Special Section: Neelam Saxena Chandra

Neelam Saxena Chandra

Millionaire!

The seashore is a home beyond the brick walls-

It’s a place of amazing possibilities!

I’ve made necklaces with the shells,

Flaunted them in my school amongst friends;

Picked up a starfish or two, displayed to them-

They all stay in luxurious apartments,

But there’s nothing as grandiose as this beach!

We keep peeping into each other’s world –

They let me use their mobiles,

I let them play with my starfish!

I, occasionally, even gift them a shell necklace

If they can touch the chords of my heart!

I wear the vivacity of the skyline

In my soul! It makes me dance and sing!

It’s always made me weave dreams,

Given my life a new zing!

“What do you want to become when you are older?”

Asked my teacher one sunny day-

And I replied, “I want to be as free as the sea-gulls!”

Amazedly, she asked, “Don’t you want to be a millionaire?”

I questioned, “What does a millionaire do?”

She peeped into my eyes and said,

“A millionaire can do what he or she wishes!”

I silenced her, “I’m a millionaire already!”

The look in her eyes has made me nervous though.

But tell me o dear gulls, do you also think

That there’s something more majestic 

Than being able to fly as you wish?”

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Setu, November 2025

Special Edition: Neelam Saxena

Neelam Saxena Chandra

Reflections

She is blank. Stares into nothingness.

Everything appears wistfully gloomy. 

She’s long been feeling disconnected,

The melancholy moment and the murky reflections,

Make her wish to run away somewhere.

But where? She has no place to go. 

“Global recession,” her employer had said,

While firing her with an emotionless face. 

She had entered the train, ticketless.

Maybe, she would be sent to the prison

Where she’ll get food to eat, bed to sleep, 

And a few feet of scarce space.

She solemnly stares 

Into the beclouded reflections once again-

A shining ray of the sun enters, flooding with light.

The train has crossed the long tunnel, 

And rather than crawling, is roaring with might.

Was she also in the dark tunnel of her thoughts?

The employer has taken away her job, not her talents.

She may be pitifully penniless, 

But there can always be a new bright beginning!

She walks out of the coach, throws her cap,

And dances out of the train station with a satisfying smile.

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Setu, July 2025

Neelam Saxena (Diaspora Dual Identities)

Neelam Saxena Chandra

Hot And Cold

 

In its burning pouch, summer often brings

Showers of restlessness.

My thoughts also get scorched skin.

 

No ointments can take care of the burns

Is what I have discovered,

Ever since you went away

Into a land of snow.

 

Young that you are-

The transformation from

Hot to cold might have been easy

Is what I felt, till I visited you.

 

I realised in the Garden of the Gods

That there might still be some molten lava

Flowing inside the tunnels of your heart.

 

If it protrudes out,

It may look beautiful to the onlookers-

But lava is lava, and so it shall remain.

 

Both of us shall keep burning-

I shall weep, you shall try to cover the sores,

And the distances shall ensure

That we never get to listen

To the echoes of the pain!

 

 

The Far Away Land

 

Yeah, the customs between the two lands

Wide apart physically, differing in thoughts,

Will be different for sure.

However, it doesn’t bother me.

 

What troubles me sometimes is

That we have become two stars.

 

You have your own light,

I have mine – both gleam!

However, though spread on the same sky,

We can never come together.

 

As the worlds revolve,

We may meet at some point of time momentarily,

Only to part soon.

 

Clasping your hands is what I seek-

I wonder if the other land

Would accept you as you are,

Or transform you so much

That, even to shake hands,

It would become difficult!

 

Survival theories work.

Into some other form

You shall surely metamorphose-

I bid adieu to you,

May you find your peace!

 

I?

I will remain incomplete

Despite my apparently happy shimmer!

 

Neelam Saxena Chandra is the author of 77 books and holds three records in the Limca Book of Records. She has been honored with the Sohanlal Dwivedi Puraskar for children's literature by the Maharashtra State Hindi Sahitya Akademi, the Premchand Award by the Ministry of Railways, the Rabindranath Tagore International Poetry Award, the Freedom Award by Radio City for lyrics, and the Reuel Lifetime Achievement Award, among many other accolades. In 2014, Forbes India recognized her as one of the 78 most popular authors in the country.

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Setu, April 2025

Special: Women's Day Poetry

Neelam Saxena Chandra

Guest editorial: Neelam Saxena Chandra

“I am a woman.

The way you perceive me,

A reflection you shall see.

If you love and admire me,

I shall be a gentle breeze.

If you downcast me,

I shall rise like a phoenix!”

The nature of a woman is akin to a breeze—calm, tender, and nurturing. Her presence is a blessing to those around her.

However, just as air shifts with its surroundings, a woman, too, transforms. She may be a soothing wind, but she can also summon storms.

She does not wish to be a tempest—love is her essence. She longs to give and receive love. Yet, not all understand her sensibilities. Many try to dominate her in different ways, forcing her to rise and redefine herself.

Much is said about the changing status of women. But if true equality had been achieved, would we still need to celebrate Women’s Day? The struggle remains. “Equal work, equal pay” is still an unfulfilled promise. At home and in the workplace, she continues to prove her worth. The silent voids she endures remain unnoticed by those around her.

Discrimination persists in society. A woman’s choice is often disregarded. Many are still married against their will, subjected to dowry demands, or blamed for not bearing a male child. Even her finances are often not considered her own.

Women also face grave injustices—groping, molestation, and rape.

Ideally, we shouldn’t need a Women’s Day. But we celebrate it to remind society that she is a force in her own right. She exists, and she matters.

The poetry of eminent women writers captures the struggles she endures and the resilience with which she rises.

Each woman is a solitaire—

Precious, radiant, and soulful.

She has risen from the ashes,

Building her home of warmth,

Brick by brick.

Treasure her, admire her, cherish her—

And you shall witness magic!

Honor the women around you, and the world will transform.

Neelam Saxena Chandra

Neelam Saxena Chandra is the author of 78 books and holds three records in the Limca Book of Records. She has been honored with the Sohanlal Dwivedi Puraskar for children's literature by the Maharashtra State Hindi Sahitya Akademi, the Premchand Award by the Ministry of Railways, the Rabindranath Tagore International Poetry Award, the Freedom Award by Radio City for lyrics, the Reuel Lifetime Achievement Award, the Setu Award for Excellence 2024 among many other accolades. In 2014, Forbes India recognized her as one of the 78 most popular authors in the country.

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Setu, March 2025

Special Edition: Neelam Saxena Chandra

Neelam Saxena Chandra

The Bass and Me!

I sing! I sing! The music makes me swing!

I sing! I sing! Look, I have a coloured wing!

Wing, in my mind’s imagination, soars,

The beauty in thinking big, outpours-

I touch the sky, I look at the horizon,

The world is such a beautiful creation!

I sing! I sing! The music makes me swing!

I sing! I sing! Look, I have a splendid toe-ring!

Tralala! I dance as if no one’s watching,

It’s more about spirits, than pirouetting-

Life is such a marvellous gift, you see,

The shine of happiness makes me move swiftly!

I sing! I sing! The music makes me swing!

I sing! I sing! Milieu seems to be so caring!

The gentle caress of the soft breeze,

Music fills the voids, gives my soul a kiss-

Tears have disappeared with the bass in hand,

Euphony and I, into each other, blend!

I sing! I sing! The music makes me swing!

I sing! I sing! The music has renewed my zing!

(A poem based up on a beautiful picture by Robert Maddox-Harle)

 

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Setu, January 2025

Poetry: Neelam Saxena Chandra

Neelam Saxena Chandra

PERCHED!

Mind in jeopardy. 

Tensed. Restless. Helpless.

Was this what it wanted?

To be perched like a crow

On an electric pole?

Well, the crow at least doesn’t know

How crazy its situation is,

I do! And yet I am perched!

I try hard to balance

Life and time –

One foot moved by an inch

And the balance shall falter,

Charring me! 

Is the charring of body better 

Than the charring of soul?

Yes, my soul is already charred! 

The thought removes all the worries,

I am no longer stuck to that pole-

I develop wings 

And fly away with the clouds of happiness! 

It shall rain somewhere today,

I hope someone shall smile today

With the petrichor!

***

WOUNDS

You stealthily hide it in the folds

of the dress that you are wearing,

hem it, so that it becomes invisible.

and yet,

the pain protrudes.

at times,

there are stains of blood too

when the wound aches too much.

you may wash the wound 

with a little Savlon,

and even apply ointment,

but then

the pus oozes out.

often, there are no balms,

that heal you-

till you realize

that there was really nothing to hide!

wounds and pains

are the lights  

that make you glow

more than 

a thousand splendid suns!

***

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Setu, April 2024

Neelam Saxena Chandra (Women and Spring)

Neelam Saxena Chandra

SPRING

Do you think I’m just a woman?

Hey! I am Spring-

In body as well as spirits!

The season of sensuous Spring

May last for a few handful days,

I glow golden gleefully 

Eternally! I’m etherealness personified!

I may burn with the furiousness 

Of the prodigious sun,

I may woefully wither and turn poignantly pale, 

However, I am a woman with Spring in her heart-

I shall bounce back with equal fervor

And touch the faraway peaks,

Regally dance, with the yellow of the spring

In my attire, in my style, in my outlook! 

Don’t you think that Meera was a golden lady

Who danced with joy in her unperturbed heart?

And Sita? Despite being discarded,

Didn’t she have a golden heart that made

Everything that she touched glow?

What about Draupadi? She too was gold!

Pure gold! She shone despite her high-strung hurts!

Listen, all women are golden and have springs in their hearts,

Whether it is you or me or her!

---

Setu, March 2024

Gandhi (Gandhian Philosophy)

Neelam Saxena Chandra

LET THE CHARKHA ROTATE!

Let the charkha rotate!

Rotating a charkha is neither easy, nor difficult – 

It requires just a little bit of determination!

But look at the results! Not only do you get 

A well-designed hand-made cloth,

But solace. Your mind remains calm.

Let the charkha rotate!

Today, it’s just weaving a piece of cloth,

Tomorrow it may design a few minds –

Minds who’ll further strategize

How to build a beautiful, yet powerful Bharat! 

Let the charkha rotate!

The day is not too far

When it will become a symbol of freedom-

All minds will move in synchronisation

Towards weaving an appealing Bharat

Whose wisdom passed on since ages 

Will become the vehicle, after some filtration

That is necessary due to passage of time,

To steer it into the arms of peace!

Let the charkha rotate!

AHIMSA 

Transformation 

A powerful world, has hit the masses-

Everybody is looking for transformation. 

Shooting in schools – is that transformation?

Killing for a piece of land – is that transformation?

Shouting at your subordinates – is that transformation?

Chopping off body parts of your ex – is that transformation?

Bombing and massacring people – is that transformation?

How far-sighted was Gandhi when he propagated

The theory of Ahimsa? 

Ahimsa, Ahimsa, Ahimsa is what we need today-

Not only in action, but also in thoughts and deeds!

Yes, we do need transformation –

But in breaking the shackles of outdated traditions, 

In adding war in the list of “banned items”

To be carried in any journey of life,

And thinking only in direction of prosperity!

I’m sure that the Mahatma will indeed rise

As a Banyan tree, giving shade to all those who wish to rest

And move ahead, with ahimsa in their hearts.

 

BIO: Neelam Saxena Chandra has authored 72 books. She holds three records with the Limca Book of Records. She has received Sohanlal Dwivedi Puraskar for children’s literature by Maharashtra state Hindi Sahitya Akademi, Premchand award by Ministry of Railways, Rabindranath Tagore International Poetry award, Freedom award by Radio city for Lyrics along with other awards and honors. She was listed by Forbes as one among 78 most popular authors in the country in 2014 

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Setu, October 2023 :: Gandhian Philosophy

Neelam Saxena Chandra (Towards Visibility)

Neelam Saxena Chandra

RHYMING WITH LIFE 

Disability in body

Is certainly better than disability of mind!

Though body is disabled by arthritis in many ways,

My mind, full of enthusiasm, flows

Like tides in a river, taking away the 

Moss and lichen that often restricts. 

I am slowly discovering the power 

Of the mind, inch by inch. 

It carries the balloons of my desires

High up in the skies, they swing on the rainbows,

Never to stop. They simply soar. 

Sitting on one of the clouds that I adore,

I write. It’s meditation. It further sharpens

My imagination, my desire and my actions.

Ah! I have never felt so enthusiastic before!

Shooing away the people who want me to be restricted

Has been the biggest achievement,

For I have found peace in my rhymes and verses.

Now, I have even let the verses be free,

Unchained from the nuances of rhyming!

A lagoon you become.

Beautiful. Picturesque. A painter’s delight.

But you are locked, 

Can’t let your flow mix.

In short, you get rotten. 

Others may not find the foul smell,

You do!

In the veins of your heart!

Your thoughts long

To mix with the vast ocean 

Of unexplored territories-

Fighting the dangers,

Absorbing the salinity,

Becoming the waves and moving

Around the world,

Touching and wetting the banks with happiness;

But you can’t.

You are meant to remain a lagoon.

Beautiful. Picturesque. A painter’s delight.

I walk in the garden,

Which used to smile at me when I would visit it

Just when I came to this dream city of Mumbai;

However, neither does it look enchanting anymore,

Not do I seem enthusiastic.

It’s just a routine I am following –

Counting my steps and heart points

To stay fit.

After all, it’s too humid.

Maybe, the garden is also not yet completely dry, only dull;

Since it’s optimistic that happiness will return

And bathe it with flowers. 

Isn’t optimism in every situation a great attitude?

For me, thoughts are also dry,

Eyes are wet due to departures,

And yet, this optimism in my veins

Keeps flowing with my blood,

Rejuvenating every time it passes through 

The chambers of my heart!

Maybe, days will change for me too!

***

Neelam Saxena Chandra has authored 6 novels and 9 short story collections 39 poetry collections and 15 childrens’ books to her credit She is a bilingual writer, writing in English and Hindi. She holds a record with the Limca Book of Records 2015 for being the Author having the highest number of publications in a year in English and Hindi She has won II prize in a poetry contest organized by American Embassy and in a National poetry contest organized by Poetry Council of India 2016. She has received Sohanlal Dwivedi Puraskar for children’s literature by Maharashtra state Hindi Sahitya Akademi for the year 2018, Premchand award by Ministry of Railways Rabindranath Tagore International Poetry award Soninder Samman, Freedom award by Radio city for Lyrics along with other awards and honors She was listed in Forbes as one among 78  most popular authors in the country in 2014.

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Setu, September 2023 :: Towards Visibility

Bilingual Poem: Neelam Saxena Chandra

Neelam Saxena Chandra

THE DANCING GIRL

Hey! Dancing girl! 

From where did you get that poise?

Were you a pirouetting peahen

Born in disguise?

When I glance at your photograph

I feel that you will just come out;

Watch at my unsteady swaying,

And, to be better at my steps, shout!

I wonder about the great sculptor

Who chiselled you with such perfection;

Every expression he has captured

With so much of adoration!

Was he in love with you?

Or was it just a piece or art?

You did have something in you oh dancing princess,

That even time couldn’t discard!

I have just a question to ask you dear-

Tell me, about bangles on your arm left 

Was your choice asked, or was it sculptor’s delight,

Or you were a mere puppet?

***

नर्तकी

ओ! खूबसूरत नर्तकी!

तुमने वो नजाकत कहाँ से पाई?

क्या तुम एक झूमती मोरनी थीं

जिसकी रूह थी तुममें समाई?

जब भी नज़र पड़ती है तुम्हारे चित्र पर

लगता है कि बस निकल ही आओगी;

मेरे असंतुलित से थिरकने को देखोगी

और मुझे मेरी अदा बेहतर करने को चिल्लाओगी!

सोचती हूँ कि कौन था वो मूर्तिकार

जिसने तुम्हें इतनी खूबसूरती से ढाला?

उसने तुम्हारी हर अदा को

कितने प्यार से है सम्भाला!

क्या वो तुमसे मुहब्बत करने लगा था?

या सिर्फ कलाकृति थीं तुम उसके लिए?

कुछ तो है तुममें ओ नृत्य की मल्लिका 

जो मिटाना मुश्किल था वक़्त के भी लिए!

एक प्रश्न है प्रिय जो मुझे सताता है

तुम्हारे बाएँ हाथ में क्यों वो अनगिनत चूड़ियों थीं?

क्या तुम्हारी चाहत पूछी गयी थी, या शिल्पकार की चाहत थी, 

या तुम महज़ एक कठपुतली थीं?

***

Bio: Neelam Saxena Chandra, a 1992 batch IRSEE officer, has written 6 novels, 8 short story collections, 38 poetry collections besides 14 children’s books. She is a record holder with the Limca Book of Records for having the highest number of publications in a year (2015). She has won many national and international awards. She was listed in the Forbes list as one of the most popular seventy-eight authors in the country in 2014.

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Setu, June 2023

ENCHANTING POETRY: Neelam Saxena

Neelam Saxena Chandra

Sometimes, poetry just flows as tears

That gushes when you’re so happy 

That you’ve laughed and laughed 

To your heart’s content!

Sometimes, poetry wants to rise

High and high like the lofty mountains-

Though it may get frozen with the ice

That envelops it.

Sometimes, poetry oozes out as blood

From the wounds that suddenly appear

On the unblemished skin

And leaves you numb.

Sometimes, poetry twinkles from far.,

Has its own glow that’s visible 

From zillions of light years,

Keeping you captivated and charmed. 

Sometimes, poetry streams like a noiseless river

Full of repose and calm,

Happy to be in its own skin,

With an enlightened aura!

It’s not important how the poetry springs,

A poetry is considered well-written

If it enters the silent chambers of the reader’s heart 

With a thud whose sound keeps on echoing 

For days and months and years!

And makes their heart beat like

Water falling from a majestic mountain 

Whose noise reverberates everywhere that you go!

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Setu, April 2023

NEELAM SAXENA, INDIA

Neelam Saxena Chandra

Neelam Saxena Chandra, has authored 70 books. She holds a record with the Limca Book of Records, 2015 for being the Author having the highest number of publications in English and Hindi in a year. She has won several international and national awards. She was listed in Forbes as one of the popular authors in 2014.

TRANSFORMATION

I saunter lazily in the evening 

Amidst the huge trees in my garden,

Watching the parrots flap their wings.

Why do they fly in a group while I wander alone?

Why the onset of something as horrible as Covid?

Devoid of company, my soul feels stuck in a black hole. 

I go back into my house, locking myself in my room.

It’s night. There’s darkness in my heart too.

Sleep eludes me. Murkiness envelopes me.

I feel imprisoned. 

In the morning, even before the sun rises,

I walk in my garden only to see an eagle

Open its wings and fly high in sky in solitude…

As it soars and soars, till it becomes

Just a dot in the sky.

I realise that I have unnecessarily 

Locked my soul in the cave of mistiness.

My soul transforms into an eagle.

I begin to enjoy my solitude.

With my flight, I also motivate my kith and kin 

To fly high in the sky, despite difficulties in life.

A depressed fellow walking lonely on the street 

Looks amazedly at the flock of eagles in the sky

Nudging his wife, “Do eagles ever fly together?”

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Solitude of Soul 2023 :: Setu, March 2023

Neelam Saxena Chandra (Children's World)

Neelam Saxena Chandra

ENCHANTING MOON

Lovely wonderful yellow moon
Do you dance to some angels’ tune?
At night you enchant me
But where do you go during the noon?
Sometimes full and sometimes small
And sometimes not visible at all
You change your looks everyday
I was thinking of making a dress for you
And decorate it with colours red and blue
Please tell me your size I pray!!!

 
GOLDEN FAIRY

Golden fairy comes out during the day
And gives me company when I play
Golden fairy sits and holds me tight
When I don’t get sleep on dark night
Golden fairy is my best friend forever,
She has promised that she will leave me never!

MY GARDEN

Red, Green, Pink and Blue
In my garden you can see all the hue
Beautiful flowers smile everywhere
And singing birds fly in the air
Every corner holds some surprise
Oh my garden is a paradise!!!

  

Bio Note: Neelam Saxena Chandra

Neelam Saxena Chandra has authored 7 novels, 9 short story collections, 37 poetry collections and 15 children’s books. She is a bilingual author, writing in English as well as Hindi. More than 2000 of her poems/stories have been published in various journals/anthologies/magazines. She holds a record with the Limca Book of Records, 2015 for being the Author having the highest number of publications in a year in English and Hindi. She has won several international and national awards. She was listed in Forbes (India) as one of the most popular 78 authors in 2014.

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Setu, December 2022 :: Children's World 2023

Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra, India (Winging through Gloom: Poetry of Hope and Recovery)

Neelam Saxena Chandra

Neelam Saxena Chandra has authored 5 novels, 1 novella and 8 short story collections, 36 poetry collections and 14 children’s books. She is a bilingual author. She holds a record with the Limca Book of Records, 2015 for being the Author having the highest number of publications in a year in English and Hindi. She has won several international and national awards. She was listed in Forbes, India as one of the most popular 78 authors in 2014. 

HOPEFUL DESTINY

How long can the pages of the diary 

Remain blank, rustling because of 

Strong winds of nothingness?

Till when can the water of the river

Remain stagnant, though flowing

Is its natural form?

What’s it that hurts, what are 

Those pangs of the losses

That keep summoning 

Your frozen heart,

While the heart desires 

That the red and blue blood should keep drifting?

The eyes definitely can’t stare 

Into the blankness of the future,

When life buzzes around it…

Yes, life seemed to have come 

To a grinding halt, post the unexpected,

But the spring of happiness 

That keeps dancing in the souls

Has to take over someday,

And let happiness decide the destiny! 

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Setu, March 2022

Essentials of Living: Neelam Saxena Chandra (Poetry)

Neelam Saxena Chandra

WRITING

Writing has a therapeutic charm!

If you are passing through the realms of happiness,

You sprinkle joy as you write,

Making the entire milieu glow.

If you are passing through the pangs of pain,

The process of writing cleanses your heart,

And you smile again!

If you are crossing the zones of nothingness,

So many philosophies of life

Open up in front of your eyes

Like a cherished treasure!

Yes, writing is a stream,

That takes away all the murky ugliness with its flow

And paints your life golden!

Writing is cathartic,

Specially in these pandemic times,

When everyone seems to be losing hope!

It’s like a boat that will steer you 

Through this tempest!

***

Bio:

Neelam Saxena Chandra, has authored 5 novels, 1 novella and 8 short story collections, 35 poetry collections and 14 children’s books. She is a bilingual author, writing in English as well as Hindi. More than 1500 of her poems/stories have been published in various journals/anthologies/magazines. She holds a record with the Limca Book of Records, 2015 for being the Author having the highest number of publications in a year in English and Hindi. She has won several international and national awards. She was listed in Forbes as one of the most popular 78 authors in 2014. When she is not working or writing, she loves a game of Table Tennis, anchoring, acting, walking etc. besides large doses of laughter.

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Setu, January 2021

Revisit: What's New, What's Old? (Neelam Saxena Chandra)

Neelam Saxena Chandra

2021

Some shattered pieces of glasses

Pierce my fingers and blood oozes out,

As I remember the year that has passed.

As I try to wash the blood in the sink,

My glance falls on the mirror in front of me,

And the reflection of my soul is crystal clear.

The soul, also needs stitching,

As there are open wounds from which

Blood is not oozing, but flowing.

The passing year, with its painful memories,

Of the fear, the illness and the deaths

Keeps moving in front of my eyes like a movie reel.

Unknowingly, tears too start pouring from my eyes,

And, for a change, I don’t try to control them.

The grief has to drift, to make way for smiles. 

The history can’t be undone and remains embedded,

But there are bits of happiness too lying scattered.

In 2022, I will try to collect them and fill them in my heart!

***

THE CRUMBLED ME

Who desires to be shattered 

Into bits and pieces 

That seem impossible to be bound back?

The entire world was crumbling-

So many of our brethren were already dead,

And some of those alive were full of scars.

While the others had become like broken glass pieces 

Ready to pierce and cause pain 

To anyone who came nearby-

Not because it was their wish,

But because they were shattered

And their shattered bits were sharp!

Covid had taken its toll 

Not only on the lives,

But also, the thoughts and psyche of those alive!

Seeing the environment,

I too crushed into bits-

But as the new year dawns,

I find an amazing magic taking place-

My bits and pieces are being joined by some healer

With some golden powder…

And lo! I have a glow too!

Yes, the new year makes me grow stronger

And I walk steadfastly with stronger strides,

All ready to manage any new challenges!

***

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Setu, December 2021

Women Poetry: Neelam Saxena Chandra, India

Exclusive: Women Poetry: Edited by Padmaja Iyengar-Paddy

Neelam Saxena Chandra

BE A MEDUSA

They thought that Medusa should be killed!

The tell-tales spread that anyone who looked at her 

Would turn into a stone!

They desired that she may be buried so deep under the earth

That no one should see even her skeleton;

After all, seeing her head could still turn them into a stone!

Named as a monster, Reptiles are shown slithering on her body,

The mothers are often heard whispering to their daughters,

“Don’t become a Medusa!”

However, the need of time demands that 

All daughters should turn into Medusas,

The Reptiles would keep the amorous beings at bay,

And those who stare at them with lusty eyes 

Should indeed be turned into stones!

After all, didn’t Sterope use her head 

As a protection for the town of Tegea against attack?

***

MEDUSA’S CURSE

The beautiful Medusa- 

Eyed by Gods and demons alike,

Didn’t give a damn to anyone

Lived life on her terms to their dislike!

In the temple of Athena,

The God of the sea was bowled over;

Taking her in his treacherous arms,

He happily impregnated her!

So enraged was Athena, 

After all, she was destined to be a virgin;

She cursed Medusa to death,

As if she was the one to commit the sin!

Medusa’s hair was transformed 

Into coils of slithering serpents,

The Gorgon was metamorphosed into a monster,

There was no one to listen to her laments!

The world hasn’t changed ever since,

Even the Medusas now have to bear the wrath

Of being beautiful, appealing or outspoken,

The wolves so many times cross their path!

***

Neelam Saxena Chandra has authored 5 novels, 1 novella and 8 short story collections, 32 poetry collections and 14 children’s books. She is a bilingual author, writing in English as well as Hindi. More than 1500 of her poems/stories have been published in various journals, anthologies and magazines. She holds a record with the Limca Book of Records, 2015 for being the Author having the highest number of publications in a year in English and Hindi. She has won several international and national awards. She was listed in Forbes as one of the most popular 78 authors in 2014.

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The Myth of Medusa Deconstructed :: Setu, March 2021

Neelam Saxena Chandra: Poetry (Life, Cognition and Creativity)

Neelam Saxena Chandra

1. THE SEASHORE

On the shore of the sea I rest,

Drinking the ocean of silence;

And like a drunken man I dance,

Entranced and lost in happiness!

The winds harp a poignant tune,

The waves play a soulful melody;

The seagulls join in the chorus,

The night passes by nimbly…

The moon peeps and is bewitched

To hear the heart touching jingles,

How can it stay so far away?

Into the bosom of the sea it nestles!

By the scene’s splendour mesmerized, 

I drop all my masks and veils;

And like an enticed maiden I swallow

Sanguinity from the life’s pails!

***

2. RAINBOWS VANISH

Rainbows Vanish.

When they come

They bring with them

A drizzle of happiness,

A shine of joy,

A twinkle of love.

But rainbows vanish.

Their presence is marked

With a sprinkle of hues

As if a painter

Has painted the milieu

In his fancy.

But rainbows vanish.

Heart sings melodies

As it drapes the rainbow,

Serenity prevails

As the thoughts sit on it

And swing with the breeze.

But rainbows vanish.

And when they disappear

They leave no traces

Neither joy nor happiness

Neither melodies nor serenity-

They simply vanish

As if they never existed.

***

3. MOON AND I

Behind the clouds

Hides the moon pretty,

Cushioning itself 

From the eyes penetrating

Of the obscure.

Its form crescent

Arced like an eye almond shaped

Of a pretty lass 

Innocently flickers at times

Wondering 

Why worldly objects and thoughts

Remain ambiguous and unintelligible.

Just like the moon inquisitive, 

I too sit and ponder

Why so shadowy and veiled

The world is.

***

4. THE NIGHT

The night kept passing by and by…

A spurt of tears

Gushed out relentlessly

And then the eyes

Calmed down 

As if the tears never existed…

The night kept passing by and by…

There was absolute calm

The entire world had slept

The only sounds audible

Were that of the heartbeats

Thumping and Thrashing…

The night kept passing by and by…

The moon, 

My solitary companion

Kept moving inch by inch

Watching me lie down

In the lap of the night with repose…

The night kept passing by and by…

The feeling surreal

Kept me bounded 

To the nectar of night

And I wished

That it never passes by…

***

5. THE BEAUTIFUL SWANS

The swans...

The beautiful swans...

As I watched them

Slowly and merrily waddling

In crystal clear water

With 

Tranquillity twinkling in their eyes

Serenity shining in their sway

And contentment in their composure,

I wondered

What was it

That made them so happy?

As they flapped their wings

And honked and laughed

Enjoying the jolly companionship

Of other fellow swans

Sometimes wading in water 

Making various ebullient formations

And at other times

Coming out

To walk tall on the green grass,

I realized that 

Their happiness emerged

From little expectations they had…

They were satiated 

With the little water in the pool,

The breeze cool,

Insects to eat,

And company to freak...

They desired nothing more and nothing less,

They lived in neither the past nor the future,

They lived 

In that day

That moment 

That instant

And were the most satisfied…

***

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Life, Cognition and Creativity :: Setu, December 2020

Neelam Saxena Chandra, INDIA

Exclusive: Best of Women Poetry: Edited by Padmaja Iyengar-Paddy

MY CASTLE

I keep building my castle

In which peace, repose and happiness reside,

Where selfishness, greed and anger

Have been barred entry,

Where the only voices that can be heard

Are the chants of “Aum”!

Building my castle

Hasn’t been an easy task

For it isn’t simple to discard these vices

And they keep knocking at the doors

Every now and then.

One or the other

Is at times, more unsettling

And arrives deviously

Through the windows and the ventilators,

Annihilating the entire process

And I stand alone with my ruins.

There is a burning light inside me

Which refuses to douse

Despite all storms

And impetuses me

To restart again

Building my castle!

Neelam Saxena Chandra, a 1992 batch IRSEE officer, has written 4 novels, 1 novella and 5 short story collections, 27 poetry collections and 11 children’s books. She is a record holder with the Limca Book of Records for having the highest number of publications in a year (2015). She has won an award in a poetry contest by American Embassy, Rabindranath Tagore International Poetry Award, Freedom Award by Radio City for her lyrics, Humanity International Women Achiever Award-2018 and II prize for her poem by Poetry Council of India, 2016. She was listed in the Forbes list as one of the most popular seventy-eight authors in the country in 2014.

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Best of Women Poetry -2020 :: Setu, March 2020

Neelam Saxena Chandra, INDIA

A BUTTERFLY WOMAN

Let them

Keep looking at your bodily beauty-

The luminous colour of your skin,

The pretty patterns on your wings,

The magnificent gait while you fly!

You should concentrate

Only upon your wings

And its innate strength!

One day,

You will have touched the sky

And that’s what

A butterfly woman

Is meant to do!

TO WOMEN

No need to play the magic dice-

She can very easily be brought to humiliation;

Grab her by the hair,

Drag her wherever desired,

Make her sit on the thigh,

Disrobe her,

Shame her…

It’s all so easy!

She is no Draupadi

And there is no Krishna,

Who will come to save her!

Morals have degraded,

Lawlessness is rampant,

Women, once revered as Goddess,

Are the easiest preys today!

It’s time o dear friend

To arm yourself

With all weapons, ammunitions,

Fight these Duryodhanas,

After all, you are Krishna in yourself

Complete in all ways!

WOMEN

They think

That women are glass

Breaking every time

There is turbulence!

They stick

The glass to wood on all sides,

Properly securing them,

Leaving no scope for them

To either expand or contract!

What they don’t know is

Women have toughened themselves

And they don’t shatter every time

A stone is hurled at them!

Neelam Saxena Chandra, a 1992 batch IRSEE officer, has written 4 novels, 1 novella and 5 short story collections, 27 poetry collections and 11 children’s books. She is a record holder with the Limca Book of Records for having the highest number of publications in a year (2015). She has won an award in a poetry contest by American Embassy, Rabindranath Tagore international poetry award, Freedom award by Radio city for her lyrics, Humanity International Women Achiever Awards 2018 and II prize for her poem by Poetry Council of India, 2016. She was listed in the Forbes list as one of the most popular seventy-eight authors in the country in 2014.

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Women, Power & Creativity :: Setu, March 2019