THREE HAIKU POEMS

 1.

Flowers-

fragile beauty 

Lover's delight. 

2.

Late November afternoon 

The sky wears

a sad look. 

3.

Last rain

in the summer 

Lover's goodbye kiss. 

(C). - MRITYUNJAY JHA 

BEAUTY IN A WAR

 

Tanks roll on without hesitation 

Shelling goes unabated 

Air becoming thick with human blood 

Flowers are groaning 

Birds dashing to the other side

of the border

Fruits are rotten in orchards

Bridges breaking suddenly

Communication is the casualty

Children taking joyride in their toys 

completely unaware of the sirens blaring out imminent destruction 

War is immortal. 

There are other ways to protest a war 

than mass rallies in Berlin. 

A band playing Mozart 

in a dilapidated church. 

An anonymous artist making murals in the rubbles of what was once a thriving city. 

How naive it is to create beauty out of destruction !

Each piece of ruins is a helpless testimony to our collective failures. 

(C). - MRITYUNJAY JHA 

TWO HAIKU POEMS

 1.

 Rocks-

 dry bones 

 of Civilization. 

2.

 Snow falling steadily 

 Leaves bathed in whiteness 

 Warm memories of love. 

(C). - MRITYUNJAY JHA 

TWO HAIKU POEMS

 1.

Tulips bloom in 

the cruellest month of April 

Memory of lost love. 

2.

Every bud wrenching 

to become flower soon

Lovers waiting for the Spring.

(C). - MRITYUNJAY JHA 

TWO HAIKU POEMS

 1.

Stormy weather 

Birds dashing to their nests 

A child adjusting his kite. 

2.

An artist drawing an image 

entangled lines and twisted shapes 

Spring brings symmetry. 

(C). - MRITYUNJAY JHA 

RISHI SUNAK AND HIS CHALLENGES

 Britain has got its third Prime Minister in this year in Rishi Sunak. He is 42 and had been a frontrunner after Boris Johnson resigned. With a career in financial services he is highly expected to clear away the economic mess Britain has been reeling under. He has to win back market's confidence. Taxation policy is the main thing he has to work on as it was one key cause of his predecessor Liz Truss' downfall. Tax cuts ought to be streamlined. Public spending must be curtailed. These are the prime focus for maintaining the financial health of the country and these are not easy to administer. Creation of jobs will be challenging. His opponents in the Labour and in the Liberal parties are already crying foul over his intentions to think about the common folks .

On political front his main thrust should be to keep his party in order which has been apparently in disarray. He got support from over a 100 colleagues. Some who don't have good opinion of him describe him backstabber who cheated Boris Johnson- the man who brought him in the front and made him the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Rishi Sunak has a tightrope walk ahead in keeping his house in order. The general election is in 2025. Few MPs also raised voice for convening the election. 

On a lighter note a day after Rishi Sunak assumed the top post , a fox was seen walking past the 10 Downing Street. What to make of it...?? 

A CHAT WITH A DUTCH RESEARCH SCHOLAR ON URBANIZATION IN SMALL TOWNS IN INDIA.

 Steven De Jongh, A Research Scholar from University of Amsterdam came to SAMASTIPUR - a town in the Indian province of Bihar. I met him and assisted him in his research work on the topic of Urbanisation in Small Towns in India. We visited many places and met people of all walks to gather information about the economic activities and growth.