Our Hearty Greetings

                             

          

                               

1.    You brag not about your degrees and merits

       You don’t show off your knowledge

       You boast not about your status and state;

       You do your duty with patience and grit

       No fanfare or applause you desire;

       To service you dedicate your time entire.

       Sincere work and duty in learners you inspire.      

 

2.    You maintain simple and sober living style

       You keep your conscience cool and clean;

       Without entertaining vicious thoughts mean;

       In idle talk your time you never waste;         

       No crafty means enter your mind

       And none you dislike or hate.

       You greet everyone with a friendly smile.

 

3.    In prestigious office for decades you perform

      Treating patients from hamlets and towns.

       With equal care and attention

       Without anger or frown

       Doing assigned tasks with attitude calm.

       Cordial relations with all you did maintain

       Despite busy schedule without stress and strain.

 

4.    Retirement did not make you lazy and still

       Your rich experience with knowledge you got

       Gave you a precious chance to impart wisdom

       To students, future doctors to hone their skills.

       Despite busy schedule, you are in good health,

       Befitting your knowledge and experience long

      You made best use of time in useful ways.

 

5.   You made best use of your experience long

      As a physician and as a professor wise

     You are honored with the prestigious prize

     Conferred by Royal Society of England Great.

     We feel proud delight on this occasion rare

     Hearty felicitations with you we share.

              ****-------------------****   

     

  (DEDICATED TO DR.A.T.N , WHO WAS CONFERRED THE PRESTIGIOUS AWARD) 

     

     

29th December, 2024              Somaseshu Gutala 

 

 

                               

The Cradle Swung by Air

                                    

                      

                                                             

              

                  Hearing the crying baby sound at night

                  Nature herself played the midwife’s part;

                 When the child opened the eyes

                 No fairies sang their ditties;

                 The owl and the gnat hooted and shrieked

                 In mutual competition;

                 The bat fluttered its wings

                 And none welcomed the new soul into this world;

                 None bounced with joy

                 And none felt what- more- I- lack

                None gave sweets

                None sang lullabies;

                None called the astrologer

                To predict the child’s future;

                None threw merry parties

                And gave a name in ceremonious show;

               None felt unbounded thrill

               And none touched the heaven’s frill;

               Lillies and jasmines bloomed in infant’s smiles;

              Yet none desired to gather or share

              The child was cradled in the same old crib

              The same in which his elder brother was swung.

              The child sucked milk from the bottle

              As his mother, too weak to suckle;

             The child grew thin as a stick;

             Alas! The future citizen of India!

             None covered him with warm clothes

             When he shivered in dark night cold

             None shielded him from burning heat.

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

           Telugu Original

          (The Cradle swung by air.. (A Surya Prakash.)

           Translated by:

           Somaseshu Gutala):           21st December, 2024)

Leave the flames alone

 

                  

         

            For heavens’ sake do not put out the flame

            Don't  Drive it away from innocent dwellings

            Don't fear it sears and scorches our near and dear;

            Don’t argue that these fires are unnecessary;

            If the spark just goes out, it will be a disaster;

            There won’t be any light left;

            We shall lose all fervor and

             Life will come to a standstill;

            Darkness will freeze our souls

            The heart will turn into a stone;

            Winter will gnaw at the bones and

            The throat will turn dry as a biscuit

            Fretting and fuming for no reason;

            Why are you quenching the burning heart

            With indolent tears?

            Don’t lie like corpses----

            You are not statues

            Leave them alone—let those fires burn.

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

            Original Telugu: A.Surya Prakash;

            Translated by: Somaseshu Gutala  

                                     14th December, 2024.

             Note: The flames represent man's aspirations.

 

 

 

          

 

Vibrations

 

            

                                  

                          

                                 

                    A bird cries a weird cry somewhere

                    A dog whines and weeps bursting its throat

                    A star cut off from the sky

                    Sinks down towards the earth;

                    From somewhere, a lizard

                    Dropped at once on my head;

                    I haven’t yet enjoyed

                   The jasmines and moon-lit night

                   Still hope has not yet gone from my life;

                   Till now life was spent

                   In clearing the ground

                  Of its thorns and nettles.

                  I haven’t yet paid back

                  Half the sum of what

                  I took from this world;

                  I haven’t yet packed off

                  For my last final tour;

                 Why so early the guard is waving

                 The green banner at me?

                 Like a withered leaf

                 My body quivers

                 In the hot whirlwind.

                 Hope struggles hard in this last battle

                 I was steeped in tears

                My head was hard-hit by troubles

                And yet none has lent a helping hand

                Life’s boat is tossed up and down

                Amidst the torrential surging flow;

               Still, I seek for a straw around me

               I yearn not for heaven

              With dancing damsels;

              I like this earth, though

              It has no tempting nectar;

             No achievements I added to my credit

             I do not cry for higher things

            Stretching too far beyond my reach

            I do not like the chilly kiss of icy death

            And dreadful, graveyard silence.

              ***********---------- ***********

         Telugu Original: A. Surya Prakash

         Translated by: 

          Somaseshu Gutala               8th December 2024

    

What is this country’s gift?

 

             

                                

                        The smell of the soil makes you

                        Swell with lively zeal;

                        The first showers of the season

                        Make your heart dance like a pea-cock

                        With feathers full unfurled;

                        Whenever I touch my first morsel

                        I cannot but think of you;

                        Not a strip of cloth on your body

                        Not a handful of food to fill your stomach;

                       The crop you reap with hard toil

                       Will not reach your mouth;

                       Not a pair of shoes to protect your feet;

                       Not a blanket to guard you

                       From the bite of wild winter’s fangs;

                      This raw soil under your feet

                      Became your shoes and this sky

                     Became a blanket to cover your limbs;

                     You seem like a lone camel in the desert

                     Bearing a heavy burden;

                     Though you lack food

                     You gave manure to tend your crops;

                     You crushed your bones and shed your sweat

                     And made yourself a manure

                     To nourish this soil;

                     The seeds you planted grew into green life;

                     Famine falls to your lot

                     Due to drought or floods;

                    We claim the fruits

                    That should be yours;

                    To work quietly is your part

                    To strike, to protest, we claim as our right;

                    If you do the same, we suffer and can’t survive;

                    If you ask me downright

                  “What is your share?”

                   What can white-collared workers

                   Like me, answer

                   Except hang our heads down with shame?

                   You are the man who ploughs the soil

                   We claim the fruits of your hard toil;

                   You are the man who reaps the crop

                   We claim the crop as ours;

                   You sweat under the horrid heat

                   We rest beneath the cool shade

                   You burn with hunger

                   From overeating we suffer;

                  Name is yours;

                  Result is ours;

                 Work is yours

                 Words are ours;

                 Practice is yours

                 Precept is ours;

                If you open your third flaming eye

                If you rear your furrowing plough;

               Our sins will burst

               Our plunder will be out

               And turn to dust.

        *************************

    In Telugu: A.Surya Prakash  

   (EE Desham neekemi Ichchindi?)

   Translated by: G.Somaseshu           1st December 2024

 

 

 

 

 

   

THE HAND OF PROTECTION (Abhaya Hastham)

 

             

                               

                                              

        

       Like an upright deep-struck harpoon

      On the body of a whale, I stand;

      Like the fiery sun belching fire, I will slash

      And fight against injustice.

      While the ground under our feet glides away

      While the heart, like a snow-ball melts away

      While tears trickle down to form an ocean

      I will generate power out of it.

      And infuse it to into the nerves of all;

      Though the dreamy castle burns down

      I will sprout another one;

      Though I fall off into a whirlpool

      I will rise again as a wave;

      I will become a flash sword of light

      To tear open and rip the womb of gloom;

      I will become the mighty Indra’s weapon

     To crush the ever-growing hill of corruption

     I will pave a new way; I will write a new lay;

     I will open the unopened door

     I will show the unseen shore;

     I will cut off Fear’s head

     And chop it into pieces that lurks

     Behind the narrow nooks of man’s mind;

     I will raise my hand of protection to all mankind.

                    ++++++++++++++++++++++++

         26th November 2024                 Somaseshu Gutala

         Note: Indra--- Lord of Heaven

                  Lay ------song

Telugu Original:A. Surya Prakash

Translated by : G.Somaseshu

   

  

  

 

 

 

 

Golden Moments

 

        

                                                 

                                               

                

          

 1.      The light of spluttering sparklers I see

In their bright jubilant eyes

The swirling whizz of rockets in skies

I hear in their shouts of joy with glee

The bursting blaze of red bombs resound

In their thunderous cries I found

The festival of merry colors and zeal

Their happy, happy laughter and shouts reveal.

 

2.  The sprouting fire-flowers from tinseled pots

     Brighten their laughing faces a lot

The whirling ground-discs with colors fraught

Make them leap with joy beyond my thought;

The hissing snakes from burning tablets of fire

The leaping sounds of crackers and sparklers inspire;

The leaping lads as crackers zip too fast so high

As if they seem to touch the brink of the sky.

 

3.     In spite of rocketing prices and limited means

Children with eager eyes look forward to burn

At least a bunch of crackers and none can spurn

Their zeal--since parents too are reluctant to wean

Them from this happy festive delight

To see them in bright light, a satisfying sight;

As they grow up, they may not feel same thrill

Let them enjoy these golden moments and chill.

 

4.   People may blame as wasteful expenses sheer

People may accuse as polluting atmosphere

Yet let them enjoy burning crackers green, no fear

A rare pastime for them once in a year

A special treat for them this bright event

Share joy with them though some money is spent.

Though they feel their happy hours end too short

This happy time remains ever in their hearts. 

 

5.     Elders can’t feel again their boyhood days

When they searched for left out crackers to light

Again, or collect colorful wrappers in daylight

But too much jubilation should not lead astray

With proper care and thought children should spend

Their merry time and not too long extend.

Let us their golden moments share with delight.

Even Nature with starry lamps brightens this night.

 

Note : 

1.Tinselled pots –flower-pots decked with colored paper.

2. Whirling discs of fire- circular shaped crackers that

    move round with bright colors shooting upward (Bhu Chakarms)                        

3. Hissing snakes – small black tablets when ignited 

                               send out curly snake-shaped soot.                                  

4. Red bombs –red-colored crackers when ignited 

                         explode with loud sound.                     

                      

5.  Green crackers –eco-friendly crackers that do not

                                pollute atmosphere.

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

  18th November, 2024       Somaseshu Gutala

THE GATE KEEPER

 

                  

                                                          

                                      

              Despite so many colors on the screen

              None of them added color to your life;

              Despite so many grand scenes and splendid sights

              Nothing will lend their splendor to your life;

              Standing erect like a pole as if penalized for life

              Punching tickets seems only your life-line;

              Your anxious eyes with keen desire

              Look at the technicolored scenes

              And dream in vain of such happy days;

              Your eyes have turned dim with waiting

              Fringed with filmy despair;

              Just like the tickets you tear

              Your life has been torn—

              A dreary confusion;

              You escort the late comers to their seats

              With your torch light;

              Alas! For you none shows

              The seat: a pitiful plight.

                      ***************

    Telugu original: A. Surya Prakash; 

    Translated by:   Solmaseshu Gutala

                             9th November 2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE MOVING JASMIN

 

                                                                                

               

                            Every passing moment

                  Strikes like a bludgeoning stroke;

                  Despair pervades the heart

                  Like misty smoke;

                  The swan of life

                  Spouting her blood out

                  Flutters her wings every moment

                  As if to leave the body and fly out;

                  Like the flogging strokes of lightning

                  Like piercing swords of fire

                  Like the stinging bite of serpents

                  The patients feel their inmost pain

                  Dragging heavily the burden of life;

                  Their groans fall like rain

                  Like lashing showers, their cries are heard;

                  Silence hurled away

                  Cut down from the sky above;

                  This is an abode of unrest;

                  Agony pours down from everywhere;

  

                 You seem like a ray of light

                 Your heart is like a picture

                 Exuding sweet perfume;

                 Your life is a sweet, sonorous poem;

                 No tedium on your face;

                With an unfading smile

                Moving briskly like a top

                You offer help and care

                Moving from bed to bed

               Without feeling any discomfort;

               Even the most unbearable stench

               You endure, breathing out

               Sweet perfume like a Jasmin;

               Dressed in white you shine like moonlight;

              With mercy in your eyes

              With sympathy in your words

              With tender feelings in your heart;

              With a benign healing touch

              You give hope to everyone;

              You give them a new taste for life

              And add glowing colors of a rainbow

              To their golden dreams of tomorrow;

              Whenever the patients behold you

              They feel endued with new life;

              You make them forget

              The despair of yesterday for the rosy tomorrow;

              Like sweet-coated bitter drugs

             With soothing words

             You make them forget

             The prick of your needle;

             You are a candle that burns at both ends;

             To burn and give light is your nature;

             To live for others is your motto;

             Oh, Sister! When I see you

             I recall the sweet-smelling Jasmin

            The white flower of light

            That gives comfort and hope to all.

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

In Telugu original: A. Surya Prakash           

                     Title : Kadile Malle

Translated by : G.Somaseshu            6th November 2024