INDIA SAIJIKI ..... (WKD - INDIA)

Welcome !

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Welcome to the World Kigo India Database !

... .... ... The India Saijiki

..... ..... ..... Namaste !

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Use your browser to find a word in this index.....
OR use the Search Function on the top right.

© Gabi Greve

Alphabetical Index of the World Kigo Database

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.. .. .. .. .. .. .. General Items

. . . . ENTRY: Submit your Entry for a Kigo

Seasons and Categories Learn the Basics of World Kigo

Basic Japanese Haiku Theories !
For Haiku Beginners !

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Poets, Essays, Links and general information about

... ... ... ... ... Haiku in Bangladesh

... ... ... ... ... Haiku in Bhutan BHUTAN SAIJIKI

... ... ... ... ... Haiku in India

... ... ... ... ... Haiku in Nepal

... ... ... ... ... Haiku in Pakistan

... ... ... ... ... Haiku in Tibet

Haibun from India

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Getting to Know India

Indian Art, Articles Exotic India by Nitin Kumar

Festivals of India, all are kigo

Music of India Indian Music and Haiku

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A special thank you goes to Kala Ramesh for her countless contributions and fruitful cooperation
with this INDIA saijiki.

Gabi Greve, December 2006

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Please check the main index for more kigo information.

Main Index of the World Kigo Database

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Contributions from all Indian haiku poets are welcome!

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in Punjabi my name is ਗਾਬੀ ਗੀਰੀਵ

SEARCH all articles by Gabi Greve

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Seasonal Words - List

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List of seasonal words (kigo) from India

... ... ... ... The India Saijiki

インド　歳時記　

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According to the classical text of the Ritusamharam we will introduce six haiku seasons in India, two more that the four seasons of the Japanese Saijiki.
(Thanks to the initiative of Kala Ramesh!)

Each Indian seaseon comprises only two months, whereas in the Japanese saijiki, each season (except the New Year), comprises three months and is divided in early, middle and late part of the season.
Seasons and Categories Learn the Basics of World Kigo.

The rainy season (tsuyu) is covered as a Japanese kigo for Mid-Summer.

Frost, which comprises November and December, is an ALL WINTER kigo in Japan.

November and December comprise kigo for early and middle winter in Japan, check it here: http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/japanese/haiku/saijiki/4wi.html

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Here are the six seasons for INDIA

Spring - called Vasant（Basant) - in the months of Chaitra and Vaishakh
approximately March and April

Summer – called Grishma –in the months of Jaishthya and Aashadh
approximately May and June

Rains – called Varsha - in the months of Shravan and Bhadrapad
approximately July and August

Autumn called Sharad - in the months of Aashwin and Kartik
approximately September and October

Frost – called Hemant – in the months of Margshishya and Pousha
approximately November and December

Winter - called Shishir - in the months of Magh and Phalgun
approximately January and February

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Haiku about each season
by Narayanan Raghunathan

About the climate, see also:
http://www.indianchild.com/climate_india.htm

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. ................. INDIAN KIYOSE

.. .. .. Spring (March - April)

Ambedkar Jayanti, Memorial Day

Baishakhi Festival

Chidambaram Dance Festival in honour of Shiva

Flame of the Forest (Butea monosperma, Delonix regia) Two Trees with orange blossoms. Gulmohar

Goa Carnival
Gudi Padva Festival

Hanuman Jayanti Festival

Himalayan Bearded Vulture chicks
Gypaetus barbatus aureus, a kind of Lammergeier

Holi Festival.. Dol Yatra (the Swing Festival)

Jallikattu Bull Fight during Pongal Festival

Kite flying India, Pakistan

Mahavir Jayanti Festival
Mango blossoms

Marathi New Year's Day Ugadi, Yugadi, Gudipadva

Neem blossoms, neem tree, magosa (Azadirachta indica)
and some food: Ugadi Pachadi

Pesakh Festival
　Pongal
Pooram Festival

Ramnavami Festival
Ramzan Id Festival

Shiva Ratri Night, Festival India, Nepal, Hindu Communities
Spring Festivals (Vasannta Utsav, India) also worldwide
Spring in India (vasant, basant)

Trumpet tree, golden yellow trumpet tree (Tabebuia chrysantha) India

Vasant Navratri Festival

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.. .. .. Summer (May - June)

Buddha's Birthday, Buddha Purnima

Cassia blossoms (Cassia fistula) ... amaltaas, bendra lathi, aragvadha and other names
In Punjabi: ਅਮਲਤਾਸ

Ganges (Ganga) flowing down

Mango fruit

Pipal tree (Ficus religiosa) Peepul, peepal or bo tree

Summer in India, find more kigo

Rollerskates

Tukaram Celebrations

Water shortage (for various reasons)
. . . drought (not enough rain)

World Music Day　

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.. .. .. Monsoon, the Rains (July - August)

Guru Poornima/ Guru Purnima Teachers Day
full moon day in the Hindu month of Ashad (July-August)

Independence Day (India) August 15, 1947

Juggernaut Festival (India)

Monsoon rain, details ..(India, South Asia)

potholes in the road

Senior Citizen's Day, August 21 　　
Serpent Festival (Nag Panchami) (India) Snake Festival

Tagore Memorial Day 　 Rabindranath Tagore
Trekking , Trek

Umbrella

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.. .. .. Autumn (September - October)

Autumn in India

Chandrika Soap "the moon-faced one"

Dussera, Dasara, Dussehra: Day Of Victory　
..... Navaratri : Nine Nights Of Festivities. Bomma kolu. pavadai skirts.

Divali (Diwali, India)

Fog, Mist, Haze and more

Ganesh Chaturthi Festival

Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday 　　　　

Parijaat blossoms, Night Jasmine (Nyctanthes arbor-tristis )

Sesame (til, tila, gingili)

Teacher's Day, 　Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan Memorial Day
Tiger Dance (Huli Vesha, Puli Vesha)

Vailankanni (Velankanni), Festival in Chennai, India

World Peace Day and Ahimsa　

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.. .. .. Frost (November - December)

Frost in India

Nehru, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s Memorial Day, Children's Day

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.. .. .. Winter (January - February)

Bikaner Camel Festival, Rajasthan

Congee, rice porridge, kanji ... hot cereals

Coral Tree Blossoms (Erythrina indica) Tiger's claw, Sunshine Tree

Damsel crane

New Year

Poush-Magh Festival

Republic Day January 26

Sugar cane

Tiruppavai of Andal (Andaal) Tamizhnadu, Tamil Nadu
Tumeric, fresh (kurkuma, ukon)

Winter in India A few more kigo ...

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.. .. .. Topics for ALL seasons

Amritsar and Golden Temple
Ayurveda and Massage

Anklets (payal) , Bracelets, Bangles
Aum (阿吽) A-Un, Om

BAMBOO .. An Asian Plant
Banyan Tree
Basil, Holy Basil (tulsi, tulasi, thulasi)
Bells, Temple Bells in India
Benares and the Burning Ghats - Varanasi
Bhagavad Gita
Bhang, Bhaang Drink
Bikaner .. a town in Rajasthan
Birla Planetarium, Chennai
Bodhidarma, Daruma san in Japan
Bombay, Mumbai
Buddha, Shakyamuni, Shaka

Chillum, chilum, cheelam .. pipe
Chittorgarh Fort (Rajasthan)
Coconut, Coconut palms Philippines, India
Cow (Pashu, Gai) The Holy Cow of India
Curry (karee カレー) Curry rice and other curry dishes

Dance, dancing
Delhi, Old Delhi, New Delhi
Dhobi - washers

Earthquake

Food from India
- - - Food from Punjab

Football, Soccer

Ganesh The elelphant-headed god
Ganges, the Holy River Ganga
Guava tree myrtle family Myrtaceae
Guru (teacher) Sensei (Japan)
Guru Granth Sahib - Adi Granth scripture

Harike Wetland, Punjab
Henna (mehandi)
Himalaya Mountains

Incense

Jal-trang instrument

Kahwah tea
Kamakhya Temple near Guwahati in Assam
Khadi handspun cotton. Mahatma Gandhi.
Koel, Koil, Kuil, a Bird (Eudynamys scolopacea) oni kakkoo (Japan)
　Kolam, kollam, kulam
Kumbh Mela, Kumbmela, Kumbha Mela

Labyrinth 　
Lingam, Shiva Linga
Lotus (padma)
Lotus Temple Delhi
Lucknow

Mandala
Marathon Boy Budhia Singh
Meditation (dhyana)
Meera, a Saint Meerabai, Mirabai, Mira
Monkey, Hanuman, Langur
Moon, waxing (moondraam pirai)

Music of India
..... Music: Raagam
..... Music: Shruthi
..... Tansen The Musician

Nirala, Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' Poet, Painter

Panchatantra, a Fable
Papaya Carica papaya
..... Philosophical and Mythological Haiku from India
Plumeria, Frangipani
Phulkari embroidery Punjab

. Punjab - Haiku from Punjab - パンジャブ .

Punjabi Jutti shoes

Rain　
Raj Kapoor - actor
Rice, Basmati Rice　
Ropar town, Punjab
　
Sandalwood (chandan)
Saraswati, Sarasvati deity
Sari Dress for Ladies
Sarovar - Sacred Pool
Sassui Punhun folktale, Sassi Punnun
Shisham tree - Dalbergia sissoo
Shivaji's forts

Silence (maun)
..... The Infinite Cosmoses Of Infinite Silences
by Narayanan Raghunathan
..... Silence and Stones
..... Silence and Haiga

Sirhind canal - Punjab
Spices of India, an overview 　　

Sun (dinesh, dinesha) "He who is the lord of the days"　　　　　　　　
Sun god (aditya) (India), Sun Godess Amaterasu Omikami (Japan)
..... including suriya namaskar and the gayatri mantra

Sunbirds

Taj Mahal ... "the Taj"
Tantra
Temples in India
Tiger
Towns of India and haiku Asansol, Bangalore, Contai, Hardwar, Mysore, Sambalpur
Trekking Treck, Trecking

Window 　　　　

Yoga

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THE INDIA SAIJIKI

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Getting to Know India

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.. .. .. .. .. Welcome to India !

An Overview of India
http://www.tourisminindia.com/indiathedestination/index.htm

In our Kigo Database Library:

The Symbols of India

GENERAL

National Portal of India

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EDUCATION

Krishnamurti Foundation India / Journal

Articles in the Journal broadly cover the areas of philosophy and practice in education. The authors of the articles have been deeply moved by questions of life and education raised by the philosopher J. Krishnamurti, and their ongoing enquiry into such questions is reflected in their teaching and writing. This aspect of the Journal widens its scope and relevance to far beyond the classroom, indeed to the heart of learning and life itself.
http://www.journal.kfionline.org/about.asp

... The Haiku Scene in India : World Kigo Database

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............................. Nature

Birds of India
With 1250 species of birds, India is a paradise for bird watching.
The Blue Peafowl is the national bird.
For birding in India, 13 bio-geographical regions can be identified depending upon bird distribution: Trans Himalayan, Western Himalayas, Eastern Himalayas, Desert, Semi-arid, Gangetic plain, Central India, Deccan Plateau, Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats, North East, Coasts and the Andaman Nicobar Islands.
Copyright © birding.in and Birding in India

Flora of Haryana
Haryana has a forest covered land of about 3.5 per cent of the total area. A thorny dry deciduous forest, pine and thorny shrubs can be found all over the state.
Sal trees (Shorea robusta)
Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum)
..............................and many many more...
Copyright © Haryana Online

Fauna of Haryana
Haryana became a new state of India on 1st November, 1966, with Chandigarh as its capital.

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............................. City Guides
Bangalore
Calcutta
Chennai
Delhi/New Delhi
Mumbai
Thiruvananthapuram

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http://www.tourindia.com/htm/homepage.htm

An Overview
Clickable Map
National Insignia
Major Cities
Regions-States

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Welcome to Incredible India !

Namaskar, welcome to Incredible India, where culture echoes, tradition speaks, beauty enthrals and diversity delights.

Bounded by the majestic Himalayan ranges in the north and edged by an endless stretch of golden beaches, India is a vivid kaleidoscope of landscapes, magnificent historical sites and royal cities, misty mountain retreats, colourful people, rich cultures and festivities.

http://india-tourism.com/

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............................. Indian Art

Indian Art, Articles
Exotic India by Nitin Kumar

Art India Net

an exclusive site on Indian Performing and allied arts.

India Art
Information on visual arts, including paintings, crafts, art education and so on

Indian Heritage - info on Indian art & culture
Indian Heritage, information on all topics relating to Indian art, culture and tradition

PRABHU'S WEB PAGE ON INDIAN COINAGE
to explain the evolution of coinage and its role in understanding the history of India. By Govindraya Prabhu S.

HARAPPA ... Glimpses of South Asia before 1947

Indian Poetry and Writing
Boloji.com includes IndiaNest.com and PoeticNest.com
http://www.boloji.com/index.htm
http://www.boloji.com/poetry/index.htm

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............................. Indian Food

Sailus Kitchen with Seasonal Recipies

Food from India used as KIGO

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.. .. .. .. .. Welcome to India in Japan !

Nihon to Indo Koryu no Rekishi 日本とインド　交流の歴史
Japan and India: the History of Exchanges

©　PHOTO 三省堂

. . . . . History of Indians in Japan WDK Library

© PHOTO Japan Post and Stamps about India

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THE INDIA SAIJIKI

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http://worldkigodatabase.blogspot.com/

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- Punjab INTRODUCTION

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The Punjab
( Punjabi: ਪੰਜਾਬ, پنجاب, Urdu: پنجاب, Hindi: पंजाब),
also spelled Panjab (Persian: پنجاب, panj-āb, "five waters"),
is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi in India.

The name of the region is Persian in origin and means "(The Land of) Five Waters" referring to the following rivers: the Jhelum, the Chenab, the Ravi, the Sutlej, and the Beas. All are tributaries of the Indus River, the Jhelum being the largest. Punjab has a long history and rich cultural heritage. The people of the Punjab are called Punjabis and their language is called Punjabi.
The main religions of the Punjab region are Islam, Sikhism and Hinduism.

The area now known as the Greater Punjab comprises what were once vast territories of West Pakistan and northern western India.

The Punjabi region of North India, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, has a historical and cultural link to Indo-Iranian (Aryan) heritage identity. As a result of numerous invasions, many ethnic groups and religions make up the cultural heritage of Punjab.

In 326 BCE, Alexander the Great invaded the Punjab from the north and incorporated it into his empire.

The British Raj had political, cultural, philosophical and literary consequences in the Punjab, including the establishment of a new system of education.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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quote
Climate of Punjab
Punjab is situated in the North-Eastern part of India.
The Punjab Climate is determined by the extreme hot and extreme cold conditions. The region lying near the foot hills of Himalayas receive heavy rainfall whereas the region lying at a distant from the hills, the rainfall is scanty and the temperature is high.

Punjab Climate comprises of three seasons.
They are the summer months that spans from mid April to the end of June.
The rainy season in Punjab is from the months of early July to end of September.
The winter season in Punjab is experienced during the months of early December to the end of February.
The transitional Seasons in Punjab are the post monsoon season and the post winter season.

Summer in Punjab actually commences from mid April. But the temperature starts rising from February onwards. The summer months are followed by the rainy seasons. Generally, the rainy season in Punjab begins in the first weeks of July. It ranges from 250mm to 1000mm. The agriculture of the state highly depends on the rains. The monsoon is brought by the monsoonal winds blowing over the Bay of Bengal. The winter season in Punjab is mostly experienced in the month of January, when the temperature falls to 5 degree in the night and it is around 12 degree in the morning.

The post monsoonal transitional season remains quite fair and dry. In the post winter transitional season, hail storms and brief showers occur which causes damage to the crops. During the end of the March, the wind becomes dry.
The Punjab Climate has been a great factor in contributing to the economy of the state.
source : www.mapsofindia.com/punjab

source :　www.mapsofindia.com

Click for enlargement !

. Peaks of Punjab Himalaya .

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Punjabi
(ਪੰਜਾਬੀ in Gurmukhi script and
پنجابی in Shahmukhi/Perso-Arabic script)
is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region (north western India and in north eastern Pakistan). For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language. Punjabi can be subdivided into two varieties, known as Eastern Punjabi and Western Punjabi.

The Punjabi language has many different dialects, spoken in the different sub-regions of greater Punjab.
Modern Punjabi is not the predominant language of the Sikh scriptures (which though in Gurmukhi script are written in several languages).

Punjabi is spoken as a native language by over 2.85% of Indians.
Punjabi is the official language of the Indian state of Punjab.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

Gurmukhi (Punjabi: ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ, IPA: [ɡʊɾmʊkʰi])
is the most common script used for writing the Punjabi language.
An abugida derived from the Landa script and ultimately descended from Brahmi, Gurmukhi was standardized by the second Sikh guru, Guru Angad Dev Ji, in the 16th century. The whole of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji's 1430 pages are written in this script. The name Gurmukhi is derived from the Old Punjabi term
"guramukhī", meaning "from the mouth of the Guru".
The 10 Sikh Gurus adopted the Proto-Gurmukhi script to write the Guru Granth Sahib, the religious scriptures of the Sikhs.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Sat Siri Akal (Truth is God) - Namaste !
by Dr. Sandip Sital Chauhan

A Sikh place of worship is called Gurdwara.
The Golden Temple, in Amritsar is the most sacred place of the Sikh religion.

Barah Maha (ਬਾਰਹ ਮਾਹਾ) / Twelve Months

1) Chyet / ਚੇਤ
Chyet (March-April)
The season of Chayet when the birds sing in quiet harmony, the serene waters flow, the flowers have bloomed to their full glory…and now, seeds are forming…the seeds that may pave the way for another season.

2) Waisaakh ਵਿਸਾਖ
Waisakh (April- May)
A season where life and death are simultaneous. The seeds of Chaitra have died to give birth to a new awareness…with a sense of waiting…of hope…of expectation…when life all around is slowly wilting. The trees are beginning to shed, the waters are receding, the birds have quietened down and so has the sky…quiet and somber, and, all around is the sheer brilliance of gold reflected in the golden grain of wheat in the fields.

3) Jeth/ਜੇਠ
Jaith (May-June)
literally means ‘Bigger’. the Sun at the peak of its glory, its heat…for the sun has inched its way closer to the earth, the days are stretching and burning…like the heart and the soul of an ambitious worldly human scorching desires…money…power… heat …there is restlessness all around- …harsh and ruthless…tormented skies and burning souls on earth.

4) Assad/ਹਾੜ੍ਹ
Asaad (June- July)
means ‘hope arises’. Just as the heat reaches its peak in the month of Jaith, and burns up the earth…what survives is one that’s firmly rooted to the earth…leaving nothing but a vacuum as storms rage in with all their fury …the thunderstorms, dark ominous clouds, raging waters…but there is a hope that soon the Gods above will relent and shower this earth with their blessings for the life to flower again soon.

5) Sawan/ਸਾਉਣ
Sawan (July-August)
The earth is blessed again. The divine rains have given life to nature and habitat all around to the trees, the waters, the mountains, the skies. Life is young and green again bringing with it a sense of energy and fulfillment

6) Bhadon/ਭਾਦੋਂ
Bhadon(August-September)
depicts a duality of the season’s characteristics. The second month of Sawan on the one hand brings excitement; life and abundance while on the other there are thundering skies and somewhere, a lurking fear of the past…of over abundance

7) Aasun/ਅੱਸੂ
Aasun (September-October)
come, listen, quietly. Its quiet and calm outside…try and find it within you too. Hold on to your restless spirit and listen. Listen to the quiet harmony of nature, to the song of your own spirit. A time to listen and imbibe the stability and the stillness …the sthirta

8) Katke/ਕੱਤਕ
Katake(October-November)
a month when the skies have cleared, all insects and reptiles prepare to move in to their holes. Kartik brings with it soft, pleasant and cool air. A time to clean up your home, to decorate it and prepare to welcome Ram, to welcome your own self and your soul…a season of correction.

9) Manghar/ਮੱਘਰ
Manghar(November-December)
time to come home. A time for fairytales, of story telling…searching…a time to be with one’s own self. When the birds are on their way home and the skies are beginning to get cold. This is the time to remain inside ones own space.

10) Poukh/ਪੌਹ
Poukh (December -January)
A time for hibernation. A time when it so cold that the birds have all flown away and the animals choose to sleep in, when the waters have frozen and the mountains hidden themselves under a blanket of snow

11) Maagh/ਮਾਘ
Maagh (January-February)
the seeds that were sown have now sprouted…a new beginning as life is born again…

12) Falgun/ਫੱਗਣ
Falgun (February March)
Life blooms all around full of color, music, hope and ecstasy. The trees, the flowers, the singing waters, the dancing skies, suggest a celebration of life, an awakening of the soul.
Routed…a new beginning as life is awaken from the sleep again

The above information was originally composed by Sidharth Artist.

More here:
source : todaysikh.com

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quote
BARAH MAHA or BARAH MASA (in Hindi),
is a form of folk poetry in which the emotions and yearnings of the human heart are expressed in terms of the changing moods of Nature over the twelve months of the year. In this form of poetry, the mood of Nature in each particular month (of the Indian calendar) depicts the inner agony of the human heart which in most cases happens to be a woman separated from her spouse or lover.

In other words, the separated woman finds her own agony reflected in the different faces of Nature. The tradition of Barah Maha poetry is traceable to classical epochs. In Sanskrit, the Barah Maha had the form of shad ritu varnan, i.e. description of the six seasons (shad = six; ritu = season; varnan = description), the most wellknown example being Kalidasa's Ritu Sanhar. The mode was commonly employed to depict the moods of the love stricken woman in separation, and it became an established vogue in medieval Indian poetry. Modern languages of northern India claim several distinguished models. In Hindi, the first instance of this poetic form occurs in Malik Muhammad Jayasi's Padmavat.

In Punjabi, Guru Nanak's Barah Maha in the measure Tukhari is not only the oldest composition belonging to this genre but also the first in which the theme of love poetry has been transformed into that of spiritual import. He made the human soul the protagonist which suffers in the cesspool of transmigration as a result of its separation from the Supreme Soul. This is followed by Guru Arjan's Barah Maha.

Later some Sufi poets such as 'Ali Haider, Bulleh Shah, Hasham and Shah Murad also wrote barah mahas. Haflz Barkhurdar was the first poet in the Punjabi romantic tradition to compose a barah maha as an independent work. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, there were a number of barah mahas and siharffs written in Punjabi. Poetry in this class can be broadly divided into various types religious, farmers' narrative (included in an epic poem), viraha (separation) and 'trial of chastity* variety. Guru Arjan's Barah Maha falls in the viraha category, depicting through the twelve months the pangs of the bride, i.e. the human soul separated from her Divine Essence.

More here:
source : www.sikhiwiki.org

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Haiku in Punjab

In Punjab, haiku was introduced by Parminder Sodhi who lives in Japan around 2001. Greatly influenced by Sodhi’s book “Japani Haiku Shairi”, Amarjit Sathi started writing and promoting Punjabi haiku in 2003.
In 2008 he published his first Haiku book under the title “Nimakh”, which means the time it takes to blink an eye. Sathi has an immense love for the genre and see it as a possible form of poetic expression in Punjabi.

source : haikupunjabi.wordpress.com

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The Tea Room -- MultiLingual Haiku

The main focus of 'The Tea Room - MultiLingual Haiku'
is to promote genuine Haiku poetry,
in Punjabi as well as other languages . . .
source : facebook

on wordpress
source : tearoomhaiku.wordpress.com

Jugnu -MultiLingual Haiku
source : multilingualhaiku.wordpress.com

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ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਹਾਇਕੂ حائیکو پنجابی Punjabi Haiku
Facebook : Punjabi Haiku

Interview with Amarjit Sathi
Amarjit Tiwana learned of the haiku form in Punjabi through Parminder Sodhi who, living in Japan, made a book of translations entitled Japani Haiku Shairi. He was introduced to this book by his mentor Angelee Deodhar in 2003.
Since then Amarjit has taken the promotion of haiku as his life work.
source : Haiku North America

ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਹਾਇਕੂ پنجابی ہائیکو Punjabi Haiku
Wordpress - Punjabi Haiku

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パンジャブ - パンジャーブ州
パンジャブの俳句 - Haiku from Punjab

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HAIKU

for the haiku friends of the Punjab

spring festival -
a new beginning
a new awakening

ਰੁੱਤ ਬਹਾਰ
ਇੱਕ ਨਵੀਂ ਸ਼ੁਰੁਆਤ
ਇੱਕ ਨਵੀਂ ਜਾਗ੍ਰਤੀ

Gabi Greve
January 2012

The translation is by Jugnu Seth.

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Village in Punjab
Photo and Haiku by
source : Saalik Siddikii

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. Haiku from Punjab .

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Republic Day

2012-02-02T20:05:00.000-08:00

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Republic Day

***** Location: India
***** Season: Winter
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

India ~ Republic Day, 26th January

The rich tradition and culture of India reflects India’s true blends of rich flavours of harmony. The Independent India is a struggle for freedom. India became a Republic and the constitution came into force on January 26, 1950. The Constituent Assembly was convened and appointed a committee with Dr. B.R.Ambedkar as Chairman to draft the Constitution. India declared herself to be a Soveriegn Democratic Republic. The Indian Constitution, the longest in the world, consist 397 articles and 12 schedules which provides for a single citizenship for the whole of India.

It gives the right to vote to all citizens of 18 years and above, unless they are disqualified. Fundamental rights are guaranteed to the citizens, equality of religion and so on. The Supreme Court, consisting of the Chief Justice of India and other judges, is the guardian of the Constitution. It stands at the apex of a single integrated judicial system for the whole country. This is where the fundamental rights of the citizens are protected.

REPUBLIC DAY PARADE
The first Republic Day Parade was held at Irwin Stadium (the present National Stadium). The
hoisting of the national flag by the President and a parade of units representing all the armed
forces are the highlights of the ceremonies. Since many years, the Republic Day Parade starts
from Rashtrapati Bhavan and winding its way through the heart of the city, ends at the historic
Red Fort in Old Delhi.

"Thou Brave, be One! Behold, take courage, be proud that thou art an Indian and Proudly proclaim "I am an Indian. Every Indian is my fellow mate."
– Vivekanand

http://members.tripod.com/holy_98/republicday.htm

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The chief attraction of the republic day ceremony is the full display of India's military might. Thousands of soldiers selected to represent different regiments march down the road from India Gate and the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
The President of India receives the salute.
http://www.travelgodelhi.com/delhi-festival/republic-day.htm

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Republic day parade ~
three aeroplanes air-trail
the tricolour flag ~

acrobatic pilot ~
after the show he
wins a gold medal

mock war ~
nobody dead, but
lots of bombing

helicopter rains
flowers ~ the President
salutes the army

Narayanan Raghunathan

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Friday, 26th January -
the Republic Day
an extended weekend

Manu Kant
Joys of Japan, February 2012

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***** Independence Day (worldwide)

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Raj Kapoor

2012-02-01T22:44:00.000-08:00

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Raj Kapoor

***** Location: India
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

Raj Kapoor
Known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor Hindi: राज कपूर) Rāj Kapūr,
14 December 1924 – 2 June 1988,
also known as The Show-Man, was an Indian film actor, producer and director of Hindi cinema.
He was the winner of nine Filmfare Awards, while his films Awaara (1951) and Boot Polish (1954) were nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. His performance in Awaara, was ranked one of the "Top-Ten Performances of all time", by the Time Magazine.
The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 1971 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1987 for his contributions towards Indian cinema.

Raj Kapoor was born in Peshawar (Pakistan), British India (present day Pakistan), to a Hindu family of Prithviraj Kapoor and Ramsarni (Rama) Devi Kapoor (née Mehra). He was the eldest of six children in the family.
He was the grandson of Dewan Basheshwarnath Kapoor and great-grandson of Dewan Keshavmal Kapoor, part of the famous Kapoor family. Two of Raj's brothers are actors Shashi Kapoor (a.k.a. Balbir Raj Kapoor) and the late Shammi Kapoor (aka Shamsher Raj Kapoor); the other two died in infancy. He also had a sister named Urmila Sial.
Raj Kapoor attended Colonel Brown Cambridge School, Dehradun in the 1930s.

The Kapoor family hailed from Peshawar and were Hindkowan but they were also landowners in the canal colony of Lyallpur, British India, which is now called Faisalabad in the Punjab province of present-day Pakistan where the family lived for a while.
He was married to Krishna Kapoor, sister of actors, Rajendra Nath and Prem Nath.
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tuned into Raj Kapoor songs -
my heart sings peans
to USSR

Manu Kant
Joys of Japan, February 2012

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***** . Haiku from Punjab .

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Punjabi Food

2012-02-01T21:28:00.000-08:00

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Punjabi Food

***** Location: Punjab, India
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

Punjabi cuisine
(Punjabi: ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਪਕਵਾਨ, Urdu: پنجابی پکوان)
is food from the Punjab region of northwestern India and eastern Pakistan. It can be non-vegetarian or completely vegetarian. One of the main features of Punjabi cuisine is its diverse range of dishes. Home cooked and restaurant Punjabi cuisine can vary significantly, with restaurant style using large amounts of ghee, clarified butter, with liberal amounts of butter and cream, with home cooking concentrating on mainly upon preparations with whole wheat, rice and other ingredients flavored with masala.

Within the Punjab region, there are different preferences. People in the area of Amritsar prefer stuffed parathas and milk products. In fact, the area is well known for quality of its milk products. There are certain dishes which are exclusive to Punjab, such as sarson da saag. The main masala in a Punjabi dish consists of onion, garlic and ginger. Tandoori food is a Punjabi speciality especially for non-vegetarian dishes. Many of the most popular elements of Anglo-Indian cuisine - such as Tandoor, Naan, Pakoras and vegetable dishes with paneer - derive from the Punjab.

Meat
Chicken: tandoori chicken, butter chicken, chicken tikka.
Lamb: rogan josh, bhuna gosht, kadhai gosht, raan gosht, dal gosht, saag gosht, nihari gosht, rara gosht, paye da shorba.
Beef: Nihari, beef Pasanda, kadhai beef.
Fish: These are all freshwater fish dishes like Amritsari fish, tandoori fish, fish tikka, fish pakora.
Kebabs: Various lamb, chicken and beef kebabs.
Biryanis: chicken biryani and lamb biryani.
Keema with naan: braised minced meat.

Vegetarian
Pulse, bean and / or lentil preparations:
sarson da saag (a dish prepared from green mustard leaves) and with makki di roti, a bread made by corn flour
mushroom and bean sabzi
Dal makhani (lentils with cream and butter)
rajma (red kidney bean) and rice
rongi (Black-eyed peas)
choley (eaten with naan or kulcha)

Other vegetarian dishes
Kadhi Pakora (Traditional curry with Pakoras) and rice
Kadhi is a type of curry made by cooking gramflour with curd or buttermilk. Fried lumps (Pakoras) of gramflour with salt and chillies are also added. It is eaten with rice.
Paneer dishes like Shahi Paneer, Khoya Paneer
Sweet dishes like Phirni, Jalebi, Malpua, Sheer korma
Snacks like Pakoras, Samosas
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Roti
is generally a South Asian bread made from stoneground wholemeal flour, traditionally known as atta flour, that originated and is consumed in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. It is also consumed in parts of the Southern Caribbean, particularly in Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago. Its defining characteristic is that it is unleavened. Indian naan bread, by contrast, is a yeast-leavened bread.

Roti and its thinner variant, known as chapati, are an integral part of Indian / Pakistani cuisine. It is particularly popular in India and Pakistan.
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Makki di roti
(Punjabi: ਮੱਕੀ ਦੀ ਰੋਟੀ (Gurmukhi), مکی دی روٹی (Shahmukhi), मक्की दी रोटी (Devanagari))
is a flat, unleavened North Indian bread made from corn flour. Like most rotis in Indian/Pakistani cuisine, it is baked on a tava.

Literally, Makki di roti means "bread of corn" in the Punjabi language. Makki di roti is yellow in color when ready, and has much less adhesive strength - which makes it difficult to handle. Due to this, making makki di roti is more difficult than roti made from wheat flour.

Makki di roti is generally made during the winter-time in Punjab and is perhaps best known when accompanied with saag or sarson da saag (cooked mustard green leaves), makhan (butter) and buttermilk. Similarly, in Uttar Pradesh, it is eaten with spinach and added butter.
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A tandoor
(Azerbaijani: Təndir, Turkish: Tandır, Arabic: تنور‎, Punjabi: ਤੰਦੂਰ, Georgian: თონე, Persian: تنور, Hindi: तन्दूर, Urdu: تندور, Armenian: Թոնիր)
is a cylindrical clay oven used in cooking and baking. The tandoor is used for cooking in Southern, Central and Western Asia, in the Caucasus and the Balkans.
The heat for a tandoor was traditionally generated by a charcoal or wood fire, burning within the tandoor itself, thus exposing the food to live-fire, radiant heat cooking, and hot-air, convection cooking, and smoking by the fat and food juices that drip on to the charcoal.Temperatures in a tandoor can approach 480°C (900°F), and it is common for tandoor ovens to remain lit for long periods to maintain the high cooking temperature. The tandoor design is something of a transitional form between a makeshift earth oven and the horizontal-plan masonry oven.

The word tandoori is the adjective meaning "pertaining to the tandoor" and is used to describe a dish cooked in a tandoor.
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Saag
(Hindi: साग; Punjabi: ਸਾਗ ) or sag
is a spinach and/or mustard leaf-based dish eaten in South Asia with bread such as roti or naan, or rice (in Orissa and West Bengal). Saag can be made from spinach, mustard leaves, finely chopped broccoli, or other greens, along with added spices and sometimes other ingredients such as paneer. On some menus, it is called saagwala.

Saag is more common in Punjab, especially Saroon da saag, where it may be eaten with makki di roti. This roti is made of corn flour and is yellow in colour, though it can also be eaten with other breads. Saag/sag however can be a catch-all term for various green-leaved dishes. Sag aloo is a common dish in Pakistani/Indian cuisine as served in restaurants and take-aways in the Western world.
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ਸਰ੍ਹੋਂ ਦਾ ਸਾਗ - Sarohn da Saag
ਮੱਕੀ ਦੀ ਰੋਟੀ - Makki di Roti

source :　indian-food.tumblr.com

warm winter sun --
aroma of saag and makkii roti
in mom’s organic kitchen

Sandip Sital Chauhan

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ਤੰਦੂਰੀ ਰੋਟੀ - Tandoori Roti
ਦਾਲ ਮੱਖਣੀ - Daal Makhni

far from home --
butter laced lentils and tandoori roti
under winter morning sun

Sweg Deol

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***** . Food from India .

***** . Haiku from Punjab .

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Guru Granth Sahib book

2012-02-01T20:31:00.000-08:00

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Guru Granth Sahib

***** Location: India
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

quote
The Guru Granth Sahib
(Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ ), or Adi Granth,
is the religious text of Sikhism.It is a voluminous text of 1430 angs, compiled and composed during the period of Sikh gurus, from 1469 to 1708. It is a collection of hymns (shabda) or baani describing the qualities of God and why one should meditate on God's name. Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708), the tenth guru, affirmed the sacred text Adi Granth as his successor, elevating it to Guru Granth Sahib. The text remains the holy scripture of the Sikhs, regarded as the teachings of the Ten Gurus. The role of Adi Granth, as a source or guide of prayer, is pivotal in worship in Sikhism.

The Adi Granth was first compiled by the fifth Sikh guru, Guru Arjan Dev (1563–1606), from hymns of the first five Sikh gurus and other great saints, or bhagats, including those of the Hindu and Muslim faith. After the demise of the tenth Sikh guru many edited copies were prepared for distribution by Baba Deep Singh.

It is written in the Gurmukhī script, in melange of various dialects – including Lehndi Punjabi, Braj Bhasha, Khariboli, Sanskrit and Persian – often coalesced under the generic title of Sant Bhasha.
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unwrapping the Guru Granth Sahib
the God's word
Greek to me

Manu Kant
Joys of Japan, February 2012

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***** . Haiku from Punjab .

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Punjabi language

2012-01-30T18:21:00.000-08:00

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Punjabi language

***** Location: India
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

Punjabi/ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ - Gurmukhi/ ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ

The Punjabi alphabet is known as Varnmala/ ਵਰਣਮਾਲਾ
or Painti/ ਪੈਂਤੀ

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The Gurmukhi alphabet was devised during the 16th century by Guru Nanak, the first Sikh guru, and popularised by Guru Angad, the second Sikh guru. It was modelled on the Landa alphabet. The name Gurmukhi means "from the mouth of the Guru".
source : www.omniglot.com

Gurmukhi (Punjabi: ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ, IPA: [ɡʊɾmʊkʰi])
is the most common script used for writing the Punjabi language.[1] An abugida derived from the Laṇḍā script and ultimately descended from Brahmi, Gurmukhi was standardized by the second Sikh guru, Guru Angad Dev Ji, in the 16th century. The whole of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji's 1430 pages are written in this script. The name Gurmukhi is derived from the Old Punjabi term "guramukhī", meaning
"from the mouth of the Guru".
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Punjabi (ਪੰਜਾਬੀ in Gurmukhi script and
پنجابی in Shahmukhi/Perso-Arabic script) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region (north western India and in north eastern Pakistan). For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language. Punjabi can be subdivided into two varieties, known as Eastern Punjabi and Western Punjabi.
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my daughter
scribbles her name in punjabi --
a rainbow

Sandip Sital Chauhan

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gentle breeze --
under the gulmohar
learning painti

Geet Arora

. Gulmohar tree, Delonix regia .

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***** . Haiku from Punjab .

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Vasant Panchami festival

2012-01-28T18:30:00.000-08:00

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Vasant Panchami festival

***** Location: India
***** Season: Spring
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

Basant Panchmi - ਬਸੰਤ ਪੰਚਮੀ , Basant Panchami

quote
Vasant Panchmi (Devnagari:वसन्त पञ्चमी), sometimes referred to as
Vasant Panchami or Shree Panchami (Devnagari:श्रीपञ्चमी),
is a Hindu festival celebrating Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, music and art.

It is celebrated every year on the fifth day (Panchami) of the Indian month Magh (January-February), the first day of spring. Traditionally during this festival children are taught to write their first words; brahmins are fed; ancestor worship (Pitr-tarpan) is performed; the god of love Kamadeva is worshipped; and most educational institutions organise special prayer for Saraswati. The color yellow also plays an important role in this festival, in that people usually wear yellow garments, Saraswati is worshipped dressed in yellow, and yellow sweets are consumed within the families. Children love flying kites . They enjoy the festival with great fun and enthusiasm.

KITE FESTIVAL
In Ferozepur (Punjab)
it is also as a Kite Festival in Border Area city of Punjab Ferozepur, This Festival is very famous in the city as boys and girls buy Dora (Thread) and Gude aka Patang (Kites) in huge quantity to fly. Children as well as young boys like this festival very much. Young boys by putting sound system on their terrace start dancing right from the evening of the previous day of Basant (vasant panchami), colour full kites in the sky makes the sky very colour full and worth seeing. People from all around the world come to enjoy this festival. It feels as if this festival is most popular festival in ferozepur than in any other city. Basant Panchami has a specific meaning, Basant means Spring, whereas Panchami means the fifth day of the spring. It falls on Panchami - on the Waxing Moon.
The festival lies in the month of January or February. The young girls dressed in the diverse shades of yellow magnify the splendor of nature. Kite flying, a popular sport in India, is associated with the Basant Panchami day. It is a day for young crowd - no routine work, no studies, only merry making.
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Saraswati

In Hinduism Saraswati (Sanskrit: सरस्वती, Sarasvatī ),
is the goddess of knowledge, music, arts and science. She is the consort of Brahma, also revered as His Shakti.

The name Saraswati came from "saras" (meaning "flow") and "wati" (meaning "she who has ..."), i.e. "she who has flow" or can mean sara meaning "essence" and swa meaning "self". So, Saraswati is symbol of knowledge; its flow (or growth) is like a river and knowledge is supremely alluring, like a beautiful woman. She is depicted as beautiful fair Goddess with Four arms, wearing spotless white saree and seated on white lotus.
She is also known as "Sharada", "Vani" and "Vagdevi" (both meaning "speech").
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Benzaiten 弁才天
is the Japanese name of the goddess Saraswati.

.Benten, Benzaiten 弁天　弁財天 .

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HAIKU

basant panchmi --
shades of yellow
in the meadow

basant panchmi --
multicolored kites fill
the empty sky

Sandip Sital Chauhan

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basant panchmi -
a withered tree
full of colors

Nirmal Brar

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basant panchmi
string tangled in string
eyes into eyes

Harvinder Dhaliwal

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basant panchmi
worshipping Saraswati, the poet Nirala
celebrates his birthday

Charan Gill

Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' (सूर्यकांत त्रिपाठी 'निराला')
(February 21, 1899 – October 15, 1961)
was one of the most famous figures of the modern Hindi literature. He was a poet, novelist, essayist and story-writer.
He also drew many sketches.
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***** . Spring Festivals (Vasannta Utsav) .

***** . Kite Flying in India .
More about Basant Panchami

***** . Haiku from Punjab .

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Punjabi Jutti shoes

2012-01-27T18:24:00.000-08:00

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Punjabi Jutti

***** Location: India
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

Punjabi Jutti - ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਜੁੱਤੀ

quote
The jutti or Punjabi Jutti is a type of footwear of Punjabi origin that is common in North India and Pakistan. They are traditionally made up of leather and with extensive embroidery, in real gold and silver thread in olden days, though now with changing times different juti with rubber soles are made available. Besides Punjabi jutti, there are various local styles as well, like Lahori, Peshawari, and Kasoori juttis.

Today Amritsar and Patiala ("tilla jutti") are important trade centers for handcrafted juttis, from where they are exported all over the world to Punjabi diaspora. Closely related to mojaris, introduced during the Mughal era, juttis have evolved into several localized design variations, even depending upon the shoemaker. However by large, they have no left are right distinction, and over time take the shape of the foot.

They usually have flat sole, and are similar in design for both women and men, except for men they have a sharp extended tip, nokh curved upwards like traditional mustaches, and are also called khussa, and some women juttis have no back part, near the ankle. Even with changing times juttis have remained part of ceremonial attire, especially at weddings, the unembellished juttis are used for everyday use for both men and women in most of Punjab.

Many Punjabi folk songs mention juttis, like
Jutti kasuri peri na poori hai rabba sanu turna paiy and
Jutti lagdi vairia mere'.

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crescent moon -
on the haiku path
in my punjabi jutti

Sandip Sital Chauhan

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***** . Haiku from Punjab .

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Shisham tree

2012-01-24T16:54:00.000-08:00

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Shisham tree

***** Location: India
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Plant

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Explanation

Sheesham ਸ਼ੀਸ਼ਮ is a state tree of Punjab.

quote
Shisham
Common name: Indian rosewood,
Shisham शीशम (Hindi), Sissu (Manipuri), Sitral (Bengali)
Botanical name: Dalbergia sissoo
Family: Fabaceae (pea family)

Photographed in Delhi

Shisham is a medium to large deciduous tree, native to India, with a light crown which reproduces by seeds and suckers. It can grow up to a maximum of 25 m in height and 2 to 3 m in diameter, but is usually smaller. Trunks are often crooked when grown in the open. Leaves are leathery, alternate, pinnately compound and about 15 cm long.

Flowers are whitish to pink, fragrant, nearly sessile, up to 1.5 cm long and in dense clusters 5-10 cm in length. Pods are oblong, flat, thin, strap-like 4-8 cm long, 1 cm wide, and light brown. They contain 1-5 flat bean-shaped seeds 8-10 mm long. They have a long taproot and numerous surface roots which produce suckers. It is primarily found growing along river banks below 900 m elevation, but can range naturally up to 1300 m.

Shisham is best known internationally as a premier timber species of the rosewood genus. However, Shisham is also an important fuel wood, shade, and shelter. With its multiple products, tolerance of light frosts and long dry seasons, this species deserves greater consideration for tree farming, reforestation and agro forestry applications. After teak, it is the most important cultivated timber tree in India, planted on roadsides, and as a shade tree for tea plantations.
source : www.flowersofindia.in

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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way

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HAIKU

flowing river
stretching upward
the sheesham tree

Sandip Sital Chauhan

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Related words

***** . Haiku from Punjab .

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Flame of the Forest Tree

2012-01-24T15:00:00.000-08:00

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Flame of the Forest

***** Location: India
***** Season: Various, see below
***** Category: Plant

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Explanation

There are two trees very similar:

Delonix regia is a species of flowering plant from the Fabaceae family, noted for its fern-like leaves and flamboyant display of flowers. Often grown as an ornamental tree and given the name Royal Poinciana or Flamboyant, it is also known as
Gulmohar, Peacock Flower, Flame of the Forest, Malinche, Krishnachuda and one of several named the Flame tree.
The species was previously placed in a genus Poinciana, named for Phillipe de Longviliers de Poincy who is credited with introducing the plant to the Americas.

The tree's vivid red/vermilion/orange/yellow flowers and bright green foliage make it an exceptionally striking sight.

The Royal Poinciana is endemic to Madagascar, where it is found in the West Malagasy forest. In the wild it is endangered, but it is widely cultivated elsewhere. In addition to its ornamental value, it is also a useful shade tree in tropical conditions, because it usually grows to a modest height (typically around 5 m, though it can reach as high as 12 m) but spreads widely, and its dense foliage provides full shade. In areas with a marked dry season, it sheds its leaves during the drought, but in other areas it is virtually evergreen.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

Delonix regia
In India it is known as Gulmohar (Hindi and Urdu -‘Gul’ means ‘Flower’ and ‘Mohr’ is 'Peacock', thus the name suggests a spectacular show of color, like the extraordinary colors of a peacock's tail). It is also known there as Krishnachura (Bengali: 'crown of the Lord Krishna).
In Vietnamese it is known as Phượng vĩ (means "Phoenix's Tail) (Vietnamese), Malinche, and Tabachine.[2] In Guatemala, Antigua Guatemala, it is known as "Llama del Bosque".
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Butea monosperma (syn. Butea frondosa, Erythrina monosperma, Plaso monosperma; Palash, Dhak, Flame of the Forest or Parrot Tree), is a species of Butea native to tropical southern Asia, from Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and western Indonesia. Also known as kesudo in Gujarati.

It is a medium sized dry season-deciduous tree, growing to 15 m tall. The leaves are pinnate, with an 8-16 cm petiole and three leaflets, each leaflet 10-20 cm long. The flowers are 2.5 cm long, bright orange-red, and produced in racemes up to 15 cm long. The fruit is a pod 15-20 cm long and 4-5 cm broad.
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kigo for spring in India

Palash is not grown in gardens, it is truly a forest plant. If you happen to stand on a hill and look into a valley, the Palash flowers look just wonderful.

Kumar

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Worldwide use

Kenya

Flamboyant Tree (Swahili : Mjohoro)

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Yemen

Flame of the Forest (Delonix regia)

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Things found on the way

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HAIKU

orange flares
draped in blue
dhak trees

just a few days before holi the dhak trees also known as palash or Flame of the forest shed their leaves and burst forth into beautiful deep orange blooms. Seen against the backdrop of a clear blue spring sky the orange flowers look like an enchanting design on a lady's blue attire.
The flowers which drop down are collected to prepare traditionally used colours for playing holi. just a couple of days after holi it is difficult to see the flowers as new leaves start appearing again on the branches and one has to wait full one year for that mesmerising scene to unfold itself again.

Dr.Vidur Jyoti, March 2008

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a gulmohar
carpets the hillside
scarlet

Rohini Gupta – Mumbai
World Haiku Review 6, 2008

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gust of wind
in the gulmohar shadow
a sprinkle of red petals

Sandip Sital Chauhan

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Related words

***** Holi Festival.. Dol Yatra (the Swing Festival)

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Sirhind canal

2012-01-24T13:22:00.000-08:00

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Sirhind canal

***** Location: India
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Earth

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Explanation

quote
Sirhind Canal, canal in Punjab state, northwestern India.
It opened in 1882 and consists of an extensive canal system that irrigates more than 2,000 square miles (5,200 square km) of farmland. The system’s headworks, where it draws its water, are on the Sutlej River at Ropar, near the border of Himāchal Pradesh state. From there the canal runs west-southwest to Dorāha, where it splits into three branches. One flows west and then northwest to rejoin the Sutlej near the Pakistan border; one runs southwest past Bathinda to the border of Rājasthān state; and the third flows southeast to Patiāla. There are many distributaries, in addition to the three principal branches."
source : http://www.britannica.com/

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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way

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HAIKU

moon wrapped in mist
the light on the temple top
glitters in Sirhind canal

Surmeet Maavi

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Related words

***** . Haiku from Punjab .

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Ropar town

2012-01-23T17:34:00.000-08:00

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Ropar town

***** Location: India
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Earch

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Explanation

quote
Fresh eye on Ropar Indus Valley site
Digging to resume after 56 years to examine diet & dwellings

Pakistan has been the big boy of Indus Valley excavation, Partition having gifted it both Mohenjo-daro and Harappa. India now plans to make the most of what it has been left with.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will dig up a site in Ropar, Punjab, where the remains of that old civilisation were first seen in independent India, in 1953, but where excavations stopped in 1955.

While Ropar (now Rupnagar) lay untouched for 56 years, US archaeologists took a deep interest in the Harappa and Mohenjo-daro sites.

Harappa has been under re-excavation since 1986 by J.M. Kenoyer of the University of Wisconsin and Madison. Mohenjo-daro, which cannot be excavated because of its high water-table, has also been extensively studied and investigated by scholars.

Ropar, in any case, cannot compete with the highly developed and well-planned cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro. Besides, constraints of space will severely limit the excavation’s scope although the ASI has better technological tools compared with the 1950s.
source : www.telegraphindia.com

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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way

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HAIKU

ਰੋਪੜ -
ਖੋਦ ਰਹੇ ਪਰਤਾਂ
ਚਾਲੀ ਸਦੀਆਂ ਦੀਆਂ

Ropar-
digging up layers
of forty ceturies

Ropar is my native town.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has started digging up again a site in Ropar , Punjab, where the remains of the old civilisation were first seen in independent India, in 1953, but where excavations stopped in 1955. Ropar is a place where six cultural periods had thrived, from the Harappan period to the rule of the Guptas.
Archaeologists believe that the Harappans lived at the Ropar site till about 2,000 BC. Why and in what circumstances they left it remains a mystery.

Surmeet Maavi
Joys of Japan

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Related words

***** . Haiku from Punjab .

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Sassui Punhun folktale

2012-01-23T17:24:00.000-08:00

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Sassui Punhun - a folktale

***** Location: India
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

quote
Sassui Punhun
(Sindhi: سَسُئيِ پُنهوُن, Sassui Punhun, Punjabi: ਸੱਸੀ ਪੁੱਨੂੰ, Sassi Punnun, Urdu: سسی پنوں , Sassi Punnun);
is most famous folktale of love told in the length and breadth of Sindh, Pakistan. This tragic love story, woven around historically two neighbouring regions of Sindh and Balochistan, depicts a new social structure evolving in the primitive Sindh that does away with the class differences. The story is about a faithful wife who is ready to undergo all kinds of troubles that would come her way while seeking her beloved husband who was separated from her by the rivals.

The story also appears in Shah Jo Risalo and forms part of seven popular tragic romances from Sindh. The other six tales are Umar Marui, Sohni Mehar, Lilan Chanesar, Noori Jam Tamachi, Sorath Rai Diyach and Momal Rano commonly known as Seven heroines (Sindhi: ست سورميون ) of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai.

This tragic story becomes for Shah the parable of seeker on mystical path who undergoes all kinds of tribulations in the quest of God whom he will find,at the end of the road, in his own heart,and Sassui, roaming in the wilderness and talking to the beasts,becomes something like feminine counter part Majnun who, demented by his longing for Layla,is taken by the mystics of Persian and Turkish tradition as paragon of true lover.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way

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HAIKU

ਆਲੀਸ਼ਾਨ ਲਾਉੰਜ -
ਕੰਧ 'ਤੇ ਤਸਵੀਰ
ਥਲ ਵਿਚ ਸੱਸੀ ਦੀ

plushy lounge -
painting on the wall
of Sassi in the desert

Surmeet Maavi

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Related words

***** . Haiku from Punjab .

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Harike Wetland

2012-01-22T17:10:00.000-08:00

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Harike Wetland

***** Location: India
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Earth

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Explanation

quote
Harike Wetland also known as "Hari-ke-Pattan",
with the Harike Lake in the deeper part of it, is the largest wetland in northern India in the Tarn Taran Sahib district of the Punjab state in India. The wetland and the lake were formed by constructing the Head works across the Sutlej river, in 1953. The headworks is located downstream of the confluence of the Beas and Sutlej rivers.

The rich biodiversity of the wetland which plays a vital role in maintaining the precious hydrological balance in the catchment with its vast concentration of migratory fauna of waterfowls including a number of globally threatened species (stated to be next only to the Keoladeo National Park near Bharatpur) has been responsible for the recognition accorded to this wetland in 1990, by the Ramsar Convention, as one of the Ramasar sites in India, for conservation, development and preservation of the ecosystem.

This man-made, riverine, lacustrine wetland spreads in to the three districts of Amritsar, Ferozepur and Kapurthala in Punjab and covers an area of 4100 ha. Conservation of this Wetland has been given due importance, since 1987–88, both by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India and the Punjab State Government (through its several agencies), and over the years several studies and management programmes have been implemented.

The wetland was declared a bird sanctuary in 1982 and named as
Harike Pattan Bird Sanctuary.

The Indus dolphin (Platanista gangetica minor)
supposed to have become extinct in India after 1930, but largely found in the Indus river system in Pakistan, was recently sighted in the Beas River in Harike wetland area.

©　More and photos in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way

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HAIKU - TANKA

Harike Wetland -
emigratory birds
from east hustle
towards west
the river flows quietly

Surmeet Maavi

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Related words

***** . Haiku from Punjab .

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Phulkari embroidery

2012-01-21T17:34:00.000-08:00

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Phulkari embroidery - ਫੁੱਲਕਾਰੀ

***** Location: India
***** Season: Topic
***** Category:

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Explanation

quote
Phulkari, an embroidery technique from the Punjab in India and Pakistan literally means flower working, which was at one time used as the word for embroidery, but in time the word “Phulkari” became restricted to embroidered shawls and head scarfs. Simple and sparsely embroidered odini (head scarfs) and shawls, made for everyday use, are called Phulkaris, whereas garments that cover the entire body, made for special and ceremonial occasions, are known as Baghs ("garden").

The main characteristics of Phulkari embroidery are use of darn stitch on the wrong side of coarse cotton cloth with coloured silken thread. Punjabi women created innumerable alluring and interesting designs and patterns by their skilful manipulation of the darn stitch. The base khaddar cloth used in Western Punjab is finer from those of Central Punjab. Black/blue are not preferred in Western Punjab, whereas white is not used in East Punjab. In West Punjab, 2 or 3 pieces of cloth are first folded and joined together. In East Punjab, they are joined together first and then embroidered.

In Phulkari embroidery ornaments the cloth, whereas in Bagh, it entirely covers the garment so that the base cloth is not visible. The end portion of pallav of Phulkari have separate panels of exquisite workmanship of striking design.
...
No religious subject or darbar scenes were embroidered. Phulkari encompassed life in the villages.

©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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quote
Phulkari - The Traditional Embroidery of Punjab, India
The embroidery is very simple but the color combination, stitches and the pattern makes it look spectacular and gorgeous. It is created on all sorts of cloth and is used in various ways. Today phulkari is not only seen on garments but can also be seen on bed sheets, pillow covers, curtains, wall hangings etc.
source : www.indiamarks.com

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quote
A reference to phulkari in literature comes from Guru Nanak Devji
who wrote:

"Kadd kasidha paihren choli, tan tu jane nari"

only when you can embroider your own choli
with the embroidery stitch,
will you be accepted as a woman

source : www.lovechandigarh.com

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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way

. Embroidery in Japan .

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HAIKU

starlit night
she stitches phulkari
with silken threads

Dr. Sandip Sital Chauhan

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a slice of moon
peeps out of her phulkari veil --
marigold in a flower basket

bright wintry sun
the young girl embroiders baagh
silken thread sparkles

Hardilbagh Singh Gill

photo source :　ranaphulkari.com

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Related words

***** . Haiku from Punjab .

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Kahwah tea

2012-01-20T13:52:00.001-08:00

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Kahwah tea

***** Location: India
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

quote
Kahwah (also spelled qehwa, kehwa or kahwa)
(Hindi: क़हवा, Urdu: قہوہ)
is a traditional green tea recipe in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Kashmir Valley. It is made in the Kashmir Valley of India and Pakistan, the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and other provinces in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and other regions of Central Asia.

Origins
The Arabic word qahwah (قهوة) may have been the root for kahwah or kehwa. However, whereas qahwah is used for coffee beans, the BMC kehwa is a green aromatic tea.

Even though exact origins of kehwa are still unclear, most Kashmiris believe that the aromatic traditional drink kahwa dates back to times immemorial and has been a part of local consumption for ages. Certain sources also trace the origins of the drink to the Yarkand valley in Xinjiang Area (Areas of Kashmir & Xinjiang were part of the Kushan Empire during the 1st & 2nd century AD. It is likely that use of kehwa & its spread from one region to another was facilitated & popularised in these regions during the Kushan rule).
It is also used in Gujarat.

Preparation
The tea is made by boiling green tea leaves with saffron strands, cinnamon bark and cardamom pods and occasionally Kashmiri roses to add a great aroma.
Generally, it is served with sugar or honey, and crushed nuts, usually almonds or walnuts. Some varieties are made as a herbal infusion only, without the green tea leaves.

Traditionally, Kahwah or Kehwa is prepared in a brass kettle known as a samovar.
A samovar consists of a "fire-container" running as a central cavity, in which live coals are placed keeping the tea perpetually hot. Around the fire-container there is a space for water to boil and the tealeaves and other ingredients are mixed with the water for a perfect blend. Kehwa may also be made in normal pans and vessels, as modern day urban living may not always permit the use of elaborate samovars (or samavars, as they are popularly called in Kashmir)

Kahwah is usually served to guests or as part of a celebration dinner, and saffron (Kong) is added to the Kehwa for special visitors. It is often served in tiny, shallow cups. Kehwa in Kashmir is also commonly served after Wazwan and elaborate family dinners.

Sometimes milk is added to the kahwa, but this is generally given to the elderly or the sick.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Worldwide use

Japan

カフワ（グリーンティー）

. Cha 茶 Tea Tee Chai .

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Things found on the way

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HAIKU

breezy winter night -
after long walk
a hot cup of kahwa

Geetanjali Ahluwalia, Punjab

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after 30 years
he still prepares kahwah -
memories of India

Gabi Greve
my husband, a cultural anthropologist, travelled extensively in the region.

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Related words

***** . Haiku from Punjab .

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Sarovar - Sacred Pool

2012-01-19T20:16:00.000-08:00

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Sarovar - Sacred Pool

***** Location: India
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Earth, Humanity

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Explanation

The word sarovar may mean pond, pool, lake, or ocean. In Sikhism a sarovar refers to the sacred waters of a pool, or moat like tank, built around or close to gurdwara.

A sarovar may be:

•A square or rectangular open pool with steps descending into the water.
•A moat like structure completely or partially surrounding the gurdwara fed from a river or other water source.
•A covered tank or well beneath the ground.
•A fountain and pool.
•A trough.

The sarovars located at various gurdwaras were originally built for practical purposes including fresh water supply for cooking and bathing. In modern times the sarovars are used primarily by pilgrims for washing feet or for performing spiritual ablution known as isnaan.

The sacred waters of some sarovars are considered to have curative properties because of the continual prayers of Sikh scripture recited in the vicinity.

One of the most famous sarovars is a moat like structure completely surrounding the Golden Temple, Guruwara Harmandir Sahib, in Amritsar India.
The sarovar is fed by the River Ganges, known by locals as the Ganga.
source : sikhism.about.com

the Pool of Immortal Nectar
Golden Temple Sarovar Amritsar

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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way

Gurdwara - the Worship Place of Sikhs
Gurdwara means the "guru's door".
A gurdwara is the Sikh meeting place for worship. The members of the congregation, welcome all people to worship in the gurdwara regardless of caste, color, or creed.
source : sikhism.about.com

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HAIKU

bitter cold -
the sarovar sparkles
in the sun

Dr. Sandip Sital Chauhan

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Related words

***** . Harmandir Sahib - Golden Temple Amritsar .

***** . Pond, small lake (ike 池) .

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Golden Temple Amritsar

2012-01-19T09:38:00.000-08:00

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Golden Temple Amritsar

***** Location: Amritsar, India
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

The Harmandir Sahib
(Punjabi: ਹਰਿਮੰਦਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ also Darbar Sahib
(Punjabi: ਦਰਬਾਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ, IPA: [dəɾbɑɾ sɑhɪb]),
also referred to as the Golden Temple,

is a prominent Sikh gurdwara located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India. Construction of the gurdwara was begun by Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh Guru, and completed by his successor, Guru Arjan Dev. In 1604, Guru Arjan Dev completed the Adi Granth, the holy scripture of Sikhism, and installed it in the Gurdwara. In 1634, Guru Hargobind left Amritsar for the Shivalik Hills and for the remainder of the seventeenth century the city and gurdwara was in the hands of forces hostile to the Sikh Gurus.

During the eighteenth century, the Harmandir Sahib was the site of frequent fighting between the Sikhs on one side and either Mughal or Afghan forces on the other side and the gurdwara occasionally suffered damage. In the early nineteenth century, Maharaja Ranjit Singh secured the Punjab region from outside attack and covered the upper floors of the gurdwara with gold, which gives it its distinctive appearance and English name of "Golden Temple".
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way

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HAIKU

the Golden Temple -
its splendor emanates
in your haiku

Gabi Greve
January 2012

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stepping down
and turning back again -
a glimpse of the Golden Temple

Jasdeep Singh

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The Golden Temple -
a home to Sikh faith
& the pigeons

Manu Kant

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Related words

***** . Chuzon-Ji 中尊寺 Golden Temple in Japan .
Hiraizumi

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Pipal tree (Ficus religiosa)

2012-01-09T23:31:00.000-08:00

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Peepul Tree and Fruit

***** Location: India
***** Season: All Summer
***** Category: Plant

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Explanation

Pipal, Peepul, Peepal, Peepil or Bo tree (Ficus religiosa)

Pipal tree (Ficus religiosa), a native tree of India, held sacred by the Buddhists, who believe that Gautama Buddha received enlightenment under a Bo tree at Bodh Gaya.
The Bo tree attains great size and age; the leaves, which hang from long, flexible petioles, rustle in the slightest breeze.
Pipal is also spelled peepul or pipul. All parts of the Pipal tree, including roots, bark, leaf and fruit, are useful. The botanical classification of the Bo tree is:

Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Urticales
Family: Moraceae.

Description of the Plant: Large tree. Flower color red. Flowers in February. Fruits in May / June. Widely found in uplands and plain area.

Plant Parts Used: Root / Bark / Leaf / Fruit.
© http://www.haryana-online.com/Flora/pipal.htm

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Bodh Gaya was the place, under the pipal or Bo tree, where the Buddha was enlightened after practising meditation for several years.

Nirvana Ceremony (Nehan-E　涅槃会)
a kigo in Japan

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Worldwide use

Japan

figs, ichijiku　無花果
kigo for late autumn
　　
118 Japanese haiku about the fig, ichijiku　!!! 　

Fig called "Chinese Persimmon" toogaki 唐柿　とうがき
Click HERE for photos.

Japanese sweet with figs, hororoishi　ほろろいし
Click HERE for photos.

BONSAI
Willow Leaf Fig (Ficus salicifolia)

Click for more photos !

無花果を裂けばほどなく雨の音
ichijiku o sakeba hodonaku ame no oto

preparing a fig
and shortly thereafter
the sound of rain

Oki Takako (Ooki) 大木孝子

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Turkey　

Fig, Figs, Ficus carica

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Things found on the way

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HAIKU

smoldering heat
the peepul tree covered
with suspended gold plates

Kala Ramesh, India, September 2006

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Buddha meditating
under great Peepul tree
sheltering each other

Aju Mukhopadhyay, India, October 2006

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autumn leaves
a million sunsets
in my ficus

Vidur Jyoti, India, October 2007

sudden shower
whole sky in a puddle
under the peepal

sacred thread
going around the peepal
her shadow

Vidur Jyoti, India, November 2007

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Peepal - ਪਿੱਪਲ -पीपल

drowsy dew-trickle
down the peepal leaves
jal-trang on the tin-roof

Hardilbagh Singh Gill

Jal-trang is a musical instrument.
The Jal Tarang (Hindi: जल तरंग, Urdu: جل ترنگ), Jaltarang, Jal-tarang, Jal-yantra, Jalatarangam or Jalatharangam,
is an Indian melodic percussion instrument. It consists of a set of ceramic bowls tuned with water. The bowls are played by striking the edge with beaters, one in each hand.
Jal-tarang finds its first mention in Sangeet Parijaat.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Related words

***** Banyan Tree, Barh (Ficus bengalensis)

Banyan is viewed by Hindus as the male plant to the closely related peepul or bodhi tree (Ficus religiosa).

WKD : Banyan Tree

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Food from India

2012-01-05T18:32:00.000-08:00

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Food in India

***** Location: India
***** Season: Various, see below
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

Indian food, who would not remember the smell of curry in the air!
It varies a great deal from North to South and here we will explore same samples of it.
The list will grow as we go along. Please add your favorite dishes and haiku to this article.

As long as there is no other mention,
the food will be considered a non-seasonal topic for haiku.

Gabi Greve
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Quote from "http://www.food-india.com/"
Etiquette in Indian Restaurant

The basic etiquette for any restaurant is very similar such as leaving a nice tip for good service, and being courteous to your host. Many Indian restaurants are not very formal. Yes even those considered best (Indian restaurant are usually very similar). The etiquette for Indian (or any ethnic South Asian) restaurants might be little different from other restaurants.
Below I have provided some basic rules.

Do Not Ask for Beef or Pork:
Many Indians are either Hindus or Muslims. In Hinduism, the cow is considered a sacred animal so it cannot be eaten. Similarly, Muslims consider the pig to be a very filthy animal so it cannot be eaten. Most Indian restaurants do not serve any beef or pork products. Many restaurateurs might get offended if you ask for beef or pork, when you do not see it on the menu. If you see it on the menu, it is okay to ask.

However, both of those meats are not really an Indian specialty, so the safest bet for meat is chicken meat followed by lamb meat. Please also note that some Indian restaurants are purely vegetarian and do not serve any meat. Vegetarian restaurants are usually marked vegetarian from outside. Please do not offend a vegetarian owner by asking for meat.

If it is not wet or messy, it is okay to eat with hand:
Many Indian food such as naan (flat bread) can be enjoyed by eating with hand. The proper technique would be to break the bread, dip or take small piece of condiments such as chutney, or vegetable curry and eat it. So, it is perfectly fine to use your hands while eating. The basic rule of thumb is if you do not make a mess by eating something with your hands (such as liquid, grains of rice) it can be enjoyed with your hands if you wish.
The philosophy behind this is that eating is a very sensual thing and one should be able to enjoy eating with as many senses as possible – tasting, smelling, looking and touching.

Concept of ‘Jutha’:
’Jutha’ means something that came in contact with your mouth, your saliva or your plate (while eating). It is basically something that directly or indirectly came in contact with your saliva. It is considered very rude and unhygienic to offer someone else your ‘Jutha’ unless you are very close family, couple or close friend. So, avoid doing this if you are not sure how your other Indian diners feel about it.

Alcoholic Drinks:
Many Indian restaurants would not serve alcoholic drink. Even they serve alcohol, few restaurants have any range to choose from. Indians do not have any wine and dine culture, so best would be to go dry and try something like mango lassi for a refreshing alternative.

Paying Bill
For many Indians, when they invite you to a restaurant, it generally means they are the host and they are going to pay the bill. It however depends on the individual and nature of the invitation. Many Indians feel awkward asking new acquaintances or friends to ask for payment if they invited them. Even if they want to pay you, when offered money, they will say no at least once. So, please be double sure if they want to share.
Similarly, when you invite your Indian friend to Indian restaurant they might think you will be paying it. If you want to go dutch, rather than inviting them, just use words as “lets go Xyz” or “lets us both try Xyz”
http://www.food-india.com/indianCuisine/1001_1050/1014_Indian_Restaurants_Etiquette.htm

Find your favorite recipe here:
http://www.food-india.com/index/recipeIndex/index.htm

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Worldwide use

Japan

Curry Rice, or rather karee raisu カレーライス, it to be found everywhere.

WASHOKU
Curry (カレー, karee)

When I want to tease my Japanese friends asking about our stay in India, I tell them:
"We ate rice and curry for breakfast, curry and rice for lunch and later rice and curry for dinner."

Gabi Greve

Food of Japan, by Naomichi Ishige
A very detailes history of Japanese food !

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Things found on the way

Malai Koftha

Read the recipe here:
http://www.chennaionline.com/food/recipes/malaikoftha.asp

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HAIKU

Memories of a party
by Narayanan Raghunathan

confusing scents~
perfumes from paris fuse
with mughali cuisine

party accident~
malai koftha on
benaras silk

Malai Koftha is a North Indian delicasy prepared with vegetables cream and spices. To be eaten with roti, chappathy, poori etc. [Types of Indian wheat main-dishes.]

the feast over ~
flies take over
the residual worlds

neon lights~
farewells~a bird song
in the astral cover

... ... ...

Here is my story about Indian food.

One day in Bombay we went to a very elegant and expensive restaurant. The tables with white linnen, silver candle sticks, tea service of silver and crystal, flower vases highly decorated, delicate music in the background, all in the Great British Tradition.

A table was set with elegant plates and glasse and then a group of six businessmen came in to take their lunch. All in suits and neckties of the latest fashion, elegant shoes, attachee cases, Rolex watches, you name it, the expensive crew...

They sat down and their meal came.
So, they pushed up the sleeves of their right arm just a little and started to partake <> with the fingers of the right hand, as is the old Indian tradition. (The left hand serves quite a different purpose, once the meal is digested.)

After the meal they were served water in a crystal glass bowl with silver lining each, a sliver of lemon in the water to wash the hands and the finest linnen towles to dry.

My husband and I at the table next to this elegant finger eaters could not help but smile at the power of assimilating certain things and keeping others of the own tradition, and then we eat with our fingers too .... mjami!

I am sure I will prepare a memory curry today!

Gabi Greve

... ... ...

Yes Gabi san,
Indian food is more conveniently eatenwith the fingers.
Eating paratha with a fork and knife is not easy!!

Narayanan Raghunathan

... ... ...

In Kenya too, fingers are best (and are so skilled...!), and spoons are used a lot. Knives and forks hardly ever make an appearance. And I too, having lived in Kenya (and having tasted Japan...) use just one knife, for cutting up things in the kitchen -- then eat with chopsticks, hands and spoons as the case (and the food!) may be.
Which sometimes poses a problem when friends drop in and I cannot find the forks...

laotian ebony --
everyday tableware
in belgium

An Irish friend who had lived in Cambodia, gave me two sets of simple Laotian ebony chopsticks, when I returned to live here in 2000 and found it hard to get back to European cutlery. Little did she think that I would be using them, day by day, year after year, from then on... No doubt they are quite rare and precious now -- ebony must be under protection...

And Narayanan san, we have chapatis in Kenya, samosas, biryani,bhajia, masala tea -- all of them made Kenyan style, a bit different from Indian style -- and all of them excellent nevertheless!

Isabelle Prondzynski

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rural open kitchen
grinding chutney
a scarlet scarf

Harvinder Dhaliwal, Punjab

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Related words

***** . Rice Vrihi (Oryza sativa) .

***** . Papad Bread .
papadam, poppadom, papadum, and appalam

***** Hot Drinks, a List

. The Spices of India .

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WASHOKU ... Japanese Food SAIJIKI

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Towns of India

2012-01-03T17:55:00.000-08:00

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Towns of India

***** Location: India
***** Season: Non-seasonal topics
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

Names of towns can be used as topics for haiku.

Utamakura, place names used in Haiku

Placenames and Haiku / WKD LIST

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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way

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HAIKU

Parimala Rao :

Sundown…
The hillock temple bell echoes
The peace of Chamundi*

*Goddess on a lion - slayer of a demon called Mahisasura.
More details here .

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Flying through the smog,
Birds on a green pilgrimage
Congregate at the Lalbagh*

*Lalbagh- historic botanical garden of Bangalore

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Malini Gargeshwari :

On the somaari katte*,
Retired men discuss
Their sons’ hi-tech jobs

*Somaari Kattes of Mysore – literally benches (Katte) for the lazy (Somaari). Stone benches in public spaces where people (usually older people) gather to chat and watch the city buzz. An entertaining essay on the somaari katte is here.
Mysore is also known as ‘Pensioners Paradise’

To smell the jasmine coils
At the stall by the garbage,
She bends closer

Roadside flower stalls are very common in India and in the south Indian cities like Bangalore, Chennai etc., a very popular flower is the jasmine that is woven into long strands sold by an arm’s length and arranged in coiled pyramids.
These flowers are carried in baskets by vendors on foot or small make-shift stalls can be found anywhere – on the sidewalk, bus stands, street corners etc. Picture1, picture 2

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Hardwar
Hardwar is a composite of 2 words
Hari (God) and Dwar (Gateway) - so it literally means Gateway to the Gods.

A million lit-up hopes
On a journey to the divine –
Ganga arati*

*Ganga arati -
The most sacred river of India is the Ganges, which Hindus literally believe flows from heaven to earth for the purification of all whom its waters touch. To the Hindu the Ganges is divinity in the form of a river. Originating high in the Himalayan mountain range, the Ganges emerges on the Indian plains at the holy city of Hardwar. Every night at about 6:00 p.m. there is worship (arati) of the Ganga here. The arati-worship consists of an elaborate ritual of offering large and small lamps to the Ganges accompanied by the loud banging of ceremonial gongs, the playing of musical instruments and the singing of hymns in praise of the Ganges.

INDIA SAIJIKI : Ganges

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coal dust wafts in the air-
Asansol with mines, industries;
busy in turmoil.

. . . CLICK here for Asansol Photos !

sea bound Contai;
smell of fish wafts in the air-
busy fish mongers, tourists-

. . . CLICK here for Contai information !

Outcasts' sing-song life;
Leapers in hilly hot Sambalpur-
Under the tree.

. . . CLICK here for Sambalpur Photos !

Aju Mukhopadhyay, 2008

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skyless city lanes
struggling to walk out
into the horizon

Raju Samal, Mumbai, June 2008

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Related words

***** . Amritsar and the Golden Temple .

***** . Benares - Varanasi .

***** . Bombay, Mumbai .

***** . Delhi, Old Delhi, New Delhi .

and more ... INDIA SAIJIKI

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THE INDIA SAIJIKI

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Himalaya

2012-01-01T22:21:00.000-08:00

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Himalaya Mountains

***** Location: Indian Subcontinent
***** Season: Non-seasonal Topic
***** Category: Earth

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Explanation

The majestic Himalayan Mountains!

I hope we will collect a lot of haiku about them!

Gabi Greve

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MCLEOUD GANJ:
This village hangs on a mountain ridge over the city of Dharamsala, far in north India, in the foothills of the Himalayas. It is beautiful, cool, and as the center of the Tibetan Government in Exile a constant source of travelers, tourists, and those on religious sojourn. Above it are enclaves of beautiful town homes and villas that are reminiscent of Switzerland. It is a perfect place for your “mountain retreat home.”
http://www.bootheglobalperspectives.com/article.asp?IDarticle=14

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The pride of every Indian – the dream of every trekker – the great Himalayas has kindled our imagination in every possible way - in all art forms.
Rishikesh, Bandrinath, Kedarnath, Manasa Sarovar, Mt. Kailash, Nanda Devi and other holy places, deeply embedded in India’s heart-beat are situated in these great mountains.

India is a land of stories - Katha . . . which is evident in our epics - Ramayana and the Mahabharata. As children we have grown up on these tales of heroism and valour …. of fantasy and family bondage.

Kala Ramesh

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Peaks of Punjab Himalaya

Punjab is a region in South Asia shared by India and Pakistan. Most of the Punjab is an alluvial plain, bounded by mountains to the North. The high peaks are accessible from Rawalpindi, Pakistan or from Srinagar, India. Srinagar is the capital city of Jammu and Kashmir, which has long been a popular resort area because of its relatively temperate climate in an otherwise torrid region. The highest peaks of this region are Nanga Parbat (26658 ft./8125 m) and the towering twin summits of Nunkun.

•Gumburanjo - 17388 ft./5300 m.
•Lal Qil'ah - 20830 ft./6349 m.
•Leo Pargial - 22362 ft./6816 m.
•Mount Debachen - 20554 ft./6265 m.
•Mun Peak - 15256 ft./4650 m.
•Nanga Parbat - 26658 ft./8125 m.
•Nun Kun - 23410 ft./7135 m.
source : www.peakware.com

. India Saijiki : Punjab INTRODUCTION .

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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way

A Haibun by Kala Ramesh
August 2006

SUMMER SNOW

caught unaware-
the thickness of rain
on the road

I see her pack the bare minimum . . . "I don't need more, Ma," she says emphatically. "I need to carry that load, you understand?"

It's a Himalayan trek of 12 days; you need to take some medicines-- some energy food. What do you think the organizers will provide?

She keeps packing--almost nothing

I get a call from her from the base camp at Kulu Manali. In spite of bad connectivity, I can sense her excitement. She's at 4,500 ft. "It's tough; I hope I have the will-power," she says haltingly.

Next, she calls from 11,000 ft. "Ma, I'm holding snow in my hands."
"Ho!" She says casually, "It's just like our freezer box!"

She calls from 13, 500 ft. "Ma, we've reached Saurkundi Pass. From here I can see the highest peak of the Himalayas. I've climbed 13,500 ft. above sea level, Ma. It's snow everywhere."

She calls from 8,000 ft. "Ma, we slid down the snow. It was such fun that five of us climbed up again to slide down once more!"

I see the great Himalayas through her eyes.

mango moon--
a squirrel's half eaten fruit
nestles in the earth

First appeared in Simply Haiku - Autumn 06

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HAIKU

whiff of clouds
in my morning tea ~
Himalayan summer

Himalayan valley ~
another mountain grows
autumn clouds ~

Narayanan Raghunathan

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Himalayan peaks
Jagged, smooth, twinned, all unique.
Like people who trek.

Read a great photo journal about a Himalaya trip
by Karen Rusiniak
http://www.mtsobek.com/features/Himalaya/p_journals/t_bhutan/photoJournal2.htm

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great mountains . . .
stand in lofty heights
alone

Kala Ramesh

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Himalayan Foothills -
the Dalai Lama
within hand's reach

Gabi Greve, McLeoud Ganj, 1979
(at the performance of the Tibetan opera in his honour, when we had the opportunity to sit just one row below His Holiness.)

prayer flags
in thin air
trembling lips in worship

prayer wheels
in wrinkled hands -
Himalayan bus ride

Parts of the Indian Himalaya are inhabited by Tibetan tribes, for example Ladakh and Lahaul.
I remember a pass of more than 5000 meters, climbed slowly by a weak old bus full of local people with prayer wheels ratteling ... and we all made it safely down to the other side of the moon ...

Gabi Greve, Keylong, November 1979

Keylong is located on a fertile plain and is a place to break the journey from Leh to Manali. Keylong is the capital of Lahaul & Spiti.
http://www.indyahills.com/hp/lahaulspiti.html

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falling snow flakes
ready to melt
in my open arms

© Photo and Haiku : N.K.SINGH, India, 2006

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Haiku about Ladakh

Pacsoo's haibun ON TOP OF THE WORLD, where the writer ends a brilliant piece of sustained prose about a visit to Ladakh with the following haiku:

Flour blows where we
can't go towards mountains
which guard Tibet

http://home.clara.net/nhi/mg0084.htm

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This one was born during a trip in Ladakh:

temple drums
small children play
with a bottle

Andrea
http://tinywords.com/haiku/2006/08/30/?comments=all

Festivals in Ladakh, all are KIGO
The Ladakh Times 　

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Haiku about Mount Kailash

Mount Kailash (also Mount Kailas) is a peak in the Gangdisê Mountains, which are part of the Trans-Himalayas in Tibet, it is considered to be the abode of Lord Shiva and a place of eternal bliss.
The mountain lies near Lake Manasarowar and Lake Rakshastal in Tibet.

Kaila..aa..ash
in the eternal silence
whispers wind

Sarbjot Singh Behl

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Related words

***** Ganges, the Holy River Ganga flowing down from the Himalaya

***** Prayer Flags, a Haiku Topic

***** Himalayan Bearded Vulture chicks India
Gypaetus barbatus aureus

***** Sierra Nevada, North America

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Contributions - INDIA SAIJIKI

2012-01-01T00:48:00.000-08:00

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Contributions for the India Saijiki

Please add your submissions as a comment!
I will pick them up from there.

Gabi Greve

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THE INDIA SAIJIKI PROJECT

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Lingam

2010-10-21T17:31:00.000-07:00

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Lingam

***** Location: India
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

The Lingam (also, Linga, Ling, Shiva linga, Shiv ling,
Sanskrit लिङ्गं liṅgaṃ, meaning "mark" or "sign")
is a representation of the Hindu deity Shiva used for worship in temples. The lingam is often represented with the Yoni, a symbol of the goddess or of Shakti, female creative energy. The union of lingam and yoni represents the "indivisible two-in-oneness of male and female, the passive space and active time from which all life originates". A complementary theory suggests that the Lingam represents the beginningless and endless Stambha pillar, symbolizing the infinite nature of Shiva.

The Lingam has been interpreted by some Western scholars as a symbol of male creative energy or as a phallic symbol. However, to practising Hindus the Lingam represents the inseparability of the male and female principles and the totality of creation.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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The Lingam is a stone with an oval shape and it represents the abstract form of God.
During Maha Shiva Raatri, Hindus in Trinidad observe fasting.
They abstain from eating and drinking forbidden foods and they will make all the necessary preparations for the Pooja which begins at sunset.

WKD : Shiva Ratri Day / Night

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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way

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HAIKU

cold winter night -
humans celebrate
the divine erection

Gabi Greve

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Climbing high through
rough pathways and stony cold--
the melting lingam

. Sequence by R.K.SINGH

Searches thorn apples
to propitiate lingam:
snake in sanctum

R.K.SINGH

“Lingam” is well contrasted with snake. It is a phallic image that stands for the divine power and creation. In both the haiku, snake is in coiled position which in Japanese is termed as “Toguro O maku”.

By Rajni Singh, India

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Related words

***** . Faith and Prayer in Haiku .

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P K Padhy

2010-09-03T18:47:00.000-07:00

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Pravat Kumar Padhy, India

Born in India, professionally a Petroleum Geologist, poems widely published and anthologized. Literary work referred in Spectrum History of Indian Literature in English, Alienation in Contemporary Indian English Poetry etc. Short Poems, Haiku and Tanka appeared in number of literary journals (both print and web) in USA, UK,Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Africa including World Haiku Review, LYNX, Akita International Haiku Network, Poetry Pages, The Notes From the Gean, The Four Seasons of Haiku, Poetbay, Dreamer’s Reality, Anglo-Japanese Society (Tanka Online), Ambrosia, Sketchbook , Atlas Poetica and others.
A short write-up on haiku appeared on Blogging Along Tobacco Road.

P K Padhy BLOG

http://pkpadhy.blogspot.com/2010/01/pearls-of-word.html

Akita International Haiku Network
3.11 Haiku from P K Padhy, India / 2011/10/22

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creation is mystical
vast value of life
compressed in a seed

World Haiku Review, vol. 7,Issue 2, August, 2009

Dog is misspelled
the child discovered
the Great

LYNX-Aha Poetry, XXV:1 February, 2010

desert land
measuring sand dune height
a lone lizard

The Notes From the Gean, Vol.2, Issue 1,June 2010

petals smile
honey reaches hives
bees muse

The Writer’s Literary Muse, Vol.1, Issue 1, June 2010

rainy day
mud escapes
between toes

Ambrosia, Journal of Fine Haiku, Issue 5, Summer 2010

fruit seller
returns with light weight
late evening

Sketchbook, July-August, 2010

merry time
children in the open ground
collecting rain

Kokako – 13 (In Press)

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crow sails
on the rhino’s back
a new journey

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frogs--
colour jumps
across the pond

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drenched hair
musing her impression
first rain

The Four Seasons of Haiku, Spring, 2010

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winter clouds
warmth of coffee cup
all squeeze closely

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early dawn hour
a gap in the milky way
first tooth fall

The Four Seasons of Haiku, Winter, 2010

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proudly declares
a lonely leaf on top of the tree
it’s still alive

Akita International Haiku Network, January, 2009

sudden wind
falling leaves meet
in one corner

Berry Blue Haiku, September, 2010 (In Press)

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Haiku Poets from India

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Marathi New Year's Day

2010-05-07T18:24:00.000-07:00

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Marathi New Year's Day

***** Location: India
***** Season: Spring
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

The Hindu (Indian) calendar as a whole is based on the phases of the moon (lunar calendar). Traditionally it is called chandramana. However some of the Indian states celebrate according to the solar calendar.
Ugadi (Telugu) or Yugadi (Kannada) or gudipadva (Marathi) is the new year day of those ethnicities of India who celebrate the new year according to lunar calendar.
(UGADI : literally - the start of an era).

On this day in Telugu households Ugadi Pachadi, a traditional cuisine consisting of mango, dried neem petals , jaggery, tamarind, a bit of salt and one or two chillies is prepared. It is first offered to God and then taken as Prasad (sacred offering). It has all the six traditional tastes (shdrasas) in it. This reinforces the fact that life is an amalgam of a variety of tastes (experiences) and one has to take it in one’s stride.

The first month of the traditional new year is chaithra. Ugadi signifies the arrival of Vasantha Ritu (Spring season) the first of the six prime seasons in the traditional Indian calendar. The season is also famous for the “sonnets” of the cuckoos. On this day In the house holds and in the Temples and other holy gatherings the recital and narration of the traditional almanac (Panchagam ) is done. This ceremony is called “Panchaga Sravanam”. People crave to know about their rasi phalam (Fore cast based on traditional zodiac signs) for that year. Children wear new clothes and take the blessings of the elders.

This is the season when Jasmines start blossoming. With the taste of raw mangos enticing you and the flavours of Jasmine enchanting you, this festival ushers in tenderness and freshness. It is the most inspiring season for the poets too. Even a lay man turns into a poet. Believe me the festival is a delightful indulgence. No need to say, verses written eulogising the festival are as beautiful as the festival itself.
source : in.ygoy.com/

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Things found on the way

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HAIKU

sunset . . .
the cuckoo repeats
his morning song

Kala Ramesh
2010

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Gudi Padwa . . .
her new sari with
the yellow border

Gabi Greve, 2010

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Related words

***** Andhra festival and "Ugadi"

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- BHUTAN . . SAIJIKI

2010-03-30T09:02:00.000-07:00

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BHUTAN SAIJIKI

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The Dragon's Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan
Daruma Museum Feature
February 2008

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Thimphu
became a town in 1961 and grew as the capital of Bhutan. Before 1960, Thimphu was a small settlement but was developed by the King Jigme Dorje Wangchuk to replace the ancient capital of Punakha.
Thimphu features a monsoon-influenced subtropical highland climate with mild summers and relatively cool winters.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Climate

The cilimate of Bhutan is affected by monsoons that bring between 60 and 90 percent of the region's rainfall. The climate is humid and subtropical in the southern plains and foothills, temperate in the inner Himalayan valleys of the southern and central regions, and cold in the north, with year-round snow on the main Himalayan summits.

Temperatures vary according to elevation. Temperatures in Thimphu, located at 2,200 meters above sea level in west-central Bhutan, range from approximately 15ｰ C to 26ｰ C during the monsoon season of June through September but drop to between about -4ｰ C and 16ｰ C in January. Most of the central portion of the country experiences a cool, temperate climate yearround . In the south, a hot, humid climate helps maintain a fairly even temperature range of between 15ｰ C and 30ｰ C year-round, although temperatures sometimes reach 40ｰ C in the valleys during the summer.

Annual precipitation ranges widely in various parts of the country. In the severe climate of the north, there is only about forty millimeters of annual precipitation-- primarily snow. In the temperate central regions, a yearly average of around 1,000 millimeters is more common, and 7,800 millimeters per year has been registered at some locations in the humid, subtropical south, ensuring the thick tropical forest, or savanna. Thimphu experiences dry winter months (December through February) and almost no precipitation until March, when rainfall averages 20 millimeters a month and increases steadily thereafter to a high of 220 millimeters in August for a total annual rainfall of nearly 650 millimeters.

Bhutan's generally dry spring starts in early March and lasts until mid-April.
Summer weather commences in mid-April with occasional showers and continues through the premonsoon rains of late June.
The summer monsoon lasts from late June through late September with heavy rains from the southwest. The monsoon weather, blocked from its northward progress by the Himalayas, brings heavy rains, high humidity, flash floods and landslides, and numerous misty, overcast days.
Autumn, from late September or early October to late November, follows the rainy season. It is characterized by bright, sunny days and some early snowfalls at higher elevations.
From late November until March, winter sets in, with frost throughout much of the country and snowfall common above elevations of 3,000 meters.
The winter northeast monsoon brings gale-force winds down through high mountain passes, giving Bhutan its name-- Drukyul, which in the Dzongkha language means
Land of the Thunder Dragon.

source : countrystudies.us

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. WKD : Festivals of Bhutan . 　
They are all KIGO.

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external LINKS

The National Library of Bhutan, NLB
The NLB also has an impressive Collection of about 4.000 English Books.

Bhutan Portal : Google

Plants of Bhutan

Animals of Bhutan

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under construction

kigo for spring

. black neck cranes

Bulbul bird

march wind

ploughmen

rhododendron

Tsechu Spring Festival

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haiku TOPICS for Bhutan

Butter lamps, butterlamps

. Dochula Pass (3200m) 　Dochu La

. donations 　

. prayer wheel, prayer wheels 　

. raven (jarog)

. rice terrace, rice terraces 　

. Tshechu Festivals / Tsechu 　

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....................... Haiku Poets from Bhutan

. Sonam Chhoki 　

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Deer Park Haiku Thimphu

The wind
Billows
The silhouette of the tree

Namgay Wangchuk (Thimphu)

Driving down the lane
On a chilly rainy day
Wet men on the bike

Kinley Tshering (Thimphu)

Sang wish you were here
in a cold full moon night
My camera is at home

Neten Chhetri (Thimphu)

Haiku BLOG
http://www.deerparkthimphu.org/blog/

http://www.deerparkthimphu.org/

Jigme Tenzin (Thimphu)
Karma CW (Thimphu)
KK Dorji ( Thimphu)
Noam Lemish (Thimphu)
Sherab Jamtsho (Thimphu)
Tashi Gyeltshen (Thimphu)
Tshering Dolkar (Thimphu)

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Haiku Expeditions in Bhutan

Tandin has been guiding folks for over 13 years and has an intimate knowledge of the land and its culture.
Haiku Expeditions Com

Some Haiku from the trip in 2003

suspended
between heaven and earth
takstang monastery

how precise
thangka measurements
little did i know

after tea
betelnut and paan
cat prowls for meat

Read more and look at the marvellous photos !

© Sanjay Rajan 2002-2006

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Inspiration from the people of Bhutan

We all remember!
“Land of the Thunder Dragon”
Our cost of freedom!

© 2001 Manes Pierre
http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewpoetry.asp?AuthorID=22622&id=143191

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Prayer Flags in Bhutan

moving wind
mowing flag
moving mind

Two monks were arguing about the temple flag waving in the wind.
One said: "The flag moves."
The other said: "The wind moves."
They argued back and forth but could not agree. Hui-neng, the Sixth Patriarch, said: "Gentlemen!

It is not the flag that moves.
It is not the wind that moves.
It is your mind that moves."

- Zen Koan
http://www.thewordproject.com/1flag.htm

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Related words

***** Haiku in Nepal

***** ... ... The Haiku Scene in India

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. BHUTAN SAIJIKI . 　

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Bhutan ... Festivals

2010-03-29T21:12:00.000-07:00

Sonam Chhoki

2010-03-28T02:34:00.000-07:00

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Sonam Chhoki

autumn rain
no more
the 'lark ascends'

leg in plaster
I listen
to 'Through the Night'

so many
nights of Radio Three
leg in plaster

leg in plaster
through the open window
how loudly the birds sing

I meet
JS Bach
in dreams

source : www.bbc.co.uk, 2008

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rice terraces
the cries of ploughmen
all day

long past midnight
prayer wheels creak
March wind

still bare hills
and freshly ploughed fields
in the spring sun

o o o o o o o o o o

in Tsechu masks of gods
monks swirl and leap
a toddler yawns

Tsechu Spring Festival

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***** . BHUTAN SAIJIKI 　

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Tsechu Spring Festival

2010-03-20T20:52:00.000-07:00

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BHUTAN SAIJIKI

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Tsechu Spring Festival

***** Location: Bhutan
***** Season: Spring
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

Tsechu
celebrates the life of Guru Padmashambhava also known as Guru Rimpoche. It is based on his hagiography which recounts that on the 10th day of the lunar month important events of his life occured. But the Tsechu is not an every 10th day of the lunar month event.
It is a seasonal event and different valleys have either a spring, autumn or winter Tsechu.

Sonam Chhoki 　

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Tsechu (literally "day ten")
are annual religious Bhutanese festivals held in each district or dzongkhag of Bhutan on the tenth day of a month of the lunar Tibetan calendar. The month depends on the place, but usually is around the time of October. Tsechus are religious festivals of Drukpa Buddhism.
The Thimphu tsechu and tha Paro tsechu are among the biggest of the tsechus in terms of participation and audience. Tsechus are large social gatherings, which perform the function of social bonding among people of remote and spread-out villages. Large markets also congregate at the fair locations, leading to brisk commerce.

The focal point of the tsechus are the sacred Cham Dances, which are banned in neighbouring Tibet.These costumed, masked dances typically are moral vignettes, or based on incidents from the life of the 9th century Nyingmapa teacher Padmasambhava and other saints.

Most tshechus also feature the unfurling of a thongdrel (or thangka) - a large tapestry typically depicting a seated Guru Rinpoche surrounded by holy beings, the mere viewing of which is said to cleanse the viewer of sin. The thongdrel is unrolled before dawn and rolled up by morning.

Padmasambhava, the great Nyingmapa scholar, visited Tibet and Bhutan in the 8th century and 9th century. He used to convert opponents of Buddhism by performing rites, reciting mantras and finally performing a dance of subjugation to conquer local spirits and gods. He visited Bhutan to aid the dying king Sindhu Raja.
Padmasambhava performed a series of such dances in the Bumthang valley to restore the health of the king. The grateful king helped spread Buddhism in Bhutan. Padmasambhava organized the first tsechu in Bumthang, where the eight manifestations of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava being the human form) were presented through eight forms of dances. These became the Chams depicting the glory of Padmasambhava.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Paro Bhutan Festival Tour
Bhutan Spring Festival Tour

Paro Festival Tour is one of the crowded and popular festivals in Bhutan with its unique unfurling of the world’s biggest Thangka or Thongdrol ceremony. The pageantry is a unique experience and quite unlike anything you have ever seen before. The unfolding of the silk Thangka - which is so large that it covers the face of the building -is considered one of the most sacred blessings in the whole of Bhutan.

The 'Thangka' is a religious picture scroll known as a Thongdroel and it is exhibited for a few hours, at day break of the final day of the festival, enabling the people to obtain its blessing. This holy scroll 'confers liberation by the mere sight of it' (the meaning of the word 'thongdroel' in Bhutanese). This festival is held once a year so it is also the time for Bhutanese to come dressed-up in their finest colorful costumes to socialize and make merry.

This is not an event organized for tourist; it is an event that has been happening for centuries. You may get the attention of the Atchara(clown), Bhutan people won’t stare at you like elsewhere. Events inside Paro Rimpung Dzong commence with monks performing Shingje Yab yum, the dance of Death (Shingje) and his consort. This is followed by Durdag, the dance of the lords of the creation grounds, then Shanag, dance of the black hats, Drametse Ngadham, the dance of the druk from Dramtse, De Gye Mang Cham, the dance of the eight kinds of spirits and finally Chhoeshey,a religious song are also Zhungdra and Boedra dances performed by the Dzongkhag’s dancers.

source : www.bhutanvisitors.com

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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way

Padmasambhava

Padma Sambhava, Nagarjuna, Milarepa . . .
. The Flying Mystics of Tibetan Buddhism

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HAIKU

monks swirl and leap
in Tsechu masks of gods . . .
a toddler yawns

Sonam Chhoki
Spring 2010

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Related words

. Festivals of Bhutan . 　

***** BHUTAN SAIJIKI

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Rhododendron

2010-03-18T17:55:00.000-07:00

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BHUTAN SAIJIKI

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Rhododendron

***** Location: Bhutan
***** Season: Summer
***** Category: Plant

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Explanation

Bhutan has been described as a botanical paradise, and is perhaps the most unspoiled example of the fast-disappearing Himalayan ecology. Amongst this wealth of flora is
Bhutan’s national flower – the Rhododendron.
These “tree” rhododendrons are forest dwellers that grow at high altitudes. They grow to large sizes, largely as a result of the abundant moisture available to them and will not flower for at least 20 years. Their optimum form is reached at around 50 years.

From early March when the first rhododendrons begin to bloom in Bhutan, the amazing colours of R. barbatum, R. niveum and R. dalhousiae are quite stunning.
Along with perhaps the best known of tree rhododendrons R. arboretum, the enormous R. grande and the delicate R. glaucophyllum, Bhutan Post has captured only six of the estimated 54 varieties of this species found in Bhutan.

These six however are truly representative of this magnificent flowering plant and Bhutan Post is proud to highlight them in this stamp issue.
source : www.bhutanpost.com.bt

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. . . CLICK here for Rhododendron Photos !

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Worldwide use

Japan

. Rhododendron (shakunage)
Azalea (tsutsuji) 　

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Things found on the way

Dochula Pass (3200m)
The pass is marked by 108 chortens (Stupa), the Druk Wangyal Khangzang Chhortens.
It is about 30 km away from Thimphu, leading toward central Bhutan, Punakha and Wandgi.
There are also many prayer flags on the pass.

. . . CLICK here for more Photos !

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HAIKU

Dochula pass -
smell of rhododendron
after the rain

Sonam Chhoki

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***** BHUTAN SAIJIKI

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Short Verse Delight

2010-03-06T17:23:00.000-08:00

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Short Verse Delight
Aju Mukhopadhyay.

Prasoon Publishers, 168 Swapnil House, Housing Board Colony, Sec-7 Extn., Gurgaon 122001 (Haryana), India.
2010. 64 pp. ISBN: 978-93-81032-01-5.

Reviewed by Patricia Prime

This is Aju Mukhopadhyay’s seventh book of poems in English and second of this variety of haiku, tanka and relevant essays.

The book opens with twenty-five pages of haiku. It contains several haiku that are “personal” rather than “particular”: the writer is positioned as subject/object, and this makes it difficult for the reader to enter those poems from anything other than the writer’s perspective. Many of the haiku contain first person subject or object pronouns or possessive adjectives:

Many hued winged dreams
Flash in the garden of my heart;
Myriad butterflies

You go
I stay
We live apart.

Very few poets can use pronouns and still leave the haiku open to the reader.

That said, there is a lot of variety in Mukhopadhyay’s haiku and, of course, some are interesting. The sequencing of this section as a whole is good and although the pauses are predominately after the first lines, because he varies the second two lines, there is no sense of repetition in terms of rhythm:

a round leaf
twirling in space for long
fall it must

lake water
wind whipped waves sparkle in the Sun –
squirrel stops to see

The use of capital letters is unnecessary and often a distraction in some haiku; some of the parallel phrases do not quite work, and some examples of experimenting with language do not appear to be organic to the content:

wasps buzz
in the heart of the lotus
usurpers be aware

with its offering abundant
dream spring recurs every year –
how can the haggard welcome it?

Other haiku read more as statements of fact and do not have the kigo (season word), nor kiriji (cutting word) necessary for a good haiku.

riding on the
wings of eternity,
we dwell on earth

Bridges of hope and
Despair across life’s curved path;
We cross them to live.

But there are many haiku that ring true:

A crane flies
ahead of others –
dividing the sky

a shy girl –
jasmine buds open
slowly in twilight

In the tanka section, Mukhopadhyay uses a restrained voice, clearly vigorous and talented but persuaded by the virtues and the power of calmness:

along the lakes and dales
walks the poet –
calm and serene Cambria;
an osprey swiftly dives in
and lifts a prey in its talons

field after fields
dykes with stubs
harvest over;
silver moonlight focuses on rats –
under the autumn sky

Mukhopadhyay revels in simplicity, connecting small moments of perception and experience to wider feeling, even philosophical statement, without needing to editoralise. The poems speak a clear, passionate language of acceptance:

those rosy cheeks
benevolent eyes
how many times I see
waking and in dreams –
my neighbour she is!

golden clouds
drifting toward the sea
merge with the eternal blue,
impromptu;
souls absorbed in Tao.

In these tanka, Mukhopadhyay demonstrates control of his material, mood, subject matter and situation, and perfect modulation of tone. He inhabits the world clearly and cleanly, engaging in traditional and modern dimensions with equal ease.

The four essays are entitled
“The Wonderful World of Dazzling Short Verses,”
“Introducing Haiku in India Tagore wrote Haiku like short poems,”
“Was Rabrindranath influenced by the short poems of Nishikanta?” and
“Finite or Infinite: A Haiku Point.”

In these essays, Mukhopadhyay writes of his creative ideas, the place of the Japanese short forms of poetry in the modern world, the introduction of tanka to India by Rabindranath Tagore and recent trends in writing haiku.

http://ajumukhopadhyaycom.blogspot.com/2010/12/short-verse-delight.html

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. Aju Mukhopadhyay 　　

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Birds of Bhutan

2010-03-02T19:23:00.000-08:00

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Birds of Bhutan

***** Location: Bhutan
***** Season: Various, see below
***** Category: Animals

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Explanation

Nestling in the eastern Himalaya, the kingdom of Bhutan is a land locked country with an approximate area of 47000 square kilometers. Its unique location along with altitude and climatic variations attribute to the tremendous diversity of flora/fauna to be found within its boundaries. Within its physical and biological diversities and with over 70% forest cover, Bhutan has some of the best remaining representative samples of the unique Himalayan eco- system.

The vegetation varies dramatically over short distance, ranging from tropical broadleaf to temperate conifer forests, to alpine shrubs and meadows. In addition, a rich assortment of medicinal herbs dot all over the country as do over 600 species of rhododendron.

These forests provide habitats for a variety of faunal species such as tigers, elephants, greater one horned rhinoceros, golden langur, blue sheep, musk deer, wolves, leopards, takins and a host of other creatures, many of which are listed as threatened or endangered.

The National Bird - THE RAVEN
(Corvus Corax Tibetanus)
Local name: Jarog

source
http://www.tourbhutantravel.com/bhutan_bird_watching.html

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. . raven (jarog) 　

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kigo for spring

Black-necked Crane, Grus nigricollis
also called Tibetan Crane
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

on the wings
of black neck cranes
last snow

This year these birds which migrate to the Tibetan plateau for nesting have delayed their flight.
This haiku is for April 2010.

Sonam Chhoki 　

Black necked Crane winter migration to Bhutan.
The places they migrated to Bhutan are:

1) Phobjikha, Khotokha
2) Gyetsa, and Thangbi.
3) Bomdling

How this majestic bird “THRUNG THRUNG KARM’” to descend from the lofty Tibetan plateau and spend their winter in Bhutan.
http://www.tourbhutantravel.com/bhutan_bird_watching.html

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Worldwide use

. crane, tsuru 鶴　
Japan

. WKD : THE BIRD SAIJIKI

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Things found on the way

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HAIKU

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Related words

. WKD : THE BIRD SAIJIKI

***** BHUTAN SAIJIKI

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Bikaner Festival

2010-02-27T21:18:00.000-08:00

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Bikaner Festival

***** Location: India, Rajastan
***** Season: Winter
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

Bikaner Festival
is celebrated in the month of January and is dedicated to the Camel, the ship of the desert. The festival starts with a parade of beautifully decorated camels. The parade proceeds to open sand-spreads of the Polo Grounds. Camel races, camel milking, fur cutting, best breed competition, camel acrobatics, and camel bands take place. Beautifully decorated camels dance to the tune of music.
Fireworks and jubilant skirt swirling dancers attract thousands of tourists. Folk dances and songs are performed by famous artists at this festival.

source : www.india9.com

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Click for more photos !

Bikaner, annual camel festival
Reference

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Things found on the way

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HAIKU

Bikaner festival -
my friend teaches me
a new kigo

Gabi Greve
March 2010

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***** Camel and Dromedary

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Bearded vulture

2010-02-09T20:45:00.000-08:00

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Himalayan bearded vulture

***** Location: India
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Animal

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Explanation

Himalayan bearded vulture

Gypaetus barbatus aureus, a kind of Lammergeier

Reference

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kigo for spring

Himalayan Bearded Vulture chicks

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The Lammergeier or Bearded Vulture,
Gypaetus barbatus ("Bearded Vulture-Eagle"), is an Old World vulture, the only member of the genus Gypaetus. It breeds on crags in high mountains in southern Europe, Africa, India, and Tibet, laying one or two eggs in mid-winter which hatch at the beginning of spring.
The population is resident. The Lammergeier has been successfully re-introduced into the Alps, but is still one of the rarest raptors in Europe.
Like other vultures it is a scavenger, feeding mostly from carcasses of dead animals.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way

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HAIKU

himalayan bearded vulture. . .
the wingspan extends
mountain to mountain

_kala
published in Gean Tree Press - March 2010

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Related words

***** Bird Saijiki

***** Himalaya Mountains

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Haibun from India

2009-11-27T23:31:00.000-08:00

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Haibun from India

Haibun (Japanese: 俳文 haikai writings)
is a literary composition that combines prose and haiku. The range of haibun is broad and includes, but is not limited to, the following forms of prose: autobiography, biography, diary, essay, historiography, prose poem, short story and travel literature.

A haibun may record a scene, or a special moment, in a highly descriptive and objective manner or may occupy a wholly fictional or dream-like space. The accompanying haiku may have a direct or subtle relationship with the prose and encompass or hint at the gist of what is recorded in the prose sections.

Typically, a haibun writer takes care not to state matters directly[citation needed], but rather to paint a sketch, to employ allusions and metaphor, and to craft his writing with purposeful ambiguity[citation needed] in order to allow readers full use of their imaginations and participation in the written experience. Present tense, brevity in prose, objective detachment and implication are common characteristics of modern haibun in English but no characteristic is an inviolable rule.

MORE in the Wikipedia

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Rajiv Lather
Climb to the Churdhar Peak
Machaan
The Wait
haryana-online.com

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Kala Ramesh
An Autumn Note
The Sailing Boat
World Haiku Review, Volume 6, Issue 4, October 2008

SUMMER SNOW, 2006

An Hour Passes

More Haibun by Kala Ramesh

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Yolanda Sangphugpha - India - Haibun

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Things found on the way

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Related words

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THE INDIA SAIJIKI

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Birla Planetarium

2009-10-23T21:56:00.000-07:00

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Birla Planetarium

***** Location: India
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

quote
Lights off,
orders the Assistant Director of Birla Planetarium.
You hold your breath as the cosmic world revolves around you – twinkling stars, shooting meteoroids, the rotating solar system and the undulating contours of the red planet, Mars. The spectacular show goes on, with the city of Chennai radiantly resplendent against the night sky.
An ethereal experience that almost makes you feel one with the sparkling universe.

Galleries display exhibits of the interactive variety. So, you can participate directly in the learning process and satisfy your curiosity about scientific principles and developments taking place in Science and Technology from time to time. So what if you’re not the scholarly type or gifted with a scientific bent of mind? Exhibits are designed to catch your attention. The Solar System, Cycle of Stars, Sky and Seasons, Comets, Man on the Moon - exciting celestial topics envelop you in a unique imbibing process. Incidentally, they also happen to be the highlights of the Planetarium’s unique programs since its inception in 1988.

What’s more, the planetarium plays home to the most modern, sophisticated and versatile GM II projector. The accompanying special effects projector, recreates some of the most awe inspiring heavenly phenomena on the specially perforated aluminium inner dome.
A truly magnificent experience!

Location
Tamilnadu Science & Technology Centre
Gandhi Mandapam Road
Chennai- 600 025

Read more HERE
source : www.chennai-madras.com

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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way

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HAIKU

Birla Planetarium -
the childlike joy
of an old man

Gabi Greve
October 2009
Inspired by a good friend from India.

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Related words

***** PLACE NAMES of the WORLD and Haiku

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THE INDIA SAIJIKI

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Haiku in Nepal

2006-12-30T23:22:00.000-08:00

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Haiku in Nepal

....................... Haiku Poets from Nepal

Mukul Dahal

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Dr. Ananda Raj Joshi

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Mohan Bahadur Kayastha

Senior litterateur Ram Kumar Pande Friday released two books – Phoolko Varsa, a collection of Nepali Tankas by Vishnu Bahadur Singh and
Tareli, a collection of Haikus by Mohan Bahadur Kayastha –
amidst the function in Kathmandu. Haiku, a popular form of poetic expression in Japan, has been in vogue in Nepal since the last four decades while the tanka that is similar to haiku in structure and theme, is the recent literary experiment in the realm of Nepali literature.

Commenting on the works, senior literary figure Muktinath Sharma said that Singh and Kayastha had contributed to enlarge the scope of Nepali literature by bringing out collections of tankas and haiku.

Pande shed light on the history and tradition of haiku and tanka. “Both are short forms of poetry and reflect the universal elements of human life and nature. Love, natural beauty and human predicament find place in them.”

“It is new experiment in Nepali poetry,” said Singh, author of anthology of tankas. He said that new experiment led to the birth of new things.

Kayastha said that he composed the haiku to express inner human feelings and sentiments.

Literary figures Pushkar Lohani and Chet Nath Dhamala also expressed their views at the function jointly organised by the Haiku Study Nepal and the International Nepali Literary Society.
© Copyright 2005. Gorkhapatra Sansthan.
http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/pageloader.php?file=2005/05/21//topstories/main21

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Janak Sapkota

in the refugee camp
the full moon strays tonight
into the water pitcher

Read more, also in Nepali:
source : lishanu.com/02 2011

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Bamdev Sharma

Bamdev Sharma is an English Language Teacher from Dang in Nepal who intends to make a career of creative writing. He started writing in 1994.

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Taba Maru, Amogha Tamrakar

the literary nickname of Amogha Tamrakar, a poet, born on 1956 at Kathmandu.
His publications include Lakasan lanpu hila bi and memegu bakhan ( Environment will change its way and other short stories) (1992), Newa Haiku (1993) and Birahaya Mye, Thwa Gazal / Gazal collection (2002), Jigu Aela (2002), Padhya Kewa (2002), Jigu Kawita (2002) and Chivar'ya Mikhaye (2002).
http://www.poetrypoems.com/tabamaru/

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Vihod Gauchah

We are
from the country
where dogs are worshipped.

I have a desire
to wear
a garland of desires

Nowadays
life pinches
even in a dream

Quote from an interview:
He explained the first haiku as "satirical, we are like dogs", the second as "never been fulfilled", and the third as "painful".
His haiku were philosophical and at the same time satirical protesting against the darker side of Nepali life.

From Tanka and Haiku in Nepal
by Noriko Mizusaki, 2003
http://www1.odn.ne.jp/~cat32320/mag5/haiku-nepal-en.htm

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National Haiku Festival

The National Haiku Festival will be organised for the first time in Nepal on February 25, 2006 to mark the golden jubilee of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Nepal and Japan. Books on Haiku will be displayed and a book titled
Andha Alchhi (Haiku collection)
will be released at the festival, which will be organised by the Royal Nepal Academy (RNA) and Nepal Nippon Research Centre.

Two committees have been formed under the chairmanship of Ram Kumar Pandey and coordination of RNA member Bhuwan Dhungana to mark the occasion.
http://www.southasianmedia.net/cnn.cfm?id=270914&category=Culture&Country=NEPAL

RSS
KATHMANDU, Feb. 25, 2006:
The first national Haiku Festival held on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of the establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Japan and the Kingdom of Nepal concluded here today.

The festival was organized jointly by the Poetry Department of Royal Nepal Academy and Nepal-Nippon Research Centre with the objective of promoting Haiku in Nepali.

Some 25 haiku poets recited around 50 haiku at the festival where compilation of haiku and books related to haiku were on display.

Speaking on the occasion, Vice Chancellor of Royal Nepal Academy Prof. Dr Basudev Tripathi said like gazal haiku has become a part of the Nepali literary traditions and enjoys popularity among the readers.

Second Secretary at the Embassy of Japan Daiji Sasai lauded the efforts made by Nepali men of letters in promoting the core aspect of Japanese literature such as Haiku in Nepali language as well and expressed the confidence that such programme would further deepen the cultural relationship between the two countries.

Coordinator of the Festival Bhuvan Dhungana, General Secretary of the Research Centre Prof. Ram Kumar Pandey and other speakers expressed their views at the programme chaired by litterateur Ram Dayal Rakesh.

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Nepalese Haiku Online

Saawan ko mausam
Mehgai ko rimjhim
Varsha ko bhel.

Anjuli bhari
Aashirvaad sath rahyo
Purai umer bhari

Bhok le ranthan
Chhapro ko ghar
Khuldaina Aal-Maari

Naaz

... ... ...

1.
Silence--a strangled
Telephone has forgotten
That it should ring
-Michael R. Collings

2.
A mountain village
under the pilled-up snow
the sound of water.
-Shiki Masaoka

3.
धर्तीको आँसु
पुछ्नु पर्ला भनेर
लुकेछ सुर्य
-रत्न शम्शेर थापा

4.
लाशको नदि
माझीको ढडियामा
फिस्स हाँस्दछ
-गोविन्द गिरि

surendras and online haiku forum

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BOOKS

Empty Moon: Belly Full.
Haiku from India and Nepal
by John Brandi

Using the medium of haiku poetry, John Brandi, poet, essayist and passionate traveller, shares his experiences, insights and observations from his years on the road as a traveler in India and Nepal.

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Things found on the way

The Haiku Scene of India　

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THE INDIA SAIJIKI

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Haiku in Bangladesh

2006-12-30T20:40:00.000-08:00

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Haiku in Bangladesh

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Bangladesh
officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh (Bengali: Goonoprojatontri Bangladesh), is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Myanmar to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south. Together with the Indian state of West Bengal, it makes up the ethno-linguistic region of Bengal. The name Bangladesh means "Country of Bengal" in the official Bengali language.

© More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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....................... Haiku Poets from Bangladesh

Sadiq Alam

Alone with The Alone
Take away everything and
Let me be alone with The Alone.

© Sadiq Alam, Dhaka / 　4 Sufi Haiku

More Sufi Haqqu

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Quamrul Hassan

Friends waiting
I put on a shawl
late autumn evening

Winter morning
farmer still in bed
record harvest

©　Asahi Haikuist Network, December 2007

winter morning --
a piece of sun
on my blanket

©　Mainichi Daily News, March 2008

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Haiku about Bangladesh

Co-existence has
Been accomplished between
Pakistani and ...

© 2001 Manes Pierre

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The Haiku Scene of India　

THE INDIA SAIJIKI

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Haiku in India

2006-12-30T19:44:00.000-08:00

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.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. The Haiku Scene of India

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Special Announcements

World Haiku Club : The 9th WORLD HAIKU FESTIVAL
February 23 - 25, 2008, Bangalore, India

World Haiku Club : First Meet of Indian Haiku Poets
Pune, India, December 9/10 2006

Please help me update this page by contributing your information and haiku.
Gabi Greve

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........ ....................Haiku Poets from India

Ankur Betageri (Muse India)

Smitha Chakravarthula

Dalip Daswani

Dr. Angelee Deodhar

Richa Dubey (Ishqa)

Mohammed Fakhruddin

Vidur Jyoti

Dr Dwarakanath H.Kabadi: Flickers Poems

Shekhar Kapur

Urmila Kaul

Vishnu P. Kapoor Vishnu Kapoor

Santosh Kumar

Rajiv Lather (see below)

Johannes Manjrekar
. . . . . . Scrawled Scribbles .

Aju Mukhopadhyay

Gautam Nadkarni

Harihar Patel

Pravat Kumar Padhy

Narayanan Raghunathan

Chitra Rajappa

Kala Ramesh

Kaniparambil Ramesh

Parimala Rao, Malini Rao

Yolanda Sangphugpha
i was inspired to write some haiku on the journey through india with my then-new friend tony. photographs and haiku became the way we processed the madness of india, every occasion demanding a new poem, every hot and dusty train journey made bearable by laughing over the stupidest new line, or nodding in sage agreement when one of us hit the nail on the head.
Yolanda Sangphugpha - India - Haibun

Gautam Sengupta

Minal Sarosh

Shyam Santhanam　

Bamdev Sharma

Radhey Shiam

N.K. Singh

R. K. Singh, Ram Krishna Singh

Rebba Singh (Muse India)

A. Thiagrajan

Sunil Uniyal

Jagdish Vyom

Yajushi (Marella Ram Vinodh) In Memoriam : October 9, 2006

This list will be regularly updated.
Please add your information about further LINKS as a comment to this page or contact me directly.
Gabi Greve

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In India, haiku is still not a widely used genre but certainly awareness on it, and its popularity, is spreading rapidly. Haiku is being written in several Indian languages, most notably in Hindi. In this issue of Muse India we present the Indian perspective of haiku and feature works of several Haijin.

Read more about the history of haiku in India HERE
Muse India : Haiku 2008
WKD Reference

Hindi Haiku

The Indian Haiku Club

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Haiku, the Japanese Poem
..... by Prof. Satya Bhushan Verma

So far Indian haikus are not able to match the satori intended and achieved by the Japanese poets. But then the Indian lovers of haiku and Zen can always go back to Basho and Buson, Issa and Shiki, for an experience that transcends the merely aesthetic.
Read about it here:
SATORI IN 17 SYLLABLES / Dr Satya Bhushan Verma

Dr. Satya Bhushan Verma, of New Delhi, was selected for his scholarship on Japanese culture and for his encouragement of haiku-writing and publishing in Hindi. He has written extensively about haiku in both academic and popular venues in three languages (Hindi, Japanese, and English), and his books in Hindi are the standard works in their fields: Japani Kavitaen (1977) presents Japanese tanka and haiku,and Japani Haiku aur Adhunik Hindi Kavita (1983) compares Japanese haiku and short poems in Hindi and other Indian languages.

For nearly a decade beginning in the early 1970s, he published a newsletter of haiku in Hindi, the first such publication. His other major contributions include establishing the first Japanese language degree program in an Indian university and chairing a number of important Pan-Asian academic and cultural organizations. He was decorated with The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, by the Emperor of Japan in 1996.

Shiki Award 2002

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from the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts

Talk by Prof. Satya Bhushan Verma

............................................ Haiku the Japanese Poem

On a withered top of the tree
A crow, alone is perched
It is evening of autumn

This is a Haiku poem.
Haiku is a form of highly specialized Japanese poetry, which uses a set number of syllables. It is short, in fact the shortest from of poetry in the world. It has a few basic rules - the poems use a metre of 5-7-5 syllables in three lines (17 syllables in all); each line should be complete in itself in expressing an idea; season should be mentioned; and there should be spontaneity. Haiku is not a poem written in contemplation. In older days, it used to be popular in the royal courts in Japan to compose Haiku. The most respected man would start the first three lines, which was followed by others.

Prof. Satya Bhushan Verma spoke about Haiku in a lecture (Dec. 31) in which he traced how it came to India. He said Haiku came to Indians through English. The English translations of Haiku had naturally lost the spontaneity and when presented to the Indian readers, they did not have the original charm, he regretted. The first time any Indian poet ever mentioned Haiku was the reference to it by Rabindranath Tagore in his travel diary on his visit to Japan. Subsequently, there were others. Notable among the later poets who attempted Haiku both translation and composing was `Agyeya'.

Haiku is part of the Zen thought, Prof. Verma said. Composing poem was part of the religious practice of Zen. Zen is the philosophy that went to Japan from China. The philosophy owes its origin to India- it comes from dhyan, the Sanskrit word. Giving several examples, Prof. Verma explained as to how a Haiku poem leads the mind to think and provokes imagination. There is philosophy of life in these three short lines, he said.
For instance, the poem

A leaf falls
Lo! Another Leaf falls
With the wind

This poem on contemplation conveys the transitory nature of life. He said the reader has to be sensitive to understand Haiku.

http://ignca.nic.in/nl002404.htm

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Haiku: An Indian Perspective
by Dr. Angelee Deodhar

India , with eighteen officially recognized languages, uses English as an additional official language. The Indo-Aryan languages evolved from Sanskrit. Hindi is the official language of the Government of India, and is also the official language of six states. Hindi has several dialects.

Haiku has not gained popularity in India for several reasons. Although the haiku poem was known to poets as far back as the beginning of the twentieth century it did not become popular and the spread of Haiku poetry was sporadic. The Indian Nobel Laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, who wrote eloquently about Japanese culture and literary heritage. He was aware of the haiku poem and his collection of haiku like poems 'Fireflies' was published in English and Bengali. In 1916 the other national poet - Subramania Bharati wrote a long under the title -Japaniyat Kavitai (Japanese poetry) which was a lengthy critical appraisal of haiku where Bharati examined at length the opinion on haiku poems expressed by a Japanese poet, Yone Noguchi.

A three day seminar on 'Impact of Haiku in Indian literature' was held at the Institute of Asian Studies based in Chennai (Madras) from 29th-31st of March 2000. Several poets from India and Japan participated in this seminar but till now the abstracts of papers presented there are still not available.

The pioneer of haiku is India's first Japanese scholar Prof. Satyabhushan Verma - whose first translation of Japanese haiku into Hindi - 'Japani Kavitaian' was published in 1977. In 1981 Prof. Verma started a newsletter in Hindi called 'Haiku'. This was in the form of an aerogramme. This publication was discontinued in 1989. Prof. Satya Bhushan Verma, a professor emeritus of Jawaharlal Nehru University, was chosen for the Masaoka Shiki International Haiku Prize in 2002 . He shared the one million yen prize with an American poet - Cor van den Heuvel.

The second Indian whose efforts are to be commended is Prof. B.S. Aggarwala who publishes a Hindi quarterly journal called 'Haiku Bharati', started in 1998 and continuing till today. There are about 300 poets writing in their native mother tongues associated with this quarterly Hindi journal. Some haiku are translated from the original into Hindi, and then published. Prof. Aggarwala, the author of several books in Hindi is currently working on a history of haiku in Hindi.

English language haiku in India is slowly finding a foothold and there are quite a few haijin writing in English, but most of these poets' haiku is being published abroad. Some poets are bilingual or multilingual but haiku written in one language does not get easily assimilated into another.

One sees every recognized form of the English poem taught in schools all over India, but haiku is not taught.

Unfortunately, India does not have any formal haiku association or club. There are some Indian poetry magazines in which haiku are being published in English; however the Indian haiku scene is still far from satisfactory and needs all the help it can get. Books about haiku are still almost non existent and difficult to obtain. Unless haiku is introduced into the schools it will not gain the attention it deserves. The language for the study of haiku in India will have to be English, so that Indian poets can communicate and share h aiku with poets worldwide.

© Angelee Deodhar
http://www.haiku-hia.com/hyoron_en_in.html

Dr. Angelee Deodhar: Her Haiku Work
INDIA SAIJIKI

Yadi koi pooche: If someone asks
Haiku by Shiki, translated by Angelee Deodhar

Yuzuru Miura's Haiku Classics: A Master's Selection
Translated into Hindi by Angelee Deodhar, 2006

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More Translations

Haiku of Kobayashi Issa
translated by Narayanan Raghunathan
INDIA SAIJIKI

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Sirpi Balasubramaniam reflects:

People now have little time to read and so poetry thrives in shorter forms like Haiku. Short literary pieces are nothing new to Tamil, he avers. "The Tirukkural contains only couplets. Traditionally, there has been a place for such things in Tamil literature."
Haiku is not a modern form and has been in existence for over 500 years. "There is a clear set of guidelines for writing Haiku. However, a poem must not be constricted beyond a certain point", he states.

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu

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The Haiku Scene in Tamil

... A.Thiagarajan
February 2008

Safekeep copy

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実はインドでは俳句は非常に有名である。
当日配布された冊子に寄稿されたＪＮＵヒンディー語学科のランジート・サーハー教授のヒンディー語の小論文「Perspective Haiku: Sensitivity and Structure（）」や、国際俳句学会のウェブサイトに掲載されている「俳句―インドからの展望」という論考によれば、インドに俳句を初めて紹介したのは、アジア初のノーベル文学賞受賞者で詩聖と呼ばれるラヴィーンドラナート・タゴールであったらしい。１９１６年の日本旅行を題材にラヴィーンドラナートが書いた「日本旅行記」に、既に俳句に関する記述が見受けられ、彼は「俳句ほど短い詩は世界にないだろう」と紹介すると同時に、松尾芭蕉の有名な俳句を数首翻訳して掲載している。また、同時期にはタミル語の詩人スブラマニヤ・バーラティーも、日本の俳句に関する評論文を書いていたようだ。独立後になると、インドにおける俳句の影響はヒンディー文学に最も顕著に現れる。ヒンディー文学者アギェーイは、日本を旅行した経験もあり、俳句から大きな影響を受けた詩人だと言われている。彼が１９５９年に出版した詩集「(Arī Ō Karunā Prabhāmay）」には、以下のような有名な３行のシンプルな詩が収録されている。これは何かの俳句の訳詩のようだ（元の俳句が何かは不明）。

だが、インドの文壇において俳句を定着させるのに多大な貢献をしたのは、サティヤブーシャン・ヴァルマー教授である。彼は「（日本の詩）」や「（日本の俳句と近代ヒンディー詩）」などの著作を著しただけでなく、「インド俳句クラブ」を設立し、１９８１年から「हाइकु（Haiku）」という雑誌を発刊し始めた。同誌は１９８９年に廃刊となってしまったが、インドにおける俳句の人気を決定的なものとした。また、１９９８年にはバグワトシャラン・アガルワール教授がヒンディー語の季刊誌「（Haiku Bharati）」を刊行し、こちらは現在まで続いているようだ。
Kore De India : Takuboku and Haiku

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Rajiv Lather's Haiku, Senryu & Haibun

darshan of Brahman
as children laugh and play
maya leads away

http://www.haryana-online.com/Poetry/Haiku/haiku_1.htm

Find more of his haiku here:
http://www.haryana-online.com/Poetry/rajiv_haiku.htm

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Rain drops falling down
Fisherman catching the fish
Children are playing

Sriharsha G H, X
Bangalore: U.A.S. Campus School, Hebbal

Haiku in THE HINDU
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/quest/200212/stories/2002121401640300.htm

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Haiku Expeditions in India

Haiku Expeditions Com

Some Haiku from the trip in 2003

Tusks and trunks broken
Elephant statues
Still stand guard

On the ghats
Lazing dogs
And games of cricket

stoking fire
on the roadside
time for morning chai

Read more and look at the marvellous photos !

© Sanjay Rajan 2002-2006

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...................... More LINKS

The Impact of Haiku on Indian Literature
March 29 - 31, 1999, the Institute of Asian Studies

Bollimuntha Venkata Ramana Rao
author of Chigurukala (Haiku anthology in Telugu)

. Wonder Haiku Worlds .
The Brahman Way of Haiku.
Narayanan Raghunathan

Hindi Haiku LINKS

Tamil Haiku LINKS

Kannada Haiku and Poetry LINKS

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ooooo ooooo

Haiku in Bangladesh

Haiku in Bhutan BHUTAN SAIJIKI

Haiku in Nepal

Haiku in Pakistan

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THE INDIA SAIJIKI

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Haiku in Pakistan

2006-12-30T17:20:00.000-08:00

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Haiku in Pakistan

crescent & the star
over my town
thinking of Pakistan

Manu Kant, 2009

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Haiku International (Karachi)

Founder
Sohail Ahmed Siddiqui

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....................... Haiku Poets from Pakistan

Sohail Ahmed Siddiqui

Sohail Ahmed Siddiqui was born on December 15, 1964, at Karachi, Pakistan. He is a multi-lingual writer, poet and journalist. He is the foremost and only Pakistani poet whose two English poems have been included in 3 world anthologies, published from USA, in 1992, 1994 and 2002 and six English Haiku poems included in world anthology, 'Wild Flowers, New Leaves', published by the World Haiku Club, UK in 2001.

He is the only Pakistani poet who was invited to the World Haiku Festival in August, 2000. His name was recommended by world-renowned, US poet and scholar, Bill Higginson. One of his English Haiku was not only included in the World Haiku Contest of Japan, by ASAHI, in 2001, but also mentioned as the feature Haiku, on a US website, www.earthlanguage.org, with Japanese translation.

Further, to his credit, he has authored/compiled and edited several books, including others, besides editing and publishing 'Haiku International', the premier and only multi-lingual Haiku journal of South Asia, since 1998. He had served the pre-eminent international, English language Hockey magazine of Pakistan, 'Pakistan Hockey' as de-facto editor, for two years, i.e. 1990-1992.

As free-lance television writer/researcher, he has the privilege of standing as 'A' category writer, ever since he joined Pakistan Television in 1993- very few writers are there in the history of national hook-up, who earned this laurel purely on the basis of merit. He has scripted several plays, research-oriented programmes, documentaries, children programmes, social roundups, for various channels, besides assisting a senior in the historic documentary, 'PTV ka safar' (Journey of PTV-30 years), in 1994. He has contributed to some international events, in the capacity of Quiz compiler and judge, as well.

Sohail started his broadcasting career as a radio talker, in 2004 by delivering his own research-based speeches, in 30 episodes, aired on daily basis, in the Holy Ramadan, by the national FM channel, FM-101. The programme, 'Raushni ke Dareechay' was re-broadcast the following year, as a result of superb feedback from the audience.
©　Sohail Ahmed Siddiqui /　spaces.live.com

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high tide in river
the ice of my heart melts down
the mountain starts weeping

Japanese translation:

川満ち　心氷解　山が泣く

直訳：川面が盛り上がり、私の心を閉ざした氷は溶けてゆく。
山が泣き声をあげ始めた。

Look at the Earthlanguage Translation HERE:
© earthlanguage.org: Sohail Ahmed Siddiqui

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Haiku - capturing beauty crisply

Read the full article here please:
By Sohail Ahmed Siddiqui

Barrister Syed Hasan Abid Jafri was the one who introduced haiku to Urdu. He wrote an article, “Japani shairi par eik nazar” (A random look at Japanese poetry) for Nigar (Lucknow) in December 1922. For over a decade there was a meaningless silence on the subject. In 1936, Saaqi, another esteemed literary journal, launched a ‘Japan number’. The translators of Japanese poetry included Aziz Tamannai, Fazle Haque Qureshi and Ali Zaheer. Noorul Hasan Barlas, who had lived in Japan for a long time, played a vital role in providing material for this issue.

A wave of translations attracted enthusiasts from 1938 to 1980s. Among the most prominent names were Hameed Nizami, Meeraji, Zafar Iqbal, Kaleemuddin Ahmed, Abdul Aziz Khalid, Qazi Saleem, Tasadduq Husain Khalid, Dr Muhammad Amin, Mohsin Bhopali and Dr Pervaiz Pervazi.

Who was the pioneer in original Urdu haiku writing? The answer to this question is shrouded in mystery. Afaque Siddiqui claims to have been the first, as he wrote haikus as early as 1970. Qazi Saleem’s verses (1966) were not accepted true haiku, on technical grounds. But the famous Urdu poet Himayat Ali Shair has quoted an original haiku of Meeraji, composed some time back in the 1940s or 1950s.

In 1960, the Sindhi language embraced this foreign genre through some translations rendered by Dr Tanveer Abbasi. This endeavour opened the floodgate of original Sindhi three-liners. A friend of Tanveer and a popular Urdu poet, Mohsin Bhopali, translated some of his haiku into Urdu in 1963.

In the 1970s, Dr Muhammad Amin, a penman from Multan, visited Japan and started writing original Urdu three-liners and published his maiden anthology, Haiku in 1980. Three years later, in 1983 the first Urdu haiku mushaira was held under the auspices of the Japan Cultural Centre in Karachi. The Centre also organized Urdu haiku recitals, under the guidelines and coordination of Professor Dr Syed Abul Khair Kashfi. Soon the new genre became popular in the national language, as well as regional languages and dialects. Some fifty Urdu anthologies and many collections in regional languages have so far appeared. However, there is no authentic bibliography of collections.

In 1998, I launched a multilingual haiku journal of South Asia, Haiku International. The Karachi-based journal has brought out seven issues, including four special numbers on Pakistani haiku masters, namely, Mohsin Bhopali, Wazahat Naseem, Iqbal Haider and Professor Muhammad Rais Alvi. Of these, Iqbal Haider has received the title of “Ambassador of haiku” from the Japanese Consul General for excellence in the field.

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Mohsin Bhopali

“Bhopali’s favourite style of poetry was the Haiku style. He was an expert in this technique and even made a big name through this art.”

Poet Zakia Ghazal described Bhopali as the nucleus of Pakistani literature. “He wrote on every issue, and always made it a point to participate in all the functions. "
©　www.dailytimes.com.pk

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Haiku - a cultural bridge between
Japan and Pakistan

March 31, 2008

A Japanese form of poetry, Haiku, has gained immense popularity in Pakistan over last few decades. Many poets in Pakistan today practice this compact yet profound and evocative form that gives an objective, suggestive, pithy and fleeting picture of its subject.
Haiku is a short verse of 17 syllables in three metrical sections of 5-7-5 syllables.
©　rediff.com / VIDEO

More Haiku Books from the rediff press
books.rediff.com

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Haiku in Urdu

From 1938 to 1980's, the most prominent Haiku enthusiasts were Hameed Nizami, Meeraji, Zafar Iqbal, Kaleemuddin Ahmed, Abdul Aziz Khalid, Qazi Saleem, Tasadduq Husain Khalid, Dr Muhammad Amin and Mohsin Bhopali. In the 1970s, Dr Muhammad Amin, from Multan, visited Japan and started writing original Urdu three-liners and published his anthology, Haiku in 1980. Three years later, in 1983 the first Urdu Haiku mushaira was organized by the Japan Cultural Center in Karachi. Soon the new genre became popular in Urdu. Some fifty Urdu anthologies and many collections have so far been published.
©　mehraab.com/

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Haiku Mushaira

Urdu Haiku poetry captivated a large audience at a local hotel here on Saturday March 2, 2002. Pakistan-Japan Friendship Fest began with a Haiku Mushaira, in which over 20 famous poets from the twin cities participated. The Embassy of Japan in collaboration organized the mushaira with the Pakistan Japan Cultural Association Islamabad, Pakistan Haiku Society and Pakistan National Council of the Arts. The Chairman, Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL), Iftikhar Arif was the chief guest and Zia Jalandhri presided over the mushaira.

Speaking on the occasion, Tamotsu Shinotsuka from embassy of Japan lauded Urdu. He said that Iqbal, Ghalib and Faiz were the great poets of their era. Tamotsu Shinotsuka expressed his delight over the fact that Haiku, the Japanese style of poetry was gaining popularity in Pakistan and other countries of the world.

The poets who participated in the mushaira included, Abid Sial, Akhtar Hoshiyarpuri, Ali Muhammad Farshi, Amin Rahat Chughtai, Anwaar Feroz, Anwar Fitrat, Asghar Abid, Ayesha Malik, Azra Asghar, Daud Rizwan, Ghazanfar Hashmi, Khawar Eijaz, Mehmooda Ghazia, Naveed Jamil, Parveen Tahir, Qayyum Tahir, Rafiq Sandhelvi, Rashid Hameed, Saeed Ahmad, Sharf-ud-Din Sahmi, and Shaukat Mehdi.

Each poet recited three translations from the Haiku poetry written by Japanese poets and five of their own compositions. The officials of Japan embassy, diplomats and a large number of writers, poets and others from the twin cities, attended the function.
©　mehraab.com/

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BOOKS

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Kala Ramesh : Creation

2006-12-30T13:01:00.000-08:00

Creation and Silences

By Kala Ramesh

Tao says:

Thirty spokes share the wheel’s hub;
It is the center hole that makes it useful.
Shape clay into a vessel;
It is the space within that makes it useful.

Shabda - Sound
Maun- Silence
Shoonyata - creative void

In the context of Indian classical music- these are big and weighty words. If we look at it from the surface ‘maun’ is Silence. But Maun in music is more than mere silence, it is a pregnant silence! Born out of that silence is Music.
According to the ancient texts, the Omkara dhvani [sound of Aum ] was the first primordial sound that permeated the universe.

In Goenkaji‘s Vipassana Centers you see placards with the words ‘arya maun ‘ and below that in English it says ‘noble silence’. A silence is noble when it comes out of an egoless state? May be? So the next logical conclusion is to say that silence is closest to a perfect state when it is noble. Silences have various avatars, like that deadly silence when murder is committed or when we are shocked, so on and so forth, but silence in music has its own flavour, a rasa. It stands apart. Now why is silence so important in music? Without silences, music means sounds coming from a non-stop chattering mind and that even from the best of musical minds can get tiring!

silent night . . .
piercing the sky
owl’s hoot

That ‘break’ is so necessary, for they say that the mind’s attention span is just 40 seconds. That reminds me of a beautiful belief that the late Pandit Kumar Gandharva used to hold close to his heart. He was supposed to have said that, when a composition has a beautiful finishing line, it should be sung only once. Never to repeat that line again. For, in all probability the listener’s wandering, chattering mind would have missed it! And sure enough you have this listener’s undivided attention now for quite some time, without doubt!

Silence is golden- we have all heard that line. Most often than not silence conveys more than the music itself for ultimately the ‘unknown’ is beyond words. Even the best of musicians have to accept that is it silence that elevates their music to greater heights.

Now let me explain this in a different way to make myself clear.
In Hindu philosophy we explain the ‘unknown’ in various ways. The crescent moon or the waxing moon on the third day is very important to the Hindus. And generally in our homes when we were kids, our elders would try to point out that almost non–existent moon to us! This is how it would go! You see that low branch over there in that mango tree? You see that fork in that branch? See that leaf in the corner, at the tip? Yes?

By now we would be all excited like we were on a mystery trail or something. Now between that leaf and the other leaf from the other branch you see the sky? Yes! We would cry in chorus! Now look straight ahead into the night sky, do you see that thin white line? There would be great excitement. Yes we have ‘discovered’ the new moon. The adult can lead the child only to that last leaf, after that, the child needs to take that leap into space to find the moon!

The voice cannot carry the tongue
and the lips that gave it wings.
Alone must it seek the ether-

said Kahlil Gibran most poetically.

Divine music and dance has to enable us to have a taste of that which is ‘sacred’. But humans with our imperfections can never do that. All the great artists, be it in music, dance or in any other art form take the rasika figuratively by the hand and lead him towards the ‘unknown’. But there is that vast expanse of ‘space’ between the human effort and the Unknown?

In music, this space; this short gap in time is Silence.
Arya Maun.

When,
Time stands still.

Is it this silence that makes music divine?
The deep silences-
And, behind this silence?
Void or Shoonyata which we can say equals Creative Energy?

The seers say that to go beyond time and space is Mukti [liberation]

singer sings
the inner silences
- concert hall

What are the seven notes of a scale? Have you ever wondered?

Your base note might be different from mine. Out of thin air, your whole scale - the full octave - is built on your base note! You give it a concrete shape and a form, a roop to call it a raga. This whole creation has come out of that “great sacred void’’ and it needs to return to its source. And this is what Silence does in a silent way to music. This is why those half pauses, full pauses or being completely enveloped by that over powering silence for sometime is so essential in a music recital.

This adds vitality and poignancy to the Art. The greatness of a musician is evident when this silence does not seem contrived but is the natural and simple sequence to his thought process. All great Art is simple. It seems simple.

the pot emerges from clay
and to clay it returns

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