My Visit to Shiva’s Temple at Marpadaga near Siddipet (Telangana)

 

 

                                          

                     

                         

                   

After two and a half years’ confinement in home during Covid times, God has given me an opportunity to visit this famous Shiva temple located in a small village in the scenic natural rural setting surrounded by paddy and cotton fields. Sri Vijaya Durga Sametha Santhana Mallikarjuna Swamy temple was built during the rule of Kalyani Chalukya kings. Though the temple is small, it has a beautiful temple tower with the idol of Durga flanked by the majestic idols of Mahalakshmi and Maha Saraswati with typical features as described in Devi Purana. The statue of Nandi in front of the temple also looks very beautiful decked with gold-painted ornaments. In the entrance hall or Mukha Mantapa, one can see the beautiful idol of Lord Ganesha and Lord Hanuman smeared with Sindur. In the inner sanctum one can see two Shiva Lingas side by side. Adjacent to this temple there is a separate shrine for Goddess Vijaya Durga in sitting position with eight hands holding weapons, a beautiful idol made of black granite. In the Mukha Mantapa one can also see two guardian deities of Chandi and Mundi standing on either side. In the inner sanctum utsava vigrahas are seen.

This temple came into limelight when the Telengana Chief minister, Sri Chandrasekhara Rao, performed Sahasra Chabdiyagam in 2006 under the supervision of Dr. Harinatha Sharma of this village. The temple of Vijaya Durga was constructed on 25^th October, 2009. Forty-five days after this event, on December 9^th, the Central Government announced Telangana State Formation.  This temple is just ten kilometers away from Siddipet.  Marpada is in Kondapak Mandal in Siddipet district. This village is on the border of the Siddipet District and Warangal District. The village is surrounded by lush green fields. Tiny tiled houses are seen on both sides of narrow lanes. The temple is located in spacious premises. There is immense scope for development of this temple. If the roads and transport facility are improved, and publicity about this historic temple is given, one can expect many more pilgrims. The temple is open from 6.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. Special poojas are performed in this temple during Sravana and Kartika months. Abhishekam is done to the Goddess Vijaya Durga on every Tuesday and Friday. Rahu Kala Pooja, Rudrabhishekam and Kumkumarchana are also performed here. Though the priests are North Indians, they are well-versed, and perform poojas with great care and devotion. One can experience peace of mind and devotion in this holy temple.

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A Note on W.H. Auden’s Poem “ The Unknown Citizen”

 

                                      

    

This poem, a satirical elegy, was published in 1939 shortly after Auden moved from England to United States. This poem was published on 6^th January, 1940 in the “New Yorker’ and appeared in Auden’s first collection “Another Time” (1940). This poem is a satirical elegy and a critique on the standardization and regimentation of modern life suggesting that people lost sight of what it means to be an individual when they focus exclusively on the status symbols and markers of achievement like having the right job, the right number of kids, the right car and so forth.

 

This poem builds a frightening picture of a world ruled by total conformity and state of oppression in which the bureaucratic government dictates and spies on every movement of its citizens in their daily lives. This poem pokes at and criticizes the modern world for granting too many powers to the state that oppresses common people through close surveillance. This poem mocks at the attitude of the state which tries measure a person’s happy life in terms of materialistic possessions without taking into account his individual tastes and preferences. The modern society in an effort to optimize production had made everyone the same and robbed life of individuality and freedom. The poem also makes a sharp attack on the evil intentions of advertising which misleads people and encourages them to make purchases as a way of expressing their individuality. The repeated mention of the Government departments is another way to make fun of the standardization of modern life and modern man’s obsession with brands, celebrity culture and media. 

 

In this poem W.H. Auden interprets the predicament of an average citizen who was forced to lead a life inconformity with state-made rules and regulations just for the sake of his survival. In the name of equality and promotion of common good, the state enforces the principle that everyone must follow the rules if things are to run smoothly. This poem is an elegy delivered by the government for a citizen who recently died after retirement. The setting of the poem is a cemetery with a marble monument to commemorate JS/07M378, the number given to the unknown citizen. Though the government seems to know everything about him, he is for all practical purposes an unknown citizen without any specific name. He is just reduced to a number without any individuality. Although many facts about the citizen are known, he remains unknown because the details highlighting his individuality are ignored.

 

He was basically a perfect citizen because he did everything, he was supposed to do in order to serve his society. He worked in the same job till he retired apart from a break when he served in the war. His employer Fudge Motor Inc was fine with him. He had the proper insurance and his health records show that he only needed to stay in the hospital one time. The public opinion department asserts that he always had the right views on big issues. He had a wife and five children, the correct number of human beings according to the department of Eugenics in order to optimize the gene pool. He let the children’s teachers do their work without questioning their teachings. It is ridiculous to ask whether he was happy since we would have known if there was anything wrong with him.

 He conforms to set standards and practices dictated by the mass organizations and institutions that shape the society. The unknown citizen was being honoured for his conformity just like a soldier for his sacrifice. The bureaucrat acts as a speaker and pays tribute to a model citizen identified only by numbers and letters. He speaks in an impersonal and clinical way expressing the detached view of the state.

 

 According to Bureau of Statistics the unknown citizen was a good worker who never got fired. He was praised as a saint because he meekly followed the rules and was acclaimed as a role model. He maintained the standards expected of him by those in power. He was a part of the Union but never broke rules except during the war time. So, he was treated as a popular member of the workforce. He is not a scab who returns to work before the strike has achieved its goals. Though scabs are considered cowardly, they have at least individual thinking to take their own stand for their own personal gains. The Social Psychology investigated his background when he died and found that all was normal according to his mates.

 He bought a newspaper every day and read the propaganda dished out by the biased press and had no adverse reaction to the advertisements in that paper. “He had “everything necessary to the modern man”. He moved with times and bought all modern gadgets like the Frigidaire, a radio, a phonograph and a car.  He adhered to all societal rules. According to researchers of Public Opinion, he was an average citizen who was conditioned to routine and had not questioned the norms of the society. “When there was peace, he was for peace: when there was war, he went.” He led a settled life and obeyed the government when he was called for war services. The unknown citizen was described with words like “normal”, “right”, “sensible”, “proper” and “popular” to indicate that he is the ideal citizen. The citizen is unknown because in the statistical data the man’s individuality and identity are not at all considered.  The professionals in the poem such as the bureau of statistics, ‘Social Psychology”, “Eugenics” are also persons devoid of any individuality. The evidence of his life shows that the unknown citizen is just one more cog in the faceless, nameless bureaucratic machine.

The poem begins with ABAB pattern and then switches to a rhyming couplet (AA, BB) pattern after which the poem follows an irregular rhyme scheme. The lines from 8 to 13 follow the pattern ABBCCA. The rhyme scheme is not regular throughout the poem though mostly rhyming couplets are used. In some lines though same number of syllables are used, they are not in iambic pentameter. They are often 11 or 13 syllables long with differing lengths.

The tone of the poem sounds monotonous filled with dry facts without any humane feeling and sentiments. It reflects the image of bureaucracy and the state as a faceless, indifferent and cruel machine. It manipulates, exploits and keeps all under its control even without their awareness. Just like in Orwells’1984” and Huxley’s “Brave new World”, ideas such as freedom of speech, nonconformist and individual expression are not entertained. According to Auden “Poetry is not concerned with telling people what to do, but with extending our knowledge of good and evil.”

 This poem is renowned for its wit and irony in exposing the stultifying and anonymous qualities of the bureaucratic and totalitarian governments which do not care about individual choices and freedom of thinking. This poem shows how the state, the government and the bureaucracy become a faceless, indifferent and cruel machine and how it manipulates, exploits and keeps all citizens under its ruthless control without their knowledge or awareness. As a leading spokesman of his generation Auden warned people against the dangers of totalitarianism. As a detached observer, using an ironic and discursive style he could accommodate the language of prose and the concerns of science. He tried to interpret the times to diagnose the ills of the society and deal with the intellectual and moral problems of public concern.

 

The main type of irony used in this poem is situational irony. The state is honouring the situation of a man who was compelled to lead in conformity with state-run rules and regulations. It is also ironical that the state does not know the name of the person whom it has honoured. The unknown citizen is praised as a “saint” in the modern sense of an old-fashioned word, ironically implying that he is not a saint in actual sense but a person who blindly obeys the state without any sense of independent thinking and freedom. This poem is also a satire as it is making fun of the person it pretends to celebrate. The poem ends with a rhetorical question “Was he free? Was he happy?” to emphasize the point that the citizen was neither free nor happy.

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           11th November, 2021                   Somaseeshu Gutala

 

A Note on W.H. Auden’s Poem “The Managers”

 

                         

                  

 

In this poem “Managers” (1948), W. H. Auden contrasts the lavish and luxurious life of ancient kings with the banality and convention-bound life of so-called modern tyrants designated as “Managers”. This poem was written in post-war period when a new class of workers, the professional corporate managers, were emerging. The new corporate bureaucracies mirror the military structures that had effectively managed the war efforts. Just like in military, in these new organization structures, employees lost their identities and became mere numbers. Auden, in this poem, wants to remind that these workers are not mere numbers but have their own faces. As Auden said;” The mere making of a work of art is itself a political act”. “It reminds the management … that the managers are people with faces, not anonymous numbers.”  

According to Auden the hero of modern poetry is “the man or woman in any walk of life who … manages to acquire and preserve a face of his own”. This poem is a snapshot “of men working too hard in rooms that are too big.” Auden wrote this poem in free verse using apt language tinged with sarcasm and realistic approach. The whole poem is a juxtaposition between the dictatorial approach of ancient kings and the too much restricted and slavish condition of modern bureaucrats who are not at all happy and free but slog on just to show off their status and position in the society.

 

In the first fifteen lines the poet portrays the ample freedom and authority enjoyed in past by those in power. The ancient kings lived a luxurious life in palaces with huge meals in the company of girls and had scope to acquire more knowledge. They rode on horses or were carried uphill in palanquins. For them to rule was a pleasure. Nobody questioned their decisions and judgements. It is as easy for them to write a death sentence on the back of a card and continue playing with a new set of cards. In ancient times there were great heroes, saints, philosophers, poets and diplomats. The poet refers to the famous painting of Francesco Bianchi Ferraris who painted the picture of Arion riding on a dolphin in 1509-1510 inspired by Ovid’s poem “Fasti”. The ancient kings behaved with absolute authority like Caesars enjoying and drinking with their friends.

 In contrast, the present day managers work too hard confined in spacious rooms and are reduced to mere figureheads without any power and freedom to act. They have a meagre lunch of sandwiches served at their tables which they hurriedly swallow without having enough time to eat; they are busy going through their papers which need a couple of secretaries to file. They are surrounded by so many problems that no smiling face can reduce their stress and tensions. Unlike ancient rulers they are not free to express their views and opinions openly. They sweat in the heat holding discussions on frivolous matters amidst the cluttering noise of type-writers that never stop but “whirr like grasshoppers in summer heat.” They have no time to notice the sweet smell of flowers that drift” from woods unaltered by our wars and our vows.”

 They have no time to listen to the songs of birds which do not care to vote. They have no time to notice the distinguishing marks of lovers by instinct. Ironically the police are trained to observe such lovely couples. The modern managers are busy with their work sitting with bent heads late into the night unmoved “like a god or disease.” They feel tired and weak and at the same time try to blame others for their desperate condition. Still, they show off their high status and position before “the bow of the chef or the glance of a ballet dancer.” They work hard not because they love their profession or have the ambition of growing rich. It is a necessary risk testing their skills and placing them in difficult situations. It is as risky and difficult as performing a surgery or carving a sculpture. But still, they crave to be in high position under the false impression that they belong to a select prestigious cadre and are above the common crowd and are safe and immune from any disaster. Their heavy gait and careworn faces do not deserve any sympathy and they do not thank others who show sympathy towards them. 

 

Thus, in his poems Auden compares the ordinary work life in 1948 to that of being an insect or cog in the larger machinery of administration. The workers are deprived of their individual identity and reduced to mere anonymous figures. This type of dull institutional system strips life of poetry and grandeur. Auden tried to interpret the times and diagnose the ills of the society and deal with intellectual and moral problems of the society. He tried to analyse and comprehend the individual life in relation to the society and the human condition in general. He expressed his dislike for the Government which imposed too many complicated rules to curtail the freedom of the average person and his suspicion of science without human feeling and confirmed his faith in a Christian God. During the war time, Auden was regarded as the leading spokesman of his generation and as a political writer warning against the dangers of totalitarianism.

We find in his writings, a detached attitude with ironic observation and a discursive style that could accommodate the language of prose and the concerns of science. Just like modern poets Auden favoured concrete imagery and free verse though employed a great variety of intricate and extremely difficult technical forms. His highly regarded skill is that he thinks in terms of both symbols and reality at the same time. He always used language that was interesting in texture as well as brilliant verbally. According to Austin Clarke, Auden was “liberal, democratic and humane.” Monroe K. Spears in his first systematic critical account “The poetry of Auden: The disenchanted Island” (1963) stated that Auden’s poetry can offer the reader “entertainment, instruction, intellectual excitement and a prodigal variety of aesthetic pleasures, all in a generous abundance that is unique in our time.” While British critics treated his early work as his best, American critics favoured his middle and later work as more worthy and significant.  “Overall, Auden’s poetry was noted for its stylistic achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, religion and its variety in tone, form and content.

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            31st October, 2021                     Somaseshu Gutala

PLAY THY PART

                     

                           

                                         

                               

1)   A floating miracle assuming myriad forms

       So flexible, so smooth and calm

       Cheering so many eyes with her charm

       So shines thy pliant nature friendly and warm.

 

2)     The purling stream by the mountain side

         So gracefully through pebbles glide

         Unhindered by boulders flows beside

         Just like thee taking everything in her stride.

3)     The whirling western wind from cloudy height

         Shaking mighty trees with lashing might

         Carpeting the ground with leaves fallen with fright

         Reminds me thy vibrant attitude bright. 

 

4)     The laughing lilies on blue misty hills

         Makes our hearts throb with fragrant thrill

        Our feelings swell and flow like mountain rill

         Likewise, your smiles with joy our bosoms fill.

 

5)      When the tree with so many fruits abound

          Shakes herself free a load of apples red and round

          A heap of rubies ripe shining on the ground

          Reflects thee who in giving true joy found.

 

6)      Like the bird flying through gloomy clouds and gales

          With colourful wings unfazed over the vales;

          As her voice echoes a melodious merry tale;

          Likewise, your efforts move, not stagnant and stale. 

 

7.       Like the coloured spectrum of rainbow in the sky 

          Like the shimmering glow of butter-flies

          Like the blooming lotus blossoms at sunrise

          Make me happy to see thy growth mature and wise.

 

8)      So many pretty things flash before my mind

         To speak about you, so liberal and kind;

         In simple ways immense pleasure, you find

         You play your part with zest that God assigned. 

   

  (With many, many best wishes to my daughter, Sri, on her birthday) 

  16th October, 2021                Somaseshu Gutala   

A NOTE ON W.H. AUDEN’S POEM “NIGHT MAIL”

 

                           

 

Wynstan Hugh Auden (1907-1973) was a versatile personality who brought significant changes with socialist fervour in the field of arts and made innovative changes in style, content and tone. He participated actively in the fields of politics, morals, love and religion. As an important member of the “Oxford group” he rejected the traditional poetic forms of Victorian writers and was influenced by literary modern writers like T.S.Eliot. All his works are noted for their humanitarian content, democratic spirit and technical innovation in literary forms.

 This poem was written in 1936 to accompany the documentary film of the same name. The film is concerned with a London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) mail train travelling from London to Scotland. It was produced by the GPO  to publicize the work of the British general Post Office. This film was directed by Harry Watt and Basil Wright and was narrated by John Grierson and Stuart Legg. Some of the lines of the poem were cut and changed to fit the film. The basic intent of the film was to reveal how the mail was distributed all over cities and villages by the train. The rhythm of the film matches the train’s movement and a sense of dreamy loneliness pervades much of it. Auden’s poem was read in the closing few minutes of the documentary film. This poem was set to music by Auden’s friend, Benjamin Bretten.

 In this poem, the train is personified as a person who travels crossing many hurdles and reaches her destination on time. She passes through grasslands, cotton fields, rocky terrain and industrial townships. The night mail carries mail across the country by night. Here the “blank-faced coaches” refers to compartments carrying no passengers. She shovels white steam over her shoulder as she moves forward.

 In spite of her fast rhythmic movement, the night mail did not disturb the sleeping people who were dreaming about news about war and letters from their dear people. The poet shows the train as a socialist symbol transcending the barriers of social status and rank. The train crosses the borders overnight bringing letters, cheques, and orders for both the rich and the poor. Though the way is steep she moves with steady speed and arrives at the destination on time. She noisily passes through the silent miles of grasslands. Birds peer at her and sheep dogs cannot alter her course. The dwellers sleep on undisturbed by the passing train while the jug gently shakes due to vibrations caused by the train. 

In the dawn she descends into Glasgow. There she heads towards dark furnaces set up like “gigantic chessmen”. All of Scotland eagerly crave for her arrival for men want news and letters from their near and dear. She carries many letters of different sorts and for all people such as receipts, invitations, applications, declarations of love, gossip from around the world and news both “circumstantial” and “financial”. She also brings personal letters from family members, letters with doodles in the margins, letters from all over Europe, letters of condolences all written on papers of every color imaginable. The letters have all tones and styles such as chatty, friendly, cold, boring, clever, stupid, long and short. Some are typed, some are printed and some are misspelled. Thousands still sleep dreaming night mares. They are asleep in Glasgow and Edinburgh. They dream on but they hope that when they wake up, they will have letters. The line “And none will hear the postman’s knock/Without a quickening of the heart’) refers to their intense desire to know that they are remembered by someone else as the mail comes. Their hearts will pound when they hear the knock of the postman on their doors since “Who can bear to feel himself to be forgotten?”

  

 This is a twelve- stanza poem that is divided into stanzas of varying length.  The first part of the poem is made of eight four-beat rhymed couplets to echo the rhythm of the running train. The second section of the poem describes the train’s descent into Scotland. The landscape has a touch of industrial township with dark furnaces. Stanza nine has eight lines, stanza ten has nineteen lines, stanza eleven has three lines and stanza twelve ends with seven lines. This poem is written as a conclusion to a film about the delivery of the mail. The meter of the poem resembles that of a moving train down the tracks. It is very steady, builds up speed and at the end slows down. The second section has eight lines with irregular meter. Scotland was eager to hear about war news as Hitler was becoming increasingly aggressive. In the third section the excitement of the crowd receiving all the letters is described though most of them were asleep when the train was passing by. Auden realistically shows the vast array of things sent by post. People are knit together by this correspondence, no matter how trivial the mail might seem. The diversity of people and communications is mirrored by the kinds of paper” of every hue/the pink, the violet, the white and the blue." 

In the final section Auden depicts local people asleep in their warm beds dreaming of local things and monsters. Soon they will be awake and eager to know about the mail they would get. The end of the poem asks “after all, who can bear to feel himself forgotten?” This poem celebrates human connections and sweet, memorable relationships. The poet viewed the night mail as a socialist symbol which serves all transcending the barriers of race, rank and status. The train is personified as a calm, methodical and kind being who is always on tome despite “the steady climb” as she barely disturbs the countryside.

The poet also used many figures of speech to enhance the effect of the moving train in keeping with her movement. The repetition of word or phrase at the beginning of multiple lines in succession (Anaphora) is seen in this poem to create emphasis. (“Letters for the rich, letters for the poor”) and (“Letters of thanks, letters from the banks / “Letters of joy from the girl and the boy”). A list of phrases, items or actions may be mentioned. The repetition of initial consonant at the beginning of words (Alliteration) is seen words like “birds, bushes, blank-faced”. The use of sibilance (alliteration of soft vowels such as “s” and “sh” to create a prolonged hissing and rushing sound. (“Shovelling white steam over her shoulders/Snorting noisily as she passes”). The use of enjambment (run-on lines) is used to show the smooth movement of the train. (“Down towards Glasgow she descends/Towards the steam tugs yelping down the glades of cranes). The use of repetition for giving emphasis is seen (“Letters with holiday snaps to enlarge in/Lines with faces scrawled in the margin/Letters from the uncles, cousins, and aunts/ “Letters to Scotland from the south of France/” Letters of condolence to Highlands and Lowlands”).

 The whole poem is the personification of the train as a brave lady moving forward with steady movement and perseverance facing many hurdles with a sense of determination. In the sentence “she snorts noisily as she passes by the wild bent grass” the train is personified as an animal. This poem is a fitting conclusion to the documentary film which highlights the services provided by the Railway and the Postal departments.

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  (Dedicated with humble regards to Sri (Late) Y.N.Sastri, the Saviour of Railway Pensioners and who did yeoman service for protecting the rights of pensioners at national level.).  He worked as Chief Controller in Secunderabad and after retirement in the capacity of President for All India Retd. Railwaymen Federation, he rendered invaluable and commendable service for pensioners for nearly thirty years. He was a born leader. an orator,  a writer and an actor. To quote, he was " a multi-faceted personality with a zeal for pensioners' welfare, social, cultural and sports activities; above all a trade union leader and a freedom fighter with leadership talent. A leader of conviction, devotion to duty and determination combined with a high degree of knowledge and vast experience." 

I humbly dedicate this essay to him since like the "Night Mail" in Auden's poem, he stands for dynamic nature, courage to overcome difficulties and selfless service with timely action and straightforward nature without any inhibitions.

           

      9th October, 2021                                   Somaseshu Gutala
                                           
                            

A Birthday Wish

                          

         

                

                             

             You ever mingle freely with one and all

             You entertain both elders and children small;

             You enjoy everything with playful ease

             Your humble helpful ways always please;

             Good, friendly relations you ever maintain

             You treated none with anger or disdain;

              In studies and career too, you did exceedingly well

              To tempting greed and deceit you never fell;

              Happiness you find in whatever you perform

              Ever helpful, jovial, affectionate and calm;

              Wherever you are, there blooms delight

              A festive togetherness warm and bright;

              A promising future I wish on your thirtieth year

              Full of domestic peace, good health and cheer .

             

          (With hearty blessings, Dear Anvesh)

 

           30th September, 2021                  Somaseshu Gutala         

LIVING SO LONG!

 

               

   

           

1)             So  many years, Time gave thee to stay

             And live this life in so many ways;

             To use your senses and feel a sense of thrill

             A plentiful harvest in your bosom to fill;

             With deeper meanings and noble thoughts

             To live with hope and faith, a God-given art.

 

2)                             In every dawn you find a promising chance

            As you get up refreshed from your trance;

            Too much engaged in routine repetitive deeds

            Lessons of life you did not care to heed;

            Worried over future we overlook present

            Thinking about past that vanished and went.

 

3)                           You sip your morning cup of tea

           Reclining with ease newspapers you see;

           You loiter in garden with leisurely pace

           Have your breakfast in room with ample space;

           You take everything with mechanical stride

           Delight in common things you never tried.

 

4)                          We ignore the worth of things easily got

          A very easy thing it is for us to fault

          With others who struggle for bread a lot;

           In web of trivial matters, we are easily caught

           We never care to know others’ feelings

           We are too busy with our frivolous dealings. 

5)              Winds of change none can stop and resist

          Old, rigid principles you can’t insist

          Why you condemn changes as worthless trash

          While you enjoy gadgets and splurge your cash;

          Accept the gifts of change with liberal mind

          In proper use of things true worth we find. 

 

6)                     Rush not with passions and reckless rage

        Adamant nature matches not with your age;

        Ripe maturity shows itself in restraint;

        Explode not with too many morose complaints

        Win thy weakness of limbs with attitude bright

        Curse not burdens of long life to worsen your plight.

 

7)                   Hanker not too much with earthly pleasures

        In old age good health is a valuable treasure;

       Observe due limits and be not a slave

       To tempting senses which ever crave

       Pay due attention to thy mental health

       What is the use of having abundant wealth?

 

8)                 Buffeted by ups and downs you lived so long

      Roughened by blows, so try to be strong;

      Keep thyself fit and not too much depend

      On others stating your age, Dear friend!

      Interfere not with others’ affairs and tasks

      Give thy advice only if they ever ask;

9)   So many dear people we have to lose

      The curse of old age, yet we can't but choose;

       So many tender lives cut off in their prime

       Beyond our reach the mysteries of time;

       Accept real facts as all beings should part

       With everything and nothing ever lasts.

10)  Though slow, our progress no regrets to feel

        God’s intentions none can reveal;

        Find calm delight in Nature sweet

        In beasts and birds who never cheat.

        To grasp the deeper meanings, change your thoughts

        To live with hope and faith, a life-long art.

 

11)   Just like Her, be calm, happy and serene;

         Enjoy her gifts with feelings fresh and green;

        Treat thy troubles as floating bubbles that pass;

        Time leads people--- no gain or loss;

         Fill thy days with patience and wisely spend

         Be ready and bold whatever be thy end.

 

12)  Death opens gates to distant stars unseen    

       To see the secrets of soul she lifts the screen     

       A liberator great and God’s image indeed

       Reforming vision and gently lead;

       To reveal more realms and reform our souls

        A long, long journey to reach our final goal.

              ****************************

        23rd September, 2021                      Somaseshu Gutala

           

           

 

          

          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

                                     LIVING SO LONG!

1)    So many years, Time gave thee to stay

And live this life in so many ways;

To use your senses and feel a sense of thrill

A plentiful harvest in your bosom to fill

With deeper meanings and noble thoughts

To live with hope and faith, a God-given art.

 

2)     In every dawn you find a promising chance

As you get up refreshed from your trance;

Too much engaged in routine repetitive deeds

Lessons of life you did not care to heed;

Worried over future we overlook present

Thinking about past that vanished and went.

 

3)     You sip your morning cup of tea

Reclining with ease newspapers you see;

You loiter in garden with leisurely pace

Have your breakfast in room with ample space;

You take everything with mechanical stride

Delight in common things you never tried.

 

4)    We ignore the worth of things easily got

A very easy thing it is to fault

With others who struggle for bread a lot;

In web of trivial matters, we are easily caught

We never care to know others’ feelings

We are too busy with our frivolous dealings.

 

 

5)        Winds of change none can stop and resist

Old, rigid principles you can’t insist

Why you condemn changes as worthless trash

While you enjoy gadgets and splurge your cash;

Accept the gifts of change with liberal mind

In proper use of things true worth we find.

 

 

6)    Rush not with passions and reckless rage

Adamant nature matches not with your age;

Ripe maturity shows itself in restraint;

Explode not with too many morose complaints

Win thy weakness of limbs with attitude bright

Curse not burdens of long life to worsen your plight.

 

7)    Hanker not too much with earthly pleasures

In old age good health is a valuable treasure;

Observe due limits and be not a slave

To tempting senses which ever crave;

Pay due attention to thy mental health

What is the use of having abundant wealth?

 

8)    Buffeted by ups and downs you lived so long

Roughened by blows, so try to be strong;

Keep thyself fit and not too much depend

On others stating your age, Dear friend!

Interfere not with others’ affairs and tasks

Give thy advice only if they ever ask.

 

 

   9)    Before our eyes so many dear people we have to lose

           The curse of old age, but we can’t but choose;

           So many tender lives cut off in their prime

           Beyond our reach the mysteries of time;

           Accept real facts as all beings should part

           With everything and nothing ever lasts.

 

10)     Though slow, our progress no regrets to feel

           God’s intentions none can reveal;

           Find calm delight in Nature sweet

           In beasts and birds who never cheat.

           To grasp the deeper meanings, change your thoughts

           To live with hope and faith, a God-given art.

 

11)    Just like Her, be calm, happy and serene;

          Treat thy troubles as floating bubbles that pass;

          Time leads people--- no gain or loss;

           Fill thy days with patience and wisely spend

 Be ready and bold whatever be thy end.

 

12)     Death opens gates to distant stars unseen    

           To see the secrets of soul she lifts the screen     

           A liberator great and God’s image indeed

           Reforming vision and gently lead;

           To reveal more realms and reform our souls

           A long, long journey to reach our final goal.

            ****************************

           

           

 

          

          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 11)   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                         LIVING SO LONG!

1)    So many years, Time gave thee to stay

And live this life in so many ways;

To use your senses and feel a sense of thrill

A plentiful harvest in your bosom to fill

With deeper meanings and noble thoughts

To live with hope and faith, a God-given art.

 

2)     In every dawn you find a promising chance

As you get up refreshed from your trance;

Too much engaged in routine repetitive deeds

Lessons of life you did not care to heed;

Worried over future we overlook present

Thinking about past that vanished and went.

 

3)     You sip your morning cup of tea

Reclining with ease newspapers you see;

You loiter in garden with leisurely pace

Have your breakfast in room with ample space;

You take everything with mechanical stride

Delight in common things you never tried.

 

4)    We ignore the worth of things easily got

A very easy thing it is to fault

With others who struggle for bread a lot;

In web of trivial matters, we are easily caught

We never care to know others’ feelings

We are too busy with our frivolous dealings.

 

 

5)        Winds of change none can stop and resist

Old, rigid principles you can’t insist

Why you condemn changes as worthless trash

While you enjoy gadgets and splurge your cash;

Accept the gifts of change with liberal mind

In proper use of things true worth we find.

 

 

6)    Rush not with passions and reckless rage

Adamant nature matches not with your age;

Ripe maturity shows itself in restraint;

Explode not with too many morose complaints

Win thy weakness of limbs with attitude bright

Curse not burdens of long life to worsen your plight.

 

7)    Hanker not too much with earthly pleasures

In old age good health is a valuable treasure;

Observe due limits and be not a slave

To tempting senses which ever crave;

Pay due attention to thy mental health

What is the use of having abundant wealth?

 

8)    Buffeted by ups and downs you lived so long

Roughened by blows, so try to be strong;

Keep thyself fit and not too much depend

On others stating your age, Dear friend!

Interfere not with others’ affairs and tasks

Give thy advice only if they ever ask.

 

 

   9)    Before our eyes so many dear people we have to lose

           The curse of old age, but we can’t but choose;

           So many tender lives cut off in their prime

           Beyond our reach the mysteries of time;

           Accept real facts as all beings should part

           With everything and nothing ever lasts.

 

10)     Though slow, our progress no regrets to feel

           God’s intentions none can reveal;

           Find calm delight in Nature sweet

           In beasts and birds who never cheat.

           To grasp the deeper meanings, change your thoughts

           To live with hope and faith, a God-given art.

 

11)    Just like Her, be calm, happy and serene;

          Treat thy troubles as floating bubbles that pass;

          Time leads people--- no gain or loss;

           Fill thy days with patience and wisely spend

 Be ready and bold whatever be thy end.

 

12)     Death opens gates to distant stars unseen    

           To see the secrets of soul she lifts the screen     

           A liberator great and God’s image indeed

           Reforming vision and gently lead;

           To reveal more realms and reform our souls

           A long, long journey to reach our final goal.

            ****************************

           

           

 

          

          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 11)   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

                          

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