Photo credit: Shefali

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Today we had a wonderful poetic evening amidst talented poets, a kavi sammelan. I had my contribution too. This time my poem did not come out of the cauldron of translation. It is a direct composition in Hindi. I enjoyed writing it and then reciting it amidst applause; but I must say the more soul-stirring experience to me was to listen to others. Dr Nandkishore Nandan, the revered chief guest was at his best, as always. He was transformed into a 70-year young, the captain of the street cricket team playing at Ridge Shimla stirring his muse to produce the freshest poem in his repertoire. He had romantic and rebellious poems too, his heart weeping in pain seeing mother Nature disregarded, over-exploited and fast heading towards an ominous future; the condition of deprived sections of the society going from bad to worse every passing day. Dr Saraswat had the grace of a poet in all his gestures, not only restricted to the words and expressions he used in his nice poems of spiritual theme. Dr Usha Bande had an English poem to render--so full of sensitivity, struggle and hope! Dr Pankaj Kapoor had a awesome simile to depict the trivialisation in human relationship: there's no iron in our blood so that the magnet of human warmth can attract us each other. How true! Mr Ratiram Sharma had his muse drawn from the herdsman of Himalayas who have hard lives to live but leaving the footprints of wisdom behind them everywhere they moved. Madam Sangeeta recited a poem that sparked in her mind finding winter this year so obstinately prolonging even up to the end of March, one that slightly matched my last post, not in words but in spirit. Poets of Shimla feel and think alike! it was a wonderful evening at the end of the day. 

Here is what I recited.

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