Light and Shadow

Metamorphosis

2011-09-06T03:26:00.000-07:00

I am damn busy these days, so could not write a single word in my blog. As I have joined a secondary school I could not manage time to wander on my thoughts on dental story. Teaching requires a lot of homework besides punctuality, patience, and so on.

My second canine has also come down, now only alignment is left.

More than 3 dentists in Delhi suggested me not to undergo any treatment saying that I might lose four teeth. It becomes possible for my dentist Dr Puneet Batra only who puts strenuous efforts on it. I had passed painful moments while he applied methods to pull down my left canine. I was busy in my new job, so I got little time to think on it.

Visiting a dentist is a nuisance to some people who do not know ABC of dental health. As I live at a small town, I faced so many questions. Even principal sir also asked me several times as I had to convince him for my leave. He is always supportive as he knows well how much it is difficult for a girl to face the difficulties of life without father. Even I have other responsibilities at home also.

It is quite strenuous to travel Delhi frequently for the lower middle class people like me. Even as North east is a remote region of the country there are so many hurdles to get the train ticket. When the airfare is low I visit by air, otherwise by train.

Dental story part iv

2011-02-11T00:46:00.000-08:00

My right canine slowly is coming down. Still I am waiting for the left one which is yet to erupt. Wait for the photographs.

How to Write Compelling Content By Brian Clark

2010-05-17T03:57:00.000-07:00

Hello friends, if you are an SEO content writer or want to pursue a career in content writing, Copyblogger is sure to a prolific guide for you. I have subscribed the newsletters of this site and it did benefit me a lot.

Now, Brian Clark comes up with a pdf file of several pages which contains how to write compelling content that ranks well in search engine. It is free. Visit Copyblogger and download it.

The link--http://www.copyblogger.com/page/2/

Fragmented Memoirz

2010-04-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

Ma, Take me back to your nest.

Few Days back I wrote a poem, “Ma, sing a lullaby to me, take me back to your nest.” ( We, Assamese call mother Ma and father Deuta. My mothers’ house is near a rail station where a few Bengali families live. It is disintegrated now. She hails from a middle class family, and my father hails from a lower middle class family. The Bengali families had a good relation with our mother’s family, even they did visit our house, and they liked our mother very much. Bela Mama is good friend to us. May be due to their influence we said our father (he is no more) Baba. Our friends did tease us, why being an Assamese we say Baba instead of Deuta. My parents lived in Mumbai for 13 years. Our eldest sister was born in Mumbai, she first says Baba and so we all the siblings say Baba. When I ask my mother why you taught us to say Baba, she said you all yourselves naturally say Baba, Baba is Baba, no need to worry.

Baba being served in Indian Navy sailed to several countries of the world. When he said us the stories of seafaring life, we were getting scared.

All our aunts are well educated and in our childhood days we say them, “ardha Bidheshi and ardha asomiya” (half British and half Assamese for their lifestyle)

One of maternal uncles of our father is a renowned freedom fighter, so many of the political doyens of Assam (Bimala Prasad Chalia, former CM of Assam and a Padma Vibhushan awardee) visited our house with him and they hang out here discussing politics. My grandmother was a good chef. She is called as Lakhimi by the locals for her mild nature. When I visited some friends of father in Guwahati, they said that they had very fond memories at our ancestral home and our grandmother cooked chicken choup and lip-smacking dishes for them. (Our old house was broken around 1985 to build an Assam type building by our cousin brother (elder uncle’s son), unless it is broken it may survive another several years). I can hardly remember our old British bungalow style house. (Half brick walls, wood crafted, half bamboo wall, thatched roof)

At a lonely moment I feel I am not doing what I like from my heart, I am just wandering here and there…I want to get marry soon and feed a babe. My closest buddy Sangi (we name ourselves as Lucky and Pozzo, the two characters of Waiting for Godot, not to mean the symbolism of the characters, but to mean only about our wandering life of the University days) says, “Please come back and live in your own style. Don’t let Delhi to wash away your finer sensibility”.

The First Lady of Assamese Cinema

2010-04-25T01:04:00.001-07:00

Aideo Handique play the role of Ahom princess Joymati in the first Assamese film “Joymati’’ (1935) directed by Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad Agarwalla. She was ostracized by the villagers as she addressed her hero as Bongohordeo or ‘dear husband’. She remained a spinster all her life and she leads a lonely life till her death.

Image Courtesy:

http://golaghat.gov.in

Laxmi Talkies reopened

2010-03-26T22:11:00.000-07:00

Assamese film industry has been in a dying stage due to the upsurge of digital revolution which has posed a threat to the traditional cinema halls. It has a negative impact on the Assamese film industry which is striving hard to survive.

Now it is a good news to all. When I visited home last month, I have seen the signboards of “My Name is Khan’’ on the wall of the Laxmi Cinema Hall, Sivasagar. It has been reopened on the festival of Shivaratri. Laxmi Talkies is renovated, it comes up with digital technology. Indeed it is a good news for all Assamese. The small cities and towns have more audience of Assamese cinema than the urban areas. The cinegoers can now enjoy a movie after a long break.

Image courtesy: www.assamtribune.com

My dental story-part III

2010-03-16T09:05:00.000-07:00

I had my baby teeth till my 28 age

At the age of 28, my two baby teeth have fallen, not naturally my dentist Dr Punnet Batra removed it.

One might ask me why I am writing my dental story or I am giving so much importance to publish it in a blog. Someone from Mumbai called me that he was so impressed reading my dental story and wanted to know more on it. Even my closest friends want to read it in my blog.

I wore the braces on 28th January. It was not painful at all. But before the braces some plastic spacers are put in between the teeth to create the space. It was a little bit allergic and painful to eat anything while I bite the foods I bite the spacer. I googled the dental stories before my dental appointment and compare each stories and experiences with mine. When I read on the stories of dental braces, most of them said that a brace wearing is painful and it takes more than one and half an hour. My dentist, Dr Puneet Batra takes hardly 30 minutes to put the braces on my teeth. I did not feel pain at all.

After wearing the braces, I first visited a pharmacy to buy some prescribed things. The pharmacist, a young guy asks me several times what I want. May be due to pronunciation problem he could not understand me. But I am sure that he smiled in a typical way to joke for my teeth. After my dental braces I met hundreds of people and everyone put a question on it, why I am wearing it so lately, why I select the green color plastic instead of white one, if I am wearing it for beauty only and so on. I have visited home and everyone asked me if I need to pull it out while brushing the teeth, some suggest me I should not meet my boyfriend or someone special with this braces, etc. I answered with a humorous tone to most of them and sometimes I got angry. Later I did avoid these questions.

Girls love to eat chestnuts and sanasur. When I was visiting in the train I have sacrificed these snacks. Still I tried to eat Sana. When you are asked not to eat something you will be more obsessive to eat it. Due to my dental braces I have to avoid so many good dishes.

I hated always the huge gap of my front teeth. The gap is slowly becomes closer and the teeth of the makhana (male elephant) seems to be changing to a good one. One of My nephews, an 8th class student only used to say me always that my teeth are moving and the gaps become smaller. He even says that I look different day by day due to the braces. He feels pain for me that I couldn’t smile in a big style and I could not be a newsreader for my gap-teeth. When he knows about my surgical exposure of canines, he called me to ask if everything was well with my teeth.

Surgical Exposure of Canines

Truly I am sacred for this part. I always visit the clinic after my office or in the morning time. It doesn’t create problem to my work. I feel pain to be alone at the time of surgery. I have seen one of my friends when she had her dental implants. And her dentist did not allow her to express her pain. She says her sadist. I took my sister with me as at the painful moment near ones always give courage and patience.

I had my surgery on March 13, 2010. It was painful a lot; I should say it is unbearable. Dr Puneet Batra said all the times in a positive way to give me courage and to divert my mind to other things. I have full faith in his competency and so I wasn’t scared about any misfortune. After surgery he said that the canines are in unusual positions and guided how I need to take care for healing. I took complete rest till next day of the surgery and I join office after one day.

The gap after the removal of baby canines seems pretty horrible!!! I hope my canines will come down. It will take time. But I don’t know how much months or years I have to wait…

How does your site win the Race in Google?

2010-01-30T09:36:00.000-08:00

Everyone expects that their site should get the position in the first top ten lists of Goggle. High raking of a site in Google, the King of Webs seems not quite easy as there are billions of sites. Then how you will defeat your competitors in the race? Your site will catch the eye of the search engine Google as well as other search engines when it is an optimized site. The search engine optimizer does the optimization of a site using various tactics of seo. Search Engine Optimization is a complex term and it is very dynamic. We can say that seo is both a game of fun and pain.

Some people don’t believe in seo, some sites gets traffic of visitors without optimization. There is a reason behind this. If your site has keyword rich content then it does wonder without on-site optimization. So, undoubtedly seo friendly content or keyword rich content is one of the secrets behind success of your business. If you have keyword rich quality content in your site then it draws the eyes of the search engines. (But if there is too much competition on the same subject on-site optimization is necessary.)

What is keyword friendly content? The Keywords are words or phrases that are used by the net surfers while searching something in Google or other search engines. The content which has proper density or use of keywords gets more eyes of the search engines. E.g. you run a small online business on weight loss products. Then the content of your site should have this key phrase, the content writer should use other synonymous keywords like weight loss products in India, weight loss products sales, how to loss weight, etc. Moreover, updating of contents at a regular basis gives boost to traffic of a site. The selection of title of the content, and Meta tags also do matter.

Blogging and regular comment on other blogs also drive attention to your site. You can leave the link of your site when you visit a blog of other blogger. The continuous process of blogging and commenting do a great help in generating traffic to a site. Blog with relevant contents also gets the eye of the search engine.

There are lots of seo techniques for driving traffic to a site and these can be used by a competent seo professional. Some of the seo tactics are onsite optimization using proper title, meta tags; link exchange, press release submission, open directory submission, video submission, social book marking, social networking, article submission in the article directories among others.

(I have worked in more than 3 companies till now and but after joining in Divino Indian Memoirz Tours I have met Rohit, an seo buff who like to play games with Google, he is dedicated to play the game of seo approximatley14 hours in a day. He is only conscious about his sites ranking and how he can use innovative seo tactics to win the race in Google. Slowly I have also developed a habit of learning seo as it is essential to be an expert seo content writer. Basically I am a blogger and an seo content writer. )

Miracle Does Happen in Life!!! My dental story-Part II

2010-01-19T21:29:00.000-08:00

Hey pals, I had a tooth extraction yesterday. After 15 years of hypothesis I went for my dental treatment. It is in Dr Shweta’s Dental Clinic in Delhi, run by husband wife duo-Dr Puneet Batra, an orthodontist and Dr Shweta, a dental surgeon. You believe me, I have visited more than 7 dental clinics till now, and on the first day of visit I have seen perfection in the infrastructure. It is an ISO certified clinic. Also Dr Puneet Batra is a man of charismatic personality. You see here a combination of professionalism and care for perfection. For the first time in my life I got a computerized prescription here. (You know illegible handwriting of doctors sometimes lead to wrong medication.)

Why have I rejected the previous dentists? There are various reasons, some didn’t know the art of telling to a patient, some didn’t like to hear the patient, some are over smart and thought the patient a fool and some did it just as a profession. (Hey, the patient is me only here)

I told you in the earlier story that I have impacted canines and teeth are misaligned. I have goggled on impacted canines and read several stories. Most of them got back their impacted canines after orthodontic treatment. I have also read a lot about the stories of patients who were panic to go for a long treatment. It requires patience and will power. Even when I told to my near and dear ones about my thought for the treatment, some of them used to say, “You have passed the most important days of life with these teeth, what’s the problem now? Marry soon and feed the babes”. Sangita, the closest buddy of mine says, “Your teeth never becomes an adjective for you. No one reminds you with your teeth, beauty is only skin deep (May be she loves me too much, so she doesn’t feel it).” Sometimes she joked for my teeth--Gap-toothed women are mischievous… (Now I tell her here, see the Les Blank’s film on Gap-toothed women)

I have made up my mind; it’s still painful to think of wearing braces for one year or more. After one extraction more I have to wear the braces, then the stage of removal of my baby canines and surgical exposure of canines and so on. As the canines eruption depends on several factors-bone grafts, age and it seems like a miracle. I am hoping for the best, as miracle does happen in life!!!

My Painful Dental Story

2010-01-17T20:53:00.000-08:00

Since my teenage I was conscious about my teeth misalignment, everybody laughs at my teeth misalignment and the gap in between the front teeth seems funny. One of my childhood friends always tell me your front teeth is like the two big teeth of the makhana, Tusker. Some say it is like Darsheel of Tare Jameen Par (after the film), some say it seems like the teeth of rabbit, some say humorously fill the gap with a seed of bottle gourd, etc.

I can bear it easily though sometimes I got irritated with it. There are seven siblings in our family; my mom did struggle a lot to raise us as it was difficult for her to run the family smoothly in a low pension of my father. The days have gone. My father expired. I have completed my education, no issue of teeth at any stage.

My experience with the dentist of my town

Sometimes I used to see the teeth in the mirror and imagine how I look beautiful if I haven’t the gap in between the front teeth. When I was in 12th class my second eldest sister took me to a dentist near our town. He is a distant relative of us. I went with her expecting that he could do something better. The dentist was not at clinic at that time(a typical town clinic in a congested room), so we were asked to come later. Then we met him and he told me that he would fill up the gap. The cost is 700 or something. My sister decided to come on other day. But I was reluctant not to do the treatment as I have seen the dentist as an incompetent one. He was chewing betel nut (found in Assam) and I thought that he might do something wrong to my teeth.

Days passed, I have completed my MA in English from Dibrugarh University, Assam. Always I try to forget and hide the teeth when I meet new people. Udayan Mishra Sir taught us poetry and when he read the stanzas of the Canterbury Tales of William Chaucer and when he emphasized the character of the Wife of Bath more (Chaucer describes her, “Gat-toothed was she.”) I felt depressed as she is also a woman of gap-toothed. There are several myths related to gap-toothed women. (All I don’t like to quote) Some says that gap-toothed people are lucky and they have a glorious future. (Some says gap-tooth is lucky for men only, I see here some patriarchal tone).

The truth came out--Canines are impacted

Then I came to Guwahati and stayed with cousin brother and his family. It was initially difficult to adjust with other’s home but I was bound to stay as I was penniless then. I got admitted in Cotton College EDC in the PG diploma course of Mass communication. There are other stories of survival and struggle in Guwahati. No job, no money. I did private tuition and worked in the media for a few months.

Sometimes my sister-in-law told you should get marry, and then the life will be settled. I think I need a job first, and then I will get marry. One day I came to a clinic of Guwahati. The Dentist suggested to do an x-ray, I had the x-ray and then the truth came out that my canines are impacted. I was getting scared thinking what’s the hell in my teeth? He told all the treatment cost would be 17, 000. It was a big amount for me at that time. I stopped the process here.

In Delhi

I came to Delhi for a better career, (initially for survival, now only I am in the rat race). I joined a job. Again the story of teeth came. The tension came again. I think I should do the treatment here as I will get quality treatment. I started my search for a dentist. One of my friends gave me a name of a dentist as she had her canine implant here. I came and told that I came through internet as I thought that if I will tell the name of friend she might think that I hail from a rich family like her. She was jovial, and a little bit sadist (my friend says earlier). She told me to do an x-ray at her clinic. Then immediately she planned the treatment, told that she would fill up the gap by putting braces and then put bridge. She winked at me telling that you would get confidence after beautifying your teeth. I didn’t like this (she meant something naughty). She asked for a huge amount. I was not happy about her treatment procedure, I thought what will be happened to my sleeping canine if she puts bridge.

At that time I was working in Gets Holidays and asked Samir Sir if he knows any good orthodontist in Delhi. He gave me reference of an orthodontist. I came to his clinic and after CT scan he told me that I should not go for the treatment as there is no bone support and I may lose four teeth and it is not possible in orthodontic.

Then the story of AIIMS. I had the chance to meet the head of the Orthodontist who told me about the bringing down of the canines to its position. But my name is in waiting list and it will take another few years.

My fiance came to Delhi to celebrate the New Year with me. Again the story of teeth came. He tells me, for a few months you forget about it and after few months again the same tension cripples you. He forced me to search for a good dentist. He wants good teeth of mine. As after marriage teeth matters, people used to see every part of the bride to get a point to see if there is anything wrong with the physique. I used to tell him you have to see me beautiful even in the ugliest dress.

I googled and chose again an orthodontist. We came to his private clinic in Lajpat Nagar. He gave us two options- one is natural eruption of the canines and the other is impaction surgery and then the implant of canines. I chose the second option as I am planning to getting married soon. After his treatment planning, I called him and told him I want my X-ray back. When I went for taking my x-rays, he behaved so gently and told me if I want the treatment in a low amount I can do it in a Ghaziabad hospital. Really I apologize for being doing so unethical.

But again I thought for a second option. I got an experienced dentist who has a charismatic personality and now I am going for the treatment. I will tell the story in the next blog. This is the fourth dentist in Delhi.

I question my will power, my individuality, and how this misaligned and gap-toothed make me sad. (I have impacted canines and I must go for the treatment, if I have gap-tooth only I might not go for a treatment) Sometimes I feel it is a part of me. I hope now after beautifying it I might be confident to talk face to face to in an interview, no one will put a comment on it, no one will ask if I get it genetically, etc.

Taj Mahal Visit- A Dream comes True

2010-01-15T08:20:00.000-08:00

With all my hopes and dreams of Taj visit, I booked two tickets of Volvo bus from the Delhi based tour operator Panickers Travels. The per ticket costs only INR 750. Being a travel writer I have written so many fictitious and imaginary contents on Taj Mahal visit. Now I virtually prepared for Agra tour which is one of the most inquisitive dreams of my life. Since childhood when I read about Taj Mahal I hope that I will visit Taj one day, what is the secret behind this great Monument of Love.I toured Agra with my fiancé, as this monument of love should be toured with the loved ones. We got into Panickers Bus at 6.25 near Ashram petrol pump. It was hurry in preparation. We waited at Ashram and the chilly winter fogs shattered us, for a moment I lost the spirit of the tour.

We reached Agra around 11 am. Then the tour guide of the Panickers introduced him taking the speaker of the bus and welcomed us to Agra. We all the group got down and headed towards the Agra Fort, the capital hub of the Mughals. The red sandstone building caught my attention at first sight. And I felt that really Mughals had a competent Defence system to protect themselves from the intruders, even it is tough enough for them to establish a kingdom in a foreign land. No doubt, Mughal are cunning and brilliant in invading kingdoms, but they suffered a lot in the hands of soldiers of Ahom kingdom in Assam. Mughal attacked Assam for 17 times and returned back saying that “this is a land of tantra-mantra”.

The tour guide helped us in booking the ticket, we took the queue. In the Indian ticket counter, a young foreign couple also was waiting. Might they have no idea that Indian Tourism takes high entry fees from foreigners? A security guard dressed in typical dress came and said, ‘’foreigner ticket go down” (he meant that foreigners have to buy the entry ticket downstairs counter) they seemed helpless for a moment. I would say, ''you have to book the ticket at the downstairs counter''. They got it easily and proceeded towards the counter.

We followed the guide, he told us stories behind the palace, garden, and arts works on the walls, etc, when he was telling about the harem ladies that Akbar kept, one of the fellow travelers joked, what is this harem ladies?. The tour guide replied in a humorous tone, “girl friends’’. If Akbar will be a modern king definitely they will be called girl friends and they might blackmail him like the girl friends of Tiger Woods and Bill Clinton. Alas! The harem ladies had no freedom of expression…

We explored each palace and halls of Agra Fort and the palace of Shah Jahan and the location where Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son. It seems that the guide wanted to hide the tragic end of Shah Jahan, he wanted to glorify only the glory of Mughals and even he told us not to question about Jodha Bai, and but it is worth mentioning that he mentioned about the Akbar’s marriage to a Hindu lady. Agra was founded by the Sikandar Lodi, a Delhi sultanate. Before that Agra Fort was occupied by the Sikarwar Rajputs. The Mughal emperors who lived in this fort are Babar, Humayun, Akbar, Jehangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb. Even Sher Shah Suri, the Afghan general of Babur and the founder of the Suri dynasty also lived in this fort.

No doubt Jodha Bai is itself a controversy. Akbar married a Hindu princes namely Rajkumari Hira Kunwari Sahiba, the eldest daughter of Kachawas Rajput, Raja Bharmal, Raja of Amer (former Jaipur), and his son Jehangir also married a Hindu princess namely Princess Manmati and Shah Jahan was son of Jehangir and of this Rajput princess.

By the way the Agra Fort visit was quite satisfying. A major part of the Fort is now prohibited for the public as it is the under use by the Indian Army; the British used Agra Fort as the military treasury. Even there is a grave of a British General inside the fort. Hi British, want to mark an icon in the Mughal Fort???

Then we were taken to UP Handicrafts Emporium. An official of the emporium gave a demonstration of the marble paintings and the carvings of the stone on marble plate. Then the mini Taj story. We had taken into a comparatively dark room than the previous one. The same man showed us the mini Taj made out of marble, even placing on a light, how marble Taj is different from other cheap Taj replica found in the outside market. Taj is said as the symbol of love, peace and perfection. For a moment I could not keep my impulsive mind, I thought “I want to have a mini Taj at my dream home” My fiancé never stopped me till now when I want to buy something in a market. He got ready to give me a mini Taj. (Sometimes when are in a brawl he tells me that I have looted him. Virtually true. When some of my Delhiites friends say about the dowry how much they have to give to the groom’s family, I used to tell them I will take dowry instead of giving him. Say No to dowry in the 21st century…)
Frankly speaking later I thought I have wasted 850 Rs as the Taj doesn’t seem impressive when I place it in my reading table. It looks pale, yet I want to keep it as one of the secret belongings and will décor it in a style to feel its beauty.

After lunch, we did proceed towards Taj Mahal. When the bus reached the parking place I have a view of the Oberoi Amarvilas, the luxury five star deluxe hotel of Oberoi group. I have written so many times on this hotel, about its lavishness and spa centre. We walked about 10 to 15 minutes from the East Gate parking to the main entrance of Taj. The horse and camel drawn cart first caught my attention; I took some photographs in the mobile. The tour guide helped us booking the ticket earlier, and then we took our own way to explore the jewel of Mughal architecture, Taj Mahal, the most extravagantly made monument on this world.

The guide told us that around two hours we have to get back to the bus, they are very conscious about time…I was frustrated a lot hearing this, though I knew it earlier that one day Agra trip is hectic and one gets little time to explore Agra. We proceeded towards Taj, walked past the garden. The photographers followed us and we did not give any attention. By the way I want to reach Taj and want to touch it and feel. More than architecture the story behind Taj fascinated me. I want to examine the love, passion, pain behind this great monument of love.

There was a long queue, I wanted to take the queue but my fiancé said we should ask the tour guide before taking the queue as we have to reach the parking gate in time. We got 1.30 hours to explore Taj. The guide suggested that it will take long time to enter inside Taj, so we should explore it from outside only. My dream shattered. With a sad mind we walked around Taj, touched its walls, posed photographs (too much photographing takes away the joy of traveling). Himu consoled me that we would come again for overnight stay…
After walking around Taj, we sat on a bench of the garden. Then I thought Taj tour memories should be kept, we should have at least one join photograph. We posed for a joint photograph. The tour guide initially told us that we should avoid the photographers. Yet we thought we should have a photograph. We posed for three photographs, and then he took 50 Rs advance and told us that he would come back after half an hour. We waited for almost 45 minutes but he didn’t come back to give our photographs. We were hurry to reach the bus.

I feel the beauty of Taj when I sat on the bench in the garden, Taj seems more beautiful from a distance. The halcyon ambience adds more beauty and depth to this monument. The mythical River Yamuna flows near it; there I feel something different which is inexpressive in words. But my journey was unfinished; I want to come again to explore Taj.

On the way back we visited Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Krishna. I didn’t explore anything here as already I lost my spirit. We had coffee only in Mathura. In the bus, we had little conversation and but one of the fellow passengers told us that they got a chance to enter into Taj and there is photographs of Shah Jahan and Mumtaj Mahal inside Taj.

A Candid Chat with Arab-American Poet Dima Hilal

2008-12-11T02:07:00.000-08:00

Dima Hilal, an Arab-american poet creates buzz in media as well as in the literary ambience with her poems, which are the reflection of the humanitarian crisis of Lebanon, Iraq, etc. She is a resident of California now. Her works appear in the publications—San Francisco Chronicle, Orion literary journal, Aramco, The Poetry of Arab Women: A Contemporary Anthology, edited by Nathalie Handal (Interlink Books, 2001) and Scheherazade’s Legacy: Arab and Arab American Women on Writing, edited by Susan Muaddi Darraj (Praeger, 2004). Hilal gives some insights on her works and leverage of dual cultures on her poetic creation in a candid chat.Excerpts from the interview:

*Your writing is a form of activism. What is your personal view regarding this?

I believe that writing is a very powerful form of activism. Writing can serve to document, record and witness. It has the power to humanize and paint a picture of what would otherwise be forgotten, or worse, remain invisible. It also brings the dialogue away from political ideology to the concrete, human aspects. The conversation can then begin on a much more innate level - the people we speak about aren’t "us" versus "them"; it is not the "other". Rather it is someone’s father, mother, grandson or daughter. I strive to do that in my writing. My poetry is intended to shine the light on a situation by showing the truth, with all of its beauty and pain.·

*Your poems are the reflection of the culture, political, humanitarian situation of your native country, Lebanon? You left Lebanon at an early age. How do you feel the root of your country?

Yes, my work is often inspired by elements of my culture. I was born in Beirut but left my country with my family when I was nearly seven years old. However, Lebanon never fully left me. As an Arab-American, I have always felt as though I had one foot in America and one foot in the Middle East. This in-between state used to feel like a burden to me but I have learned that it is a gift. Through this perspective, I can reach out to both cultures, to criticize and celebrate equally. I think I have retained this link to my native country due to my family. My grandmother grew up with us and because she did not speak English, my sister and I had to maintain a conversational understanding of Arabic. Through her and my parents, we were immersed with these cultural nuances - from eating stuffed grape leaves in our lunch bags at school to wearing turquoise to ward off the evil eye. And this view feels quite natural to me and often works its way into my poetry. Now you know why you often read about orange blossoms, turquoise and the warm Mediterranean wind in my work.·

*Peace Mom creates a buzz in media with her activism. Your poems also tell the stories of mothers like thousand Peace Mom. Do you want to leave a comment on Peace Mom.?

Cindy Sheehan, or Peace Mom, has dedicated her life to preventing the loss of another son or daughter to a senseless war. I recently wrote a poem inspired by a quote I read in the Washington Post of another woman, named Anika Lawal, who recently lost her daughter, a soldier, in Iraq. She said, " I want to know why I’m planning a funeral while George Bush is planning a wedding." Those words haunted me and I wrote a poem in honor of this woman who aches for her little girl and for the child who died barely a woman. This confirmed my belief that if we looked at every civilian and every soldier as someone’s loved one, a precious gem, instead of nameless, faceless individuals, the world would be a truly different place. And that is what Peace Mom represents to me. The courage and the dedication to say, "Enough."

*Please tell me a lot about your professional engagements.

I have had the honor of performing my work in many wonderful venues, from cafes to museums to concert halls. Perhaps the most memorable was reading at the Library of Alexandria in Egypt. The architecture and the historical significance of this location was incredibly awe-inspiring for me, both as a poet and as an Arab-American. I have also had the privilege of working on a libretto with a composer in San Francisco. We created together - I would provide the words and he would create the music and we would tie the two together to form a cohesive work. The best place to keep track of my various upcoming publications and performances is on my website, http://www.dimahilal.com/.

1 comments:kunal said...Hi,its excellent. I heard about Dima Hilal from my friends earlier, really thanks to you for bringing this interview.

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Can my Virginity Be Restored?

2008-12-10T23:31:00.000-08:00

Though sometimes I am getting bored with daily newspaper stories, yet some news catch my attention. It may be an interview with a litterateur, stories of a sabbatical move, a solar bra, the non-conformists, Big B and Lalu’s blog, personal history of Barrack Obama, etc.

When I was going through HT City, 14 June, 08 issue, the photographs of a woman with three buds of lotus caught my attention. Mostly in other days, the front page of HT City is about Bollywood or Hollywood celebrities or perennial stories of Ash and her hubby. It is about a cosmetic surgery namely revirgination or hymenoplasty.

The twist line of the story is that ‘ A little cosmetic surgery is how young women are erasing their sexual history before marriage.”(Quote from the story)The news adds more “ Dr Devansh from Max Health Care, an expert in hymenoplasty says that the women who have approached him for the surgery do so for reasons of moral satisfaction. One of the patients who approached him asked, Can my virginity be restored?”

Now the point is who will go for a hymen restoration surgery? ----The rich, modern middle class girls or up-to-date girls who are wearing the masks of modernity, who do not believe in traditional marriage, but put their family astrologer’s mobile number in speed dial, who sacrifice aspirations for family’s sake (Does modernity means smoking, drinking, dressing freely)Hello dear my friends (girl), is it important to wear a mask of virginity while men are free from this sexual term? Why virginity for women only?

Do You Believe in God?

2008-12-10T23:29:00.000-08:00

When I came back from my home with a shady heart in February, I met a Delhi University Research Scholar in my train journey. He is doing research on Arsenic Contamination in Ground Water. After friendly discussions, he asked me a traditional question, "Do you believe in God?" He carries a Bible with him and most of the times he was reading it.Most of the times in my life, I face this question. I said him, I do not believe in God, but in an invisible power. My answer is quite puzzling, in the middle juncture, a little God believer or not.

He weaved a story to convince me that God creates this world and the Almighty exists. He quoted so many lines from Bible. A line is "A woman who fears to God is to be praised." I told him that I read it several times and familiar to so many similes, images and metaphors. Even I told him that I see supreme God believers who created unlimited infidelity and crime in their life. I said him my mother believes in God and does prayer at home. We, the siblings are not like. We never go to temple, but do some traditional rituals at home yearly. Even I told him that some beliefs including God and other superstitious beliefs depend on one’s upbringing.

If anyone asks me about my religion, I find myself puzzled (from which point of view I am Hindu).I asked him (he is originally a Brahmin from UP) how his family was converted to Christian religion. He told me a funny story. His one of great grandfathers ran away from home due to ideology crisis or (may be his non-conformist nature) and converted to Christianity as missionaries were there in India at that time. As most of Indians converted to Christianity due to temporary impulse. It seems that he will make me a God believer, more a Christ believer immediately. At the same time, by uttering the presence of God, he wanted to cool down my grief. (As I lost my father just before a few days)

Now I put my answer to him." Atheism linked to intelligence""People with higher intelligence quotients are less likely to believe in God because they have questioning their minds, a new study has revealed. Researchers , led by Richard Lynn of Ulster University has found a link between intelligence and atheism –in fact, according to them, university academics are less likely to believe in God than almost anyone else. "Several Gallup poll studies of the general population have shown that those with higher IQs tend not to believe in God," the Daily Telegraph quoted Lynn as saying. (Courtesy: PTI)

I think anyone's belief in God is quite personal. Even whether God exists or not is an age-old conflict between believers and non-believers. But one should not force another to believe in God.If every boy in this world believes in this proverb of Bible (A woman who fears to God is to be praised), I am ready to be single.

Autumn Buff

2008-12-10T23:28:00.000-08:00

Amidst the dryness of Delhi, I miss the "Autumn Season" of my little village and its new looks, the green paddy field, the blue river Disang, the hills touching the horizon.
The Kahua blowing in the bank of the river Yamuna couldn’t cool down my passion.
Really it is an ecstasy for me to spend a few days in my little village amidst the magic of autumn season. How is amazing, wonderful, the seasonal delight of the idyllic life???????????
Oh, my little village, still you are in the lapse of nature. No, industrialization, no globalization………….

His memories haunt me

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He was the Sun & Samurai. As I tried to forget him, his memories come and create puzzle to my daily life.
He was none, but my brave and courageous father. He was extravagant and luxurious. Even in his saddest days he did not leave his originality. He never sacrificed his luxury for well breed of our siblings.
He joined Indian Navy in 1957 and took VRS after 15 years. He told us splendidly the amazing days of war, his brave stories of war and exotic tales of war & sea so cleverly that I could not guess whether he supported war or not.
He never told me about morality and marriage but said about self-dependency. He was liberal. He welcomed my friends as “Hi comrades”. He was modern, yet never left his roots, social mores and customs. Even he was more modern than my brother who is working in the corporate world.
When I fear for something, My Mom says “You are not your father’s daughter. Be brave my little daughter.”
He always cried for a lost world. His visit to a town is a metaphor for a lost world. He never supported ethnic insurgency. But he never justified this. May be his patriotism? He told sometimes that work culture can solve many deep rooted problems. His watch and radio were his best friends.
After his death, my mind moves with so many enigmas and so many questions. When someone feels pity for me (as I am not getting married till now), I feel that in a patriarchal society, losing her father is the greatest tragedy for a girl. As I could not be a non-conformist.

He is no more, no more.

Winter stanza

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Winter is dry, yet sensuous
Nostalgia wraps me
How can I forget The Kingdom of reminiscence?

An interview with novelist Rita Choudhury

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Assamese Muga Silk, who can thread more beautiful than it?

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Just a snap

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A dream to visit Taksang monastery

2008-10-16T05:17:00.000-07:00

Since my childhood, I have been fascinated by Buddhism, mostly by its outer charm than its spiritual significance as I amn’t totally a religious kind of person. The Buddha Vihar located near our neighboring village attracts my mind and when my mind questioned for it, no one could give me a satisfied answer. I had a friend who is a monk and sometimes I did visit the Vihar with him. But what is surprising to my mind, I was frustrated after visiting the Vihar as I have expected more extraordinary things here. I didn’t feel what I had dreamt earlier. Even I feel a little bit scared when I visit and pray at our local Namghar.

But now after reading and writing a lot on Buddhism travel tour, my old fascination rose up and I am dreaming to visit this monastery located in Paro Valley of Bhutan. As Bhutan is near my state Assam.

Everest from North side

2008-10-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

I have to feel the pulse of the place by mentally visiting it as my job is a travel writer. I felt mesmerized when I wrote about Everest Base Camp, from where the mountaineers start their trekking to the highest peak of the world, Mount Everest. The Mt Everest is a fascination for me since my childhood when I read about it in my primary books. Even the story of Edmund Hillary made me a more freak of MT Everest. Though I couldn’t climb the MT Everest yet I have a dream to trek to the Everest Base Camp to have a crystal clear view of it.

Assam tourism needs exposure

2008-10-04T04:51:00.001-07:00

Only after coming to Delhi I think for the first time in my life that that I live behind the mighty river Brahmaputra. The tributary of Brahmaputra, Disang flows near our house creating a spectacular idyllic setting. Just from the bank fo the river, you see the horizon, the hilly mountains of the Himalayas, the paddy field, etc.

Assam tourism is still lagging behind the proper exposure. River cruising in Assam can be a great oppurtunity as we have all the places of imporatnce near the riverside such as Dibrugarh, Sivagasagar, Majuli River Island, Tejpur, Guwahati, etc. Working as a travel writer for a New Delhi based travel compnay I am mesmerized to enjoy my passion-travel writing. Writings of Kerala and its backwater cruise, culture and heriatge travel of this God’s Own Country always thrill me.

Assam has also a heterogenous culture due to it presence of various linguistic tribes. Even there is always a sizzling mood of art and theatre in Assam. Even the celebration of the festivals has relevance to the seasonal bounties of nature. For an international tourist, tourism in Assam only means Kaziranga and a visit to Kamakhya and its Ambubchai Mela ( Menstruation of Earth in Hindu beliefs). Assam is a home to several wildife sanctuaries which are a home to endangered and rare species and orchids.

Who will introdue the heterogenuity of Assamse culture to the foregin audience? Even most of the nationalcapital(Delhi) dwellers have a little idea about assam toruism. Don’t we need an advertisemnt in the national visual media. If any poor state of India can afford it why not Assam?
Why still we are lacking of tourism developemnt? Does tourism mean only Assam Tourism Department’s participation in an international trade fair, a website on flora and fauna only?