Editorial: Sunil Sharma

Sunil Sharma
The month of March comes with grim challenges; angst and melancholia haunting not only India but the entire world, now living under the increasing shadow of disease and death.

The uncertainties are many.

Nobody knows whose number is next in this gigantic existentialist threat that has struck the developed and developing economies and the varied geographies.

It began as a country-specific medical emergency in December last year. Currently it has blown into a full global pandemic---COVID-19---and resulted in the lock down of cities and countries on unprecedented scales. Fatalities are on the alarming rise; so is panic and fear caused by a pestilence that continues to defy any medical solution so far and has caused enough problems for the world.

The long-range fallout is also grim. Recession is expected to hit the nations soon.

It is a world war of another kind.

Sci-fi, dystopian fantasies, doomsday predictions, mutant-attacks, climate-change-induced catastrophes---all these scenarios of an earth invaded, almost-destroyed except few souls in a bleak and barren landscape sound so convincingly true and plausible, amid rising statistics of the victims of this fatal enemy.

An invisible virus has made the world stop---temporarily, albeit---in its forward march.

Hope triumphs over plagues and pestilences; spirit soars above tragedies and upsets, refusing to give up under any circumstances.

We are born as fighters due to a long and eventful evolutionary struggle---the real heroic saga.

The solidarity and commitment of humankind towards tackling any national disaster or crisis as traits universal are truly inspiring; the innate human tendency to rise up and ultimately overcome unforeseen setbacks, sudden disasters and problems is, well, real phenomenal.

Human species has survived and adapted to the changing environments and faced dangers, as one big family, with courage and fortitude…and emerged as winners.

We will prevail this time also and overcome the debilitating virus COVID-19.

Preventive measures, communal efforts, optimism, research and cooperation, as pro-active and positive actions by the international community of nations will surely defeat this new monster.

Setu prays for the wellness and well-being of every citizen of the world and for the fast recovery of those suffering from its effects. Sooner or later, a vaccine will sure be found against this silent invader.

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Some good news now!

March edition carries an edifying selection of the best of women poetry edited by the guest-editor Padmaja Iyengar-Paddy, a prominent author-poet-editor, also widely respected for curating the terrific Amaravati Poetic Prism anthologies and annual fest called International Multi-lingual Poets’ Meet, at Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India.

She was kind enough to do this for us again---we remain indebted to her for the same!

There are 46 finest voices from across the world; voices that delineate the experience of being a woman and a professional, her overarching value, meaning and significance, in the contexts of the new millennium and high-tech culture of a gendered society.

March is the month dedicated to the celebration of woman power and her nurturing instincts. She remains the main creator and the foundation of family and civilization.

We salute the woman power and showcase their creativity via this exclusive yearly section.

As usual there are other regular features as well.

Happy to state that Setu has crossed another glittering milestone: more than 1.3 million page views.

We are still counting.

Once again, a big thank you to all the esteemed contributors, editors and readers, co-partners of this onward literary journey, for their constant support.

Sunil Sharma,
Editor, Setu (English)
Mumbai Metro Area, Maharashtra (India)

2 comments :

  1. Respected Dr. Sunil Sharma ji. Thank you for bestowing upon me the honour and privilege of being the Guest Editor of the 'Best of Women's Poetry' Special Issue of the prestigious Setu! Indeed, in these troubled times with the threat of COVID-19 all pervading across the world, this assignment came to me as a much needed relief as the poems that came in from some of the best women poets, made for a soothing and calming read! Let's hope that COVID-19 soon passes into oblivion and we all heave a collective sigh of relief! Thank you once again, for this wonderful opportunity

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks madam for your kind and continual support to us. Take care. in debt.
    Sunil Sharma

    ReplyDelete

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