Thursday, 28 April 2011

THE BORDER OF MY MOTHER’S SAREE

Ah! i remember the border of my Mother's Saree;
That symbolised the milk of my human growth.
 I remember its protection and Her love,
It emboldened my childish inanities.
 ...An emigre today...

I have lost my Mother
 Personally and Politically...

An acknowledged highbrow
 I feel cramped in the historicity
of my personal historiography.

The vanity of humanity
bordering on insanity...
 Terror and Violence
Is this my essence?
 My Mother taught me love,
Her border gave me tutelage.
The Saffron, White and Green designs,
Lent buoyancy to the protean protagonist in me

The damning of Ram
The profanity of Allah
The destruction of Christ
Makes the child within me scream...
I was sent out to ensure peace,
...and all around I see humanity in pieces...
We made borders
Today They make us...
 The Sexual holocaust...Racist inferno...
Religious pogrom....and the partioning of hearts...
Where will this extermination end....?
 When will I be able to fell the cool of my mothers' breast?
('cos I believe "good fences do not  make good neighbours")

In the mind's eye
Where I feel like a witness to her soiled border...
Let me create a world of my own...
...that is at one with the simplicity of my heart

...Chained by fortune,
divided by diplomacy
Tormented by the herpes of time...

Let me for once
enjoy my legacy of Humanity ...
Witness though I may be,
I deserve it....

Dont' I??
Sheeba Rakesh.

Friday, 22 April 2011

PAIN

Like wires flitting across the tubelight on the wall...
...and veins on the broad green leaves in the hall...
Pain electrifies my being.
...The agony of being unwanted...
My soul was now a castle haunted
with dreams, despairs and pain
....Like stones lying deep in the lap of the lapping founts
and the cold snow high on the mounts,
Its friction melts my within and enhances the beauty of the blodd in me...
The hysteric intensity of pain
...you might as well be slain
like the enormous black hole
that sucks you into iteslf
and all your magnificent shining starry lights.
....The quasar still vomits some jewels
burning brightly....
they dwell in the Serpent within you
...The beauty and duty of pain
To make you give up all that you think you gain
....like potential mothers labouring
a hundred mouths neighbouring
but She suffers alone
The gift of Death,
The Joy of Birth
and teems the Earth
with her Selfless Self.
The Tandava and the Lasya
....part of an unknown, queer, erotic bhashya(Language)
of darkness and light
that fight
with all their might
but remain constant companions of Hope
and give birth to a thousand petalled Rose of Pain
....That spreads the enchanting fragrance of
Disenchantment and Gain.
.....Time has Gone...
Time shall Gain
the dust shall spread
But You must rain...
like the cloud that overshadows the scorching sun of sorrows...
and spread the fresh, raw , lingering,  odour of the first transparent raindrops...
that reflect  worldly vibrance
and yet remain Plain
...That's My Ultimate quay
I unload my mein...

Tuesday, 12 April 2011

Call For Papers.

CALL FOR RESEARCH PAPERS ON

Portrayal of Unheard Voices in
Indian Women’s Literature in English


No Contribution/ Subscription fees. Papers will be accepted and published free of cost and only on basis of merit. Each contributor will get a free complimentary copy from the publisher

Dear All,

  Pankh, had been inaugurated with a view to providing “Wings to Women”. The task is by no means easy and we have been trying our level best to do everything possible that brings about a change in the society. Gradually, the involvement with the people at the grassroots and their experiences inspired me to look forward to bringing out a book that could talk a lot more about the experiences of women at different levels. The writing by women at all levels, is therapeutic because it voices specific experiences and feelings.  I therefore hereby, invite you to be a part of this therapeutic therapy through thought. In the proposed book of research papers, authentic, scholarly and unpublished research papers are invited from scholars/faculty/researchers/writers/professors from all over the world for this volume tentatively titled as above.I feel that with this book and you all…we shall take another small step forward in the direction of understanding women.

Proposed Publisher:
The volume will be published with an ISBN (International Standard Book Number) by a renowned publisher and Dr. Arvind Nawale will be the Guest Editor.

Thematic Focus of the Volume:

Existence, Existentialism, Identity, Resistance, Power—these have been some of the raging issues in contemporary women’s fiction and writing. From the established canons of Speech we have come to accept the “Genotext” and Luce Irigaray’s “Delirium”. Is Voice always necessarily Phallic? Must she always speak like a Man to be heard? If not, what are ‘her’ ways of expression? Do silences have their importance or, is the silent subject always marginalised? Do women’s voices clash?(Mothers/Daughters or female hierarchy at workplace) Are Gender relations undergoing a change through these voices? The Social castration of individual women’s liberty has been a mode across cultures to establish the “right” kind of behaviour.  How have the women writers broken the idealised stereotypes in society and helped the reinvention of the male-gaze?  How unconventional have they been towards the promotion and cultural construction of women’s subjectivities, if at all?   Are we are trying close to achieving what Cixous called  the “Realm of the Gift”? the chora that accommodates the “other bisexuality”? Has the clash been rather loud in terms of the confrontation of the traditional concept of “Stree-Dharma” and the sexual economy of the New woman?
....With the analysis of the French feminist theory and relevant Indian observations in the background, we solicit a wide range of research papers that critically analyse the expression/ reinvention of the Female Voice and Sexuality (including concepts of beauty)  in Indo-Anglian Women’s writings. We would love to explore articles on themes such as existence, existentialism, identity, resistance, power-play, gender relations, role of women as lovers, wives, concubines, objects, ideals, mothers, women’s subjectivity etc. However, you may also send your papers on any other important issues as reflected in the works by Indian English Women Writers which in your view, should make a significant contribution towards changing mindsets.


Editing requirements:
  • Paper size: A4, Font & size: Times New Roman 12, Spacing: Single line, Margin of 1 inch on all four sides.
  • Title of the paper: bold,  centered (Capitalize each word).
  • Text of the paper: justified.
  • References: Please follow MLA style (Only Author-Date or Number System) strictly. Don’t use Foot Notes.
  • In the body of the book- Titles of books: Italics. Titles of articles from journals and books: “quoted”.
  • Articles should be submitted as MS Word 2003-2007attachments only.
  • The paper should not usually exceed 11 pages maximum, 5 pages minimum in single spacing.
  • Each paper must be accompanied by i)  A declaration that it is an original work and has not been published anywhere else or send for publication  ii) Abstract of  the paper (100-200 words) and iii) A short bio-note of the contributor(s) indicating name, institutional affiliation, brief career history, postal address, mobile number and e-mail, in a single attachment. Please attach these details in a single MS-WORD file,  after the paper has already been attached.
  • The papers submitted should evince serious academic work contributing new knowledge or innovative critical perspectives on the subject explored.


Mode of Submission:
Each contributor is advised to send full paper with brief bio-note, declaration and abstract as a single MS-Word email attachments to email addresses:

Selection Procedure:
All submissions will be sent for blind peer reviewing. Final selection will be made only if the papers are recommended for publication by the reviewers. The details of the selection of your paper will be informed to you telephonically or on your email. The editors have the right to make necessary editing of selected papers for the sake of conceptual clarity and formatting. Non-selected papers will not be sent back to the contributor in any form. So, all contributors are advised to keep a copy of their submission with them. Each contributor will get a free complimentary copy from publisher.

Plagiarism Alert:
Contributors are advised to adhere to strict academic ethics with respect to acknowledgment of original ideas from others. The editors will not be responsible for any such lapse of the contributor. All submissions should be original and must be accompanied by a declaration that it is an original work and has not been published anywhere else. In case of such lapses, if any, neither the editor, nor  the publisher will be responsible for the same.

Editors
Dr. Sheeba Rakesh
Dr. Arvind Nawale(Guest Editor)




Please circulate/forward this invitation among your friends/colleagues.