Seema Jain (Diaspora Dual Identities)

Seema Jain

Trishanku

Swinging in his rocking chair, eyes closed
He looked back and on his mind's canvas,
The glow of golden days of youth unfolded 
When dreams filled his heart and a rosy future beckoned.

As a young scientist from India, in America's land of infinite possibilities
He carved a cosy niche and the rush of adrenaline kept him on cloud nine.
Till one day, back home, his father, on the deathbed,

Departed before he could bid him the final adieu.

He writhed in pain and guilt
He felt he had failed to be a good son and missed home like hell
He yearned to go back to his roots
But does life ever offer any simple choices?

The routine of life slowly engulfed him,
Years rolled by as his son grew up,
Married an American girl and soon
It was time for his wife to bid him goodbye.

Sitting in his room, lonely and nostalgic
He yearns to return to his childhood alleys,
Those mustard fields and mango groves
The cooing koels and the cool breeze

Like a Trishanku, he stands today
Torn between the pull of his homeland, his own kith and kin
And the proximity of his son, now busy in his own life.
And life's Nemesis seems to catch up with him.

 

 

Navigating Culture

Into the multi-ethnic environs off the native shores
Her four-year-old daughter felt dazed and puzzled
In a glitzy metropolitan city, with umpteen languages,
Struggled to adapt to varied skin colours, accents, dishes and attire.

Each day, each moment she, as a mother, had to grapple
With her endless queries about her playmates,
Her schoolmates, teachers and what not!
It was quite an ordeal to attune her to the cultural melting pot.

Today, after a decade, the small child is in her teens
Dates boys of her age, intends to move out to her own apartment soon.
Her turn now to be immersed into yet another cultural shock
To navigate her notions of parenthood through an alien territory
To re-adapt her indigenous notions
To the norms of her chosen land.

The thoughts of her own childhood flood the mind
Her parents, protectively guiding her through her adolescent years,
As their cultural norms regulated their parenting style.
And she braces herself for this leap into new norms of parenthood.
This time, she is the one bouncing up and down
In the troubled waters of cultural upheaval.

 

Seema Jain is a bilingual poet, short story writer, translator, editor, critic and reviewer. Ex-Vice Principal & Head, PG Dept of English KMV Jalandhar, she has fourteen published books: five collections of English and Hindi poems, two edited books, three books of translated poems, two translated novels and two edited poetry anthologies on 21st Century Indian Women Poets (one for Sahitya Akademi titled Vibrant Voices). With her poems globally published in about 150 anthologies, Seema is a recipient of many prestigious awards. She has been a poet/speaker for Sahitya Akademi, the Jaipur Literature Festival, SAARC Countries' FOSWAL literature Festival and the Washington DC South Asian Literature Festival.

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Setu, April 2025

Women's Day: Seema Jain

Seema Jain

Seema Jain is a bilingual poet, short story writer, translator, editor, critic and reviewer. Ex-Vice Principal & Head, PG Dept of English KMV Jalandhar, she has fourteen published books of English and Hindi poems, translated poems and novels, and two edited poetry anthologies (one for Sahitya Akademi). A recipient of many prestigious awards, with her poems published globally in 140 anthologies, Seema has been a Speaker for Sahitya Akademi's Sahityotsav, the JLF, SAARC Countries' Litfest FOSWAL and the Washington DC South Asian Literature Festival.

 

Women's Emancipation

A swollen eye and a gash on my grandmother's beautiful face
My childhood memories are often haunted by my grandfather's fit of rage.
My mother too suffered immensely but rock-like stood by me;
She wanted me to be free and script my own destiny.

Whether it was choosing my clothes, my career or my groom
It was she who provided me enough room.
She wanted her daughter to live in such a world
Where she could fly freely like a bird!

Where none stopped her from taking birth
None put tethers on her flight and worth
Where none viewed her as a plaything for pleasure
Where she could explore her inner treasure.

Where she was not being cast in a fixed mold
Where none else could the key to her happiness hold
Where chains were broken and nectar flowed
And her entire being with divinity glowed.

She wanted my canvas to be the limitless sky
Everyday mutinies of countless unsung sheroes like her enabled me to fly
She knew the era of emancipation doesn't come overnight
It takes centuries for this sun to shine bright.

---

Setu, March 2025

ज़िल्का जोसफ की अंग्रेज़ी कविताएँ

Zilka Joseph

मूल लेखक (अंग्रेजी): ज़िल्का जोसफ; हिंदी अनुवादक: सीमा जैन

English original: Zilka Joseph; Translation: Seema Jain

चिड़िया और माटी 

निम्नलिखित उद्धरण जिन्होंने इस पुस्तक और कविता को लिखने की प्रेरणा दी:

लंबा है रास्ता और मैं न बहादुर हूँ न शक्तिशाली

("मौत से भयभीत एक परिंदा" से उद्धृत पंक्तियाँ)

चंद हड्डियों से अधिक तुम क्या हो?

और भीतर से हर हड्डी नरम होती है, जाने की जल्दी में

क्या तुम नहीं जानते कि जिंदगी जन्म से लेकर मृत्यु तक एक अनिश्चित सांस से ज्यादा कुछ भी नहीं?

तुम केवल पानी हो मिट्टी में गुंथे हुए, और कुछ नहीं --- डगमगाती हुई एक अस्थिर बूंद!

(मौत से भयभीत पक्षी को हुदहुद का उत्तर)

(फरीदुद्दीन अतर कृत "The Conference of the Birds" के कुछ अंश)

***

 

चिड़िया और माटी 

मुझे यकीन है मुझे यकीन है

उस गोरैया पर जो कंकड़ों पर खुश रहती है!

(रोथके कृत " Praise to the End" से उद्धृत)

पहली बार जब मैंने खेल के मैदान से धूल के गुबार को उड़ते हुए देखा, मैंने अपनी छह वर्षीय आँखों को तिरछा कर गोरैयों को बजरी की धूल के बीच पंख फड़फड़ाते हुए देखा!

मेरी माँ ने मुझसे कहा, "देखो! वह रोजाना की तरह अपना धूलि स्नान कर रही हैं! देखो तो वह कितनी अच्छी तरह नहातीं हैं! कितना निर्मल शुद्धीकरण है!

मिट्टी का मिट्टी से मिलना, जो टूट गया है, जो चुभता है, या जो मृत्यु को प्राप्त है, उसे झड़ जाने दो!"

Seema Jain

मुझे घरेलू चिड़ियों से हमेशा प्यार रहा है;

तब भी जब वह हमारे दूसरे माले वाले कोलकाता के फ्लैट में शोरगुल करते हुए झगड़तीं थीं या कहीं भी घोंसला बना लेतीं थीं, हम पर धूल, तिनकों, अण्डों और नए पैदा हुए चूज़ों की बरसात करतीं थीं तथा अलमारियों के ऊपर या फालतू पड़े सामान और जगह जगह इकट्ठे हुए कबाड़ के बीच दरारों में जगह के लिए झगड़ा करतीं थीं! हमारा घर एक तरह से स्वर्ग था और एक तरह से नर्क भी! कभी-कभी जब कोई चिड़िया सूरज की तपती धूप से बचने के लिए उड़ती हुई आकर पंखे के ब्लेड से टकरा जाती थी, तो एक आह भरकर मेरे कदमों पर दम तोड़ देती थी!

कभी-कभी वह कैसे संघर्ष करती थी बेचारी! मैं उसके सिर को गोद में रखती, उसका खून मेरे हाथ में रिसता, मैं उसे पानी देती, धीमी आवाज में उसे तसल्ली देती! अक्सर जब मैं उसकी आँखें बंद करती तो मेरी आँखों में अपनी बेजान पखेरू मृत देह की तस्वीर घूम जाती ! मैं ऊपर मंडराने लगती! जैसे कि मैं कहीं और हूँ! रोते-रोते मैं अपनी इच्छाशक्ति से उसे वापस बुलाने की कोशिश करती -- "मत जाओ, लौट आओ" लेकिन सब व्यर्थ!

एक असफल शामन* की तरह मैं कभी किसी चीज को या किसी को भी नहीं बचा पाई - जानवरों को, परिंदों को, अपने माता पिता को! 

खंडहरों में तब्दील होते और ताला लगे उस घर से हमें लगाव था! अब सालों बाद मिशिगन की क्षणिक गर्मियों में धूल के गुबार को ढूंढती हूँ, अपने दुखते दिल में एक रोमांच अनुभव करती हूँ जब चिड़ियों को धूल में लोटते हुए, फिर धूल का गुबार उड़ाते हुए देखती हूँ, कलाबाजी खाते हुए, चीं-चीं करते हुए, निर्मल, स्वस्थ!

और मुझे पाँच साल के नटखट, विलक्षण यीशु की भूली बिसरी कहानी** याद आ जाती है जो शनिवार की एक शाम नदी के किनारे खेल रहा था और जिसने गीली मिट्टी से बारह गोरैयों को आकार दिया! जब उनके पिता ने उन्हें डांटा कि उन्होंने शब्बथ के पवित्र दिन की भावना का उल्लंघन किया है, तो उन्होंने ताली बजाकर चिल्लाते हुए पक्षियों से कहा, "मुझे याद रखना, तुम अब जीवित हो!" और जीवित परिंदे उठे और उड़ गए!

*आध्यात्मिक उपचारक

**यीशु की कहानी "इनफैन्सी गोस्पेल्स ऑफ़ थॉमस" पर आधारित

***

Sparrows and Dust

Lines that were an inspiration for this book:

“The Way is long,

and I am neither valiant nor strong.”

(Lines from the passage A bird who fears death)

 

“What are you but a few bones? and at heart

each bone is soft and hastens to depart.

Aren’t you aware that life, from birth to death

is little more than one precarious breath?”

“You are but water mixed with dust, no more—

a drop of trembling instability”.

(The Hoopoe answers the bird who fears death)

Both fragments are taken from The Conference of the Birds, Farid Ud-Din Attar

***

Sparrows and Dust

 

I believe! I believe!

In the sparrow, happy on gravel;

—From Roethke’s Praise to the End!

 

The first time I noticed a cloud of dust rise

from the playground, I squinted my six-year-old eyes

and saw sparrows flailing about

 

in gravelly dirt. My mother told me, Look, they’re having

their daily dust bath! See how well they wash themselves.

Such a cleansing! Dust with dust, letting what’s broken, biting,

or dead flake off. I have always loved house sparrows even

when they drove us mad with their noisy fights and ferocious

nesting inside our second-floor Kolkata flat. Raining dirt,

twigs, eggs and just-born chicks on us when rival pairs fought

for territory on tops of cupboards, chinks in clutter and junk

stored everywhere. Our house was heaven, and a kind

 

of hell. Sometimes when streaking in from the hot sun,

one would fly into the fan’s spinning blades. With a soft

gasp, it would die at my feet.

 

Sometimes, how it struggled, poor thing, I would cradle

its head as blood seeped into my hand, give it water, whisper

comfort. Often, when I shut its eyelids, a vision of my own

feathered body lying lifeless below

would flash by. I hovered above. As if

 

I have been somewhere else. Weeping, I willed them—

Come back from the dead. Failed shaman, I never saved anyone

or anything—my parents, the animals and birds

 

we loved, the locked flat falling to ruin. Now, years later,

in short Michigan summers, I look for flusters of dust,

feel a warmth thrill in my aching bones when I see

these birds squirm in soil, then spring from a cloud, fluffing,

cheeping, cleansed, whole. I think of the little-known tale I read—

about the precocious, five-year-old trickster Jesus who played

by the river one Shabbat evening, and who shaped twelve

sparrows from wet clay. When his father scolded

that he had violated the holy day, he clapped, shouting

 

to the birds “remember me, you who are now alive,”

and the living sparrows

rose and flew away.

***

 

 

Bio of Zilka Joseph:

Zilka Joseph was born in Mumbai, lived in Kolkata, and now lives in Michigan. Her work is influenced by Indian and Western cultures, and her Bene Israel roots. Her work has appeared in journals such as Poetry Magazine, Kenyon Review Online, Asian Literary Review, The Bombay Literary Review, as well as several international anthologies. She was nominated for awards such as Pen America and Pushcart, has been interviewed on NPR/Michigan Radio, and podcasts such as Rattlecast, Rivkush, and Culturico. Her chapbook Sparrows and Dust won a Notable Best Indie Book Award and was Notable Asian American Poetry Book. Her books Sharp Blue Search of Flame and In Our Beautiful Bones were Foreword INDIES prize finalists. The University of Michigan awarded her a Zell Fellowship, the Michael Gutterman prize, and the Elsie Choy Lee Scholarship. Sweet Malida, her new collection of poems and prose, was published in the US in February, 2024. An international edition will be published in India in November. Currently, she is a creative writing coach, a manuscript advisor, and a mentor to writers in her community. www.zilkajoseph.com

Bio of Seema Jain:

Seema Jain is a bilingual poet, short story writer, translator, editor and reviewer, Ex-Vice Principal & Head, P G Dept of English, KMV, Jalandhar. She has fourteen published books (two published by the Sahitya Akademi). These include five collections of English and Hindi poems & five books of translated poems and novels. One of the two poetry anthologies edited by her titled Vibrant Voices, featuring the voices of 102 Indian women poets of the 21st century from all over India and overseas, has been published by the Sahitya Academi, New Delhi. Her poems have been published in more than 130 International/ National Anthologies and Journals, and in the digital pandemic archives of Stanford University. She has recited her poems for the Sahitya Akademi’s Festival of letters, FOSWAL, the Washington DC South Asian Literature Festival 2023, and at various platforms nationally and globally. She is a recipient of many prestigious awards.

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सेतु, अगस्त 2024 :: Setu, August 2024

Seema Jain

Seema Jain

Seema Jain is a bilingual poet, short story writer, translator, editor and reviewer. Ex-Vice Principal, Dean Academics & Head, Dept of English, KMV Jalandhar, she has fifteen published books (two from Sahitya Akademi). Her poems are housed in the digital pandemic archives of Stanford University, and have been published in more than 130 International/ National Anthologies, Journals etc. A recipient of many prestigious awards, she has recited her poems globally with many stalwarts of English poetry, at Sahitya Akademi’s Sahityotsav 2023 & 2024,FOSWAL Literature Festival and Washington DC South Asian Literature Festival 2023.

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Authors, A-Z

Sunita Singh In A Heart-to-Heart Conversation with Prof. Seema Jain discussing her latest book, Listen Radhika

Seema Jain

SS: Prof Seema Jain ji, let me congratulate you for the fantastic translation of Madhav Kaushik ji’s long poem Suno Radhika titled Listen Radhika in English. What was the reason that you chose this long poem for translation, I am sure it must have been a daunting task. Please let us know a little bit about it.

 

SJ: Thanks, dear Sunita Singh Ji for your appreciative reading of my translation of Madhav Kaushik Ji’s long poem Suno Radhika into English as Listen Radhika published by Readomania.

I have always been fond of translation of poetry and fiction; being a bilingual poet, perhaps it came naturally to me. After having translated two novels (one published by Sahitya Akademi) and two collections of selected poems by reputed writers, when I happened to read Suno Radhika, its unusual content and its gripping tone and tenor inspired me to undertake its translation in English. After having obtained permission from the author, Shri Madhav Kaushik Ji, I undertook this challenging but extremely rewarding task; challenging I say, because of its use of chaste Hindi language and the immensely rich cultural meanings and nuances.

Sunita Singh

SS: Can you tell us your favourite part of the book - the verse which appeals to you the most and why?

SJ: Although the entire poem, with Krishna as the speaker addressing Radha, is unique and poignant at many levels, I would say it was Canto 3, which appealed most to my sensibility as a woman, a poet and a feminist. This multi-faceted poem

focuses upon the eternal bond of love between Radha and Krishna, transcending the bounds of time and space, talks of the motherhood of Ma Yashoda, of Baba Nand's vatsalay, of the Gopis, Vrindavan, Krishna's childhood et al. It talks about the battle of Mahabharata, the political intrigues, the decline of ethical and religious values that is to be found in all times and climes. The third Canto, which talks about Draupadi's predicament and her anguish, and extends it to the present- day context, by observing that nothing much has changed resonates with me at a deeper level.

Madhav Kaushik

SS: You are a poet and an author and have published 14 books, which include 5 collections of English and Hindi poems, 2 edited poetry anthologies and translated many books and novels, tell us something about your journey as a poet, writer and translator. Who or what has been your inspiration?

SJ: When I talk about my journey as a poet and writer, my mind goes back to my early childhood years, where my natural inclination for reading and writing found a spontaneous expression. I used to write verses and stories but then forgot all about them, they continued to exist only in the back pages of my notebooks or in my diary. Then, after a long hiatus, I resumed writing about two decades ago. Since then, my poems have been published in the form of solo books and have also found a place in various literary magazines and journals. I have been invited previously and continue being asked to recite them at the Doordarshan and All India Radio. I have also been fortunate to have recited my poems for Sahitya Akademi’s annual Festival of Letters, for FOSWAL (Federation of SAARC Writers and Literature), and at myriad platforms globally with some of the stalwarts of Indian poetry.

My journey as a translator and editor, started much later. My first translated book, a collection of select Hindi poems by Dr Narendra Mohan, got published in 2020. This was followed by The Vanquished Queen: the Diary of Kaikeyi, an English translation of Mr. Ramkishore Mehta's Hindi novel Parajita Ka Atmkathya published by Hawakal Prokashana. Next came Gavaad, Madhu Acharya Ashavaadi's Sahitya Akademi award-winning novel in Rajasthani, published as Mohalla by Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi. Another poetry collection Dil Se, selected poems of eminent Hindi poet Dr Veena Vij came followed by Listen Radhika. A few other translation projects are ongoing.

In-between, I have also edited two poetry anthologies: one titled Vibrant Voices: An Anthology of 21st Century Indian Women Poets in English was published by Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, and the other, Mosaic of Poetic Musings: Contemporary Women Poets from India was published by AuthorsPress.

Here, I would like to add that my literary journey got new wings after my retirement and apart from the above-mentioned ventures, I have also recited poems and short stories for multiple Online and Offline poetry groups, and contributed to more than a hundred anthologies, headed a few poetry groups, wrote forewords for books, reviewed books, was on editorial panels of literary journals, gave talks and recited poems and so on and so forth.

SS: Apart from being an educator, you are an acclaimed writer; you wear many hats – you are the founder president of Litspark: A Literary Forum, the Vice President of the Punjab unit of Mahila Kavya Manch and are also associated with many other literary forums. Do you think, as a woman writer or literary personality, you had to work harder?

SJ: My roles as a teacher and as a writer have been complimentary, I can say with conviction. Since I have been involved with the study and teaching of English language and literature, it meant reading a lot, and that is a pre-requisite for writing. The habit of reading, when coupled with some creative spark or zeal, can inspire one to scale newer peaks.

I do not think I had to work harder because of being a woman writer. I strongly believe that in today's world, with lots of bastions of gender discrimination already crumbling, if you have "fire in the heart, and iron in the soul," no one can stop you from realizing your dream, irrespective of gender.

SS: Samuel Johnson, the English writer says, “The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading, in order to write…” Do you agree with him? Which genre of writing do you identify with the most and why?

SJ: I think Samuel Johnson has aptly observed that reading is very crucial to writing. If reading is the root and stem, writing is the leaves, blossoms and fruits of that tree. It is the manure that makes the mind fertile ground for the seeds of intellect and creativity to grow.

Coming to my favourite genre, I would say that I enjoy reading fiction, apart from poetry. But when it comes to writing, I feel most comfortable with poetry, as it comes naturally to me. Though I also write short stories, and plan to venture into penning a longer work of fiction, poetry is my all-time romance. Another kind of trans-creation that is fascinating for me is translation. I think in the days to come, there will be a lot more, some work in fact is in the pipeline.

SS: That’s wonderful news, Prof. Seema Jain ji. It was a most interesting conversation coming to know about your literary journey. Thank you so much for giving me an opportunity to interview you, it was an honour.

 ***

Sunita Singh is a bi-lingual poet, writer, and storyteller, conversant in both - English and Hindi. Her verses and stories are dipped in the ink of her heart and the fact that they are well-accepted is incidental. They have found a place in many Indian and International anthologies and e- magazines. Her solo book of poems, ‘Dance of the Flamingoes’ has won an award. Sunita has written lyrics for private albums and co -edited an anthology of Roseate Sonnet poems. She has been actively involved in promoting Indian languages by doing dramatized readings of stories by famous writers on various forums and events. She has also hosted online storytelling sessions on digital portals. Recently she has come out with a biography titled, ‘The Making of A Chief Justice Of India, Life And Times Of Justice Kamal Narain Singh’, which has been received well.

Seema Jain is a bilingual poet, short story writer, translator, editor and reviewer. Ex-Vice Principal, Dean Academics & Head, Dept of English, KMV Jalandhar, she has fifteen published books (two from Sahitya Akademi). Her poems are housed in the digital pandemic archives of Stanford University, and have been published in more than 130 International/ National Anthologies, Journals etc.  A recipient of many prestigious awards, she has recited her poems globally with many stalwarts of English poetry, at Sahitya Akademi’s Sahityotsav 2023 & 2024, FOSWAL Literature Festival and Washington DC South Asian Literature Festival 2023.

Madhav Kaushik is an eminent Hindi poet and author. He is presently the President of the National Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, Chairman, Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi, and Member, Press Council of India. He has to his credit the publication of 42 books, which include 19 Collections of Ghazals, two Khand Kavyas  (Suno Radhika, Laut Aao Paarth), 4 Collections of Poems, 2 Collections of Navgeets, 3 Collections of Short Stories, 2 books of Criticism, 2 books  of Children Literature, 2 translations and 3 edited books. All these books have been published by prestigious publication houses like Penguin India, Bhartiya Gyan Peeth, Vani Prakashan, Sahitya Akademi, Samayik Prakashan, Sasta Sahitya Mandal Prakashan etc. Some of his books have been included in the curriculum at graduate and postgraduate levels in some Universities of Northern India. Research work has been carried out on his writings in ten reputed universities. He is a recipient of many prestigious awards at national and international levels, some  prominent ones being the Millennium Award at World Hindi Conference New Delhi (2000), Akhil Bhartiya Balraj Sahni Award (2006), Shiromani Sahitykar Samman by Punjab Govt. (2012), Subramanaya Bharati Award by Kendriya Hindi Sansthan (2018), Ajeevan Sahitya Sadhna Samman 2019 by Haryana Sahitya Akademi and many more. His works have been translated in multiple Indian languages. He has participated in world Hindi conference in South Africa (2012) and World Authors Conferences globally at Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Mexico etc. He is a Jury Member of Bhartiya Gyan Peeth, Haryana Sahitya Akademi and Urdu Akademi, President of Jury of Bihar Rajbhasha Samman Samiti, Member Programme Selection Committee of Doordarshan, and Member Governing Council (Humanities) IGNOU. Email: k.madhav9@gmail.com

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Setu, July 2024

Drenched Thoughts: A Review

Review by Seema Jain

Drenched Thoughts (Novel)

Author: Anita Nahal

Publisher: Authors Press

Year of publication: 2023

ISBN No 978-93-5529-637-5

No. of pages: 214

Price: ₹ 495 INR

 

 

Drenched Thoughts, a debut novel by the well-known poet, critic, and academic Anita Nahal, is a powerful work that thoroughly engages the reader’s attention.  Written in short paragraphs, the novel epitomizes urgency and speed, and, therefore, keeps the readers engrossed. The main plot of the novel revolves around the life of a single immigrant mom and her son, who leave India “to create new, peaceful, conflict-free lives” in their new destination, the US. Priya, the protagonist of the novel, decides to walk out of a bad marriage, in which she has to confront the unpleasant reality of emotional abuse, sporadic and erratic fits of violence and a constant threat to her sense of dignity and self-respect through public insults and demeaning humiliation. Some of the themes that emerge from the novel are domestic disharmony, emotional abuse, multiculturalism, diaspora struggle, gender equality, motherhood, and human worth, with finely balanced and nuanced assertions of feminist, rather humanistic beliefs and individual liberty. 

 

Seema Jain

The novel is primarily a saga of the struggles, courage, resilience, grit and determination of a woman, a mother, in the face of many odds. Holding on to a decent upbringing and education, enabled and nurtured by her parents’ values, this woman holds her head high and fights her battles with poise and strength. Whether it is at the professional front, the familial, or the emotional, she remains unflinchingly and uncompromisingly true to her basic tenets of individual freedom, self-respect, and dignity. Nahal through the eyes of Priya, the protagonist universalizes many felt emotions and resultant actions. To give a few examples, “While most immigrants she knew were running the rat race buying properties with picket fences, she ran the other way, clasping her son’s hand teaching him to be good, always be good” (page 15). Or when she succinctly observes: “Immigrants are home nowhere. / Like a slightly torn, unsettled banknote/Accepted with suspicion here and there” (p. 29). Likewise, water and rain have been used as symbols of auspicious augury (p.17) or rejuvenation. Priya does not want to be one of the millions in this world that give up and says, “I want to be unalike, distinctive. And I want to be a role model for my son and others,” (p.109). This novel is a journey of discovering one's selfhood, one's identity and one’s freedom.

 

The novel starts at a point when Priya’s son has just got married in America and the wedding day celebrations have concluded. At this momentous occasion in her life, Priya’s mind goes back and forth between her past and present, and the story unfolds through a series of flashbacks that reveal Priya’s past life layer by layer, unraveling all her struggles and challenges alongside her little joys in life. Despite all her trials and tribulations, Priya’s eyes well up with tears of joy and a sense of purposeful triumph after she has successfully raised her son and his marriage ceremonies are accomplished. Her intrinsic belief in her capacity to be a solid single mom is a formidable message in the novel. Nahal attempts thus to break the negative paradigm about the successful raising of children in broken homes.

 

Nahal has employed the art of story-telling authentically and directly to portray with great intensity and artistic finesse a woman’s difficulties, personal or professional. When the protagonist Priya’s husband publicly denounces her with stinging abuse, she writes, “She felt disrobed like Draupadi, once again” (p. 61). When Priya loses her father in an accident, she feels completely lost and rudderless, and poignantly expresses, “No one can comprehend the emptiness one feels when parents are no more. It’s indescribable, it really aches, somewhere invisible inside where one cannot reach in and rub balm” (102). When Priya feels weak in America over the immense changes in her life, and sometimes when she is on the verge of a breakdown, she asks herself: ‘Why God, why did we come here? In my forties! I left everything and came here. Why? What if something happens to me and I’m not there for Avijeet? What if something happens to him? I would die…’ tears began to roll down her cheeks.” But the next moment, an inner voice rings, “You came for freedom. For freedom” (129-130). This duality of emotions that people universally feel, and deal with, are sensitively expressed by Nahal.

 

At the stylistic level, the novel uses an alternation of poetry and prose. Inspired by 

Vikram Seth, Anita Nahal uses the Onegin stanza form for the poetry passages. During some tense and fervent moments, the shift to poetry endows the story in the novel with a rare intensity. Anita Nahal also employs some very potent metaphors and similes that befittingly enhance the beauty of the narration. Like in her previous poetry books, in this novel as well, Nahal writes with an amalgam of realist and surrealist forms, making her words highly imaginative and visual, one with which the reader can experience a deep immersion and vivid connection.

 

To conclude, it must be re-iterated that Drenched Thoughts is a captivating saga of a single immigrant mother’s struggles and triumphs, pitted against the forces of patriarchy and society, and across geographical boundaries. It is an extremely readable and inspiring sheroic tale with a potential to enrich one’s bookshelf as well as one’s inner self.

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Seema Jain is a bilingual poet, translator and editor. Ex-HoD English at KMV Jalandhar, she has authored, edited and translated fourteen books, contributed to about 100 anthologies, as also to the Stanford University Archives on Life in Quarantine, besides working on some projects and having published two books with the Sahitya Akademi. Her poems are widely published, translated, anthologized and recited. She is a recipient of many awards. 

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Setu, July 2024

Poetry: Seema Jain

Seema Jain

The Mahatma

I wander through those busy streets

familiar once, now so alien;

those same alleys traversed together,

by me and my fellow countrymen,

where we sat in dharnas,

were pushed and jostled,

beaten with lathis, batons and rifle butts

by the brute force of a mighty empire.

An empire we eventually shook

though countless of our fellowmen

were slain or jailed or tormented.

We lived to see the radiant rays

of a promised dawn

a dawn, sullied by rivulets of blood 

by haunting screams

of millions displaced,

a dawn eclipsed

by dark ominous clouds.

In these same alleys, we rose

to rebuild broken bridges

to build new nests

to build a new future

you named me Mahatma,

but you gunned me down.

Today, I revisit these same alleys

hoping to see happiness and cheer

Alas!  they look alien and far

I feel lost, bewildered

as my soul writhes to witness

innocent blood still being spilled,

this time by our brethren

the hands on the guns are our own now.

And my heart is pierced by bullets once again.

***

A Bride's Journey

She feels lured and lost

dreaming of worlds new

of a cozy nest built with straws

of love and hope

while the paradox of pain

of displacement

from one's childhood home

from the hearts full of love

throbs in the veins side by side.

The bride nestles in her heart's crevices

reminiscences of Ma"s recipes

of halwa puri and rice-curry

with eternal ingredients of motherly care

the caressing fingers

on a burning forehead

the furrows of anxiety

on her getting late

and numerous other things;

The bride nestles in her heart's crevices

Fun rides with Baba

or his feet on tiptoe

softly entering her room

to cover her with a warm sheet

on wintry chilly nights.

With mixed emotions

of trepidation and zest

she awaits the promised spring

beckoning her with all its radiant hues,

assuring her of a new beginning

far more joyous and fulfilling

and wrapped in its amorous fold

holding out a magical balm

to lessen the pain of

an impending displacement.

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Setu, July 2024

Seema Jain (Women and Spring)

Seema Jain

The Chariot of Spring

When the slumberous seeds stir in the earth's womb

When the whole nature conspires to nurture new life

When there is hope and resplendent radiance in the air

The heart knows the chariot of spring has arrived

When the tender green leaves peek out and glisten

When the half-shut buds in shy embrace do blossom

When the blades of grass shed pallid hues and brighten

The heart knows the chariot of spring has arrived

When the riotous shades of flowers breathe into the eyes

When their dopey fragrance seeps into the soul

When their vibrant beauty brings divine tidings

The heart knows the chariot of spring has arrived

When the tiny bumblebees flock to flowers for nectar

When the dancing butterflies render the spirit a-flutter

When the chirruping of birds the whole environs sweetens

The heart knows the chariot of spring has arrived.

When the wintry chill gives way to bright sunshine

When the caravan of joy to humans cheerily beckons

When the swings, slides and pathways bustle with motion

The heart knows the chariot of spring has arrived.

Bio: Seema Jain is a bilingual poet, short story writer, translator, editor, critic and reviewer. Ex-Vice Principal, Dean Academics & Head, P G Dept of English at KMV Jalandhar, Punjab, India, she is enriched with 39 years’ experience of having taught UG and PG classes. She organized many national & international conferences, presented and published no. of research papers at national and international platforms. She has fifteen published books (two published by the Sahitya Akademi). These include 5 collections of English and Hindi poems, 2 edited poetry anthologies (featuring the voices of 138 Indian women poets of the 21st century from all over India and overseas, one of which titled Vibrant Voices: An Anthology of 21^st Century Indian Women Poets has been published by Sahitya Academi, New Delhi), 2 edited books of research articles, 3 books of translated poems and 2 novels (one of them published by Sahitya Akademi titled Mohalla and one by Hawakal Prakashana titled The Vanquished Queen: the Diary of Kaikeyi). She is a recipient of many prestigious awards. Her poems are housed in the digital pandemic archives of Stanford University and have been published in more than 120 International/ National Anthologies and Journals. She has published reviews in The Statesman, Kitaab (Singapore), The Dialog (a Panjab University Journal) and many other platforms. She has recited her poems for the Sahitya Akademi’s Sahityotsav 2023 & 2024, during the Foundation of South Asian Writers and Literature (FOSWAL) March & December 2023, the Washington DC South Asian Literature Festival 2023, and at various platforms nationally and globally with some of the stalwarts of English poetry today.

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Setu, March 2024

Dil Se: A Review

Review by Mohini Sharda

Dil Se

Genre: Poetry

Original Hindi Poet: Dr Veena Vij ‘Udit

Translator in English: Prof Seema Jain

Publisher: Sahitya Kalash Publication

Year of Publication: 2003

ISBN:     978-93-95677-62-2

No. of Pages:  119

Price: ₹ 300.00 INR

  Seema Jain’s translation of ‘Dil Se,’ a collection of selected poems by Dr. Veena Vij ‘Udit,’ merits and deserves serious critical attention. Translating poetry, be it from Hindi to English or any other language, is a challenging task. Life per se has a silent, inbuilt mosaic of complexities, intricacies and truths that vary from person to person and are diverse. Added to these are the problems of human relationships, personal dilemmas, conflicts and nagging feelings about filial blood bonds that grow, evolve or sometimes perish altogether. To give poetic expression to all such multiple intersecting hues of life in a target language requires great poetic effort. Seema Jain’s pen does not lag behind in this creative endeavour in her fourth book of translation. A poetic world that reflects these realities is likely to enchant and perturb, fascinate and make us ponder, in equal measures. To express such a world, a translator has to sift through multiple layers of meaning, find exact or near equivalents of cultural contexts and fathom the traces of metaphors embedded in the text. All these add to the area of difficulty, but Seema Jain negotiates this danger of untranslatability quite well.    

 Seem Jain’s words have their own self-governing beauty that enhances as these words get dressed in ink and lend profoundness to their meaning. While dealing with issues of contemporary relevance and importance like in ‘Blood Soaked Lake,’ that echoes with the moans and groans of the people of Kashmir valley or natural calamities like Covid-19 given voice to in ‘Natural Calamity’ or an advocacy for peace in the poem ‘Insurgency,’ her pen is clinically precise and reflects the pain of the disaster and the human cost involved.

  However, in poems on nature, she deftly and adroitly, with the dexterity of a skilled craftsman paints word-pictures through her language and accentuates the beauty inherent in the original poems.

 In ‘Onset of Spring’, we actually feel an exhilarating splash of liquid gold in:

  The rhythmic wind plays a dancing tune

  It flaunts its floating golden veil …

   The gentle sunlight flits through trees

    The yellow mustard seeds paint a golden hour

 

 The word-woven magic in ‘Crimson Hues of the Setting Sun’ and the unmistakable sensuous ring brought out in the following lines leaves us awestruck:

 

 If only you could witness

 How the dewdrops slipping from the petals touch 

 The green grass that beguiles itself

 With illusions of a long awaited embrace

 

The beautiful imagery in ‘Sunlight Peeps Through my Window’: “When the moon rays of memories descend upon casements of the heart,” testifies to her creative skills. Spontaneity is an outstanding quality of Seema Jain’s style and these poems go straight to the heart of the reader. There seems no conscious or deliberate effort to create an effect. Had it been so, it would have marred the musical flow of her translation.

 Veena Vij’s genius, as revealed in the book is essentially subjective, dealing with treasured emotions born out of everyday interaction of common individuals leading their humdrum existence. It appears she has dipped the pen in her own blood to give words to her own feelings and Seema Jain has beautifully translated the ebb and flow, the advancement and the receding of emotions through her fluency in the target and the source language.

 

The book is replete with poems vibrating to myriad emotions. For instance, in ‘Stream of Inner Thoughts,’ the carefree laughter of childhood knocking at the threshold of memories evokes a deep sense of nostalgia for childhood now gone forever.

 

‘Flimsy Bonds’ expresses a deep sense of agony over all flimsy bonds of relationship that

 Slowly nibble at us

 Like termite

 Corroding us

Mark how poignantly portrayed is the heart-wrenching cry of a mother for a loved one in a foreign land in the poem ‘Echo’

 

Out of the four shoulders carrying my corpse

One will be yours, now any faith fails to endorse.

My restless eyes will look for you in my last-hours. 

My motherhood will yearn to embrace you for my love shower

 

Or the deep longing for liberating death in ‘Adieu’

 

 Wrapped in the cloak of life

 The body is now tired

 And wants to bid adieu

 

Thus, there are multifold examples of varied emotions. And the reader transparently sees in them a true reflection of his/her own sentiments and sensations because Seema Jain’s well-chosen, well-placed words make the reader feel the writer’s emotions and intentions. In poems of love, expressing passion for the loved one, her words emerge as a guiding force to the feelings that lie submerged in the text’s layers or between the lines.

 

 The poem ‘Sweet Company’ reverberates with the deep yearning of the beloved for the lover in these lines:

   The turmoil of whose thoughts

   Goes on inside

    The hope of being one with him

    Tickles the entire being

 

 In ‘Soul Thirst’ the beautiful use of imagery suggests desolation and emotional sterility:

 

 The drowsy breeze gently touches the leaves

  But no spring comes to caress the tender buds …

 The Rain God kisses the dark face of clouds

  The lightning strikes, but no rain showers fall

  

In this poem Seema Jain successfully portrays the brokenness, the barrenness, the loss of vitality and physiological collapse of the modern word. ‘Your proximity’ with its rich wealth of imagery delineates a beloved’s pangs of heart.

 

So the impressive use of imagery in love poems enables the reader to gather various traces of love and the nuances of feelings scattered therein.

 While summing up, one can confidently assert that with the amount of thoughtful time invested in translation, Seema Jain has successfully brought out the passions and sensations in these poems as emphatically and empathetically, and as effectively and soulfully, and has captured the fragrance of the original poems.

***

 

Seema Jain is a bilingual poet, translator and editor. Ex-HoD English at KMV Jalandhar, she has authored, edited and translated fourteen books, contributed to about 100 anthologies, as also to the Stanford University Archives on Life in Quarantine, besides working on some projects and having published two books with the Sahitya Akademi. Her poems are widely published, translated, anthologized and recited. She is the recipient of many awards.

***

 

Veena Vij is a versatile personality who is an inspiring actor, author, poet and artist who has made significant contribution to the fields of acting, writing, and poetry. She has three poetry books, three storybooks and a book of memoirs to her credit. The Authors Guild of India adjudged her first storybook, Pighalti Shila, the best book of the year 2006. She has received many awards like Punjab Kala Sahitya Academy Award, Vidya Vachaspati Award, and Adha Jahan Award, to name a few. Her works have been published in magazines and e-magazines in India and abroad, and have been translated and published in Urdu and English. Her memoirs on her Face book page have elicited good reader engagement and were subsequently published as a book titled Chhut Put Afsaane. Dil Se is an English translation of her selected Hindi poems.

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Prof. Mohini Sharda is Ex-Associate Professor and Head, English Department KMV Jalandhar. She has published and presented papers at national and international levels and compeered many national/international events and edited many books. She has been Director, Women’s Studies Centre, KMV, besides having been a member of Juvenile Justice Board, Punjab government. She has presented poems in online poetry meets and attended World Poetry Conference IV. Her poems are published in Vibrant Voices: An Anthology of 21^st Century Indian Women Poets, (Sahitya Akademi publication) Mosaic of Poetic Musings: Contemporary Women Poets from India besides online international journals ESBB and Setu.

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Setu, November 2023