The Anthology is out

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Haiku, haiku anthology, haiku book, poems, poetry, poetry anthology, short poems, world haiku review, Writing

Here it is, a big book full of the best haiku from ten years of World Haiku Review. available as an ebook on Amazon, worldwide. A few links are below.

• Amazon.com

• Amazon.uk

• Amazon.in

Putting this wonderful anthology of outstanding haiku has been a delight. I will blog later about what it was like and some pictures from the book release in Pune.

The title, Fuga No Makoto means “truth, sincerity and honesty which a haikai poet needs to aim at when writing poems.”

Traditionally, Japanese haiku had three lines with 5-7-5 syllables and 17 syllables altogether. However, in contemporary English haiku, the 5-7-5 is no longer observed and any syllable count is acceptable so long as it does not exceed 17. This anthology has a select collection with some of the best of modern haiku.

The World Haiku Review is an online magazine which was a pioneer in the field of haiku – one of the first and most prominent magazines to take the Japanese poetic form and put it online for a wider audience. WHR set the stage for the worldwide expansion of the three-line, highly  imagistic verse form.

This is the Tenth Anniversary Anthology collecting only the top ten haiku from twenty-five issues of the World Haiku Review from 2008 to 2017. Here are some of the best haiku by some of the biggest names in the field, from countries all over the world. The poems are collected by subject, such as Morning Frost, A Cloud’s Drift, the Flower Moon, the Dream of You and so on. Also included are the Editor’s Choice haiku from each issue, complete with the notes of the editor-in-chief, Susumu Takiguchi, explaining why that verse was chosen.

A fascinating journey into a beautiful form of poetry with several hundred of the best international haiku for your reading delight. 

Pins on a map

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book release, cafe poetry, creativity, ebook cover, ebooks, ebooks india, haibun, haibun anthology, haiku, haiku anthology, haiku book, haiku india, INhaiku, kindle ebook, mumbai poems, published

Our third anthology is up, pins on a map, from our very prolific Mumbai group which is just celebrating five years of banter, jokes, coffee, discussions, learning, three anthologies and a blog.

A few hiccups for this antho, but it sorted out in the end. Some great writers sent in poems and pieces about travel, covering most of this wonderful globe. Great reading.

Do take a look. It is available on Amazon as an ebook.

Amazon.in

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Amazon.uk

The Caged Bird Sings

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books, feminist, Fiction, Independance India, India, literature, short storiesw, story, women's stories, Writing

Continuing my fiction journey with two more short stories, The Caged Bird Sings and Encounter at a Train Station.

Quiet tales of women’s lives. Caged Bird tells the tale of a young girl trying to find her voice as she lives in the most limiting and confining circumstances.  Encounter is the story of a young girl trying to understand the changes in pre Independance India.

Amazon.in

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An earlier version of Caged bird, and Encounter was included in my first eBook,  To Catch a Falling Star.

The cover is my interpretation of the brave and intense heroine of Caged Bird. It took me a long time to give her shape.

I had fun writing these stories and hope you will have fun reading them.

Lady of the Tree, a short story

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books, ebooks india, fantasy ebook, fantasy story, India, nature, short read, Writing

Here is the first of many short stories which I am publishing as inexpensive ebooks.  Leading up to novels eventually. This one is fantasy and I had fun both writing the story and doing the otherworldly artwork for the cover.

This is what it is about –

She is the spirit of the tree, the last of her kind. She stayed to help humanity but she has stayed too late. Now she is marooned in an uncaring world. When they come to destroy her, how will she survive?

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Lots more to come.

between sips of cutting chai

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books, cutting chai, haibun, haiku, haiku book, india poems, mumbai poems, mumbai trains, poems, poetry, short poems, Writing

The second anthology is up, between sips of cutting chai, a delightful collection of poetry – haiku, haibun, senryu and renku. One more anthology from the ever active IN haiku Mumbai group.

It is available as an ebook on Amazon. The links are here.

Amazon.in

Amazon.com

Amazon.uk

If you thought poetry was boring take a look at this one. There is a section of haiku on trains, Mumbai’s local lifeline. Trianku. And another section on Mumbai’s cherished pick me up – cutting chai. This is chai so strong it is cut in half and only half a glass is served yet that is more than enough. Do read the chaiku.

We had fun putting it together, working long hours in coffee shops, braving the lashing Mumbai monsoon to put out a Diwali issue. So, here it is for your reading pleasure.

The second anthology generated a lot of interest and we got submissions from all over the world. There will be a third, so if you missed this one, do submit for the third one, next year. We read and discuss every single entry and take a group decision. As usual all submission periods will be up on this blog as soon as we open.

If you like this one check out our first anthology, the taste of sea breeze, which was published in 2016. Click on the picture for Amazon.in.

Read this Summer Poetry

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haibun, haiku, poems, poetry, short poems, words, world haiku review, Writing

The summer issue of the World Haiku Review is up and its a really good one.

               Summer 2017

This is one you will enjoy reading, especially the editorial by Editor in Chief, Susumu Takiguchi and the usual selection of good haiku and haibun.

Also take a look at the poems in One Hundred Haijin. The poetry of Sojo is deeply moving. Enjoy.

Narrow Road 2 is up

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flash fiction, haibun, India literary magazine, literary magazine, poetry, Writing

This is a literary magazine which began with coffeeshops and friendship. Three of us began it, putting together an issue of  flash fiction, poetry and haibun. The first issue did well.

The Second issue got a lot of submissions and interest seems to be growing. So here it is, the second issue is up.

 

And here is the first issue.

Lost Cities of India

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ancient India, books, Dwarka, historic India, history, India, India history, Indian mythology, Indraprastha, lost cities, Mahabharata, mythic age, mythic cities, mythology, travel, Writing

Did you always want to know about the magnificent mythic cities of ancient India? Sunken Dwarka and crystalline Indraprastha?  Take a look at this short book on the grandeur and mystery of the past.

I wrote these articles a long time ago and the response I got was excellent. I have planned a full book on the subject since the Mahabharata is full of fascinating details and stories but that is yet to come. In the meantime, by popular demand here are the original articles I wrote in 2007.

Take a journey into India’s magnificent heritage like you have never seen before.

Available as a Kindle ebook on Amazon.

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Amazon.uk

Monsoons and Mayflowers

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birdwatching, books, cats, dogs, India, monsoon, Mumbai, nature, nature in India, nature in Mumbai, travel, trees, Writing

This one has been a long time coming. I wrote these reflections of life and nature over the years, in bits and pieces, and finally put them together as a book. A lot of people think there is no nature in a big city like Mumbai. There is plenty if you look for it and I have been looking all my life. The seasons are unlike any other and that makes them interesting.

Here is a world of dogs and cats, trees, birds, and coffee shops in Mumbai. It is the world I see. Perhaps you will like it too.

 

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These endearing and delightful sketches will give you a most unusual look at the life of a big city.

Have you always wanted to know how not to talk crow, or how to think like a dog or walk into a wall of grass? Have you secretly desired to experience Mumbai’s most beautiful visitors or hide under a table with your whole family? If you pit a squirrel against the education system who will win? Don’t worry, it has a happy ending.

Here is a whole world of lonely Black Kites, dissatisfied visitors, telepathic dogs, giggling Peepals, lucky black cats, gaudy birds, a soundwave of sparrows, independent minded trees and cats who hate the rain. And much more.

Enter at your own risk. Take this journey into a world you did not dream existed.

The Chapters –

The Fields of Mumbai

In the Days Before Licenses

The Fairest of Visitors

As Gaudy as Possible

A Squirrel vs the Education System

Luck Comes in Black

How Not to Choose a Puppy

Love and Light

The Fine and Delicate Art of Intimidation

This is How it’s Done

Of Lovers, Coffins and Kittens

Walking Between Two Worlds

Alarms, Tall Grasses and Telepathy

Who is the Villain?

Life at the Bottom of the Ocean

Filter Coffee, Wada Pav

How Not to Speak Crow

In Memory of Trees

A Roof Full of Sparrows

A Bowstring of Honeybees

Mayflowers and Mangoes

Now Comes the King

One Tree Autumn

A Tickle of Winter

How to Hide Under a Table

Coming soon – Monsoons and Mayflowers

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books, ebook cover, India, kindle ebook, nature, nature in Mumbai, next book, publishing, travel, words, Writing

Coming soon, my next book – Monsoons and Mayflowers.

A book about nature and life in Mumbai city. It will be released online as a Kindle ebook.

I am in the last stage of editing. Hope to publish it next month. More details very soon.