Preface by Kala Ramesh (Excerpt)
A haiku from this collection has been in my mind ever since I read it.
winter deepens
... lungi shivering on
the beggar's face
Lungi is a piece of cloth that is worn / tied around the waist [something like a sarong], by men. In a hot humid country like India, something that is loosely wrapped around the waist is a more practical way of handling this scorching heat. Since a poor man’s wardrobe would be limited, what he wears in winter might be the same lungi that would have kept him cool in summer too.
Here I clearly see a poor man, in extreme cold weather, hunched and huddled-up, The impact this image creates is note worthy. The poem is rewarding if readers know a bit about lungi, else it could easily pass off as a pedestrian attempt.
Preface by Patricia Prime (Excerpt)
The main themes of Anand’s haiku concentrate on the seasons, flowers, the weather, and the poet’s family. Anand’s double allegiances to both his Indian background and the world of European haiku emerge through particular motifs. Here, for example, we have references to the monsoon, the mosque, elephants and the wallah, alongside haiku that refer to the more traditional themes of the natural world: spring’s end, winter twilight, autumn dawn, maple leaves and cloud pause.
In a haiku climate which is choc-a-bloc with innovative work, this collection assumes the need for haiku to move the human heart, to confront the everyday, but not to be imprisoned by them, and to hearten the reader to continue his or her own journey through the reading and writing of haiku. And throughout, the image recur, both natural and of the heart, out of which Anand invites his readers to make a journey with him.
Comments on the Book
Ramesh Anand’s haiku deeply evokes moods of nostalgia. Thanks to the imagery he has used in his poems, we have the wonderful opportunity to reflect on experiences that have been dear and tender to us. K. Ramesh, author of Soap Bubbles.
The vibrancy of your homeland, the strength of a young husband and father, a son’s devotion to his parents; this is a poignant life and, as good haiku do, shares its beauty, its frailty, and your love for it. Jennie Townsend, Kukai Secretary, Haikuworld.
