Shuvashree Chowdhury's Blog, page 14

A late November Rain, in Calcutta.

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“A late November Rain, in Calcutta”

The washed terrace of my home at seven –
from last night’s tumultuous, steady rain
that woke me up with its sharp thudding sound
as if several women were pounding grain.
.
A fleet of chirping birds flew past overhead
as if in withdrawing the blanket of night –
that couldn’t see the trace of day through haze
wrapped around Sun’s attempt to raise the world.

Yellow, pink, red Jaba flowers look in disdain –
at each other’s crushed frames on slender stems
that still stand erect in vehemence, looking up:
defying the rain to pelt and crush their resilience.

The wet cemented floor, an exhibition of artwork,
in water puddles seeping in cracks and crevices –
each creation an enigma to read your desires
as in a poem one weaves their own experiences.

A fleet of birds now settled on a nearby rooftop
seem as a castoff blanket – of years of desire
that has culminated into a soul crushing betrayal
of hope, worshipped long as an icon of true love.

But beyond a dark haze of lethal painful rejection
there’s the Sun fighting to reach out with a love
that has also been banished and serially crushed
by nights that are an epitome of beautiful delight.

Awake all night, in listening to the steady rain,
after daylong reflection on painful circumstances,
has cleansed a putrid souls debris to set it out
on track, to resurrection for Sun to find this heart.
— Shuvashree/

PS: just typed this first draft on my phone now, but sharing my mood as of this cloudy morning…while I await the ISBN on my new book of poems…please visit my facebook author page Across Borders and website from my bio

“Poetry is the opening and the closing of a door, leaving those who look through to guess about what is seen during the moment.”
— Carl Sandburg

#kolkata #kolkataphotography #kolkatadiaries #raininnovember #rainincalcutta #raininkolkata #sunrise #nightrain #jaba #photography



#poetry #poetrycommunity #poetrylovers #poems



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[image error]This is Dude, all washed clean in the rain

To New Beginnings: Nature’s prelude to Diwali

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To New Beginnings: Nature’s prelude to Diwali…photos are of this morning!

A seamless blanket of fluffy white clouds –
as of crocheted patches of floating white cotton:
formed a gauze to swathe the wounded world,
still aggrieved and suffering from the coronavirus.

A cool breeze kissed my face – a balm for souls,
lavishly applied by fleets of birds, assuaging hurt
from rejections, defeat, betrayals, loss of trust –
also poverty, disease, or cyclones playing havoc.

Soft sunlight ushered in rays of benign hope,
through sieves of formidable white gauze-clouds,
as hibiscus, champa, myriad flowers bloomed
to birds chirping – as loud bells at temple doors!

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[image error]Behind me to my right is the door to our rooftop home temple…

#diwali #clouds #poetry #new-beginning # positivity #sunrise #hibiscus #photography #kolkata #autumn

Inspirations: my Travel Poetry Book – ‘Trouvailles my Moments of Yugen’

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Inspiration: My new book of Poetry…
Let me, O let me bathe my soul in colours; let me swallow the sunset and drink the rainbow.”
— Khalil Gibran

My new book of poetry, that in almost every page depicts the above lines, had started out intending to be a compilation of poems only on the city of Banaras and I had planned to title it “Kashi Chronicles”…which was the working title all along.
But in spite of my best intentions, due to the lockdown setting in just two days after my last trip to the city for my husband Bishwanath Ghosh’s book, ‘Aimless in Banaras’ in late March 2020 – I could not write more than twenty poems even after a few trips for the purpose …though several of the poems are longer story type narratives.
As Poetry for me, comes from a deep well of truth and profundity, also simplicity – to convey the most complex ideas of my soul derived in the process of writing each piece even to a child if he wishes to read it.

So then, I sat and wrote about places like Shantiniketan, Darjeeling – Kanchenjunga, and Hoogly that I could club with my views and spiritual take on a book on Banaras, for reasons that would require one to read the book. And though I wanted to write several poems on Goa too for example – a place I loved, I did not envision clubbing these travels with Kashi.

My inspiration to write this book ‘Trouvailles…” whose blurb is in the 2nd last photo, was from attending the launch of a book of poetry on Varanasi by an established poet in late 2016. I had felt rather disappointed at the time, that in spite of the seniority and expertise in the craft of poetry, the city that had so much to impart on a deeply spiritual and cultural level, also a city steeped in rich Indian heritage, had been painted with little understanding or depth.
However I humbly admit to my lack of experience in the so-called craft of poetry, as I’m a self taught poet who started at 35/36 years, but I can assure you confidently of the effort gone into the deep thoughts of each of the poems from almost 50 years of rich experiences, on life, death and well, everything else of importance in between.

On Branding & Standardisation: also Publishing.

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Firstly wishing you all a very happy Durga Puja, with this latest Tanishq video, in the link below, before I set out to tell you a story…

This is the video that inspired the post below: https://www.facebook.com/422992421102114/posts/3301720306562630/?vh=e&extid=0&d=n

On Branding & Standardisation: also Publishing.

It was the first year of my working with Tanishq, in 2003. Around two months or so after I joined in late July, the sales for the festival of Durga Puja came up on me. In addition to the indenting, stocking, training and everything else I personally went over with 2-3 staff, to the Bengal emporium, New Market and the local shops and purchased several pujo decorations including Durga sets on ‘kulo’ (used to clear husk off rice) with the backdrop of ‘kaash phool’ etc all juxtaposed on satin-cloth, for product display windows, above or around the nationalised VM (visual merchandising) items that we had recently received. I even chose the crockery and cutlery for tea/coffee service myself, instead of leaving the choice to the pantry boys.

The head of marketing visited Kolkata, from Bangalore, and was about to visit the stores, when my senior from the regional office — a very warm and kindly person, came up to me and advised me to remove all the stuff, as Tanishq believed in total standardisation and wouldn’t allow these local, and cheap looking decorations.

But just coming from two highly standardised companies, ITC Sheraton hotels and Jet Airways in which it was my responsibility to ensure service quality and upkeep standards pan India, thus totally believing in standardisation as a branding tool and a marketing concept I still assertively said to him, “Please don’t worry dada…let me handle this…if she gets upset and angry about all I’ve done and the costs, I will take full responsibility.”

The head of marketing, a suave lady walked in shortly and took a brisk walk around the only company and flagship store of east India.
“Who’s idea was it to put up all this puja decoration…especially the varied dolls?” she asked in front of all the staff including senior staff from the regional office looking back meekly at her .
I braced myself for a verbal backlash and stepped forward, while everyone looked at me sympathetically, some even joyously I’m sure, even as I replied firmly, “It was mine Saroja.”

“Great job!” she exclaimed, to all our surprise with all eyes alternating between me and her in worry this might be a caustic remark, but she continued,“ Off course we have to make a local connection with the regional cultural heritage, traditions and people, if we’re ever going to make a presence in one of the biggest jewellery buying markets, and become the jeweller of preference…even as we retain our international standards.” Then looking at me she asked, “where did you pick up all these beautiful dolls and little decorations and stuff?”
“The Bengal emporium mostly…”I replied.

She looked at me, then at the big group including the senior staff from regional office in front now, who had been very sceptical of every little thing I did till then including tending to the garden, wrapping registers with brown paper etc and wondered how it was all going to increase sales and would go about smirking and looking at me sympathetically, and firmly stated, “This is the mark of excellent leadership…I hope you all learn something from all of this.”

The next Durga Puja, in addition to decorations, on my request the head of operations in Bangalore, also sanctioned separate traditional saris of my choice in beige and maroon, for my entire team. He allowed us to wear these for the week of the pujo and then till Dhanteras and Diwali.

Seeing this beautiful advertisement with all the sights and sounds of Durga Puja, by one of the premiere Kolkata stores today, in spite of all effort to pull Tanish’s national Tv advert down, brought to mind the trust, inspiration and encouragement I received while I worked for Tanishq.
Today it gives me immense confidence in following my intuitions, and creativity in all my writing pursuits — novels, short fiction or poetry, whether or not any publisher takes responsibility for what I have to say to the world.
I have had the opportunity to work with about 8-10 top brand leaders of the country…haven’t I garnered enough knowledge and experiences to build my own brand today and make it commercially viable sooner than later!

Heritage & Culture Curry: Navratri, Durga Puja

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Wishing you a very happy Navaratri and Durga Pujo…with a varied thoughts platter on current circumstances to ponder over.

“Tradition is a guide and not a jailer. — W. Somerset Maugham.

My heritage is a huge part of everything I do and write about; it is, after all, part of what has made me who I am. People tend to believe that to be modern you have to disengage from your heritage, but it’s not true. I have never denied my background or my culture, even while embracing every other culture.
Every book I wrote is steeped in local culture and heritage, to the extent as was possible, while looking out into the wide open sky — embracing the winds of change, of contemporary broadminded liberal views.

More often than not, we do not have the mental and moral bandwidth to tune into views and thoughts, other than those which float around easily and readily on the social media surfaces.
After Tanishq, it is now Akshay Kumar’s ‘Lakshmi Bomb’ that people are verbally bombing. And why…because a transgender Muslim named Asif, who apparently starts out with a Hindu girlfriend Priya, is shown marching up in a red sari with a trident — like that carried by Shiva.
Now whoever said only Shiva can uphold the trident, or so have we learned from all the mythology that premium publishing houses of the country have kept was satiated with! They even suggest such mythological plots and characters to young writers, to churn out sensational Sita and Ram plots in upholding a woman’s so called ‘character’ that may be then bartered by a patriarchal society’s Sas-Babu soap operas, for our family’s intellectual ‘manthans’(churning).

So if Tv media houses, now even newspapers trying to match their histrionic skills, serve us exquisite doses of sensational dramatics, then Indian segments of top international publishing houses keep our mental appetites salivating with sensational reinvented mythological dramas. They’re catering to what their audiences want, over what it needs, isn’t it…so why only Tv channels bear the flak for serving us the hot dishes we crave, as we illustrate by raising their TRPs; without any social or moral responsibility!

In ‘Lakshmi Bomb’ that’s the latest troll bomb, the scenes are supposed to be horror-comical, and Akshay Kumar is known for his dramatic comic sense like for example in ‘Singh is King’. But then, you have to exercise your mind even for comedy that’s not on your face as is common, or have to be so positive and confident like the Sardars to cook up several of the Sardar jokes they themselves apparently do. Then Bollywood had made ‘Udta Punjab’ highlighting the drug menace in Punjab, but the state didn’t revolt or ban the film. Yet Bollywood is so sensitive when the finger is on themselves today. It’s obviously because their commercial interests are jeopardised.
But then, social media trollers are those who basically totally lack self esteem, so how are they supposed to laugh at themselves and the society we live in! Thus have lost the comedy in the ‘Lakshmi Bomb’ plot completely and are clinging to the apparent religious horror they see in it.

As for Tanishq, people are now going on an overdrive blaming the company, and even Ratan Tata for his lack of a spine. If he thought like us non-thinking couch commentators he wouldn’t be where he is — that is to say he wouldn’t be the achiever he is!
Has anyone wondered whether the brands business associates are willing to risk shutting shop, losing the trickle of business since the pandemic now perhaps reviving in the festive season; not to mention the properties and assets of their huge investments in the mostly franchisee model of business! Then if shops are vandalised, wouldn’t goondaism and robbery of high value items be easy in the name of upholding religious beliefs especially when people are economically frustrated. Who then would count and stop at not just the losses to all the numerous franchisees but their lives and those of their employees! Too many people stand to lose too much…not just Tanishq or Titan and Mr Tata.
Is religious disharmony, or ones ego and self image of having a spine; worse still exposing ones own stake holders and business associates worth it — in risking foolish trolling to continue leading to easy goondaism now in the current economic situation.
In fact withdrawing the Tanishq advertisements which so cost much is a lesser moral price to pay than the risks, but a graver financial price to pay in withdrawing in peak buying season when advertising drives sales. Few can match Tanishq’s branding and marketing might. Corporate competition and all the varied local jewellers also suffering in the pandemic must be the happiest now, as the giant had to bow out of displaying its might. But a giant also has to have its priorities right, and lie low to save its strength already flagging, so as to survive in a famine or a crisis like this pandemic.

So first we have to learn to think, before trying to deduce the foresighted thoughts and actions of high thinking responsible people, brands and organisations.

Why do you think Twitter attracts the most potent troll bombing squads …because it’s easy to throw a few barbed words and have the society jumping around like acid bombs have been dropped on them personally. One doesn’t have to justify, explain or illustrate their thoughts to put out some dramatic comments and light the fire on lazy and decaying mental-logs, dripping hate — frustration, fear and anger especially from the pandemic. So then the forest fire of hateful words spreads, in which the media houses happily bake their plum and cherry topped icing cakes and serve it back to our entertainment starving minds.
Our revulsion to think is not only from ineptitude, now over grown just as weeds around people who once might have liked to think; but from sheer moral resistance to it since we wedded social media apps. Till it’s even fashionable not to use your mind, as long as you can procure the icing thought cakes from these social-media mental dessert parlours.

“The less there is to justify a traditional custom, the harder it is to get rid of it.”
—Mark Twain.

“It is a fine thing to establish one’s own religion in one’s heart, not to be dependent on tradition and second-hand ideals. Life will seem to you, later, not a lesser, but a greater thing.”
— D.H. Lawrence.

In my view, a woman’s greatest asset and strength is her precise intuition, foresight and ability to think, to teach and guide the future generations and not her mere appearance and all that adorns her like jewellery or fashion garments.
So let us celebrate the strength of a woman by respecting and celebrating that intellectual capacity and power that can herald physical and moral strength in the women in our lives. Thus they will lead our children out of this herd mentality inculcated by social and organised media.

#culture #heritage #curry #lakshmibomb #bollywood #film #akshaykumar #tanishq #tanishqad #media #indian #navratri #durgapuja2020 #durgapuja #trolling #strengthofawoman #values #herdmenatlity #marketing #socialmedia #patriarchy #poet #novelist #literaryfiction #authorlife #publishinghouses #indianpublishers #socialresponsibility

A Tea-time Story: on Television TRPs, Airline services and Media trials.

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A Tea time Story

The pallbearers of Hathras: Indian patriarchy

“The pallbearers of Hathras: Indian patriarchy”
by a UP ki Bahu, if not Beti.

Dousing my shamed mortal remains with petrol
in the dead of night, without my family in sight;
witnessed by a lone orange marigold garland —
was it to appease my already incinerated body
ravaged by four men’s devastating lustful hate,
in which my soul was savagely sabotaged,
as in a rapid, sustained firing by machine guns.

Wasn’t this hurried attempt to light my pyre
in the dead of night when ghouls feed at 2am —
by police who are pillars of our tyrannical culture:
so much in line with societal norms to douse a soul
who might have endangered patriarchal honour;
to hide more shame she’ll bring on male pride!

The police act is unjustified to you, me, the world,
political parties, media gunning for them in turn;
but looked at in perspective of Indian values
of hypocrisy in blanketing female shame —
perceived to be a flag of honourable name,
whether of a family’s, village’s, clan’s reputation
that incites males to easily butcher on a whim,
then perhaps lament and cry the loss of their kin.

Why then wouldn’t the recent Hathras rape case
in a small remote village of Uttar Pradesh —
with the highest incidences of patriarchal clout:
not be the sincere attempt by police pallbearers
to have acted on behalf of the victim’s family
that in abject poverty and Dalit classlessness —
hasn’t considered age old repercussions
to ones family, village, and it’s own surname!

Aren’t the police also the upholders of patriarchy
that’s so entrenched in our misogynistic society,
even if we see it through coloured glasses —
of politics: then go raving mad and dispel rioting, and demonstrate our upbeat media theatrics
seeking to glorify women in paying for male sins,
that cannot be proven even if she cries hoarse
she has been assaulted — unless she dies of it:
Then bury her soul, as it’s stench is devastating!
— Shuvashree Chowdhury

PS: My upcoming new book that’s awaiting ISBN now, has Banaras in UP, as its main theme with 20 poems that include a lot of introspection on life, death, it’s culture and rituals. All with a fresh and may I say open minded, wise perspective, male or female notwithstanding.
More than that, I happen to be a UP ki bahu, from Kanpur…so I had to make and record my comments on such a case as that in Hathras.

Details of the new book…
https://shuvashreechowdhury.com/2020/08/16/trouvailles-my-moments-of-yugen-my-new-poetry-book/

#poetry #poetrycommunity #poetrylovers #womensupportingwomen #newrelease #inspirationalbooks #perspectiveshift #media #mediainindia #bollywood #poet #patriarchy #misogyny #rapevictim #hathrasgangrape #hathrashorrorshocksindia #hathras #haters #banaras #varanasi #kashi #kanpur #bollywoood #amazonbooks #kindlebooks #booksellersofindia



#spirituality #wisdom

Don’t spew Political hate on Us

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Political affiliations and its loyalty is a great thing
to disburse love and harmony in cohabitation;
if you use it to your strength and advantage
for personal and societal development —
upholding values and principles that’re flagging.

Tell us all about strengths of your political party,
recount stories of valour that are humanitarian;
narrate the good that the party does for society,
instead of spewing hate in your disorientation —
from the security of your social media fortress.

Do not demonstrate all the hate you accumulated
from a life that didn’t go the way you expected,
for unless you let the hate out of your system —
life will never cease to torment your experiences,
burning you up, not the opposition you represent.

You’re very smart, we’ll grant you that honour —
but do not mistake it for our stupid unawareness,
or our inability to recognise your fear, insecurity
that you’re so steeped in through heroic gallantry,
you aim to project with sheer arrogant ignorance.

Allow us to respect your political orientations,
by not recouping to hateful mucky criticism;
and crushing under your tyrannical feet all civility
with any chance we’re going to be convinced —
of your repulsive views, or our orientation is banal!
— Shuvashree Chowdhury

 

#politics #politicstoday #media #socialmedia #influnecers #hatepolitics #indianpolitics #poetry #poetrycommunity #poetsofinstagram #poetrybooks #poetslife #literaryfiction #oppositionparties #positivity #harmony #hamanity #spreadpeaceandlove

Visiting Sunday: French colony, Chandannagar.

[image error]With Sister Anna Maria, the current Principal of St. Joseph’s Convent, Chandannagar.

A soulful Sunday afternoon in the French colony of Chandannagar, that’s a one and a half hour’s drive from Calcutta.
The trip included an unplanned visit to my school which just celebrated it’s 160th year, from meeting June didi at the entrance of the side gate, who along with the security gaurd allowed me to sneak in as late as 5.30pm.
I actually went and peeped into our old study hall – Mary’s statue and podium were missing, refectory, junior dressing room, Sr Bridget’s medicine room under the dormitory stairs, and was about to stroll towards the Bengali medium school St Anthony’s to look for Diloo da’s hajmi and stick jaw toffees, when to my initial fear and anxiety and then utter delight, I noticed the current principal Sr Anna Maria emerge from far, as she happened to step out of the chapel just then.
I felt like a boarder all over again, in all my childhood reserve — who was caught sneaking into the side gate after returning late from a trip home and going towards the dormitory unnoticed. So many memories including the late afternoon cubicle baths followed by tea time and then the hour of compulsory sports, rushed back to mind…though the boarding has been shut now for years, and this is a day school.

Then I gave Sister so many explanations even as she tried to pacify me by inviting us to the chapel and the back play ground, but I was still nervous and even mentioned June didi, who I had met after 33 years but recognised her eyes even through her mask, allowing me inside, when Sister in a serious tone blurted:
“I have to find out where June walked out to at this hour…”
I bit my tongue and profusely apologised on behalf of June didi — who used to be in charge of the numerous dogs we had then since I joined in class two. She also often minded the two riverside charming parlours flanking the gate used only by boarders, with the two pianos, where we met our parents.

This is the home where I grew up in, from class ii to x, in the boarding school in the photos here, and am now quoting from our anthem – “Here in Western Bengal set, snug on the Hoogly side…which is our joy and pride”.
The town of Chandannagar and the boarding school is as vivid in my mind like it were just the March of 1987 when I left it. Born in, and my parents living in Calcutta — I’m big-city girl mentally, but with a small-town girl’s heart! 

A Writer’s moral Dilemma: Taking a Stance.

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What do you do, when your intelligence, reasoning, values, and principles inculcated from years of experiences, especially now that as an author your views may influence public opinion, are challenged by a friend demanding your loyalty for what he considers the innocence of his friend!
This was the latest dilemma that threw itself at me, as something or other often does, after my previous posts.
An old and dear friend, an ex-colleague from one of my earliest assignments, now in Bollywood, charged me abruptly quite late at night, with a steady stream of analysis on the innocence of his celebrity friend Anurag Kashyap versus Payal Ghosh. He claimed — I’m quoting him from a series of messages:

“Just for your info. This payal ghosh is a gold digger. And she throws herself at producers to get work…’
‘She is a small time tv artist who wanted to get into films. And that rarely happens because tv and cinema cater to different audiences and consumer behaviour.’
‘Anurag is a ladies man. But he is not a molester. That i know. Even I am a ladies man, but not a molester…’
‘So tomorrow if someone says I (uses his name) am a rapist, you all will say that’s true too!’
‘In that case shu, I must remove you from my friends as someday you will turn around and support people who may say any cock and bull about me. For me, men and women are equal and both genders have criminals.See you.”

After a series of defences amid the above (only parts) messages, I replied: “If a man gets up tomorrow and says a woman molested me I will believe him too. I have NOT called anyone guilty anywhere, and I categorically announced I do not know either parties. I will not say No he’s not a rapist…I would not say that about my father, husband or any man for that matter.
As a woman I know one thing, that each woman’s experiences are her own. And I have not claimed to know either parties or to make a point on them personally, but to narrate a story that people can take as they please…

His response to this, was, “Then I am sorry, intelligence is not one of your strongest suit.”

“Well I’m judicious where to use my intelligence,” I firmly replied.

Then he blocked me on Whatsapp…
I realised this only after two more messages didn’t go through. It was rather hurtful, but I have known for long now that taking a firm but truthful stance however difficult —- keeps your soul free of the debris of guilt, negativity and hypocrisy, thus keeping it alive and daring even if everyone else deserts you.

However if I can narrate personal experiences to justify a person’s innocence, as I have done before, I will not hesitate to put forth my explanations very firmly, without declaring a person is innocent, even if a dozen people try to prove otherwise. Whether or not, the recipient of this sacrificial and risky loyalty has the integrity to return it!

Then, as a writer I can always share my thoughts, sprinkle them out in the world…perhaps it will nourish a young sapling/mind who would be able to grow strong from it, without bearing as much of the pain that is required for real mental and emotional growth, just as resistance builds physical strength.

“Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.” — Abraham Lincoln
“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
— Marcus Aurelius

PS: This post is with reference to the news clips below and an illustrative excerpt from my novel Entwined Lives that I shared on my facebook author page Across Borders: https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/movies/celebrities/story/actress-files-rape-complaint-against-anurag-kashyap-1724335-2020-09-22

Click on the link for video clipping of Payal Ghosh’s comments that inspired my post: https://youtu.be/bfcdCFrIrVw
#moralstrength #feminism #smashpatriarchy #metoo #fairness #bollywood #inspirationalbooks #books #authorlife