Humorous Poems – Dec 16, 2019

Our readers look forward to the last session of the year because it is tinged with levity, and uplifted by the effervescence of the holiday season to come. We deliberately choose poems that evoke absurdity and a sense of childhood fun.

Saras, Pamela, KumKum arriving at Arundhaty’s home

Arundhaty & Pamela

The occasion was combined with the birthday celebration of Arundhaty, and she kindly invited us to be guests in her home for the event and recite by the Chillavanoor river bank. As before we were expected to attend in droll costumes and wear incongruity as a badge. Spurred on by reminders, the readers turned out in great splashes of colour, the men rivalling the women. The photos will attest to their uninhibited display. 

Thommo, Pamela, & Devika

Pamela, Devika, Geetha, Shoba, Saras

The poets included famous names like T. S. Eliot and Edward Lear, children's poets such as Dr. Seuss and Roald Dahl, and much less known poets, for example, Edgar Albert Guest, who wrote an incredible 11,000 poems in his lifetime! We become familiar with the full range of poetry only when we include sessions such as this that give a special place to poems that display wit and audacious rhymes to delight the reader – as Ogden Nash does.

Arundhaty, KumKum

Thommo, Pamela

After the session Arundhaty and her sister-in-law, Suvarna, laid out a feast of eats very artistically showcased: conical veg sandwiches, micro idlis spiced, gulab jamun, home-baked chocolate cake, murukku, banana chips, etc. We went away satiated, wishing each other for the Christmas season but still in awe of the wonderful poetry we had listened to.  

Thommo, Geetha, Pamela, KumKum, Devika, Shoba, Saras, Arundhaty, Geeta

Geetha

Here we are outside the house on Arundhaty's lawn for the obligatory group shot to round off the reading:

Fyodor Dostoyevsky – Crime and Punishment, Nov 22, 2019

Fyodor Dostoevsky – Crime and Punishment. A Russian Realistic Novel. First English edition 1886, translated by Fred Whishaw

The 19th century set off a tremendous creative spark in Russian literature. It heralded an era that made the rest of the world aware of the riches that were being created by writers such as the novelists Leo Tolstoy (author of War and Peace), Fyodor Dostoyevsky (author of Crime and Punishment), and Anton Chekhov, whose short stories and plays have become a part of the standard repertoire worldwide. Other notable writers included the poet Mikhail Lermontov, and the novelists Ivan Tugenev and Nikolay Gogol. The figure that towers over all these in the hearts of Russians is the poet Alexander Pushkin.

KumKum presenting a copy of the novel ‘Disgrace’ by Coetzee

Yet as Malcolm Muggeridge, the English journalist, diarist and satirist, points out in his penetrating video biography of Dostoyevsky in 1975, Russia’s literacy rate at the time was ten percent. How did such a superb story teller, who could plumb the psychological depths of the characters he created, survive and thrive in such a parched soil of readers? It was not until the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 that literacy rapidly rose to 100%, and from a nation of serfs who were slaves to a landed gentry, a vast intelligentsia arose.

Arundhaty, Saras, Shoba, Geeta, Devika

Though Dostoevsky trained as a military engineer following the wishes of his father, his heart was set on becoming a writer and at the age of twenty three he took the plunge and wrote his first novel, Poor Folk, telling the stories of impoverished people in St Petersburg. That set him on course for a career in which there were ups and downs. Ultimately, he wrote not only the present novel, but his even more celebrated work, The Brothers Karamazov.

Saras, Shoba, Geeta

At 200,000 words it was our longest novel of the year. It takes a while to get going and lends itself to judicious skipping, as do all Russian novels. A note on Russian names. They generally consist three parts: the first or given name, the second is the patronymic derived from the father, and the last is the family name. The patronymic is created by taking the given name of a person’s father and adding a suffix to it. ... The most common men’s suffixes are -ovich or -evich (meaning son of) while for a woman they are -ovna or -evna which stands for daughter of. Thus, Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov is the name of the famous author (his father was also Vladimir). People also have affectionate names, in this case, Volodya. When you address a person formally you have to use the first two names, here, Vladimir Vladimirovich.

Hemjit, Priya, KumKum

The avid readers, all of whom had dedicated themselves to finishing the novel in time for the reading are gathered here at the end:

(Seated) Gopa, Hemjit, Geetha (Standing) Joe, Pamela, Geeta, Devika, KumKum, Shoba, Arundhaty, Zakia, Saras, Priya

Poetry in Translation – Oct 25, 2019

Saras, Priya, KumKum

The Poetry in Translation session refreshes us with the words of a range of poets who have given voice to their inspiration in many languages. This year the languages of India, and its union of diverse tongues and cultures, were in the foreground. The original languages featured were Odia, Tamil (or Tamizh), Sanskrit, and Bengali with one poet each; Urdu with three poets and Malayalam with two; Spanish and French, besides, with one each. 

Devika, Pamela, Saras

Significantly, several of the poets were recited in the original with an English gloss provided for understanding. Delving into the poetry of the world in this manner yields an intimate feeling for the images couched in the lovely words of another tongue. They can penetrate our understanding because it is poetry; indeed, the love for another language can be fostered by poetry.

October was the month of three birthdays of our readers: Kavita, Devika, and Joe, the last two falling on the same day. How unlikely is that! Devika invited us all over to her place with spouses to enjoy a lunch next day. Devika and Achu hosted the lively afternoon of conversation and food;  the Samsung S8 mobile of Abbas has captured bright group pictures. These and some others will be added in another post.

Arundhaty, Geeta, Pamela, Saras, Devika

November is the month to announce the novels for the coming year and readers are casting around among the rich possibilities to excite our reading hunger. One of our readers is on a private mission with a couple of others to conquer Ulysses by James Joyce in an edition where the text is 552 pages of small font, and the explanatory notes are half as long again. No doubt a novel like that is beyond the pale of our reading group to handle in a single session. 

Priya, Hemjit, KumKum, Kavita, Thommo

In this connection it is worth noting how the obscenity charge against the novel got over-ruled by Judge John Woolsey in 1933 in New York. He said:
“Whilst in many places the effect of Ulysses on the reader undoubtedly is somewhat emetic, nowhere does it tend to be an aphrodisiac.”

Amen. How can one evade an author who writes like this (p. 251 of Ulysses):
The summer evening had begun to fold the world in its mysterious embrace. Far away in the west the sun was setting and the last glow of all too fleeting day lingered lovingly on sea and strand, on the proud promontory of dear old Howth guarding as ever the waters of the bay, on the weedgrown rocks along Sandymount shore and, last but not least, on the quiet church whence there streamed forth at times upon the stillness the voice of prayer to her who is in her pure radiance a beacon ever to the stormtossed heart of man, Mary, star of the sea.

(Photo: courtesy KumKum)

The group photo at the end of the session was diminished by a couple of readers, who had to leave for Diwali functions elsewhere. The birthday people (Devika, Kavita, and Joe) are holding giant anthurium flowers.

Devika, Pamela, Kavita, Saras, Geeta, Shoba, KumKum (standing) Joe, Hemjit (sitting)

The Case That Shook the Empire – Sankaran Nair and the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

David Hall presented a program of book reading by authors Raghu and Pushpa Palat. Their book The Case That Shook the Empire: One Man's Fight for the Truth about the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (JBM), was presented to a keen audience of thirty people or so. Our own KRG reader Thommo (Thomas Chacko) interviewed them and elicited the important points.

Thommo introducing the authors

Raghu Palat, Pushpa Palat, & Thommo

Mr Jose Dominic of CGH Earth received the first copy of the book. While doing so he suggested a number of historical subjects concerning Kerala that could engage the authors’ interests in future. Courtesy of CGH Earth, excellent refreshments consisting of organic biscuits and parippu vada were served with chukku capi (black coffee with dry ginger).

Jose Dominic receiving the first copy of the book

Thommo, Raghu Palat, Jose Dominic, & Pushpa Palat hold the book

It was obvious from the outset that Pushpa Palat could talk her husband Raghu under the table; our moderator intervened on occasion to balance the proceedings. Pushpa bore a faint resemblance to our KRG reader Priya, who was also present along with Pamela, Geetha, KumKum, and Arundhaty.

Jose Dominic (back to camera) with KumKum & Pamela

The life of Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair, great grandfather of Raghu Palat, illustrates how many rich insights into Indian colonial history lie hidden in the archives until they are popularised by modern authors who care to dredge up the interesting highlights from dry and dusty old archives. Our thanks must go to such authors for enlightening the modern mind. The history they narrate from a century ago throws light even on contemporary events. 

Questions and comments from the audience enlivened the participation and extended the discussion into further areas of British-Indian colonial history, more ignominious even than the JBM.

Morris West – The Devil's Advocate, Sep 20, 2019

First Edition Cover

The author, Morris West, spent long years as a journalist in the Vatican and became familiar with the traditions of the Catholic Church at its apex. This familiarity shows in the novel where a Devil’s Advocate (advocatus diaboli) is appointed to look into a person proposed for sainthood. It used to be an official position within the Catholic Church: one who “argued against the canonisation (sainthood) of a candidate in order to uncover any character flaws or misrepresentation of the evidence favouring canonisation.” Since then it has become an idiomatic expression for anyone who takes a contrary position in an argument, in order to clarify and strengthen it. 

Shoba, Hemjit, Arundhaty

The novel’s opening line is: “It was his profession to prepare other men for death; it shocked him to be so unready for his own.” Blaise Meredith has only a year to live, and he senses his life thus far, spent in the dusty archives of the Vatican has been largely wasted, without human contact, or the achievement of doing good for others.

Geetha with an aitch, and one without

Cardinal Marotta sensing a crisis in the life of Monsignor Blaise (blaise = hardened clay) Meredith says: “What I have to say to you, Monsignor, is probably a presumption. I am not your confessor. I cannot look into your conscience; but I believe you have reached a crisis. You, like many of us here in Rome, are a professional priest — a career churchman. … Suddenly you have discovered it is not enough. … Part of the problem is that you and I and others like us have been removed too long from pastoral duty. We have lost touch with the people who keep us in touch with God.”

Priya serving coffee

This dryness overtaking one’s life can happen to any of us, and then it’s time to reflect: are we achieving our true potential?

Thommo, Priya, Pamela, Geetha, Geeta

Cardinal Marotta continues: “There is no passion in your life, my son. You have never loved a woman, nor hated a man, nor pitied a child. You have withdrawn yourself too long and you are a stranger in the human family. You have asked nothing and given nothing. You have never known the dignity of need nor gratitude for a suffering shared. This is your sickness. This is the cross you have fashioned for your own shoulders …. A man who cannot love his fellows cannot love God either.”

Priya and the delicious chocolate cake

Blaise Meredith is given an assignment which cures all that: gives him human contact, puts him in touch with real problems; confronts him with uncomfortable situations where there are no clear sinners, no clear saints; and helps him make mistakes toward resolving the human problems of the assorted characters he will meet on the way toward examining the sainthood, or otherwise, of Giacomo Nerone. He changes profoundly as a result.

Priya beaming with joy on her birthday

The session was also notable for being the occasion when Priya treated us royally for her birthday celebration: cake, sandwiches, veg cutlets, and bhaji with a superb service of tea and coffee. We presented her with a spray of white day lilies and red gerbera flowers, and sang for her, not only the birthday song, but Pretty, Pretty Priya the song from the 1970 film, which was a Hemjit special.

Priya with flowers, Hemjit, Geetha, Geeta, Pamela, Thommo

Here is a pic of us at the end of the lively session, not a bit fatigued by the open-ended discussions, which were somewhat longer than usual.

Joe, Hemjit, Thommo (seated), Geeta, Shoba, Pamela, Geetha, Arundhaty, Priya (standing)

Poets of the Romantic Period – Aug 27, 2019

Readers assembled once more to recite from poets of the Romantic period. It is always an exciting session since the Romantic poets have an unshakeable hold on the imagination of readers, two centuries on. A slight admixture of a Metaphysical poet (Donne) or a Victorian poet (Rossetti) did not mar the total effect.

Pamela was felicitated for her award from the Women's Economic Forum

Closeup of the Asiatic lilies after Pamela put them in vases

As on other occasions we celebrated the birthday of a reader which fell during the month – KumKum – and showered blessings on her. Cake and sandwiches followed. Joe recited a haiku for her, penned in 2015 by the American poet, Thomas Duddy, who resides in Fort Kochi:
August is abloom
on day double one, renewing 
our dear double Kum

Joe reciting the haiku (courtesy Geetha)

Beloved Keats was read over and over and yet his delights were ‘never cloying’, not even Endymion with its over-luxuriance:
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever: 
Its loveliness increases; it will never 
Pass into nothingness

Endymion – manuscript by Keats

Wordsworth’s ever-popular poem, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, about daffodils continues to entrance readers –
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance

Such moments of happiness leave the readers glad for each other's enjoyment in the company of these poets –

Seated - Pamela, KumKum; Standing - Zakia, Saras, Shoba, Devika, Arundhaty, Geetha, Thommo, Joe

Women Poets – June 28, 2019

This event was for reading women poets.  Seven readers came together for an evening of wonderful poetry in which two new poets were introduced, never before read at KRG – Mary Karr and Andrée Chedid. 

Here are some pictures taken by Geetha and Priya.

Shoba, Devika, Kavita, Geetha, Thommo, Priya Pamela (seated)

Sugandhi birthday cake

Geetha & Pamela having the good stuff

Goodies to eat - bhel and gobi bhaji (from Arundhaty), chicken patties, carrot cake and coconut cookies (from Pamela)

Kavita all smiles with the eats

Geetha & Pamela together