Asian Literary Society

Woman! Frailty is thy name Yet Stronger than your Male counterpart You've proved to be, time and again, For centuries your voice has been suppressed Even in the so-called new millennium, till today The situation, Alas, remains the same! How many times will you have to prove your worth In front of a society, that assaults you with 'crimes of shame'? How long till a woman, whatever the age or attire, day or night Will feel safe in the confines of her home Or when she steps out with her confidence shaken Each new 'horror' still fresh in her sound and sight! Empower our women all you can But teach men to respect her empowerment Until we do that, all our 'equal status for women' claims Will sound hollow and remain merely in the name !! (Rest in Peace, Priyanka Reddy)

Eleventh-hour nerves and eleventh-hour blues  So many things to wind up and settle favors and  dues: Miles and miles to  go before I sleep; Yards and yards to spin and weave before the beep. Lots and  Lots of things to set in order; Lot more things waiting  around the corner : Where do I start? How do I tie the ends? Countless tasks still waiting for the amends.: Time is ticking away, My breath slipping away ; I puff and pant, rave, and rant; At my  time's slippy sloppy slant : Give  me more time, I plead in earnestness, The Gods are crazy and the Angels cry helplessness. You had so much of time all along, and you dithered; You whined  and whiled away your time unfettered : Pack up  fast, for your final destination is on fast tracks ; Run, rush or race to wind up your Time 'slacks':  Pull, push, prod or poke, to get your priorities right, Do whatever you can with full vigor and might : Time is tic...

A love without expectations not in lieu of love return. It is not a deal but bondage free, spacious enough with wisdom and trust. Love which can withstand thorns and accept roses is love eternal. A flame that burns serenely and perennially. No wavering by fickle winds of cynicism. A love with expectation perishes as time flows rapidly. Timeless love survives and remembered ever like Radha, Krishna, Mirabai. Grows, better with time, like vintage wine.  Did Radha complain when her beloved Krishna left Gokul for Mathura.? Or did Mirabai stop rendering her soulful rendition when faced with challenges? She sings mellifluously in the glory of the divine. Poison turns nectar, a power of infinite love. Did the mother complain of labor pain? Did the father complain of looking after family and children? Eternal love is a commitment without expectation, the devotion of the highest order. A selfless love platonic, pure. Like an earthen lamp soaked in oil of kindness, responsibility, compassio...

Represents a superb, splendid exaltation of emotion An eternal, intense and never changing devotion Infinite love that can't be measured, like the hours It's seen with white hairs, always young in the heart. A relationship that has enduring power Strong feeling that two people have for each other Having things in common, they share and enjoy together Kind of love that's rare, it does last forever. True love in their hearts buried so deep They promise that they will always keep A pledge of passion more lasting than ever No matter what obstacles, their love remains stronger. Nothing in the world can stop their great feeling Eternal love, gives their life real meaning Pure empathy, adds magic for their love to last Affection they share, until this earth they pass. Eternal love is a matter of understanding; never impatient It doesn't grow weary or fearful; bond of closeness, commitment Neither bound up in physical body nor fettered by time Love so strong, that e...

God’s Grace And Mercy are any day bigger, good to remember Yet, are selfishly unmindful of precious lives on air, earth, and water! Echo imbalance is the root cause for large scale worldwide disaster  Peaceful coexistence-mercy and tolerance needed in big measures! With the advent of science, technology life has become much easier We are shamelessly greedy, abusive; putting the environment in danger Why our world is restricted to-Me , Mine and Myself, I often wonder  To wipe out all this without a trace, it takes just one natural disaster! The teenager was  shocked to see the maid being hit by her employer For packing two slices of bread for her hungry two year old toddler  Her any amount of explanation, her innocent plea fell on deaf ears She begged Mercy; mercilessly was beaten and declared a robber A child in a school was taken to task for not raising funds for poor He cried-“Mother can’t raise fund,hates to borrow from nei...

The deserted seat beside him till yet was not so They sat there together and slowly watched the yesteryears go They saw the pastoral countryside through their aging eyes  And birds fly back home across the azure limitless skies They brooded as the sunset after illuminating millions of lives And then headed home in pursuit of another sanguine sunrise Diligently they followed this every single day of their youth And matched their footsteps through life’s muted blues  Gradually, as they turned grey, undying love they fondly shared In their carefree laughter many things remained unsaid  They fought all odds and shed tears at what was not to be  Shattered dreams with a new hope  they would often weave But today he sits on the bench lonely,  broken with a pain unbearable  Afraid of a morrow without her,for him the loss is irreparable  He wi...

The light of love guides a nonchalant soul eternally Makes the dull life radiant in every sphere Like the blazing sunshine blessing every being in early morning A trail of misgivings turning into an indulgent longing A tryst with eternal love above the vortex of fugitive time A trailblazing faith that binds million hearts in sweet communion Scavenging twisted courses of life enlightening the dark cove of heart Love, a vibrant vibe adorns a heart, decorates mind's mart Love, an immutable truth governs the infinite universe Forever, a cosmic tide triggers the sleeping senses of a sane In clouds of calamity, one sees a silver lining conspicuous and pristine Up above the mundane muddle, one gets glide tidings of an uncommon kind One marches regally in thick and thin of time A soul is blessed blithely if love encapsulates it overtly and covertly A thumping victory at last in this life and the life hereafter An everlasting love that endorses an eternal cel...

In a white bridal gown holding a bunch of roses Here I stand at the bench by the riverside Where once our hearts embraced each other our love blossomed like monsoon flowers of pink and blue a euphoric sensation within us with emotions pure and true we walked together holding memories made for each other I understood that you had to go but I miss you more than you know Your presence is felt in every ray of the sun that warms me Your voice is heard in every beat of my heart that captivates me My beauty faded with my age but my heart still yearns for you Its been twenty years that you left me and I reassure myself everyday ‘it's not that long’ We don’t have a separation for I know our love is eternal and so I stand here at the bench by the riverside In a white bridal gown holding a bunch of roses waiting for you

It was twelve. The wails of the baby woke her up. “Aww…., she must be hungry. I think the two-hour gap is not working,” muttered Nima as she rushed to the cot where the baby lay. “My little one. Don’t cry, please. Here, hold on to it...yes! That’s like my good girl.” As the baby latched on, she breathed a sigh of relief. Reclining against the backrest, she thought about the ordeal she had endured. *** Married for eight years, they had tried every procedure to ensure they have a child. She had prayed. She had tried every pill and potion. When they had almost given up, she missed her periods. “Rakesh, Rakesh,” she had yelled from the bathroom. The groggy man had rushed in fearing an accident. He found her crying and laughing at the same time. In her hands was the pregnancy kit and on it were the pink lines they have been waiting for so long. What followed was a long kiss under the shower celebrating their triumph. Months passed. An uncomplicated pregnancy is what the doc...

A woman is complete in herself they say, but motherhood bestows upon her a rebirth. For me it was an incessant wait of almost a decade and a yearning to hold a six odd pounds in my bare hands.  I had always been a happy and content person but there were moments of isolation when I questioned Why Me?  There were trials and tribulations and sleepless nights. To respect the beliefs of the family, we crossed all boundaries of religion and prayed in temples, dargahs, and churches. I was finally compelled to go in for adoption after facing dejection for almost 7 years without a successful conception. But as though God was testing my faith in him, destiny had other plans. And as I signed papers to complete the formalities for adoption in Dehradun on 9th Dec 2000, I felt liberated. A decision was taken and I looked forward to beginning a new life. New dreams we dreamed and just could not wait for the blessing to arrive. And soon after I felt a strange change within myself. Jus...

The bead glittered with the joy of contentment, with the sweet pain of labour; rolled slowly down and settled. Her gentle hand reached out to the infant's brow where the bead of sweat glistened. As she wiped her baby's brow, she ensured that the positioning was well maintained so that the baby's grip as she suckled her milk was not disturbed. Tiny hands cupped and suckled with pleasure that lent a mutual chord of feeling. When the baby gave a contented burp, Amala rose with the baby in her arms and gently lay her in the cradle. A tender smile lit her face as she watched dark lashes rest on rosy cheeks. She gently rocked the cradle, then tiptoed away. As Amala made her way through the passage towards the kitchen, her expression changed to one of concern and worry. She could catch the smell of the burnt gravy and rushed to switch off the stove. To her utter chagrin, very little of the gravy could be salvaged. She could picturise Ravi returning home tired, looking forward ...

Trampling hooves vied with the clang of swords, To shroud the warring inferno dust rose; To clamour for glorious victory hearts froze; Blood coursed its way On barren lands and basalt stones, Life-giving arteries yielded to the onslaught; At the battle of the Hydapses. History will forever remember; Hail Alexander!! Oh son of King Philip and Queen Olympia, Tamer of the wild stallion Bucephalus, Slicer of the Gordian Knot; You advanced into Asia with the spirit to further conquer; Hail Alexander!! Ancient Punjab where the Chenab and Jhelum flow,  Recalls the words of captive King Porus, "Treat me, as you yourself would like to be treated"; A ray of humanity touched the conquerer's heart,  Admiration for honour and self-respect played its part. Hail Alexander!!

God rang the warning bell Before tossing us into hell; For we rent the sky with holes And ultraviolet rays penetrated earth's soul; Gripped by hurricanes and tornadoes The blue planet cringed in fear; As fiery fires did shear Green forests and humanity's heart, Replete with greed and ready to plunder. He cast off the mantle of care, Ripped us apart, threw us asunder. Then in she flew on wings of gold, Pleading with him who rules the world, "Have mercy, my Lord. Forgive them for they know not what they do. The words spoken by Jesus on the Cross. Mercy alone has the power To kill the demons of vice and let virtue pervade; Life is no game of dice nor is truth a false charade!  Delve within and find mercy dwelling, Oh Lord!! Man is still a fledgling".

                                                                      It’s gentle cries reverberated all around the ward as it slipped out of her, into it’s new world. She smiled weakly, the labour had been long, but gratifying. She lifted her arms to cradle her little bundle of joy, but they hurriedly took it away. She called out, “Could I see it just once?” There was only a stoic silence, clearly indicating their refusal. She sighed, crestfallen. She was back home in a week, her family happily welcomed her. She held her two sons close and wept. The little ones wiped her tears, unable to fathom what had gone wrong.  “Did we have a little sister Amma?” they queried, but seeing her copious tears, they decided to keep mum. Night fell and her husband sat down beside her, “Please don’t be so upse...

Clustered around the estate lawyer in his cramped office, we awaited the reading of Ma’s will. She had departed recently after a brief fight with cancer, leaving three bereaved children. Father’s untimely demise a decade ago had not impacted us as much as Ma’s. My two older brothers were married with families of their own. The youngest, I was still single and unable to come to terms with the loss. In an impassive tone the lawyer informed us of the equitable division of Ma’s assets. The formalities over as we stood to file out of his office, he said, ‘Neha Beta*, your mother left one additional thing for you.’ Surprised, I asked, ‘for me?’ ‘Yes. Here.’ He extracted an envelope from his desk drawer and handed it to me. Intrigued I turned it over in my hands. On a non-descript beige envelope was written in Ma’s trademark scrawl – ‘For Neha’. Her handwriting brought a fresh wave of grief. A sob escaped as I clutched the letter and slumped into a chair. Was this Ma’s last lette...

Dear Heera As you know, I am a patient here at St. John’s Medical Hospital, admitted because of my ongoing liver ailments of cirrhosis. From the recent medical reports, I am aware that time is not on my side, and my chips are down. Last night, I vomited blood, and I realized instinctively that my end is near, which means that this will probably be my last letter to you. Therefore, do read it carefully. Beti , I want you to know that your mom and me have loved and cherished you, Tara and Munna, more than you will ever realize. In your life, there are going to be ups and downs and plenty of challenges thrown in, but don’t ever lose your indomitable spirit and zest for life. We named you `Heera’ because we wanted you to always glitter and glow like a diamond, with inner strength and outer sparkle. Never give up on your dreams, whether it is to do some amazing writing or to become a worthwhile person in this world where sincere, enthusiastic people are few and far between. As Abd...

Nothing will happen when I will embark on for that untrodden ultimate voyage. Universal truth I accepted, I came alone, shall leave alone. I am just a tiny particle in this vast sphere. The sun will rise at dawn, the moon will mesmerize at night. Kith and kin will mourn for a few days only! The show must go on. Again a lot of things will happen. It just does not involve me anymore. But when alive, I can do a lot. Let me have a firm footprint on the sands of time. With humility, goodwill, and compassion. Discarding vanity and pompousness. For I shall leave my body only, the soul is eternal. I do not know, what will happen when I will arrive at that unknown mystic place! But I know about this present life, which is beautiful and can be live beautifully. I shall carry nothing, no material, no wealth. I will carry my' karma', let my deeds be noble. Smile be bright like sunshine, words be  sweet like honey, touch is tender. For when I will leave, I want to leave with warm m...

Tears ran down her face Reading the last letter by her son in a haze It came stained in blood from the airbase All happiness from her life did chase. Am saying goodbye, dear Mother Like me, you will find no other Do not worry for me any longer I am not coming home, do not be in anger. For my country, I gave up my life Goodbye to you, Dad and my sweet wife The brutal gunshot ripped me apart It’s time for me to exit from your heart. I know, sweet mother, I have put you in pain Giving my life for my country, joy I have gained You were the one who raised me proper and right Protected and loved me with all your might. Now, I will watch you from Heaven above The golden angels are calling me with love I know, you will miss me always dear But whenever you look up, you will find me near. My last letter to you, please keep In my grave, where I am going to sleep.

  Not the least am I bothered, my son, That you should abandon me to my strife, Alone in a silent, solitary world;   It’s dark and gloom, with no light or life. You climbed on my shoulders to view the world, When you had seen enough, you just walked away; Mothers before me have been used this way, Like ladders to reach the top, then kicked away. But, my son, you could not take away with you, My cherished memories of me and you! I shall read from this treasure, a page a day, That will keep me alive until my dying day. I worry about the guilt that will torment you, When you realize one day, and I’m sure you will do! That day, you will not find your voice to say “I ‘m sorry, mother, that I did this to you” I may then be listening from a different land;                                ...