythons.

Later, when i'd ushered in delegations
(as i choose to describe them now).
Development-sector experts, students, professionals
people from many worlds
he'd hold forth on those very many stories
sitting in this lush Dutch bungalow
where the architecture sings syncretic glories
right here in Visakhapatnam
where i now sit and write
(am here from the village
for a day and a night or two, visiting).

He, most exceptionally,
adapted to technology.
Was certainly no mathematician or scientist
But was an avid surfer in this coastal town
chatrooms, icq, hotmail, he did astound
us
by this ability to keep in touch.

sent out new-year cards diligently designed
and embellished with personalized hand-written lines.
-an exceptional soul
in changing times!

Odes to Lord Jagannath he wrote in literary style
A whole lot of them in Oriya
that were performed during many a Jaganath Rath Yatra
-always intended to publish and to record
never did, but The Lord's been kind
the songs are famous nonetheless
amongst humankind!
(one attempted a couple of translations into the English language
but as a Shakespearean actor, he might not have taken to the meterless shine).

Was not at all amused by communists
but was enthused to find me on TV
asking for a Forest Rights Act
emailed me instantly
suggested that i should appear often
on that medium
even offered me the constituency that was once his in the distant tedium.

four years after he passed on
i did make my first trip
to his village Daspalla,
and did equip myself
with the feel
of the zeitgeist
which, to me, was the same deal
as other areas here in the eastern ghaats, to be sure
though he'd been the MP of Bhuvaneshwar.

By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

I Land In The Ocean

I Land In The Ocean (and pardon the puns)

with all due respect
(a phrase that, in life, one also uses before the bench)
today i'm looking at the other suspect
of who uses such jargon

parts of our extended clan
(though don't forget, the earth's my span
for now).

khamangani:
a sort of reverential greeting
has always sounded like
come-again
to me at such meetings.
while hukum obviously
begs the question
of howcome
as heard by southie aunts
while registering
the counter-grammatical stance
that that would involve.

notwithstanding,
i stand absolved
of these niceties
and somehow manage to please
the company.

this brings me to the east india question
(the closest i've come
is the possession
and imbibement
of volumes from [yon] [the] times
of our empire's recession.
And black n white photos
from the selfsame age
that also heralded the postage
stamps
and so on).
(Its an interesting sign of the times
that some of these snaps
are back on one wall
at least
here at Fort Kurupam
- the centrifuge that plays the drum
these days).
Oh my!
Oh, me?!

anyway, having wished people on their registered birthdays
i discovered a while ago
that there are ways
in which princesses could expand empire
take the entire debate
one nautch higher
with their expertise
more in the region
of growing trees
and grassroots, please,
as far as democracy goes.
now we're on our toes
watching the Indian Ocean
craning our necks,
looking out for fisherfolk, sea urchins, all subjects
of the tiara and the arc
placid times, pacific spark.

the nitty-gritty
and devil's details
might be well understood
by those in veils
while simultaneously
cooking up a storm
for complicated recipes
that might be their daily norm
before making it
to the dining-table:
we'll row our boats
to where we're able.

this shall be negotiated peacefully
on multi tracks
just remember that chinese healers
aren't exactly quacks
(and neither are we)
not even when it comes
to democracy!

By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)

Waka Waka

Waka Waka

Talking of my worldpeace project
(the self-styled one, lest you forget)
yesterday i watched the cardinal of manila
bein' interviewed on the tella.

while he was answering questions
quite astutely
displaying an intention
to be progressive
championing rights
quite impressive
already.

nevertheless
it behoves one to mention
that the questions asked
were bang on target
i'm sure even Margaret
(from the days of Maggie)
would've agreed
'tis time to rein in
this breed.

which brings me to my other alma mater
not the catholic school
(you phools) wink emoticon
but the church of england-
-my college (where i gained a bit of knowledge)
-Stephen's.

The point being made
is that it's about time
for the non-pagan world
to call a spade a spade:
while it might be high science to say
that mary was true in her own way
'tis quite another matter
to force one's will
on populations
to not take the pill
or use rubber
or whatever.
(As they apparently do in the Philippines
But not in India and elsewhere, those philistines!)

And on top of that
to force
the flock
to not divorce.
-Chilling.

so since we already have
a whole lot of global conversation/s
on state/s of nation/s
and opinions
in the books of human rights
-figuratively speaking.

its now possible for the so-called
christian world
to come together
and recognize the realm/s
Of Darkness Visible.

that's outer-space to you:
-UV rays and spectrum, broadband and the lectern/s
from which natural resources are debated.

how these arguments play out
would then be a good shout-out
to the administrative world
to do its job
without fear or fervour.

This too shall pass
into the swirled tinsel-way:
we're humans.
human rights are in our DNA

And these corrections might be made
by a greenish thought
in a greenish shade.

By V. Shruti Devi (quill-o-the-wisp)