What short story means to me (K. S. Subramanian and B. S. Tyagi)

K S Subramaniam

K. S. Subramanian

From my experience I have found that the main aim of a short story must be to connect with the reader, knowing his propensity for fast pace, easy and pleasant reading and keeping attention in place.  In our times it is hardly possible for anyone to spend even half an hour on a literary piece with his busy schedule unless he is literarily inclined.  Since the reader is the primary target audience it is inevitable to respect his needs and encourage his literary drive.  These days there is a perceptible change in the audience too who are gravitating to new literature partly due to untapped interest in creative writing and compulsive environment.

A short story can be personal dealing with an event or emotional sequence which affects his personality.  It could be a cathartic experience for himself too, a kind of therapy.  It is one way of unwinding oneself.  But I feel it need not be always personal, and he can branch out into other interesting events or happenings around.  Though there is no inherent pressure on him to convey a ethical message or of protest/resentment he can let his particular work speak for itself.  I feel any such message can emerge unobtrusively or be subtle.

I am personally apathetic to graphic details in a story. It militates against the essence of creativity and could be an affront to sensibility. A short story’s scope is wide, can deal with a wide variety of happenings including some historical or mythical characters if the writer is attracted to a specific streak of the personality.  Through unraveling that streak the writer can either elevate or downgrade the personality depending on the make up of the character.

Be it characters from history/mythology/social environment they cannot come out alive, I feel, unless sufficient research and focus has been put into it. Many illustrious novelists like Amish Tripathy have done phenomenal research to do trilogies which keep readers pegged. This yardstick applies to all literary characters who have become cherished icons in literature.

I wrote a short story Ghatotkach’s mace in Setu which was a learning exercise to enhance the character’s moral strength.

It is difficult to be precise about the language because it entirely dependent on the theme, nature of the circumstances and characters at play.  Suffice it to say that it should be racy, poignant where necessary and carry the reader to the end. However the language changes with eras in its idioms and nuances and even within the eras diction varies one section of people to the other. To be true to the times I think one must be conversant with local slang spoken then.  I would wish to cite Michael Crichton’s Great Train Robbery, a superb fiction which was also made into a thriller. His handling of the local dialect was amazingly authentic.


So in a modern setting one has to settle for the local idiom and even slang when building the theme of his story.  But if it is in a historical or mythical setting the language has to be courtlier and more classical typical of the expressions of the age, I suppose.


Traditionally it is known that a short story has a beginning, middle and end as much as a novel.  Many think it is old school of thought without realizing that most of the contemporary novels and novelists stick to this format. Even Frederick Forsyth’s thrillers and of his contemporaries have this format in the background. They are adept at making it lurk while building up the plot to its climax with amazing and enormous details thrown in between that the reader realizes it only when he reflects on the novel. This can be found in biographies/autobiographies too.

The environment does inspire any writer.   No writer can say or claim that he is a hermit dwelling in an ivory tower and writing from there. The environment need not be present in every story of his but is an invisible factor.

A short story can be a collage of events but designed to an ending. I have always admired the adroitness with which the classical American writer O Henry used to build his stories to an unimaginable climax without ever letting the reader feel that it is contrived. For example, let me cite The Gift of the Magi or the Passing of Black Eagle. There are many illustrious short fiction writers in various languages globally and O Henry will rank right there in the top echelons.  Surprise endings are often the key to the impact of a story.

Facts do matter especially when one is dealing with an event or sequence where history, medicine or science is a dominant element. Science fiction falls in this category and anyone attempting it will fail inevitably unless he has a solid grounding on facts.  Facts also have a special bearing when the theme has something to do with medicine or any other branch of knowledge.  Otherwise it can be contested.

Indian English writing has ranked with the best since its birth. However the classical poets and novelists have been confined to the curriculum in a way though their stellar contributions have been much acknowledged.

There are a lot of contemporary writers who are still in the shadow except for the limited visibility available through social media and internet.  In this context the visibility factor has certainly improved with highly motivated and enthusiastic web domains promoting literature to wider audience. But self-published writers are unable to break even notwithstanding the presence of some publications committed to promoting literature.  Either the cost is a deterrent or the marketing reach. On mass media it is still an uphill task to get one’s work reviewed or even catalogued in the weekly release of books’ list. It is like shooting a wild arrow in the darkness or finding one’s way in an untenanted land.

But things will change or are changing…

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Mechanism of Poetry

K. S. Subramanian and B. S. Tyagi

B S Tyagi

My personal experience of poetry writing leads me to believe that poetry should be natural, spontaneous and fluent as only then it can enable humans to realize inherent beauty and freshness. It should ring the echo of truth and beauty which can transport a person into the other world forgetting worldly ‘fret and fever’ for a while. It has capacity to lift a person into ‘a world quite different from that of prose or everyday life’. A simple and natural verse can touch magically a person’s soul with its all soothing effect. To me poetry is a pristine source of love, peace and joy as it springs forth from heart. It knows no boundaries; hence all-embracing. Its inspiring force urges me to search for truth through nature and its beauty. Besides, poetry has its own way to interpret life with its all facts, and experiences which dominate worldly life. It relates human feelings and passions which matter most in day to day life. And above all, it purges human mind of negativity which is the need of today’s times as our conscious mind knows it well that negative feelings such as anger, fear, greed, lust, jealousy etc. are not acceptable to society. If these feelings are suppressed, internal system looks for ways to manifest as destructive images, feelings, thoughts and behavior. Poetry can purify mind and keeps the whole being calm. In Indian context the majority of people believe in spirituality; poetry with spiritual touch interest men and women. They enjoy much such poetry. Man, if imbibes its beauty, can stay in harmony with nature and realize it presence all over the universe. In fact, poetry educates the readers to look at life from the poet’s insight. Hence, it is rewarding in a number of ways.

Next, pleasure is the chief function of poetry so it must have rhythm; it lends grace and aesthetic beauty to the poem and the reader feels great pleasure while reading a poem. Its music is an arresting element of poetry which makes the reader’s heart throb with joy. It renders the subject easy and the reader easily identifies himself with poet. A poem may be in free verse but it should have music of language. Its rhythm leads poetry to perfection and aesthetic beauty. It makes poetry more natural and spontaneous in its expression. A poet should be aware of this essential element as it can make the expression rich and palpable.

 The reader grasps the subject quite easily and feels closeness with the poet. It contains solid joy of heart. Rhythm enables poetry to carry out ‘exalted mood of passion and imaginative ecstasy’ which leaves an everlasting impression on the mind of the reader. It keeps awake all senses of the reader; that’s why he enjoys poem in depth. An image created through rhythm helps the reader to retain it longer. In fact, a poet adopts the form of poetry that suits his taste and temperament.

So long as Haiku is concerned it ‘revolves around the Japanese aesthetic concept known as ‘ma’ (pronounced as ‘mah’), which is all about showing the ‘void’ around things…not to clutter up the spaces; to give breathing and dreaming spaces between images and words – in short, to leave space for the reader to step in.’ Vivid imagery is a significant aspect of Haiku. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, it is an “unrhymed poetic form consisting of 17 syllables arranged in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively.” A poet needs to discipline himself as he has to say a lot within these words. On the other hand a reader should be alert all the time to grasp it wholly as it has space for him. Anyway, it is an interesting form of poetry and a reader trained in this form enjoys it much like other forms of poetry. Many Indian poets have composed Haikus such as Kala Ramesh, Rajiv Lather, Paresh Tiwari, Gautam Nadkarni, Johannes Manjrekar, Madhuri Pillai, Pravat Kumar Padhy, Shloka Shankar etc. They are successful poets of Haikus.

There are many Indian poets who have contributed a lot to the English literature over the years. Their work has been greatly appreciated all over the world. Among these classical poets are - Rabindra Nath Tagore, Sri Aurbindo, Sarojini Naidu, Harindranath Chattopadhyaya, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya, Virendranath Chattopadhaya, Jayanta Mahapatra, Keki N Daruwalla, Gieve Patel, Kamala Das, A K mehrotra et al. They are timeless poets. Their work has inspired many poets to write on Indian theme. Besides, there are other modern poets like Nissim Ezekiel, Arun Kalatkar, Dilip Chitre, R Parthasarathy etc. Their poetry is marked with typical Indianness.They have written passionately about the issues that matter most in our society. Many modern poets after independence have sought inspiration from them. Their contribution has enriched Anglo-English poetry. Students working on Anglo-English poetry often refer frequently to these poets while discussing the trends prevailing in post-independence English poetry.

The English poetry in India has faced the problem of wide readership for certain reasons. Generally, poets writing in English do not have readers in large number as people in general lack interest in poetry. Secondly, language is a barrier as mostly people are not well versed in English. They do not understand poem until it is explained to them. To understand a good poem a reader needs maturity, command of language, and knowledge of context. So, poetry books have a poor market. Their takers are very few. But as education is spreading and internet is available to all, the number of poetry readers is increasing by and by. Moreover, many young boys and girls are writing in English, they propagate their work on social media. It has made people aware of poetry being written in English. Self-publication has also helped poetry to reach the large number of readers. Many national and international anthologies are published every year and readers read the poems with great interest.

A vernacular has played a vital role in enhancing English literature. If we talk about Indian literature, many great volumes of poetry have been written in vernacular. Indian literature has produced a body of work in poetry in a variety of vernacular languages including Sanskrit, Prakrit, Pali, Bengali, Behari, Tamil, etc. Though vernacular is contrasted with ‘high-prestige’ forms of language, it has given a rich expression to culture, cults, customs, philosophy, and great traditions of spirituality prevailing in society at that time. Many modern poets have used vernacular in their work and preserved many precious traditions of that territory or region. Many beautiful folk-songs are found in vernacular. When their work is translated into English or other language, it is welcomed by a large number of people. Briefly, speaking, a vernacular has enriched English literature and given expression to many lofty ideas.

Translation of poetry is an uphill task. Many a time, it has been observed that translator feels unable to translate that bluntness and temperament of the original language. Many words or expressions cannot be put in another language with the same ease and sharpness. Words that can express that particular emotion, are missing in that language. Here translator feels helpless though he tries his best to put that expression in words or phrases but it lacks that original force. But an intelligent reader can grasp that expression. Sometimes the translator has to use that particular word as it is with explanation or a phrase near to it. Even then a seasoned translator is successful in translating work of poetry to a great extent. A number of translated works are published all over world. Many works in translation have been recognized and awarded. All Noble Laureates and award winning poets and authors come to us through translation and the readers showed their full appreciation. Hence, translation has become a great means of communication across the world.

Last but not least, poetry is essentially subjective somewhere in depth while dealing environment. Even the great poets have given touch of their experience to the environment and situation. Though the poet tries to write objectively, unknowingly his personal experience soaked in his culture and environment in which he has been bred and brought up comes in his poetry. So, it is very difficult to escape from subjectivity. But in the tint of subjectivity poetry does not lose the luster of objectivity and it captures reader’s imagination and he enjoys it wholly. Nothing hinders poetry from providing pleasure.

Setu, December 2019

Abu Siddik interviews Kamarudeen Mustapha

Kamarudeen Mustapha

Abu Siddik in Discussion with Kamarudeen Mustapha

Abu Siddik: Tell me about your childhood, family and share some your eccentricities as a writer as well as a teacher.

Kamarudeen Mustapha:  I grew up in Iwo, a town in the present Osun State in South Western part of Nigeria. My father was Prince Akibu Mustapha and my mother is Madam Rafatu Arike. I lived mostly with my grandmother and grandfather,Prince Mustapha Dankeketa, who was the Moluberin of Iwo at the time till the age of twelve. I went to District Council Primary School, Oke Ola, Iwo, where I was known as Kamoru Akibu. My first taste of literary works were the adventure stories of the eminent Yoruba writer D. O Fagunwa. The books belonged to my father butI appropriated them for mine. They fired my first urge to write. I also fell in love with the literatures of Jehovah Witnesses, especially issues of their 'Awake' and 'Watchtower' publications in Yoruba Language. The Awake in particular opened up for me a vista of exotic world which amazed and fired my imagination. It brought about my first spell of eccentricity. I began to speculate'creatively' that my ancestors were ancient Idumeans. I wrote some imaginary stories of my assumed ancestors' journey to Africa and I even began to formulate what I called the Iduan Language with its own alphabets. I totally believed in my own creation that there was a time I tried to sell the story to a grand uncle who wondered what madness was eating me. The stories of Idumea and Costomaslis, another imaginary settlement of mine near Iwo from where I said my imaginary ancestors came to Iwo formed the bulk of my first writing activities. As a teacher, I have been teaching English language and Literature in English with passion in many secondary schools in Oyo State, Nigeria. I have succeeded in making writers and literary enthusiasts out of  many of my students and colleagues.

Abu Siddik

Abu Siddik:  Why do you write, Mr. Mustapha Kamarudeen?

Kamarudeen Mustapha: I think my reasons change periodically. There was a time I wrote merely because it delighted me to write, and reading stories was like attaining grail to me. There was also a time I write, very early in my life, when the types of treatment the black man received from the Europeans and American slave holders  appalled me and made me want to take a revenge. My writing then were anti- Occidental. There was also a time the apartheid system in South Africa was my concern and things I wrote at that stage were anti apartheid. Then many times I felt like pummeling the ruling elites in my country for their numerous shortcomings and the way they have trampled on our rights and opportunities. Now I think I write to record my contemporary societies in all facets for readers of now and posterity. History records only the physical, the facades; only literature could record the mental and the psychology, the inner workings of man, the real man. I think this is my concern now as a writer. I have this feeling that some strange offspring of modern man in faraway future would be keen and delighted to read of our present frets and cares. Our cultural things. Our emotions.Our escapades. Our struggles. I want to write for them.

Abu Siddik:  The writer dramatizes the story by showing and not telling. What’s your view?

Kamarudeen Mustapha: Storytellers tell stories, the artists in them embellish them. One of the way to embellish is to show. To show is to adorn, to make what you write more interesting and arresting, more vivid and dramatic. To tell without showing would be a boring reading experience. It would be like reading a mere trite. But then, to show without telling on the other hand will as well make the fiction boring as it would be too voluminous and too complex. I believe a reasonable admixture of the two will give the best result. So one should tell when the story needs being told and one should show when showing is the appropriate option.

Abu Siddik: How do you craft a story with a theme? And should the theme be implied or explicit?

Kamarudeen Mustapha:  When a story occurs to me, I just want to write. I want to write the best way I could, I think less of the theme then.Whatever theme emerges is less my concern. I love to write of man in his society. I don't go out hunting for themes. I don't like theme driven narratives.  I see the process as fraud. So I think my themes are implicit. However, there were times it occurred to me that a certain theme had taken prominence in a fiction work I was working on; I went all out then to make such theme explicit by writing dialogues or actions that concretized it. However, I don't believe in building my stories on the need to focus on a particular theme. Perhaps, there were times I did that, in younger days when I was bent on taking revenge for sundry ills meted to black man, for sundry irresponsibilities of our leaders. Now that I only want to write human stories, I believe it will stall the flow of the narrative and make the plot clumsy. I just want to record man literarily in all his glory and folly. Premeditated theme is not the drive, but the story itself. And every story, every deed of man has a message. Therefore a theme.

Abu Siddik:  What makes you write? Or where do you find triggers for your stories and poems?

Kamarudeen Mustapha:  The man and his daily cares, struggles and conquests. The man in his society. Man reaching out to man in his diverse means and manifestations. They inspire me. Literature is no literature without man in ambit of his society. Literature is essentially of man by man and for man.

Abu Siddik: Is message important for a story? What do you think?

Kamarudeen Mustapha:  Every action or even inaction bears a message to the readers. Since stories are made up of actions which culminate in a story line, every story definitely bears certain messages. Life experiences are acquired through particular learning outcomes, learning outcomes are messages to students. Culmination of various receptions of messages give us the experiences to live our lives. When you react to a story in any sort of manner, then you have been impacted. Any form of impact a story makes on the reader, be it entertainment, enlightenment, morals, or any form of emotion is a sort of message. A story is no story when it sends no signal or message to its readers.

Abu Siddik:  Please share for the readers some of the techniques you use in your fiction.

Kamarudeen Mustapha: I try to make my stories as simple as I could. I love flowing narrative. There are often instances of Yoruba and Hausa expressions in my stories, especially when they are cultural things. I also love to describe things. I make use of flashback; it is opportunity to provide reasons for some actions and situations. I make use of epiphany, especially in my short stories. It brings that climax of unexpectedness and surprise realizations. In my poetry, I made use of alliteration and assonance. I love using pun and allusion, especially biblical and historical ones.

Abu Siddik: Why do you think stories need to be told?

Kamarudeen Mustapha: Stories are reconstructions of human experiences and aspirations from the perspective of an artist who is gifted with such abilities to understand man, his environments and those issues that concern him from divergent standing points. Therefore stories are reenactments of our lives. It makes us see our follies without being overtly  bitter about it. It makes us to realize how we react to issue with overblown emotions, and afford us the opportunities to appraise our actions. When we appraise the characters in our stories, we are definitely appraising some aspects of ourselves, for man is basically the same except for those subtle idiosyncrasies. A story enriches man with the vast treasury of knowledge of man. Therefore, stories need to be told for every story read is an added experience to the reader and even the writer himself, and it definitely bears a message or two to the inner man ensconced in him.

Abu Siddik: Please mention two or three writers who had a major influence on your writing?

Kamarudeen Mustapha:  I have definitely been influenced by legions of writers of diverse genres dead and living. But since the questionmandates me to mention only three, the first card goes to the Kenyan writer Ngugi wa thiong'o, I love his simplicity, his logic. His Weep not Child was the first literary novel I read and understood. The second goes to Niyi Osundare, the Nigerian poet whose diction is ever so fresh, so metaphorically correct and precise for whatever topic he writes about, while the third goes to Abubakar Adam Ibrahim whose short fictions are so compelling that I was compelled by them to come back to short fiction which I abandoned more than a decade ago.

Abu Siddik:  Have you ever faced what we call Writer’s Block?

Kamarudeen Mustapha:  A Writer's Block is a situation when ideas dry up in one's head and the flowing of words cease. I face this situation many times and I have discovered that the best way is to fight through it is by continuing writing. The Writer's block makes the prospective literary work a stillborn forever or else the writer knows how to tackle it by calling its bluff. What you write during the spell of the writer's block might not be any masterpiece, but you can always come back to subtract and add things. Remember to fight writer's block by writing on. Write anything, write something, just don't put down your pen, the muse may be nearby to arrest it for you.

Abu Siddik: Any advice for aspiring writers?

Kamarudeen Mustapha: I have discovered that successful writing is not something you do halfway. It is something that takes the whole of you and the whole of your time. Therefore to succeed in writing you need such a burning passion. And when you write don't write for money. Write for mere love of it, write to reach out to people. Understand that you can't get your story to the best it could be with a draft or two, write and rewrite and rewrite until your draft becomes a gem. The writing journey is like space travel, it has no limit or bounds, but there are also lot of prospects, opportunities and pleasant surprises.Be ready to walk it to wherever it leads you, and constantly, and forever.You will arrive at some pleasant Eldorado. 

Setu, October 2019

Interview: Abu Siddik

Kamarudeen Mustapha

Abu Siddik in Discussion with Kamarudeen Mustapha

Kamarudeen Mustapha: Writers are born and writers are made:  which of these assertions is truer considering your development and growth as a writer?

Abu Siddik: I can’t deny that writers are born. However, I am more inclined to agree with your second assertion. In my case certain unhappy incidents, both in my personal and public life, haunt me to write stories and poems or a book.  When a story is finished, I always feel free.  Writing to me is a kind of emotional release.  Obviously there are some masters who come to my rescue in my dark hour. So, real life incidents play a crucial role in my development as a writer.

Abu Siddik

Kamarudeen Mustapha: What is your childhood like? How much does your childhood experience and family influence your emergence as a fiction writer?

Abu Siddik: We are five brothers and two sisters. I grow up in an idyllic village. My father is a hard working farmer. He sent all of us to colleges with his meager means. We have some acres of protean lands, and we survive on that.  Extreme poverty coupled with boundless joy in nature find an expression in my stories. It is because of my childhood background.  So, forests, fields, hills, skies, birds, peasants, misfits, the rural poor folks have an abiding presence in my fictional and poetic world.  

 Kamarudeen Mustapha: You are both an accomplished poet and fiction writer; in which of these two genres do you feel more at home?

Abu Siddik: I am equally comfortable with both the genres. And I am also ambitious to write more critical books in future as well.

 Kamarudeen Mustapha: How old were you when you wrote your first fictional work? What is the impetus for it?

Abu Siddik: You can call me a 'late bloomer' to quote Dr. Subhas Chandra, our loved mentor who also writes for Setu. At thirty eight I write my first story “Sukra Oraon” based on an Adivasi’s life. That time I don’t know anything about publishing. I playfully send it to Muse India, and the fiction editor, Smita Vakkadavath praises it comparing to writing to legendary writer Mahaswata Devi. That is the beginning.

So far I never seriously think of creative writing. I wrote some academic articles and made a book on Faulkner out of my thesis. There are two specific reasons. First, I’m living 500 kms. away from home and family for nine years. So I have enough time to visit places and watch people, mainly Adivasi forest dwellers and peasants in scenic Dooars. The beauty of the land and the poverty of its people have an indelible impression on me. Second reason is the cold reception of my leadership by college authority after the completion NAAC accreditation with B+. First time the recognition comes because of our hard work and sacrifice for months after months. I am hurt. Thus I change my way and make myself busy with poetry and storytelling exercise. And I am happy. If I had not found enough time to watch people and if my college authority recognized my love and sacrifice, I am afraid, I could not have been what I am today.

Kamarudeen Mustapha:  A writer's environment makes him just as the writer makes his environment. How true is this assertion? Relate this to your role as a writer of fiction.

Abu Siddik: In my case I never make my environment. It is always the environment or external reality makes my fictional environment. Behind each story there is a concrete incident which I think unjust. From that sense of emotional injury I try to build a story. Yes, I take fancy and I add colour to that single ill action. As a result it ceases to be a propaganda piece and qualifies for a story.

Kamarudeen Mustapha:  As a writer and a teacher, do you see the two roles as complimentary of one another? Can writing be said to be a furtherance of a teacher's role in the society?

Abu Siddik : Yes. More I read and teach, more I learn. It invariably helps me to have more mastery over the themes, styles, nuances, flavours of multiple authors. Consequently, it lends edge to my creative faculty. For instance, when I read and teach Morrison’s Beloved, I come to realize what lies in store for me both in respect of themes, colours, and language application.  

Kamarudeen Mustapha: You write both in Bangla, your mother tongue and English. Which of these two languages do you feel more comfortable with as a writing medium and why?

Abu Siddik: In writing poetry I am more comfortable with English. But in case of prose I think I am equally qualified to write both in Bangla and English. 

In my mother tongue I have already written a book, Bangalr Musalman which is quite well received by the Bangla speaking readers in general.   

Kamarudeen Mustapha: What is your take on the claim that the themes as the driving force for fictional writing?

Abu Siddik: I somewhat agree with the claim. If there is no happening which burns me, how can I build a story? But I strive to make the theme implicit so that readers will be painfully anxious to find it themselves. Of course there are clues. The readers only need to coalesce them together into a unified whole, and thereby delve into the core of the story.

 Kamarudeen Mustapha:  Talking about writers influencing writers, which writer or writers have given your writing its present shape?

Abu Siddik: A host of my favourites such as Chekhov, Naipaul, Manto, Turgenev, Faulkner, Orwell, Hemingway, and Gibran give me strength to write the way I want to write. In Bangla it is Akhteruzzaman Elias.

Kamarudeen Mustapha: What to you is the major purpose of writing fiction - to entertain, to sermonize, to protest, to record the present for posterity or to teach moral?

Abu Siddik:  Simply put, my purpose as a fiction writer is to paint life in its myriad hues—with its love, fellow-feeling, hatred, anger, bitterness, hope, despair. Entertaining, sermonizing moralizing, or recording the present for posterity are not my primary aims. Yes, a wave of anger, mockery, irony and protest run through most of stories. I have a special liking for the portrayal of the peasants, the daily manual workers, the margins, the odds, the aged, the invalids, the widower and the widowed. My stories are sad, and protest against injustices, wrongs, ills, wounds, and inhumanity is my major purpose of writing. 

Setu, December 2019

LITERARY DISCUSSION

Rana Preet Gill

The probing questions have been posed by Dr. Sunil Sharma, the dynamic Editor of SETU Bilingual (Pittsburgh).

Dr Rana Preet Gill is a Veterinary Officer with the government of Punjab, India. Her articles and short stories have been published in The Tribune, The Hindustan Times, The Hindu, The New Indian Express, Deccan Herald, The Hitavada, Daily Post, Women’s era, Spillwords press and SETU, Bilingual. She has compiled her published pieces into a book titled Finding Julia. She has also written two novels: Those College Years and The Misadventures of a Vet.

Subhash Chandra

Dr. Subhash Chandra, a former academic and distinguished scholar, has earned accolades for his short stories, one of which was declared a winning entry in a contest. Recently, he has been designated ‘Literary Brigadier,’ by STORY MIRROR, a large Online Portal with global reach. He has been awarded Nissim International Prize for Fiction, 2019 by ‘The Significant League, a Literary Forum, comprising writers and poets.

He has to his credit two collections of short stories, Not Just Another Story, and Beyond the Canopy of Icicles and about sixty short stories published in national and International journals, together with four books of literary criticism.

Chandra has presented papers at funded conferences in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Nepal and India. He worked on a post-doctoral project on a fellowship at the University of Toronto.

He is on the International Advisory Board of Intersections: Gender and Sexuality in Asia and the Pacific (Australian National University, Canberra) and on the Editorial Board of induswomanwriting.com

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Sunil Sharma, Editor, SETU: What is writing?

Rana Preet Gill: Writing for me is an expression to raise my voice, to write about things I would like to change, to write about things I feel good about. Writing for me is creating protagonists. I like imagining things, giving them shape and letting them flow.

Subhash Chandra:  Writing is both self-expression and communication. It becomes communication when put into the public domain through publishing mostly, or in any other way. Otherwise it remains expression of the self for the self, like the Diary writing.

Being a portmanteau term, writing subsumes all genres, such as, fiction, poetry, drama, biography, autography, memoir and even Diary writing.

But for the purpose of this discussion, we’d keep the focus on fiction,(SETU would follow up with discussions on the other genres) and ‘writing’ would refer to fiction writing.

Talking of fiction, it is representation of reality that has been processed in the inventive crucible of the writer. It is a mix of reality and creative imagination

SS, Editor: What does it mean to you?

RPG: I look upon writing as freedom from what people perceive me to be, what they want me to do or what I am supposed to be doing. Writing for me is passion to be my own being. Writing for me is a very important part of my life now. I try to write every day. I want it to stay and become a part of my daily routine.

SC: Writing is cathartic by nature and, therefore, it’s therapeutic for me. I am not able to often articulate my feelings of anger, hurt, or guilt because of social-personal constraints. Such bottled up emotions cause affliction, even suffering. Once I’ve made them a part of my writings, I am purged of them, and my peace of mind is restored. 

Writing is also self-discovery for me. In the process of writing, I find, sometimes to my dismay, I have nurtured biases and prejudices (for or against) which colour my perceptions and attitudes. We have been told by the masters of fiction like Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, that it is the element of compassion that makes works great. Even the negative characters are treated compassionately. And that is possible only if the author is free from biases.

Besides, writing has also trained me in holistic thinking. I no longer think of life or people in binaries of white and black. I’ve realised there are shades of grey. People are a mix of contrarian traits, and qualities. Writing, therefore, has shifted my horizon. 

SS, Editor: How did you begin your career as a writer?

RPG: I started writing middles for The Tribune and the Hindustan Times. I got accepted and was published over and over again in these newspapers. Later on, I started writing for The Hindu, The New Indian Express, Deccan Herald, The Hitavada, Women’s era and the Daily post as well. I compiled my middles into a book titled ‘Finding Julia’. I have written two novels- Those College Years and The Misadventures of a Vet.

SC: When I was in class VII, one day the English teacher was absent and a science teacher walked in instead. He was a phenomenon and an inspiring role model. He loved literature and life and spoke fluently.

During his conversational lecture, he asked us if we liked reading stories.

All of us said yes. Then he asked whether any of us felt he should have been the writer of a story we read. No hand went up. I half raised mine and hastily withdrew. But he had noticed it, called me to the front, patted me and made me promise that I would write stories.

He went on to exhort the whole class to write about what happened during the day before we went to bed. That would help us to write stories and that is how great writers were born.

I betrayed my promise because of unavoidable factors. However, the seed of the dream was sown and it saw fruition in college, when I published my first short story in the college magazine.

SS, Editor: What constitutes fiction?

RPG: Fiction for me is imagination. I love to write, conceptualize, create people, situations which might or might not happen in real life. I like to play with words and most of the times I fall in love with characters I create. When I read books, I start loving the characters created by other authors. I think I relate more to the written word than people in real life.

SC: E.M. Forster outlined the constituents of fiction in his classic, Aspect of the Novel as story, characters, plot, fantasy, prophecy, pattern, and rhythm. For me the most important are story, plot and characters.  Though for Forster, story is an element lower down on the spectrum, but I resonate with Khushwant Singh who believed there cannot be a novel without a story and, therefore, it is the most important constituent in the fictional scheme of things. Also, as I said elsewhere, in the early stage of orality, the atavistic men listened to stories at night sitting around the campfire. If the story sagged, they either went off to sleep, or killed the story teller.  

SS, Editor: Do you think, fiction should aim at social reforms?

RPG: I think fiction can be a way to mend things in society. After all the fiction is nothing but contorting non-fiction in ways that is legible and acceptable. A book that makes me think and overpowers me in subtle ways is always welcome. Every book should leave an imprint and that happens when they have a strong voice which cannot come without challenging the existing norms.

SC: No. At least not overtly. That is a job best left to the social reformers. A writer imaginatively portrays society. It holds a mirror to society and in the process draws attention to the ills afflicting it.

But a writer should not be hemmed in by any type of commitment – ideological or otherwise -- or constraints. Or else intrusive didacticism in his writing would adversely affect the quality of his creative works.

SS, Editor: What is most appealing in fiction?

RPG:  To me the most appealing thing is when I find snitches of my life interspersed in my writing and in another people’s writing. Though fiction is supposed to be all created in the mind yet we often put ourselves on the pedestal and revolve the story around ourselves and spun it into magic. Its fiction and yet our lives. This intrigues me. If I find a little bit of me in a story I love reading it.

SC: It provides aesthetic pleasure and also offers insights into life. In our life, we meet only a limited number of people and undergo some experiences. Fiction enables us to live many lives. Each novel and short story is about the life of a protagonist. We tend to identify with him/her -- his feelings, emotions, and perceptions, thereby living his/her life. Fiction, therefore, enriches us and we learn how to avoid pitfalls and the resulting complications; it teaches us how to live life.  

SS, Editor:  Favourite fiction writers?

RPG: Rohinton Mistry, Khaled Hosseini, Nirupama Dutt

SC: The list is long and varied. But I would like to mention a few:  Munshi Prem Chand,  Phanishwar Nath Renu, Bhishm Sahni, Rajendra Yadav (Hindi), Somerset Maugham, Graham Green, Nathaniel Hawthorne, J.D. Salinger, Morley Callaghan (English), Saadat Hasan Manto, K.R. Meera, Chekhov, Gorky, Maupassant (translated into English from Urdu, Malayalam, Russian and French respectively); and among Indo-Anglian writers, Manohar Malgoankar, Kiran Nagarkar, Anita Desai and (take a deep breath!) Chetan Bhagat.

SS, Editor:: Your recurring themes and concerns?

RPG: I want to write against the dualities of life, the crime against women, the inequality in everyday life.

SC: I like to write about the marginalised -- the oppressed, discriminated against, and the exploited. For example, my first collection, Not Just Another Story contains “Catapult,” (about an exploited landless labourer), “That Many Splendoured Thing,” (Lesbian), “Amma” (Hijra),” I Have No Name” (Prostitute) and “Siblings,” (girl foeticide). My second collection, Beyond the Canopy of Icicles, includes “Mother and Daughter,” (Circus Joker) and “Good Morning Sir, Good Evening Sir,” published in MUSE, India is about women’s assertion and empowerment.

Writing about ghosts and animals also fascinates me. For example, “Believe It Or Not, “The Ringmaster,” and “The Wonders of a Smile,” appeared in SETU Bilingual (Pittsburgh). “Dusk” and “The Skinny Man,” were published in Confluence: South Asian Perspectives (London).  

I often wonder how it feels to be a beast of burden. “My Sister, Aaliya,”  (in Beyond the Canopy) is from the point of view of a cruelly treated horse who ferries passengers in a tonga every day.     

SS, Editor: How can the process of writing fiction be refined further? Are workshops necessary? Or is self-learning enough for improving the craft?

RPG: Writing requires time, patience and commitment. You are on your own when you write. I believe reading helps a lot. Every good writer ought to be a good reader. I do not think writing workshops make a difference. Writing is hard work and pushing yourself to think beyond the boundaries

SC: Yes, workshops play an important role. One gets to learn the finer points of writing from the peers and those who are superior to us in knowledge of the craft and have more experience. But having said that, I think, plenty of mindful reading and writing are the key to becoming a good writer.  

SS, Editor: Can IWE (Indian writing in English) compete with the best of the West?

RPG: Yes, we can compete with the West. We are doing very good. I love reading Indian authors.

SC: IWE is successfully competing with the best of the West. Several books have gone on to win prestigious awards including the Man Booker and have been globally appreciated. Arundhiti Roy’s The God of Small Thing, Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss and Arvind Adiga’s The White Tiger won Man Booker Prize. Jhumpa Lahiri’s Namesake was turned into a successful film an English film

SS, Editor: How can the books be sold and writers recognised by the mass media dominated by few well-connected names only?

RPG: Marketing your work is important. Bad books marketed well, sell sometimes and good books are lost because of poor marketing. This is how publishing industry works. I market my books as much as I can. Most of the big authors are very good at marketing besides being good writers. 

SC: Writers should ensure visibility of their books on Social Media like Facebook, and Instagram and organise discussions about their works, inviting reviewers from newspapers, magazines and academia. Acclaimed literary magazines should showcase the books and the Editors, who are held in high esteem, give their views on them.     

Setu, December 2019

Robert Maddox-Harle & Jaydeep Sarangi In a Conversation on T. S. Eliot

(26 September 1888 – 4 January 1965)

 {RH: RobertMaddox-Harle and J.S.: Jaydeep Sarangi}

RH: In The Four Quartets – Burnt Norton, Eliot writes about a “still point”.

At the still point of the turning world.
Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered.
Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance.

To me this a purely mystical insight and alludes to the Bindu or “point of divinity”, omnipresent in India culture. Do you think Eliot's engagement with the Indian spiritual systems influenced this profound poem?

J.S.: Thank you, Rob!

 Interesting question! Eliot studied Indian Philosophy and Sanskrit at Harvard. He observed Indian spiritual systems and made that as codified reference in his poems. Above lines indicate towards his deep engagement with Indian spiritual culture. It’s yogic meditation where the mind concentrates on a particular point. The ‘still point’, of course, is the symbol of the Logos. To experience the sublime , the 'still point', is to transcend the immediate ; it is to give up mundane desire and restlessness .It connects Time past with Time future. Indian scriptures talk about it elaborately. India is rich with this transcendental philosophy and the philosophy of nirbikalpa sadhana. Renunciation of body for the quest of the ‘living soul’ has been manifested in these lines.

RH: Eliot was born in the USA and moved to the UK, a significant number of his works involve dichotomies – spiritual/material, life/death, growth/decay and so on. I wonder if his geographical relocation influenced his literature and to what extent? Or could you suggest other factors?

J.S.: Eliot embraced ideas from different sources. Geographical shifting may be a reasons among many reasons to portray dichotomies – spiritual/material, life/death, growth/decay and so on effectively. He was poet for all continents. In 1927, Eliot became a British citizen and in the same time entered the Anglican Church. He followed his strong belief that poetry should aim at a representation of the complexities, anxieties and movements of modern civilization in language and structure that such representation necessarily lead to obscure poetry. His poems present before us the glaring problems of a society and he has a typical style of language for his thoughts. There is a touch of genius in all his works. Eliot’s vast knowledge about the orient and its philosophy helped him in many ways. For me, he was a scholar-poet!

RH: To fully appreciate many of Eliot's poetic works one needs a basic understanding of esoteric matters, such as astrology, tarot and spiritualism.

In The Burial of the Dead Eliot writes,

Here is the man with three staves, and here the Wheel,

And here is the one-eyed merchant, and this card,

Which is blank, is something he carries on his back,

Which I am forbidden to see. I do not find

The Hanged Man.

Would you agree with my statement?

J.S.: Yes! Reading Eliot demands serious attention and its always a cerebral exercise. He deals with metaphysical subjects which are not easy for a common reader. His poems are replete with intertextual references and allusions. Some of his ideas are ontological. He may be a shock for a casual reader. But his thoughts are profound and deeply rooted in baggage of experiences and insights. Eliot’s poem, like the anthropological texts, draws on several sources. Eliot provided meticulous footnotes with the publication of The Waste Land in book form. All are important inputs to read the poem contextually. I too find my students stumbling to comprehend Eliot’s poems properly. Once someone understands him its a reading delight! He is a very special artist!

RH: Eliot at times was a fierce critic, his “A Note on the Verse of John Milton” is scathing of Milton and goes so far as to say that, “Milton did damage to the English language from which it has not wholly recovered.” Could you comment on this and do you agree with his critique of Milton?

J.S.: T.S.Eliot is also synonymous with a stalwart critic. He doesn’t make things airy.His logic is always strong and sharp. Undoubtedly Milton is a classical poet and his ‘Paradise Lost’ is an epic for generations. But his language is , of course, full of allusions and not the language of the common people. Epic similes are too long and specialised scholars can find engaging. Eliot has a point. Given an opportunity a student will go for Eliot than Milton for understandable reasons.

RH: It has been argued that The Wasteland produces an ideology as well as being produced by one. Cultures collapse, but culture survives. He wrote this masterpiece hot on the heels of WWI. How much do you think this destruction of cultures by war influenced Eliot in this poem?

J.S.: T.S. Eliot probably worked on The Waste Land for several years preceding its first publication in 1922. The Wasteland is often been considered as an elegy on collapse of a cultures and traditions: ‘Earth in forgetful snow.’ The poem provides almost a mimetic account of life and society in the confusing world of the first part of the twentieth century. WWI was an epoch making event in the history of mankind. I’m sure Eliot conceived his ideas from the horrific experiences of WWI and its after affects. Memorials were erected in thousands of villages and towns in different shores.Eliot’s style and cadence represent his thoughts: a hollow man in the wasteland! It is also interesting to note that the poem’s dedication indicates, Eliot received a great deal of guidance from Ezra Pound.

Eliot wrote both free verse and rhyming verse, there is a wonderful “musicality” in his rhyming work such as in Sweeney Among The Nightingales. Good free verse is not like a newspaper article but exhibits a certain cadence. Do you think he retains a musicality in his free verse?

RH:Some critics of Eliot have noted fairly strong anti-Semitism in his writings. In Burbank with a Baedeker: Bleistein with a Cigar for example;

The Rats are underneath the piles.

The Jew is underneath the lot.

Money in furs. The boatman smiles,

Do you think this criticism is valid, keeping in mind Eliot's Catholicism and then high Anglicanism?

J.S.: Hostility toward Jews dates back to ancient times, perhaps to the beginning of Jewish history. It is a separate chapter. T. S. Eliot's anti-Semitism is a what a set of critics are engaged with. There may be a personal stand by the poet on Catholicism. For me personally, Eliot is known for his universal appeal. His contribution as a poet, dramatist and critic is beyond doubt. He ushered modernism in poetry.I enjoy his poems for its artistic aestheticism and a trendsetter in poetic style and cadence.

RH:The Four Quartets is considered inspired partly by the four classical elements relevant to many cultures – Chinese, Indian, Greek - these are also important in alchemy and astrology. To what extent do you think these elements influenced his poetic masterpiece?

J.S.: Eliot was a learned man and he was open for various cultures. There is fascinating alchemy of classical elements relevant to many cultures – Chinese, Indian, Greek . W.B. Yeats used more local myths and topical references than classical legends and myths. Eliot’s mastery was on fusing several classical aspects with intertextual references in a poetic corpus. The rhyme scheme of his poems is irregular but engaging. For example, “ The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock ” is a carefully structured amalgamation of different poetic forms. Prufrock’s rigorous return to the “women [who] come and go / Talking of Michelangelo” and his recurrent questionings “how should I presume?” give the poem a special tone and note. Eliot is an expert in unfolding the tortured psyche of the prototypical modern man an a society what he define as the ‘wasteland’.

RH: Please share one of your poems with us written under the influence of T.S.Eliot.

J.S.:

MY PRIDE

My words

Are expressions of pride

Which eat up my energy in daily acts

Of going there

And coming in

For unnecessary means.

When I stop

The clock ticks fast

As I lag behind the schedule.

My readings and random thoughts

Make me wild

As the cloud hovers around my neck.

You and I both walk past an old clock

When my lines move hearts.

The stone speaks for a community

And the land.

You could break me to pieces

Soluble in water

As my proud birth drags me back to grass.

I wonder if I could be part of you

Whole evolving universe

Where time piles on time,

Bones vibrate as an intuitive seer.

J.S.: T S Eliot was an essayist, publisher, playwright, literary and social critic and "one of the twentieth century's major poets. Which aspect of Eliot influenced you most?

RH: I'd have to say his poetry. A couple of reasons for me personally. Firstly, much of Eliot's poetry defies “shop keeper's logic” as Simic would say. To me this is a characteristic of great poetry, if a poem reads exactly like a newspaper article it's a failure. It has to have some magic and mystery! Secondly, his involvement with esoteric matters, religions and occultism parallels my own interests which inspired some of my past sculptures and present poems.

J.S.: "The Waste Land" is notable for its seemingly disjointed structure...What do you say?

RH: Yes the work does appear disjointed but I think this adds to the “angst” that is part of Eliot's intention. The poem is monumental with references to so many traditions, cultures, belief systems and ideologies, and it moves from one voice to another without clearly alerting the reader as to why. The disjointedness reflects what Eliot perceived to be the state of the world – not a smooth transition from one period to another as in ancient cultures but abrupt meaningless change at all levels - war/peace, spiritual values eroded. The aftermath of WWI influenced many aspects of society and culture such as creation of Surrealism and literary works like The Wasteland.

J.S.: There is a famous phrases are "April is the cruellest month". What is the essence of this phrase? Why is it so popular?

RH: In the northern hemisphere April is mid-spring, a glorious time of new growth, uplifted spirits and so on. How can it be the cruellest month? Here Eliot has created an enigma on the surface, perhaps that is why it is so popular it defies logic and it is the first line of the whole poem. But he's trying to show I believe, in a depressing negative way that spring only lasts for a temptingly short period. He is not looking at the four seasons (as he does in the Four Quartets) as a natural progression of life such as indigenous people do. He's seeing spring as false hope for a wonderful future without any more winters. As a metaphor for the future of humankind it means such hope is misplaced.

J.S.: When did you first read Eliot?

RH: Formally at university when studying literature, myth and ideology. Previously when I was involved with the Theosophical Society because of Eliot's connection with occultism and esoteric matters – but this was only a brief encounter.

J.S.: Are you familiar with mantra in the Sanskrit language "Shantih shantih shantih"?

RH: Not in any great depth but I do understand it means Peace, Peace, Peace and when it is OM (Aum) Shantih, shantih, shantih it is known as the Peace Mantra, which opens and closes formal prayer in Hinduism. Perhaps this is why Eliot closes The Wasteland with it, as a formal closure.

J.S.: Why do you read Eliot in this age of Facebook?

RH: Because the age of Facebook is vacuous and superficial and is fast losing any depth and passion for considered understanding and for quiet contemplation. Facebook and the Internet despite their positive aspects, aids the “dumbing down” process of society overall. The geniuses (to hell with Derrida's opinion to the contrary) were universal, drawing on the great traditions and wisdom of the ages to further our understanding of the universe. Eliot knew the difference between a noun and a verb, many Facebook and iPhone double-thumb-texting clones do not!

J.S.: Could you please talk about some of Eliot’s stereotype images and symbols?

RH; Eliot used so many symbols it's hard to think of the most prominent ones - perhaps, his image and stereotype of Jews, in an anti-Semitic manner, has drawn much attention. His own situation as a metic (foreigner) is stereotypical and occurs in his writings quite frequently. Religious symbols and particularly esoteric ones such as the tarot card and their symbolic references are often used. Sunlight, as shafts of light to illuminate from above is a recurring image, perhaps a theological reference - darkness versus light? Birds are messengers for Eliot again perhaps bringing theological messages. Then there is his Still Point, which we've discussed. The seasons and four elements are important as symbols. Images of Christ and in quite a deep way images that accentuate the phenomena of life and death in a universal not just personal manner.

J.S.: You are also a poet and a critic . Did Eliot ever influence you as a poet?

RH: Eliot's work had a slight influence in two respects. Firstly, his free verse such as is in The Wasteland helped me break free from the English/Australian traditional standard of rhyming iambic pentameter style poetry. A bit like, if it's OK for Eliot then it's OK for me. Do you know there are still some old dinosaurs that say, “If it doesn't rhyme it's not poetry! Imagine that? Secondly, there may have been a subconscious influence in subject matter. I refer to religion, spiritual matters and the occult quite often in my work. As a recent critic noted in a review of my work, “The poet's objection – almost theological, to this new stage of evolution is obvious from this poem [False Narratives] and his acute desperation can be detected in captilization of words and even in the rhyming pattern of the poem.” (Mukerjee, Rupkatha Journal, 2013)

Jaydeep Sarangi

J.S.: Do you see any contemporary Australian writer who writes in the same vein with Eliot?

RH: Hard question, I think Eliot was pretty much unique – but in subject matter perhaps myself (a little), then David Hallett, Christine Strelan and in Eliot's rhyming poems Peter Nicholson.

J.S: Please share one of your poems with us written under the influence of T.S.Eliot.

RH:

The Guillotine

Our global village waits

numb with disbelief

as the invisible decision rises

hovering high above humanity;

the particles of death honed

sharper than any rapier or razor.

The Rainbow sails as David,

across a dancing darting ocean

at peace with dawn and dolphin

to meet Goliath's genocidal guillotine.

Nurses, scientists, farmers chant

Chernobyl: Chernobyl: Chernobyl:

Vacant homes on abandoned farms

stare back at empty hospitals;

records, medical notes, paper bits

stained by blood red rain

lie in the strange ashen dust.

And our global village cries.

They speak in constructions of liberty

but the syntax is one of dire deception

their empty sentences

sentence every living organism

and echo across the sinking vortex

of an earlier Rainbow vision.

And we are silenced by superiority,

by the rhetoric of arrogance

and impenetrable imperialism.

And our global village screams,

Stop! Stop!

Rob Harle

Robert Maddox-Harle (aka Rob Harle) is a writer, artist, photographer and reviewer. Writing work includes poetry, short fiction stories, academic essays and reviews of scholarly books and papers. His work is published in journals, anthologies, online reviews, books and he has three volumes of his own poetry published – Scratches & Deeper Wounds (1996) and Mechanisms of Desire (2012), Winds of Infinity (2016). Recent poetry has been published in Rupkatha Journal (Kolkata), Nimbin Good Times (Nimbin), Beyond The Rainbow (Nimbin), Numerous specific anthologies, Indo-Australian Anthology of Contemporary Poetry (2013) and World Poetry Year Book (2014), Setu Journal (monthly), Asian Signature (2013). He is currently a member of the: Leonardo Review Panel: Manuscript Reviewer for Leonardo Journal & Journal of Virtual World Research; Member of Editorial Board of numerous international literature journals, and Australian – NZ editor for Setu Journal. Artwork, Publications, Reviews and selected writings are available from his website: https://www.maddoxharle.com

Jaydeep Sarangi is a bilingual poet, editor, translator and academic with significant publications in different renowned journals and magazines along with forty three books. At present, he is Principal and Professor of English at New Alipore College, Kolkata 

Setu, September 2019