August 2022 | The Beacon Webzine

ANNIE ZAIDI Reviews C: A Novel by ANUPAMA RAJU: A “poet’s novel”

August 30, 2022 Annie Zaidi 0

Bookshelf

In C: A Novel by Anupama Raju ‘place’ is a category “foregrounded not as a formative influence on character nor as the venue for the unfolding of a plot intrinsically tied to maps, but as an exploration of a life’s possibilities, or as a journey, internal as much as it is external.” Annie Zaidi does a deep reading of a work “heavily invested in itself.”…[Read More]…

The Depth: Short Fiction by Jyothi A. Translated by A.J. Thomas

August 29, 2022 A.J. Thomas 0

Literary Trails

A mini-fiction pared down to a quiet gothic-horror by Jyothi A, a senior psychiatrist practising in London and translated from Malayalam by poet and translator, A.J. Thomas …[Read More]…

Jawaharlal Nehru: Telegrams from the Soul (or) A Peep into the Past

August 30, 2022 The Beacon 0

Between The Lines

Jawaharlal Nehru’s telegrams from the soul: “The roots of that present lay in the past and so I made voyages of discovery into the past, ever seeking a clue in it, if any such existed, to the understanding of the present” …[Read More]…

Cuba’s Medical Internationalism: A Regenerative Humanism

August 30, 2022 Don Fitz 0

Bookshelf

“Sanctions” as an economic blockade were first applied by the United States to the small island of Cuba in February 1962 constituting the most comprehensive and brutal blockade of trade/economic relations in human history. Yet Cuba did not buckle. In fact it has become a shining example of regenerative/radical humanism. John Kirk’s book on its medical internationalism explains how and why. A review by Don Fitz.…[Read More]…

K. Satchidanandan: MY MOTHERLAND and Other Poems

August 20, 2022 K. Satchidanandan 0

Literary Trails

In this collection of poems, self-translated from Malayalam, K. Satchidanandan offers up a vision, dark yet one that lifts the fogs of illusion to show us the way we live…and die …[Read More]…

On eve of 75th Independence anniversary, peace pilgrims from Pune bring message of love to Pakistan

August 20, 2022 Beena Sarwar 0

Between The Lines

Three men from Pune, India, pad yatrees crossed the border into Pakistan carrying the message of love, love for life, for the universe, meeting people from various sections of society. Beena Sarwar and Priyanka Singh report. …[Read More]…

S. Jeyapragasam: The Great Tree. Paul Schwartzentruber Remembers a Gandhian

August 20, 2022 Paul Schwartzentruber 0

Between The Lines

Paul Schwartzentruber, a Canadian pays tribute to “one of the great blessings of my life that I encountered and then came to know—even though in my later years—Dr. S. Jeyapragasam”. JP, for the author, a seeker, “was not just a ‘Gandhian’ in the loose way that iconic metaphor is still tossed around in India. He embodied, like a true disciple, the values, sympathies and beliefs in human self-transformation that Gandhi himself had embodied.” …[Read More]…

Asif Raza, poet responds to Melissa Chimera, artist and eco-activist poser: “Is our prevailing human-centered perspective the only reality?”

August 20, 2022 Asif Raza 1

Between The Lines

Bilingual poet Asif Raza ponders Melissa Chimera, artist and eco-activist query in her talk with poet Pat Matsueda: “Is our prevailing human-centered perspective the only reality?” His reply opens the door to Arne Naess’ “Deep Ecology’ and Gandhi. …[Read More]…

Arne Naess & ‘Deep Ecology’: Gandhi’s Profound Influence on its Evolution

August 20, 2022 Arne Naess 0

Between The Lines

The new environmentalism in the form of ‘Deep Ecology’, very closely mirrors Gandhi’s philosophy. Thomas Weber analyzes the Mahatma’s contribution to the intellectual development of Arne Naess, arguing that an informed study of ‘deep ecology’ and particularly the philosophy of Naess, should go back to Gandhi for a fuller picture.…[Read More]…

Mayank Bhatt’s Homecoming: A tribute by H. Masud Taj

August 10, 2022 H. Masud Taj 2

Visual Spaces

H. Masud Taj, Toronto-based architect, poet –calligrapher, who grew up in Mumbai, India like Mayank Bhatt pays tribute through his art.…[Read More]…

Reconfiguring Myths in Fables for Climate Change: Suniti Namjoshi’s Dangerous Pursuits: A Review by Suhasini Vincent

August 10, 2022 Suhasini Vincent 0

Bookshelf

Our reckless pursuit and addictive use of fossil fuels is a ‘dangerous’ one. How we will be perceived by our future generations; will we write ourselves off as a failed society who let climate change lead us to a well-merited oblivion? Suniti Namjoshi muses. Suhasini Vincent reviews. …[Read More]…

Anjali Singh. Voices and Silences: Narratives of Girmityas and Jahajis from Fiji and The Caribbean: Review by Pradeep Trikha

August 10, 2022 Pradeep Trikha 0

Bookshelf

Anjali Singh casts a critical eye on the key writings on indenture labour in Fiji and the Caribbean. This is a valuable contribution to the study of Indenture, avers Pradeep Trikha. …[Read More]…

Two Poets: Malashri Lal ‘Amaltaas in Summer’ Anju Makhija ‘Abandoning the Farmhouse’

August 10, 2022 Malashri Lal 0

Literary Trails

In the scorching heat of the city, Malashri Lal finds solace in the Amaltaas tree. In the next poem Anju Makhija rues the abandoned farmhouse as a trope for displacement…[Read More]…

MAYANK BHATT (1962-2022): In Search of the Examined Life

August 7, 2022 The Beacon 4

Personal Notes

On August 1, Mayank Bhatt, Toronto-based writer of fiction and essays died after a protracted battle with pancreatic cancer and other ailments. He was a little over 60 years old. A tribute to an indomitable spirit by Ashoak Upadhyay/The Beacon…[Read More]…