Last Sunday, I watched the Punjabi stage drama,“ Komagata Maru Safar Jari Hai” at Sunnyside High School auditorium in Fresno. The Indo American Heritage Forum, one of the two similarly sounding organizations commemorating Ghadrites in Fresno had also invited the Progressive Art…
Is the Earth Just Old And In The Way? Maybe It’s Time to Move to Mars!
India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) is all over the news, from the BBC, to the New York Times, and of course, every major newspaper and media outlet in India. It has broken many well deserved groundbreaking records: The first first Asian…
Fighting Our Own Battles: Using Technology to Educate People on The Sikhs!
It always pleases me when I see organizations like SALDEF (Sikh American Legal Fund) stepping up to actively educate people about the the Sikh turban. It seems like it’s an ongoing series of battles, even though we have been living here in…
This Father’s Day, Read a Book: “ਬਿਰਖ ਦਾਤਾ “
Happy Father’s Day! Recently, my grandson was featured on Huffington Post’s article: 15 Reasons Why You Should Celebrate Father’s Day With A Book (he is number 15!) and it was wonderful to see so many dads and grandfathers actively reading. There…
Happy International Women’s Day From Madera, California with the American Association of University Women and my Punjabi Poem with English subtitles: “Daughters”
On Friday and Saturday, I celebrated International Women’s Day locally in Madera California with the American Association of University Women (AAUW), where I was kindly invited to introduce my poem, “Dhean,” or “Daughters.” Both events were organized by the American Association…
My Visit to the Historical City of Sultanpur Lodhi, a Hidden Jewel in Punjab
I have just returned from a wonderful visit to India, and as usual I spent most of my time in Punjab visiting family and friends, with a day or two in Delhi. The main reason for my visit this time…
Relevance of Education & Awareness Month November designated by California to Guru Nanak Prakash Utsav
The Sikh council of Central California celebrated Sikh Awareness month November ACR 25 (Wieckowski) dedicated to Guru Nanak Prakash Utsav at Kerman Unified School District, Kerman, California on November 16, 2013. The conversational type seminar was attended by Superintendents of Kerman and…
Know Your Poets: Zehra Nigah
A poet, whose work I greatly admire is Zehra Nigah, who like me had to cross the border in 1947. Only she crossed into that line drawn in the sand to the other side into Pakistan, while I crossed over to India.
Punjabi Poem by Pashaura Singh Dhillon – A Tribute to the Ghadrites on the Centenary of the Founding of the Ghadar Party
The Ghadar Party was founded in a distant land from India in San Francisco a century ago in 1913. The centenary celebration was held at the ‘Yugantar Ashram’ the original headquarters of the Ghadar Party at 5 Wood Street in…
Know Your Poets: Amrita Pritam’s Influential Poem ‘Ajj akhaan Waris Shah nu’ On Partition Violence Against Women That “Prickled My Heart And Touched My Soul”
Having worked half round the world as landscape architect for several years, I finally made central valley California my home when along with my wife and two children we bought a house in Fresno in 1992. Shifting gears from landscaping…
What is Poetry and What Makes People Write it?
I enjoy reading interviews with other poets and frequent websites on the craft of poetry. What is interesting to me is that inevitably someone will ask the question of what even constitutes poetry and what makes poets write it. While I am sure novelists and short story writers are asked this question from time to time, poets are asked this question much more frequently. These interviews, articles on poetry, and numerous books that have entire sections devoted to this aspect tells me how many times this question must have been asked before, with many answers in the past, yet the inquiry to get at the bottom of it all has not been diminished. Nor would it prevent the inquirer to ask and the poet to answer this question in the future. And I must admit, it is a question and answer I look forward to reading or listening to as well!
Know your Poets: Devneet Singh
I chose to write about a Punjabi poem titled “Kwai Temple,” from Devneet Singh’s other wonderful poems in his poetry book ‘ Hun Stalin Chup Hai’ -meaning Stalin is silent now. I selected ‘Kwai Temple’ not only because it is one of my favorite poems but also to use it to serve another special purpose which I will explain further on. Unlike my other blog posts on Know Your Poets, this time I am saving his poem until the end of my post for reasons you will see.