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Category: Editorial
Towards a Brave New World
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Painting by Sohana Manzoor
With Christmas at our heels and the world waking up slowly from a pandemic that will hopefully become an endemic as the Omicron seems to fizzle towards a common cold, we look forward to a new year and a new world. Perhaps, our society will evolve to become one where differences are accepted as variety just as we are fine with the fact that December can be warm or cold depending on the geography of the place. People will be welcomed even if of different colours and creed. The commonality of belonging to the same species will override all other disparities…
While we have had exciting developments this year and civilians have moved beyond the Earth — we do have a piece on that by Candice Louisa Daquin — within the planet, we have become more aware of the inequalities that exist. We are aware of the politics that seems to surround even a simple thing like a vaccine for the pandemic. However, these two years dominated by the virus has shown us one thing — if we do not rise above petty greed and create a world where healthcare and basic needs are met for all, we will suffer. As my nearly eighty-year-old aunt confided, even if one person has Covid in a remote corner of the world, it will spread to all of us. The virus sees no boundaries. This pandemic was just a start. There might be more outbreaks like this in the future as the rapacious continue to exploit deeper into the wilderness to accommodate our growing greed, not need. With the onset of warmer climates — global warming and climate change are realities — what can we look forward to as our future?
Que sera sera — what will be, will be. Though a bit of that attitude is necessary, we have become more aware and connected. We can at least visualise changes towards a more egalitarian and just world, to prevent what happened in the past. It would be wonderful if we could act based on the truth learnt from history rather than to overlook or rewrite it from the perspective of the victor and use that experience to benefit our homes, planet and all living things, great and small. In tune with our quest towards a better world, we have an interview with an academic, Sanjay Kumar, founder of a group called Pandies, who use theatre to connect the world of haves with have-nots. What impressed me most was that they have actually put refugees and migrant workers on stage with their stories. They even managed to land in Kashmir and work with children from war-torn zones. They have travelled and travelled into different dimensions in quest of a better world. Travelling is what our other interviewee did too — with a cat who holds three passports. CJ Fentiman, author of The Cat with Three Passports, has been interviewed by Keith Lyons, who has reviewed her book too.
This time we have the eminent Aruna Chakravarti review Devika Khanna Narula's Beyond the Veils, a retelling of the author's family history. Perhaps, history has been the common thread in our reviews this time. Rakhi Dalal has reviewed Anirudh Kala's Two and a Half Rivers, a fiction that focusses on the Sikh issues in 1980s India from a Dalit perspective. It brought to my mind a family saga I had been recently re-reading, Alex Haley's Roots, which showcased the whole American Revolution from the perspective of slaves brought over from Africa. Did the new laws change the fates of the slaves or Dalits? To an extent, it did but the rest as fact and fiction showcase were in the hands that belonged to the newly freed people. To enable people to step out of the cycle of poverty, the right attitudes towards growth and the ability to accept the subsequent changes is a felt need. That is perhaps where organisations like Pandies step in. Another non-fiction which highlights history around the same period and place as Kala's novel is BP Pande's In the Service of Free India –Memoirs of a Civil Servant. Reviewed by Bhaskar Parichha, the book explores the darker nuances of human history filled with violence and intolerance.
That violence is intricately linked to power politics has been showcased often. But, what would be really amazing to see would be how we could get out of the cycle as a society. With gun violence being an accepted norm in one of the largest democracies of the world, perhaps we need to listen to the voice of wisdom found in the fiction by Steve Davidson who meets perhaps a ghost in Hong Kong. Musing over the ghost's words, the past catches up in Sunil Sharma's story, 'Walls'. Sharma has also given us a slice from his life in Canada with its colours, vibrancy and photographs of the fall. As he emigrated to Canada, we read of immigrants in Marzia Rahman's touching narrative. She has opted to go with the less privileged just as Lakshmi Kannan has opted to go with the privileged in her story.
Sharma observes, while we find the opulence of nature thrive in places people inhabit in Canada, it is not so in Asia. I wonder why? Why are Asian cities crowded and polluted? There was a time when Los Angeles and London suffered smogs. Has that shifted now as factories relocated to Asia, generating wealth in currency but taking away from nature's opulence of fresh, clean air as more flock into crowded cities looking for sustenance?
Humour is introduced into the short story section with Sohana Manzoor's hilarious rendering of her driving lessons in America, lessons given to foreigners by migrants. Rhys Hughes makes for more humour with a really hilarious rendition of men in tea cosies missing their…I think 'Trouser Hermit' will tell you the rest. He has perhaps more sober poetry which though imaginative does not make you laugh as much as his prose. Michael Burch has shared some beautiful poetry perpetuating the calmer nuances of a deeply felt love and affection. George Freek, Anasuya Bhar, Ryan Quinn Flanagan, Dibyajyoti Sarma have all given us wonderful poetry along with many others. One could write an essay on each poem – but as we are short shrift for time, we move on to travel sagas from hiking in Australia and hobnobbing with kangaroos to renovated palaces in Bengal.
We have also travelled with our book excerpts this time. Suzanne Kamata's The Baseball Widow shuttles between US and Japan and Somdatta Mandal's translation of A Bengali lady in England by Krishnabhabi Das, actually has the lady relocate to nineteenth century England and assume the dress and mannerisms of the West to write an eye-opener for her compatriots about the customs of the colonials in their own country.
While mostly we hear of sad stories related to marriages, we have a sunny one in which Alpana finds much in a marriage that runs well with wisdom learnt from Kung Fu Panda. Devraj Singh Kalsi has given us a philosophical piece with his characteristic touch of irony laced with humour on statues. If you are wondering what he could have to say, have a read.
In Nature's Musings, Penny Wilkes has offered us prose and wonderful photographs of the last vestiges of autumn. As the season hovers between summer and winter, geographical boundaries too can get blurred at times. A nostalgic recap given by Ratnottama Sengupta along the borders of Bengal, which though still crossed by elephants freely in jungles (wild elephants do not need visas, I guess), gained an independence from the harshness of cultural hegemony on December 16th, 1971. Candice Louisa Daquin has also looked at grey zones that lie between sanity and insanity in her column. An essay which links East and West has been given to us by Rakibul Hasan about a poet who mingles the two in his poetry. A Bengali song by Tagore, Purano shei diner kotha, that is almost a perfect trans creation of Robert Burn's Scottish Auld Lang Syne in the spirit of welcoming the New Year, has been transcreated to English. The similarity in the content of the two greats' lyrics showcase the commonalities of love, friendship and warmth that unite all cultures into one humanity.
Our first translation from Uzbekistan – a story by Sherzod Artikov, translated from Uzbeki by Nigora Mukhammad — gives a glimpse of a culture that might be new to many of us. Akbar Barakzai's shorter poems, translated by Fazal Baloch from Balochi and Ratnottama Sengupta's transcreation of a Tagore song, Rangiye Die Jao, have added richness to our oeuvre along with one from Korean by Ihlwha Choi. Professor Fakrul Alam, who is well-known for his translation of poetry by Jibonanda Das, has started sharing his work on the Bengali poet with us. Pause by and take a look.
There is much more than what I can put down here as we have a bumper end of the year issue this December. There is a bit of something for all times, tastes and seasons.
I would like to thank my wonderful team for helping put together this issue. Sohana Manzoor and Sybil Pretious need double thanks for their lovely artwork that is showcased in our magazine. We are privileged to have committed readers, some of who have started contributing to our content too. A huge thanks to all our contributors and readers for being with us through our journey.
I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful transition into the New Year! May we open up to a fantastic brave, new world!
Tags A Bengali lady in England by Krishnabhabini Das, Africa, Akbar Barakzai, Alex Haley, Alpana, American Revolution, Anasuya Bhar, Anirudh Kala, Aruna Chakravarti, Auld Lang Syne, Australia, Balochi, Bengal, Beyond the Veils, Bhaskar Parichha, BP Pande, Canada, Candice Louisa Daquin, Christmas, CJ Fentiman, COVID, Dalit, Devika Khanna Narula, Devraj Singh Kalsi, Dibyajyoti Sarma, Earth, Fakrul Alam, Fazal Baloch, George Freek, Gun violence, Hermit Trousers, Hong Kong, Ihlwha Choi, In the Service of Free India, Japan, Jibonananda Das, Kangaroo, Keith Lyons, Korean, Kung Fu Panda, Lakshmi Kannan, London, Los Angeles, Marzia Rahman, Michael Burch, New Year, Nigora Muhammad, Pandemic, Penny Wilkes, Purano Shei Diner kotha, Rakhi Dalal, Rakibul Hasan Khan, Ratnottama Sengupta, Rhys Hughes, Robert Burns, Roots, Ryan Quinn Flanagan, Sanjay Kumar, Sherzod Artikov, Sohana Manzoor, Somdatta Mandal, Steve Davidson, Sunil Sharma, Suzanne Kamata, Sybil Pretious, Tagore, The Baseball Widow, The Cat with Three Passports, Two and a Half Rivers, USA, Uzbekistan
Colours of the Sky
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A riot of colours starts the day
with happiness, vibrancy and hope,
dispelling the winter of discontent
with whispers of new lores…
Courtesy: Sohana Manzoor
Devi (The Goddess) is a 1960 Satyajit Ray film, based on a story by a writer called Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay, that showcases nineteenth century India, where the silence of a young girl who is deified, wreaks havoc in her home, village and life. In an interview, Satyajit Ray contended that the film was to make people rethink 'messiahdom'. The exact words he used to state this was that the film was against 'religious dogmatism' as the film and story literally dealt with the deification of a young bride. Tagore had similarly questioned blind deification in a number of his poems and plays. These (as Ray spelt out in his interview) did not address religion per se but malpractices, among them, the tendency to worship an idol to a point where flaws are justified, accepted and emulated. Satyajit Ray and Tagore were both Brahmos — which can be seen as a reform movement. These two were not criticising religion but talking of rising above gawky hero worship to think logically and arrive at logical conclusions. When we talk of characters from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, other mythologies or substitute the adulated with stars, writers, politicians and businessmen who run huge concerns, we tend to idolise them. But these were and are all characters with flaws, whether fictitious or real. We can well learn from their mistakes, rather than deify and worship them to justify bad behaviour by quoting instances from lives of past legends or prominent persons in the current world.
Akbar Barakzai, a poet exiled from Balochistan, talks in a similar vein in his interview. You can see it in his poetry too — some of which can be found translated by Fazal Baloch in our pages. Barakzai talks of transcending barriers we draw for ourselves in the real world, of writing with honesty and sincerity. He has shared vignettes of his life as he changed countries to continue his work. Baloch has also brought to us another excellent poet in translation, Munir Momin. A major poem by Nazrul (the 'bidrohi kobi'), 'Bidrohi or Rebel' has wound its way to our pages translated by Professor Fakrul Alam. We are honoured and grateful that Prof Alam chose to share this excellent translation with us. We have more translations: Jibonananda's 'Motorcar'(1934) by Rakibul Hasan Khan, a Korean translation by Ihlwha Choi, another short story from Nepal and Tagore's powerful poem, 'Morichika or Mirage', which is a wake-up call for the inert affluent who hold themselves aloof from common masses. We have also interviewed a major prose translator of Tagore, Professor Somdatta Mandal. With much to share on Santiniketan, Nabanita Deb Sen and many interesting anecdotes, Mandal talks of her extensive work with her translations spanning many more writers from the past.
We have a colourful ensemble this time almost as vibrant as the autumnal colours that have invaded nature in some parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Michael R Burch has given us beautiful poems on autumn, including the autumn of life. We have a poem in a similar vein by George Freek whose work continues influenced by Liu Yong (1719-1805), an influential minister and calligrapher in the Qing Dynasty. Ryan Quinn Flanagan touches on Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa in his poetry. Rhys Hughes has given us humour in both his poetry and his column. Our other humorist, Devraj Singh Kalsi has given us darker, more caustic black humour in his narrative. We have lovely photographs from Penny Wilkes with her verses in Nature's Musings. It is amazing the way she photographs birds in flight. Stories from Malaysia, Bangladesh, India and America add to the richness of our oeuvre. Sunil Sharma has given us an avant-garde telling of Odysseus's voyage in the modern world, transcending the borders of time and ethnicity.
A well-known senior journalist, Ratnottama Sengupta, has also travelled through time to give us a recall of her experience at the 35th Cairo Film Festival one November, nine years ago. Her narrative about the time that the Shariat law was adopted by Egypt reminds me of the way things moved in Afghanistan few months ago and what is even more stunning is the way in which organisations dubbed extremists earlier are allowed to run countries now. Is it really not yet time to get rid of messiahs and look for one world?
We conclude our travels in Burma with John Herlihy and his friend, Peter, this month. And start a column with Candice Louisa Daquin, The Observant Immigrant. Her essays always draw much discussion. An experienced psychotherapist, she has looked into our value systems. We have books excerpts from Arundhathi Subramaniam's Women Who Wear Only Themselves and CJ Fentiman's award winning book, The Cat with Three Passports. Himadri Lahiri has done an in-depth review of Somdatta Mandal's 'Kobi' and 'Rani': Memoirs and Correspondences of Nirmalkumari Mahalanobis and Rabindranath Tagore. It is amazing how much we can learn about a person from their letters. Suzanne Kamata has shared her review of Iain Maloney's Life is Elsewhere/ Burn Your Flags. Reviewed by Meenakshi Malhotra, Shylashri Shankar's Turmeric Nation: A Passage Through India's Tastes, sounds like an erudite read that spans thousands of years of history. Anita Agnihotri's Mahanadi –The Tale of a River, translated from Bengali by Nivedita Sen, has been reviewed by Bhaskar Parichha. The narrative sounds like a powerful voice weaving together the lores around the river.
Do pause by and find many more authors who dot our November edition. As usual, naming each one will keep you away from our delectable reads for longer. We thank all our readers for their continued patronage, and I would like to thank my fabulous team who are now even providing visuals to brighten our pages. A huge thanks to Sohana Manzoor and Sybil Pretious, who write as well as they paint. Thanks to all our wonderful contributors for making Borderless a reality.
Wish you all sunshine and laughter!
Tags Afghanistan, Akbar Barakzai, AnitaAgnihotri, Arundhathi Subramaniam, Bhaskar Parichha, Bidrohi, Burma, Cairo Film Festival, Candice Lousia Daquin, CJ Fentiman, Devi or The Goddess, Egypt, Fazal Baloch, George Freek, Himadri Lahiri, Ihlwha Choi, Jibonananda, John Herlihy, Kobi & Rani, Leonardo da Vinci, Liu Yong, Mahabharata, Mahanadi -- The Tale of a River, Meenakshi Malhotra, Michael R Burch, Mona Lisa, Morichika or Mirage, Motorcar, Munir Momin, Nabaneeta Deb Sen, Nazrul, Nivedita Sen, Odysseus, Penny Wilkes, Qing Dynasty, Rakibul Hasan Khan, Ramayana, Ratnottama Sengupta, Rhys Hughes, Ryan Quinn Flanagan, Santiniketan, Satyajit Ray, Shariat Law, Shylashri Shankar, Sohana Manzoor, Somdatta Mandal, Sunil Sharma, Suzanne Kamata, Sybil Pretious, Tagore, The Cat with Three Passports, Turmeric Nation: A Passage Through India's Tastes, Women Who Wear Only Themselves
Making a Grecian Urn
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"Beauty is truth, truth beauty — that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."
John Keats (1795-1821), Ode to a Grecian Urn
'Beauty is Truth' : The Potato Eaters(1885) by Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). Courtesy: Creative Commons
What makes for great literature? To me, great literature states the truth — the truth that touches your heart with its poignancy, preciseness, sadness, gentleness, vibrancy, or humour. If Khayyam, Rumi, Keats, Tagore, Frost or Whitman had no truths to state, their poetry would have failed to mesmerise time and woo readers across ages. Their truths – which can be seen as eternal ones — touch all human hearts with empathetic beauty. Lalon Fakir rose from an uneducated illiterate mendicant to a poet because he had the courage to sing the truth about mankind — to put social norms and barriers aside and versify his truth, which was ours and still is. This can be applied to all genres. Short stories by Saki, O' Henry or plays and essays by Bernard Shaw — what typifies them? The truth they speak with perhaps a sprinkle of humour. Alan Paton spoke the truth about violence and its arbitrariness while writing of South Africa — made the characters so empathetic that Cry, My Beloved Country (1948) is to me one of the best fictions describing divides in the world, and the same divides persist today. The truth is eternal as in George Orwell's 1984 (1949) or Suskind's Perfume (1985). We love laughter from Gerald Durrell or PG Wodehouse too because they reflect larger truths that touch mankind as does the sentimentality of Dickens or the poignancy of Hardy or the societal questioning of the Bronte sisters, George Eliot, and Jane Austen. The list of greats in this tradition would be a very long one.
Our focus this time is on a fearless essayist in a similar tradition, one who unveiled truths rising above the mundane, lacing them with humour to make them easily digestible for laymen – a writer and a polyglot who knew fourteen languages by the name of Syed Mujtaba Ali (1904-1974). He was Tagore's student, a Humboldt scholar who lived across six countries, including Afghanistan and spoke of the things he saw around him. Cherished as a celebrated writer among Bengali readers, he wrote for journals and published more than two dozen books that remained untranslated because his witticisms were so entrenched by cultural traditions that no translator dared pick up their pen. Many decades down the line, while in Afghanistan, a BBC editor for South and Central Asia, Nazes Afroz, translated bits of Mujtaba Ali's non-fiction for his curious friends till he had completed the whole of the travelogue.
The translation named In a Land Far from Home: A Bengali in Afghanistan was published and nominated for the Crossword Awards. This month, we not only run an excerpt from the translated essays but also have an interview with the former BBC journalist, Afroz, who tells us not only about the book but also of the current situation in ravaged Afghanistan based on his own first-hand experiences. Nazes himself has travelled to forty countries, much like our other interviewee, Sybil Pretious, who has travelled to forty and lived in six. She had been writing for us till she left to complete her memoirs — which would cover much of history from currently non-existent country Rhodesia to apartheid and the first democratic election in South Africa. These would be valuable records shared with the world from a personal account of a pacifist who loves humanity.
We have more on travel — an essay by Tagore describing with wry humour vacations in company of his niece and nephew and letters written by the maestro during his trips, some laced with hilarity and the more serious ones excerpted from Kobi and Rani, all translated by Somdatta Mandal. We have also indulged our taste for Tagore's poetry by translating a song heralding the start of the Durga Puja season. Durga Puja is an autumnal festival celebrated in India. An essay by Meenakshi Malhotra explains the songs of homecoming during this festival. It is interesting that the songs express the mother's views as highlighted by Malhotra, but one notices, never that of the Goddess, who, mythology has it, gave up her life when the husband of her own choosing, Shiva, was perceived by her family as 'uncouth' and was insulted in her parent's home.
In spirit of this festival highlighting women power and on the other hand her role in society, we have a review by Somdatta of T. Janakiraman's Wooden Cow, translated from Tamil by Lakshmi Kannan, where the protagonist upends all traditional values ascribed to women. Another book which is flavourful with food and would be a real fit on every festive occasion is Mohana Kanjilal's A Taste of Time: A Food History of Calcutta. Bhaskar Parichha tells us in his review, "In the thriving universe of Indian food books, this clearly stands out."
Aruna Chakravarti's review of Shazia Omar's Golden Bangladesh at Fifty also stands out embracing the colours of Bengal. It traces the title back to history and their national anthem — a Tagore song called 'Amaar Sonar Bangla – My Golden Bengal'. Gracy Samjetsabam's review of Suzanne Kamata's The Baseball Widow, a cross cultural novel with an unusual ending that shuttles between America and Japan, winds up our review section this time.
As Kamata's book travels across two continents in a pre-covid world, Sunil Sharma in reality moved home from one continent to another crossing multiple national borders during the pandemic. He has written an eye-opening account of his move along with his amazing short story on Gandhi. Another unusual story creating a new legend with wonderful photographs and the narrative woven around them can be relished in Nature's Musings by Penny Wilkes. This time we have fiction from India, Malaysia, Bangladesh and America. Steve Davidson has given a story based partly on Tibetan lore and has said much in a light-hearted fashion, especially as the Llama resumes his travels at the end of the story. Keeping in step with light humour and travel is Devraj Singh Kalsi's account of a pony ride up a hill, except it made me laugh more.
The tone of Rhys Hughes cogitations about the identity of two poets across borders in 'Pessoa and Cavafy: What's in a Name?' reminds me of Puck or Narada! Of course, he has given humour in verses with a funny story poem which again — I am not quite sure — has a Welsh king who resisted Roman invasion or is it someone else? Michael Burch has limericks on animals, along with his moving poem on Martin Luther King Junior. We have much poetry crossing borders, including a translation of Akbar Barakzai's fabulous Balochi poetry by Fazal Baloch and Sahitya Akademi winning Manipuri poet, Thangjam Ibopishak, translated by Robin S Ngangom. A Nazrul song which quests for a spiritual home has been translated from Bengali by no less than Professor Fakrul Alam, a winner of both the SAARC award and Bangla Academy Literary Award.
Former Arts Editor of Times of India, Ratnottama Sengupta, has shared an essay on how kantha (hand embroidered rug) became a tool to pass on information during the struggle against colonial occupation. The piece reminded me of the narrative of passing messages through mooncakes among Chinese. During the fourteenth century, the filling was of messages to organise a rebellion which replaced the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) with the Ming (1368-1644). Now the filling is delicious lotus paste, chocolates or other edible delicacies. Women were heavily involved in all these movements. Sameer Arshad Khatlani has highlighted how women writers of the early twentieth century writing in Urdu, like Ismat Chughtai, created revolutionary literature and inspired even legendary writers, like Simone de Beauvoir. There is much more in our content — not all of which has been discussed here for again this time we have spilled over to near fifty pieces.
We have another delightful surprise for our readers – a cover photo of a painting by Sohana Manzoor depicting the season titled 'Ode to Autumn'. Do pause by and take a look at this month's issue. We thank our writers and readers for their continued support. And I would personally like to give a huge thanks to the team which makes it possible for me to put these delectable offerings before the world. Thank you all.
Wish you a wonderful month full of festivities!
Mitali Chakravarty,
Tags 1984, Aamar Shonar Bangla, Afghanistan, Akbar Barakzai, Alan Paton, Apartheid, Aruna Chakravarti, Bangla Academy Literary Award, BBC, Bernard Shaw, Bhaksar Parichha, Bronte sisters, Crossword Awards, Cry my Beloved Country, Devraj Singh Kalsi, Dickens, Durga Puja, Fakrul Alam, Fazal Baloch, Frost, George Eliot, George Orwell, Gerald Durrell, Golden Bangladesh at 50, Gracy Samjetsabam, Hardy, In a Land Far From Home: A Bengali in Afghanistan by Syed Mujtaba Ali, Ismat Chughtai, Jane Austen, Keats, Khayyam, Kobi and Rani, Lakshmi Kannan, Lalon Fakir, Michael R Burch, Mohana Kanjilal, Narada, Nazes Afroz, O'Henry, Ode to a Grecian Urn, Penny Wilkes, Perfume, PG Wodehouse, Potato Eaters, Puck, Ratnottama Sengupta, Rhodesia, Rhys Hughes, Robin S Ngangom, Rumi, SAARC award, Sahitya Akademi, Saki, Sameer Arshad Khatlani, Shazia Omar, Simone de Beauvoir, Somdatta Mandal, South Africa, Steve Davidson, Sunil Sharma, Suskind, Suzanne Kamata, Sybil Pretious, Syed Mujtaba Ali, T. Janakiraman, Tagore, Thangjam Ibopishak, The Baseball Widow, Times of India, Vincent Vangogh, Whitman, Wooden Cow
The Caged Birds Sing
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...Don't you know
They're talkin''bout a revolution
It sounds like a whisper...
-- Tracy Chapman,'Talkin 'Bout a Revolution
Courtesy: Creative Commons
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
— Bible
We are living in strange times that seem to be filled with events to challenge the innovativeness of man. As if the pandemic were not enough, concepts that had come out of the best in our civilisation to unite mankind have been convoluted by a minority to manipulate and hurt the majority into submission. Life is not about surviving with faint-hearted compliance but about having the courage to live it as you want, facing it full up front, to voice out in unison against injustices, wrongs, and most of all to loan strength to help and care for each other. Often to understand this, we need to hinge on to our past, to learn from our heritage. But do we do that? In the hectic drive to be successful, we tend to ignore important lessons that could have been imbibed from the past. Like, did you know that the tribes in the Andaman can save themselves from a tsunami?
Padma Shri Anvita Abbi tells us all about the Andamanese and her attempts to revive their moribund language in her interview and book, Voices from the Lost Horizon, reviewed by Rakhi Dalal. While the review focusses on the uniqueness of Abbi's work and the publication with its embedded recordings of the tribe fast dissolving into the morass of mainstream civilisation, her interview highlights the need to revive their lores that evolved out of a 70,000-year-old culture. On the other hand, Jessica Mudditt, interviewed by Keith Lyons, dwells on the ongoing crisis in Myanmar, which has been clearly the focus of her book, Our Home in Yangon. This interview focusses on the here and now of the crisis. But most crises have their roots deep and perhaps an exploration of these could help. There are 135 ethnicities in Myanmar but how many are actually integrated into the mainstream? Are they in the process of getting 'lost' like the voices of the speakers of Greater Andamanese?
That is why we tried to showcase a few such strains that are going unheard in the loudness of the 'civilised' mainstream. We have translations in poetry from Santhali and Adivasi, touching on the concerns of those who are often considered underdeveloped. And, perhaps, as Abbi said in her interview about the Andamanese, we can say much the same for these tribes too.
"These tribes are neither poor, nor uneducated (their knowledge of environment comprising birds, fishes, medicinal plants and their … weather predictions, and the Earth they walk on is amazing) …"
Distinctions have been created by a 'civilisation' entrenched in mono-cognitive enforcements leading to the loss of trust, confidence, languages, cultures and valuable knowledge about basic survival. Perhaps we can attempt to heal such wounds by imbibing the openness, love, devotion and compassion shown by the Buddhist monk, Upagupta (who is still revered in Myanmar as Shin Upagutta), in the translation of Tagore's story poem, 'Abhisar' or 'The Tryst'. Somdatta Mandal's translation of Tagore's letters introduce similar humanitarian concerns when the maestro mentions a German anthropologist and his wife who for the betterment of mankind were journeying to study tribals in India. Tagore remarks, "The people for whom they are willingly prepared to undergo hardship and to overlook all sorts of danger are not their relatives, nor are they civilised." And yet even a century ago to fathom more about mankind, attempts were being made to integrate with our ancient lore. The concept of being 'civilised' is of course now much under the microscope. What is being 'civilised'?
Is it about having power? We have Akbar Barakzai's poem translated by Fazal Baloch on creation looking at the divide between a 'civilised' God and man. The theme stresses the two sides of the divide. More translations from Odiya, Dutch and Korean further mingle different flavours of the world into our journal — each questioning the accepted norm in different ways.
In an edition focussed on myths and stories from which we evolved, Rhys Hughes has created an unusual legend around elephants. His poetry also deals with animals — cats. One wonders if the T S Eliot's famed 'Macavity, the Mystery Cat' could have to do something with his choices? We were fortunate to have Arundhathi Subramaniam share her poetry on myths around Indian figures like Shakuntala and Avvaiyar and the titular poem from When God is a Traveller that won her the 2020 Sahitya Akademi Award. Michael R Burch continues on the theme dwelling on Circe, Mary Magdalene and Helen. Sekhar Banerjee has a more iconoclastic approach to myths in his poetry. Jared Carter talks of modern myths perpetuated through art and cultural studies as does Mike Smith in his musings with his glance back at the last century through a photograph.
We have poetry by a Filipino writer Gigi Baldovino Gosnell from South Africa, looking for a new world, a new legend, perhaps a world without borders. Tohm Bakelas has given us a few lines of powerful poetry. Could these poems be a reaction to world events? Smitha Vishwanath has responded to the situation in Afghanistan with a poem. In this edition, photographs and verses in Penny Wilkes' 'Nature's Musings' draw from the universe. She writes, "The sun never asks for applause" — a powerful thought and perhaps one mankind can learn from.
Ghost stories by Niles Reddick and Sunil Sharma perpetuate the theme, especially the latter has a ghost that questions myths of 'isms' created in the modern-day world. We also have a writer from Malaysia, P Ravi Shankar, with a futuristic legend set in a far-off time where man has embraced the reality of climate change and artificial intelligence. An interesting and fun read as is Devraj Singh Kalsi's professions about why he did not become a professor, Geetha Ravichandran's light musing on word play and a young writer Saurabh Nagpal's musing, 'Leo Messi's Magic Realism' — a footballer viewed from a literary perspective!
While our musings make us laugh, our essays this time take us around the world with the myth of happiness deconstructed by Candice Louisa Daquin, to Burma and deep into Kolkata's iconic history of the detective department started in the nineteenth century. There is an essay by Bhaskar Parichha that explores politics and media and mentions 'gatekeepers' of the media who need to be responsible for influencing public opinion. Guess who would be the gatekeepers?
Bhaskar Parichha's review of Wendy Donniger's non-fiction exploring myths around horses, Winged Stallion and Wicked Mares, and Basudhara Roy's review of Bina Sarkar Ellias' Song of a Rebel and Other Selected Poems perpetuate the theme of the importance of the past on the one hand and question it on the other. But that is what Borderless is about — exploring the dialectics of opposing streams to re-invent myths towards a better future.
We have a bumper issue again this time with nearly fifty posts. I invite our wonderful readers on a magical journey to unfold the hidden, unmentioned gems scattered on the pages of the September Issue of Borderless. Thank you again to an outstanding team, all our global contributors who make every edition an adventure and a reality and our wonderful readers. Thank you all.
Have a beautiful month!
Tags Abhisar, Adivasi, Akbar Barakzai, Andaman, Anvita Abbi, Arundhathi Subramaniam, Basudhara Roy, Bhaskar Parichha, Bible, Bina Sarkar Elias, Borderless Journal, Candice Louisa Daquin, Circe, Devraj Singh Kalsi, Dr. P Ravi Shankar, Dutch, Fazal Baloch, Geetha Ravichandran, Gigi Baldavino Gosnell, Helen, Jared Carter, Jessica Mudditt, Keith Lyons, Korean, Leo Messi, Macavity the Mystery Cat, Mary Magdalene, Michael R Burch, Mike Smith, Mitali Chakravarty, Niles Reddick, Odiya, Padma Shri, Penny Wilkes, Rakhi Dalal, Sahitya Akademi, Santhali, Saurabh Nagpal, Sekhar Banerjee, Shakuntala, Smitha Vishwanath, Somdatta Mandal, Song of a Rebel and Other Poems, Sunil Sharma, Tagore, Tohm Bakelas, TS Eliot, Upagupta, Voices from the Lost Horizon, Wendy Doniger, When God is the Traveller, Winged Stallions and Wicked Mares
Triumph of the Human Spirit
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On August 8th 2021, the chief of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, pointed out during the closing ceremony that these games were "unprecedented" and brought messages of "hope, solidarity and peace" into a world torn with the desolation generated by the pandemic. It was a victory of the human spirit again, a precursor of what is to come. That the Japanese could get over their pandemic wrought hurdles, just as they did post the nuclear disasters wrought by the Second World War and by the 2011 earthquake-tsunami at Fukushimaya, to host something as spectacular and inspiring as these international games reflects, as the commentators contended, a spirit of 'harmony and humility'. The last song performed by many youngsters seemed to dwell on stars in the sky — not only were the athletes and organisers the stars but this also reminded of unexplored frontiers that beckon mankind, the space.What a wonderful thing it was to see people give their best and unite under the banner of sports to bring messages of survival and glimpses of a future we can all share as human beings! Our way of doing things might have to evolve but we will always move forward as a species to thrive and expand beyond the known frontiers.
One such explorer of yet unknown frontiers who mingles the historic with the contemporary, Goutam Ghose, an award-winning filmmaker and writer, has honoured our pages with an extensive interview showing us how art and harmony can weave lores that can help mankind survive. This is reinforced by the other interview with Singaporean academic, Dr Kirpal Singh, whose poetry reflects his convictions of a better world. With our intelligence, we can redefine processes that hold us back and grind our spirits to dust — be it the conventional 'isms' or norms that restrict our movement forward – just as Tagore says in the poem, we have translated this time, 'Deliverance'.
…On this auspicious dawn,
Let us hold our heads high in the infinite sky
Amidst the light of bounteousness and the heady breeze of freedom.
As the Kobiguru mentioned earlier in the poem, the factors that oppress could be societal, political, or economic. Could they perhaps even be the fetters put on us by the prescribed preconceived definition of manmade concepts like 'freedom' itself? Freedom can be interpreted differently by multiple voices.
This month, on our pages, 'freedom' has found multiple interpretations in myriad of ways — each voice visualising a different dream; each dream adding value to the idea of human progress. We have discussions and stories on freedom from Nigeria, Argentina, India, Pakistan, Myanmar, Malaysia and more. Strangely enough, August holds multiple independence/ national days that are always for some reason seen as days of being 'freed' by many — at least from oppression. But is that true?
From Malaysia, Julian Matthews and Malachi Edwin Vethamani cry out against societal, religious and political bindings – quite a powerful outcry at that with a story and poems. Akbar Barakzai continues his quest with three poems around ideas of freedom translated from Balochi by Fazal Baloch. Jaydeep Sarangi and Joan Mcnerny pick up these reverberations of freedom, each defining it in different ways through poetry.
Jared Carter takes us back to his childhood with nostalgic verses. Ryan Quinn Flanagan, Michael Lee Johnson, Vandana Sharma and many more sing to us with their lines. Rhys Hughes has of course humour in verse that makes us smile as does Jay Nicholls who continues with her story-poems on Pirate Blacktarn – fabulous pieces all of them. The sport of hummingbirds and cats among jacaranda trees is caught in words and photographs by Penny Wilkes in her Nature's Musings. A poetic tribute to Danish Siddiqui by young Sutputra Radheye rings with admiration for the Pulitzer prize-winning photographer who met his untimely end last month on 16th while at work in Afghanistan, covering a skirmish between Taliban and Afghanistan security forces. John Linwood Grant takes up interesting issues in his poetry which brings me back to 'freedom' from colonial regimes, perhaps one of the most popular themes for writers.
Indo-Pak independence, celebrated now on 14th (Pakistan) and 15th August (India), reflects not only the violence of the Partition which dislocated and killed millions historically but also the trauma caused by the event. Capturing this trauma is a short story based on memories of Partition by Nadir Ali, translated from Punjabi by his daughter, Amna Ali. Ratnottama Sengupta translates from the diary of Sandhya Sinha (1928-2016), a woman's voice from the past that empathises with the subjugated who were subdued yet again after an upsurge of violence during the Quit India Movement (1942) against the colonials. Sinha contends that though the movement frittered away, the colonials were left with an after-taste of people hankering for self-rule. A thought-provoking short story by Sunil Sharma explores the results of self-rule in independent India.
Alluding to Jinnah's vision for women, Aysha Baqir muses emotionally about the goals that remain yet to be fulfilled 74 years after independence. Moazzam Sheikh's story of immigrants explores dementia, giving us a glimpse of the lives of Asian immigrants in America, immigrants who had to find a new home despite independence. Was this the freedom they dreamt of — all those who fought against various oppressive regimes or colonialism?
Tagore's lyrics might procure a few ideas on freedom, especially in the song that India calls its National Anthem. Anasuya Bhar assays around the history that surrounds the National Anthem of India, composed by Tagore in Bengali and translated to English by the poet himself and more recently, only by Aruna Chakravarti. We also carry Dr Chakravarti's translation of the National Anthem in the essay. Reflecting on the politics of Partition and romance is a lighter piece by Devraj Singh Kalsi which says much. 'Dinos in France' by Rhys Hughes and Neil Reddick's 'The Coupon' have tongue-in-cheek humour from two sides of the Atlantic.
A coming-of-age story has been translated from Nepali by Mahesh Paudyal – a story by a popular author, Dev Kumari Thapa – our first Nepali prose piece. We start a four-part travelogue by John Herlihy, a travel writer, on Myanmar, a country which has recently been much in the news with its fight for surviving with democracy taking ascendency over the pandemic and leaving the people bereft of what we take for granted.
Candice Louisa Daquin discusses a life well-lived in a thought provoking essay, in which she draws lessons from her mother as do Korean poet, Ihlwha Choi, and Argentinian writer, Marcelo Medone. Maybe, mothers and freedom draw similar emotions, of blind love and adulation. They seem to be connected in some strange way with terms like motherland and mother tongue used in common parlance.
We have two book excerpts this time: one from Beyond the Himalayas by the multi-faceted, feted and awarded filmmaker we have interviewed, Goutam Ghose, reflecting on how much effort went in to make a trip beyond boundaries drawn by what Tagore called "narrow domestic walls". We carry a second book excerpt this time, from Jessica Muddit's Our Home in Myanmar – Four years in Yangon. Keith Lyons has reviewed this book too. If you are interested in freedom and democracy, this sounds like a must read.
Maithreyi Karnoor's Sylvia: Distant Avuncular Ends, is a fiction that seems to redefine norms by what Rakhi Dalal suggests in her review. Bhaskar Parichha has picked a book that many of us have been curious about, Arundhathi Subramaniam's Women Who Wear Only Themselves. Parichha is of the opinion, "Elevated or chastised, exonerated or condemned, the perturbation unworldly women in India face is that they have never been treated as equal to men as spiritual leaders. This lack of equality finds its roots not only in sociological and cultural systems, but more particularly at the levels of consciousness upon which spirituality and attitudes are finally based."One wonders if this is conclusive for all 'unworldly women' in India only or is it a worldwide phenomenon or is it true only for those who are tied to a particular ethos within the geographical concept of India? The book reviewed by Meenakshi Malhotra, Somdatta Mandal's The Last Days of Rabindranath Tagore in Memoirs, dwells on the fierce independence of the early twentieth century women caregivers of the maestro from Bengal. These women did not look for approval or acceptance but made their own rules as did Jnadanandini, Tagore's sister-in-law. Bhaskar Parichha has also added to our Tagore lore with his essay on Tagore in Odisha.
As usual, we have given you a peek into some of our content. There is more, which we leave for our wonderful readers to uncover. We thank all the readers, our fantastic contributors and the outstanding Borderless team that helps the journal thrive drawing in the best of writers.
I wish you all a happy August as many of the countries try to move towards a new normal.
Borderless Journal, August 2021
Tags Afghanistan, Akbar Barakzai, Amna Ali, Anasuya Bhar, Argentina, Aruna Chakravarti, Arundhathi Subramaniam, Aysha, Balochi, Beyond the Himalalyas, Bhaskar Parichha, Borderless Journal, Candice Louisa Daquin, Danish Siddiqui, Dev Kumari Thapa, Devraj Singh Kalsi, Fazal Baloch, Fukushimaya, Goutam Ghose, Ihlwha Choi, India, Jared Carter, Jay Nicholls, Jaydeep Sarangi, Jessica Muddit, Jinnah, Joan McNerny, John Herlihy, John Linwood Grant, Julian Matthews, Keith Lyons, Kirpal Singh, Korea, Mahesh Paudyal, Maithreyi Karnoor, Malachi Edwin Vethamani, Malaysia, Marcelo Medone, Meenakshi Malhotra, Michael Lee Johnson, Mitali Chakravarty, Moazzam Sheikh, Myanmar, Nadir Ali, Nepal, Nigeria, Olympic, Pakistan, Penny Wilkes, Pulitzer prize, Quit India Movement, Rakhi Dalal, Ratnottama Sengupta, Rhys Hughes, Ryan Quinn Flanagan, Sandhya Sinha, Somnath Mandal, Sutputra Radheye, Tagore, Taliban, Thomas Bach, Vandana Sharma
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"Nothing can be unconditional: consequently, nothing can be free."
"Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it."
-- George Bernard Shaw,  Maxims for Revolutionists, Man & Superman (1903)
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), a great writer and playwright, used these epigrammatic lines to bring focus on what people thought was liberty or freedom from oppression, from regimes that were dictatorial. While discussing concepts of freedom, one does wonder if political freedom solves all humane issues, occasions we celebrate with great aplomb, like the birth of a nation.
This month started with the observance of July 4th, the date of the American Revolution in 1776 and the publication date of Whitman's Leaves of Grass in 1855. In between these two years, in 1789, ten days down the line, on July 14th, another significant occurrence has been handed down by history to be celebrated as the Bastille Day— the day prisoners were freed from Bastille, a major event that led to the overthrow of the insensitive monarchy in France, a symbolic resurgence of the common, exploited man that has often been seen as an inspiration for later uprisings to reinforce the concept of democracy or liberté, égalité, fraternité.
As we move forward in time, towards August, one wonders if liberty attained by these means was good for all fellow humans? France was part of the Allied Forces that with America taking the lead dropped not one but two atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6th and 9th, 1945, to end the Second World War. Did the ends justify the means? Reflecting the cry and suffering of these victims, we have poetry from Suzanne Kamata, a well-known writer from Japan. Michael Burch on the other hand has shared poetry with us which shows how the nuclear programme continued unrepentant despite the devastation it caused. One must give kudos to the descendants of the victims of the nuclear blast that they have forgiven the perpetrators, admitted their own hand in the Second World War and moved ahead. In that spirit, we have an essay on peace by Candice Louisa Daquin, who joins the Borderless team as a writer-in-residence.
We have much happening in poetry this time with an interview of American poet Jared Carter, a recipient of number of awards and fellowships, including the Walt Whitman Award and the Guggenheim fellowship. He walks us through how he created the poem 'Yeti' (first published in the May edition of Borderless) and talks of the impact of artifacts from China and India on his own thought processes, the impact of Du Fu (712-770) and much more. We have a poem in Du Fu's style this time by George Freek and an interesting poem with a Chinese title by Carter, a title that can have multiple connotations and yet each seems to fit the poem perfectly.
Rhys Hughes has brought humour into our pages with both his poetry and essay on William Mcgonagall, who bore the sobriquet of the worst writer in the world through his life and had things thrown at him when he read his poetry in Dundee. Yet, his work survived the beatings, and he lives on known as the 'Scottish Homer'.
More poetry by Singaporean poet Marc Nair gives us a glimpse of the little island as viewed by someone who has grown up on it. Poetry is always multi-hued, and we have Lorraine Caputo transport us to a Garífuna village in Honduras. Penny Wilkes takes us 'Down the Path of Nostalgia' with a mix of old and new photography, prose and poetry on how almost a decade after the end of the Second World War, she started her love affair with photography and nature. It hovers between poetry and musings, and this time we have a rare musing by Jared Carter too. Devraj Singh Kalsi continues cogitating with wry humour while arranging bookshelves. We also have the backpacking granny visiting Indonesia. Post sharing this trip, our granny — Sybil Pretious — plans a little break from publishing to complete her memoirs.
A riveting flash fiction by Kaiyi Tan celebrates the spirit of conquest in these dark times, weaving into the pandemic lore the quest for personal freedom. Stories this time carry a real life one by Jean Kortum on adoption — her own struggle. But then, stories can be real or unreal – draw a bit from both to reflect bigger truths or create alternates that sink into the human mind as a perceived reality and leave an imprint deep inside the heart, like that of Niles Reddick. My conviction is that some lived experiences of writers seep into each story, whether it is from Bangladesh or India or by our literary fictionist, Sunil Sharma. His narrative continues infused by suspense.
We have a complete translated story of Tagore by Radha Chakravarty as our book excerpt this time. 'The Parrot's Tale', ostensibly part of a children's collection, reflects Tagore's response to conventional schooling — a reason for him to start Shanti Niketan perhaps. She has also shared two of her translations of Rabindranath's songs from Bhanusingher Padabali (1884, Bhanusingh's verses). Chakravarty generously consented to an interview and has given us a glimpse of her journey as a translator and critic. We also have translated a long poem by Tagore on our pages, a poem that inspires hope, though it was named Dushomoy (1897, Bad Times) finally. The original name had been Swarga Patthe (On the Path to Heaven) as can be seen from a page in his diary. We have been fortunate in finding a recording of his voice reciting the poem in Bengali and the print of a sample page of the manuscript bearing his signature.
We continue with Akbar Barakzai's poetry translated by Fazal Baloch from Balochi – this time addressed to his daughter reminding for some reason of Nehru's Letters from a Father to his Daughter — a book I read as a child. In addition, we have translations from Korea and Bosnia & Herzegovina, from where the young poet, Maid Corbic, has taken up the concept of freedom of the self and of the nation, both together.
Keith Lyons from New Zealand in his very brief essay has quoted American novelist William Faulkner, "We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it." And perhaps we need to remember this if for no other reason, then, just to maintain our own sanity in these strange, almost unreal times as we attempt to unite as humankind to free ourselves from an unknown and unfathomable virus.
In a more sombre note, last week, untroubled by the virus, a victim of cancer, Bollywood legend Dileep Kumar, aged 98, breathed his last. Ratnottama Sengupta adds an unusual colour to the Borderless Journal with her tribute to this hugely acclaimed actor. In the process, she unfolds for us a brief history of the Indian cinema, and a glimpse of a world that transcends all man made constructs in quest of perfection.
We have an interesting set of reviews this July. Rakhi Dalal has reviewed Anuradha Kumar's riveting short story collection, A Sense of Time. A murder mystery for young readers, Murder at Daisy Apartments by Shabnam Minwalla, has been reviewed by Gracy Samjetsabam. The Third Eye of Governance–Rise of Populism, Decline in Social Research by Dr N Bhaskara Rao, reviewed by Bhaskar Parichha, seems to be a non-fiction that looks forward to bridging gaps between academia and the real world, a truly felt need. Parichha has also given us an essay on a man who inspired Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, to make him a part of his lore, a journalist who moved around all of Asia with equal aplomb and a sense of humour – a truly global citizen called Richard Hughes.
I want to thank all our wonderful contributors for making this edition a reality. And readers, we leave you to explore the unknown… like that place we call outer space. A huge thank you again to not only all our wonderful contributors, our faithful readers but also to the fabulous Borderless team scattered across the world.
Before I wind up, a little bird trills a song of hope in my ear. Business tycoons have started stepping into the mysterious void of space to eventually – let us hope — create affordable travel for common man, though it has started off as an expensive proposition. Will this be an industry that will generate more jobs on and off Earth and find new places for man to inhabit? After all, when George Bernard Shaw wrote his plays and essays, we had yet to cross the frontiers beyond Earth, had never even thought of flying across the world in budget airlines or mining moons!
Will we have a new world, a new outlook and a new set of hopes and aspirations as we stretch the frontiers of our home planet?
Wish you all a wonderful month of reading and thinking.
Tags Akbar Barakzai, Allied Forces, American Revolution, Anuradha Kumar, atom bomb, Bastille Day, Bhanusingher Padabali, Bhaskar Parichha, Borderless Journal, Bosnia &Herzegovina, Candice Louisa Daquin, Devraj Singh Kalsi, Dileep Kumar, Dr N Bhaskara Rao, Du Fu, Dushomoy, Fazal Baloch, Garifuna village, George Bernard Shaw, George Freek, guggenheim Felllowship, Hiroshima, Honduras, Ian Fleming, Indonesia, Jared Carter, Jean Kortum, Kaiyi Tan, Keith Lyons, Korea, Leaves of Grass, Letters from a Father to his Daughter, Lorraine Caputo, Maid Corbic, Man and Superman, Marc Nair, Michael R Burch, Mitali Chakravarty, Nagasaki, Nehru, Niles Reddick, Nuclear programme, Peace, Penny Wilkes, Radha Chakravarty, Rakhi Dalal, Ratnottama Sengupta, Rhys Hughes, Richard Hughes, Scottish Homer, Second World War, Shabnam Minwalla, Shanti Niketan, Sunil Sharma, Suzanne Kamata, Sybil Pretious, Tagore, Walt Whitman Award, Whitman, William Faulkner, William McGonagall
Restless Stirrings
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As we stand on the threshold of a new normal that will eternally rewrite the history of social interactions, of movements across the globe, of new world orders that will have to be more inclusive and more transparent to world view, we will, perhaps, feel the need to redefine business laws so that even countries with lesser wealth are able to access vaccinations and peace. We are now looking up to leaderships which seem to be in crises themselves. Sitting securely on a tiny island that is well governed, an island where affluence and well-being set it adrift from the turmoils of countries around it, I wonder thirty years from now, what will mankind be like… Will we be forever marred by the current events of the world? Globalisation has ensured that none of us can be secure on any secret island. There can be no land of lotus eaters hidden from the rest of mankind and accessed by only a few anymore. Even if one region is affected by the virus in any corner of the world, can the rest of the world be pandemic free? Perhaps, a question that those who peddle in vaccines and human well-being can address.
These issues have not only been highlighted by the news media but have also found echoes in some of our content this time. Keith Lyons's essay talks of his last stay in India, when a tourist carried the the pandemic unwittingly into Kerala in February 2020 and subsequent repercussions. More stories and poems that dwell on the spread of the virus this year cry out for compassion. One hopes young poet Ruchi Acharya's verses are born true.
One day the roses of hope will grow
Meeting the horizon,
Roses that, even plucked, will not die
But will bloom and bloom
Every single day that passes by.
We have young writers on the virulence of the virus and mature pens like that of globe-trotting academic Wendy Jones Nakanishi, who maps the pandemic from UK. Perhaps, we will find a new direction eventually.
There have been calls for uniting above divides as a single unit called mankind earlier too, from greats like Tagore and Nazrul. This time we carry translations of both — Nazrul's translated poem calls for uniting against artificial divides drawn by man-made constructs and Tagore's translation talks of redefining through self-reflection. An essay on Tagore by academic Parineet Jaggi talks of the impact of the teachings of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, on Tagore.
We have essays on writers and icons from around the globe. A photo-essay on the bald eagle, heralding the American Independence Day on the 4th of July, gives a humorous anecdote on how the eagle was chosen above the turkey. We have more variety by Candice Louisa Daquin, an immigrant in US, who shows how important human movement across man-made borders is to the development of a country. Michael Burch has given us beautiful poetry reflecting the history of America and American dreams, one of them with the voice of the legendary Mohammed Ali. These verses add substance to the concerns raised by Daquin. Jared Carter brings to us the colours of life with his poetry.
We have humour in verses from Rhys Hughes and even from a young poet, Sutputra Radheye. Limericks from Michael Burch and Penny Wilkes photo-poetry on 'Changing Seasons' puts us in a more cheerful mood. More poetry from multiple writers across the world, including Nepal, Macedonia and Korea, have found their way into our journal.
Hughes has also given us a comprehensive and interesting essay on a twentieth century poet called Ivor Cutler, who said much as he sang his poetry and was encouraged by Paul McCartney of the Beatles. The brilliant poetry of Akbar Barakzai continues translated on our pages by Fazal Baloch and one must give many thanks to the translator for his indefatigable energy and for bringing us wonderful fare from Balochistan. An excerpt translated by eminent journalist Ratnottama Sengupta from Nabendu Ghosh's autobiography ends with Satyajit Ray's starting his famed career with Apu's triology (based on Pather Panchali, a novel by Bibhuti Bhushan Bandopadhyay). These three films have become iconic in cinema history.
We were fortunate to have Professor Fakrul Alam agree to an interview. An eminent translator, critic and academic who has lived through the inception of Bangladesh from East Bengal, Alam has translated not just the three greats of Bengal (Tagore, Nazrul, Jibanananda) but also multiple political leaders like Mujibur Rahman. In this exclusive, he has taken us through the annals of history, reflecting on less-known perspectives of the Partition. Also, in conversation with Borderless, is Arindam Roy, a journalist with forty years' experience and the founder of Different Truths who started his writing career, much in the tradition of Cyrano de Bergerac on a humorous note.
This time our backpacking granny, Sybil Pretious, gives us a glimpse of her wisdom, wit and compassion while visiting Philippines and talks of an ancient death ritual, volcanoes and strange mud baths. Devraj Singh Kalsi explores young romance in his tongue-in-cheek fashion. We also have more semi-humorous musings from young writers across borders. While Sunil Sharma has explored facets of the impact of terrorism, the other stories are told in a lighter vein.
Our book excerpt from Feisal Alkazi's Enter Stage Right has a picture of the young artiste in a discotheque dancing in abandon — check it out. It made me smile. Rakhi Dalal has reviewed Jnanpith Award winner Shrilal Shukla's Fragments of Happiness translated by Niyati Bafna. The book review by Meenakshi Malhotra of Neelima Dalmia Adhar's The Secret Diary of Kasturba brings out an interesting facet on Gandhi and women in the Independence movement. It makes one notice the contrasts in the perspectives of Gandhi and Tagore, who created women like he saw around him in fiction. Kasturba's life also contrasts with the independence found in the life of the avant-garde artist, Amrita Sher-Gil, who lived around the same time. In an essay, Bhaskar Parichha has shown how Sher-Gil lived out her dreams, blending the best of the East and West, while Malhotra writes, that though "Gandhi called women to join the national movement … he was not seeking to emancipate, but more to call forth their capacity for self-abnegation and self-sacrifice."
Parichha has also introduced us to the need for changes in the banking sector in India while reviewing Transformational Leadership in Banking edited by Anil K. Khandelwal. Perhaps these will be part of the changes that will ultimately lead to a revision of old systems and the start of new ones. Changes, though not always welcomed or convenient, hopefully will lead to progress that can mould our future into a happier one. Restless stirrings transformed mankind from cave dwellers to an intelligent race that can assimilate nature and technology to survive and dream of a future, living among stars.
As Borderless reaches out to unite mankind transcending artificial constructs, its attempts can bear fruit only with support from each and every one of you. I would like to thank all our editorial team for their wonderful support, contributors for being the backbone of our content, and all our readers for continuing to patronise us.
Do take a look at our current issue for the writers who remain unmentioned here but create phenomenal bridges towards a borderless world.
Tags Akbar Barakzai, Amrita Sher-Gil, Anil K Khandelwal, Arindam Ray, Beatles, Bhaskar Parichha, Borderless Journal, Candice Louisa Daquin, Cyrano de Bergerac, Enter Stage Right, Fakrul Alam, Fazal Baloch, Feisal Alkazi, Fragments of Happiness, Gandhi, Guru Nanak, Ivor Cutler, Jared Carter, Jnanpith Award, Keith Lyons, Lotus Eaters, Meenakshi Malhotra, Michael R Burch, Mitali Chakravarty, Muhammad Ali, Nabendu Ghosh, Nazrul, Nitya Bafna, Parineet Jaggi, Partition, Paul McCartney, Penny Wilkes, Philippines, Ratnottama Sengupta, Rhys Hughes, Ruchi Acharya, Shrilal Shukla, Sybil Pretious, Tagore, The Secret Diary of Kasturba, Wendy Jones Nakanishi
And This Too Shall Pass…
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"April is the cruelest month, breeding
lilacs out of the dead land…"
-- TS Eliot, Wasteland
April and May have been strange months — celebrations withered to anxieties. As the pandemic took on demonic proportions in its second wave, devastating millions with death and darkness, paralysing with the fear of losing friends and relatives or ones' own life, festivities gave way to mourning. April this time truly seemed like the cruellest month as expressed by TS Eliot in the start of the Wasteland, turning our joyous thoughts on healing to a devastating reality of swirling smoke of pyres and graves that continue to throng certain parts of the world. However, mankind needs hope like the Earth needs rain, hope to survive. Great literature and writing inspire to give just that.
This month is also the birth month of three greats who were able to generate that kind of hope with their work: Rabindranath Tagore, Edward Lear and Kazi Nazrul Islam. We launched our new Tagore section on May 7th with Aruna Chakravarti's translations of the maestro, Songs of Tagore. Do visit us at Tagore & Us to read them and more. We plan to keep adding to this section on a regular basis. This time we have Bengal Academy Award winner Fakrul Alam's translations of six seasonal songs of Tagore, a translation from Borderless of a poem by the maestro that is not quite accepted as Rabindra Sangeet as the tune was given by the eminent musician Pankaj Mullick. An essay by Dr Anasuya Bhar highlights different lives given to Tagore's writing by his own rewrites, translations, and films – an interesting perspective. We also carry tributes to Tagore in verse from Ilwha Choi of Korea, Mike Smith of UK, Himadri Lahiri and Sunil Sharma from the poet's own homeland.
We celebrated Edward Lear's birthday with some limericks and Rhys Hughes essay placing the two century old writer's poetry in the present context and a hilarious conclusion to the sequel of Lear's famous 'The Owl and the Pussycat'. Upcoming is the birth anniversary of the rebel poet from Bengal, Nazrul. Sohana Manzoor translated a powerful essay and Shahriyer Hossain Shetu, a poem by this legendary writer who believed in syncretic lore and married a Hindu woman. Now the national poet of Bangladesh, Nazrul even wrote of Hindu Gods in many of his songs and essays – a lore that yearns for revival in the current day where politicians have fragmented the world by building more walls, using the names of religion, race, economics, caste and culture.
We have a poem from Pakistan by eminent poet Akbar Barakzai translated by Fazal Baloch using the lore of Samuel Becket's Godot and yet another translation from Malayalam by Aditya Shankar of Sujith Kumar's poem. Our poetry section is exciting with an exquisite poem from Jared Carter on a yeti, resting on the ephemerality of its presence; a funny one from Rhys Hughes and a diversity of poets from many countries, including Bangladesh. We also started a new column called Nature's Musings which will combine poetry or prose with photographs by award-winning photographer Michael Wilkes and Penny Wilkes, who joins us now as a writer-in-residence.
In stories, we carry a COVID narrative by a real doctor, Shobha Nandavar, based in Bangalore and interestingly another about a doctor, the first women to adopt the medical profession in Bengal. Sunil Sharma in his narrative has highlighted a crisis in humanism. There are many more stories which would make for an interesting read. In musings, other than Devraj Singh Kalsi's witty take on countries without Nobel Laureates, we have a Canadian writer's perception of death rituals in Japan. Sybil Pretious has shared with us her strange adventures within China this time. Don't miss the backpacking granny!
The May issue has a wide range of essays and musings ranging from Candice Louisa Daquin's write up on the need to trust instincts to Keith Lyon's residency in the Antarctica with interesting photographs. He writes that you could wear shorts in summers! Bhaskar's Corner pays a tribute to the Padmashree Odia writer who passed away last month of old age, Manoj Das.
Our book excerpt is from an unusual book by Nabanita Sengupta, A Bengali Lady in England (1885): Annotated Translation with Critical Introduction to Krishnabhabini Das' Englandey Bangamahila. We also carry reviews by Rakhi Dalal of Feisal Alkazi's memoir, Enter Stage Right: The Alkazi Padamsee Family Memoir and by Bhaskar Parichha of Raising a Humanist by Manisha Pathak-Shelat and Kiran Vinod Bhatia. Shakti Ghosal's The Chronicler of the Hooghly and Other Stories has been reviewed by Gracy Samjetsabam.
Our interviews this time are more on practical issues than literary – with the two authors of Raising a Humanist and with someone who supported our Tagore section by inviting us to talk on it in an online festival called Anantha, Sonya Nair. A friend and an academic with decidedly avant garde outlook, she is part of the twenty-year-old peer-reviewed Samyukta Journal that homes many academics. Pause by and have a read to see how they serve.
I would want to give heartfelt thanks to Nidhi Mishra and Archana Mohan for hosting Ms Sara's Selections from Bookosmia this time as they help many battle the pandemic with hope, especially young children growing up in a world inhibited with masks and social distancing. I would also like to thank all the writers and my whole team for rising above the darkness by helping us get together this issue for our readers who I hope do find solace in our pages. And thank you readers for being with us through our journey.
There is a lot more in our pages than I have written. Do take a peek at this month's issue and enjoy.
Tags Akbar Barakzai, Bookosmia, Borderless Journal, Edward Lear, Feisal Alkazi, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Mitali Chakravarty, Samuel Beckett, Tagore, TS Eliot
No Comments on New Beginnings
Thai Songkran
Bohag Bihu, Assam
Thingyan, Myanmar
Courtesy: Creative Commons License
We wish all our readers and writers fabulous varieties of new year celebrations across Asia! We also complete one year and waft towards a new beginning. We have had some alterations as you know over the last few months — new faces on our board and writers in residence. Now, in addition to hosting writers from across all borders and ages, we have decided to also become an online forum for translated Tagore songs and writings. This will be launched on Tagore's Birth Anniversary — 7th May. We hope that the transcreations in this section will take the treasures of the great writer and philosopher closer to the non-Bengali speaking populations from all over the world. We will try to retain the spirit of his poetry and attempt to recreate the impact of the Bengali verses for everyone who can read in English. We have already started with transcreations of about half-a-dozen of his songs. Do take a look and tell us what you think.
To celebrate our diverse new years, we have a musing by Sohana Manzoor. Did you know that Pohela Baishakh or the Bengali New Year is a national holiday in Bangladesh and is observed on the 14th of April each year?
A new year bodes a new beginning, a new sunrise and a new day — a new bunch of experiences. That is why our theme this time was new beginnings. What did we have in the beginning? Dylan Thomas tells us —
In the beginning was the word, the word
That from the solid bases of the light
Abstracted all the letters of the void;
And from the cloudy bases of the breath
The word flowed up, translating to the heart
First characters of birth and death.
On that theme of words, we have a fabulous poem by Balochi writer, Akbar Barakzai, who created a furore by turning down an award from the Pakistan Academy of Letters last year. His poem has been translated by Fazal Baloch. That is just one of the treasures. This time to celebrate this bouquet of new years across Asia, we have a bumper issue which includes, interviews with the 2020 Sahitya Akademi winner, Arundhathi Subramaniam, and academic-cum-writer Sumana Roy. Both poets have been kind enough to share a poem each with us. Arundhathi's poem is inspiring and Sumana's is a moving one about a tree, a tree that made history. We have powerful poetry from a number of other writers, Pushcart winner Jared Carter, Michael Burch, Sekhar Banerjee, Vatsala Radhakeesoon, Ihlwa Choi and of course our inimitable Rhys Hughes. Rhys has also started a column for us in which he will talk of poets, poetry and whatever else he chooses (within the confines of our magazine's needs, of course). Our focus this year will shift even more towards quality of content.
In translations, other than Tagore songs and Baloch's translations, we have Aditya Shankar's translation of Malayalam writer, Shylan. A short story by Tagore from his famous collection Golpo Guchcho has been translated by Nishat Atya. To celebrate Tagore's anniversary, we have essays by Meenakshi Malhotra and Sohana Manzoor too. Interestingly Sohana Manzoor's essay has Tagore's vision of Buddha — and Sumana Roy gave us a poem on the Bodhi tree, a tree under which the Buddha meditated his way to salvation! Looking at the sad situation in Myanmar, we definitely have a need for reviving Buddhism, a theme that has been touched on by well-known film critic, journalist and translator Ratnottama Sengupta, in her ponderings on the Silk Route. Branching off from the journey across Asia towards Europe and moving up north to Siberia is a narrative from our spunky back packing granny, Sybil Pretious. She writes of her travels all the way to Lake Baikal!
Devraj Singh Kalsi suffered personal loss and has given us a poignant in memoriam on his mother. Mike Smith takes us on a memorable nostalgic journey with postcards from the past with stories that want to make you weep. There is more on memorabilia with a photo-essay by Nishi Pulugurtha and a photo-poem by Penny Wilkes (have you ever adventured with one of these?). Sunil Sharma tried out a playlet! The other exciting and new thing is Bhaskar Parichha has started a witty column with us. We are calling it Bhaskar's Corner! I won't tell you what about but do take a peek!
Books reviewed are Paro Anand's Nomad's Land by Nivedita Sen — a book on migrants, a theme which is there in the piece on silk route too; Rudolf C Heredia's Reconciling Difference by Bhaskar Parichha and Candice Louisa Daquin has reviewed a book on cancer, The First Cell by Azra Raza. Our book excerpt is from a book on parenting, Raising a Humanist: Conscious Parenting in an Increasingly Fragmented World by Manisha Pathak-Shelat and Kiran Vinod Bhatia. An interesting read in a world of changing values. Our young person's section run by Bookosmia owe a huge thanks to the untiring efforts of Nidhi Mishra and Archana Mohan. Thank you both. Thanks to the whole team for your immense support.
I have as usual not covered all the content in my note. I leave you to unfold the surprises! Much thanks to all our writers and readers for continuing to be with us!
Again, we wish you all a new beginning in our diverse new years!
Hope and happiness to you all!
Tags Borderless Journal, Dylan Thomas, Mitali Chakravarty, Pohela Baisakh, Sahitya Akademi, Siberia, Silk Route, Tagore


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Shark Stanley Goes to China
Shark Stanley was created to be used as a tool to engage the youth of the world to advocate for shark protections at the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, in 2013. That campaign reached more than 10,000 people in 135 countries and resulted in the passage of all shark and ray proposals. Manta rays, hammerhead, porbeagle, and oceanic whitetip sharks all received protections. Countries now have the tools to implement those protections and they are working.
Over the last several weeks we have leaked previews of the new Adventures of Shark Stanley and Friends, where they travel around the world to advocate for the creation of new shark sanctuaries, huge swaths of ocean where sharks are protected.
We have quietly been making plans for Shark Stanley to head to China, too. In the global version of the book, Shark Stanley meets a pair of kids who learn about the importance of sharks. One of the benefits of sharks is ecotourism.
The Chinese version of the book introduces a family on holiday on the island with the first two children. The family has two kids, who meet up with the island kids and the four of them team up to protect sharks.
The island kids take the visiting kids from island to island to protect sharks. Shark Stanley is all about making connections between islands, so it is fitting that islanders are also connecting to kids in China.
Eventually the visiting kids hop on an airplane and fly home. The island kids continue their quest to create shark sanctuaries, but the Chinese kids have a different task.
When the kids get back to China they go to a wedding where shark fin is served. The young kids tell their older relatives about the importance of sharks and why we need to protect them. The older generation is excited to hear from the younger, and they agree to a shark fin free wedding.
But its not enough, so the family starts to campaign for shark protections and consumer demand reductions in China.
The Chinese version of The Adventures of Shark Stanley and Friends will be released in China next month. Ocean Ambassador Sylvia Earle will be handing out books to decision makers and other important people. We'll make the Chinese version available online in the coming days.
Labels: China, Shark Stanley
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


A big thanks to all the guys who came out and helped, it made everything go so much faster and smoother!
I played with the -r and -b values a bit to get the best result.
Tomorrow I'm 30 and I've gotten over it. People seem to make a big deal of this number. Pointing out that I'm no longer in my twenties as if the twenties are the prime of life. But I think the 30s will prove to be good years.
I'll let you young'uns know what it's like.


I have met many creative people with disabilities who have had to give up "mainstream" employment but use their talents performing, exhibiting, running workshops, sound engineering, mentoring and organising at community events and festivals. It is important that events managers realise that accessibility must be for everyone, including backstage, and setting up. Often medical, welfare and access arrangement only open when visitors arrive and finish on the day they leave. This is partly the fault of the licensing system which tens to ignore the needs of crew on site even though they are at the greatest risk.
I have run accessible camping at many "green" festivals and worked at Glastonbury.
These festival jobs are very important to the people I know. Often it is the only way they can have a family holiday, meet like-minded people and be part of a team.


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Nonnative founder Takayuki Fujii's describes his products as "real clothes that aren't ostentatious," but that's just him being modest.
The "real clothes" of Nonnative are the kind of casual simplicity designed to slot seamlessly into any wardrobe, for years and years. The top quality material choices, progressive design, and expert construction ensure that you'll be able to do just that.
finished with ribbed trims to the cuffs and hemline.


This is my 1GAM game for January 2016.
The optional word theme was HOBBY. So I imagined myself being a taxi driver in my freetime.
UP DOWN for accelerating, braking.
ESCAPE to show the pause menu and access options.


The summer is here and while kids are dreaming of water parks, BBQs, and time at the beach, many adults are inside an office working. However, that doesn't mean that summer isn't nostalgic—snow cone, anyone?
The summer's sweltering heat can be punishing, but your office team shouldn't feel like they're being punished for having to work through it. This season is a great time to reconnect and show them how much they're appreciated.
Fridays are special. Summer Fridays are magical. Propose an adjusted summer schedule that will allow your team to take Fridays off and jumpstart the weekends. Monday through Thursday 10 hour work days or 80 hours over 9 days for every other Friday off sounds about right.
Serve hot dogs, hamburgers, salads, and lemonade. Invite employees and their families and use SignUpGenius.com to coordinate the activities, sports, and games. Your team will be talking about it until next summer.
Sticky summer weather can lead to sticky summer brain. Brainstorming will get everyone unstuck. Spend half a day brainstorming on special projects and ways to grow the company. Provide visual prompts or other things that may get the creative juices going. Take the meetings outside for added freedom. Just be sure you have a way to capture all the creative nuggets that will come.
Summer haze can create a foggy path. One way to beat the haze is by setting benchmarks and providing small incentives when those goals are achieved to keep everyone focused.
You get the point. Unless you're expecting a client or other guests in the office during the week, allow your team to come to work in clothes that beat the summer heat.
Summer's in and school is out. Allowing one day a month for kids to join their parents in the office may be a great way for them to connect while they have the summer off. With SignUpGenius.com you can easily create a sign up to keep track of who will be bringing their kids in. That way, you can make sure you have plenty of fun summer snacks!
Folks are always looking for cool things to do during the summer weekends and a discounted rate at a local amusement park, waterpark or museum would be greatly appreciated.
Keeping a cool head during the summer is imperative. So stock the office freezer with lots of popsicles and ice cream, and you'll be sure to please.
Coffee that is—Hire a Barista one morning a week to come in and make specialized coffee (and tea) drinks for everyone. Don't forget the blender.
Summer productivity may seem to be an oxymoron, but one way to achieve it is to allow employees to work from home a couple of days a week. Answering emails or creating spreadsheets may seem less like work if done from the front yard.
Is there a member of the team always getting your group through in a clutch or someone that you can depend on when you need a Hail Mary—those skills may translate onto the field. Encourage a team sport to get people moving and as a way to foster team building skills. If possible, offer to sponsor the team.
The boys of summer are in action on the ball field and everyone gets excited to watch. Provide a television for lunchtime viewing of a MLB day game and use SignUpGenius.com to coordinate a potluck once or twice. It's Easy!
A company blog is a great way for people to share with one another (internally and externally) what exciting plans they have for the summer. Pictures from vacations and after work ventures are a great away to get people virtually out of the office.
Creating a board of overall company goals for everyone to see is a good way to remind the team that work continues after August.
Cook offs allow people to showcase their secret (or not so secret) cooking skills. Pick a food theme of your choice (BBQ, chili, salads, baked goods, etc) and use SignUpGenius.com to coordinate the competition.
Invite a certified yoga instructor to transform a conference room into a Zen garden. Cooling off internally is just as important as that A/C blasting from the office vents.
Moving your weekly status meetings outside may provide some respite from the day-to-day routine.
Who wouldn't enjoy sitting on a Hawaiian beach, sipping a cool refreshing drink, while working on their tan? You may not be able to offer your employees those benefits but playful decorations and lively music may make them feel a little more relaxed.
Bring in all the fixins' and allow your team to create ice cream creations that would make any five-year-old jealous. Coordinate it with the Bring Your Kids to Work day for extra fun.
The summer can be a wonderful and energizing time for the workplace, but the lure of outdoor activities is always tempting. As you show by example the way to have fun but get the work done, you'll help your team do the same.
Aubrey LeGrand is a marketing manager for an educational publisher. She lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband and daughter.


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It takes a village of very generous people to keep The Lily-Jo Project running, updated, and optimised for our community. We would like to take a moment to put faces behind the platform and introduce to you our team, contributors, partners, and trustees we work with regularly. We are so thankful for these individuals and organisations who help us accomplish our mission of eliminating the stigma around Mental Health.
Team LJ
Team LJ work tirelessly behind the scenes to cover administrative responsibilities, ensure workshops and events are entertaining and run smoothly, curate helpful and inspiring content, and help plan for the future based on the needs of the community.
Lily-Jo
Founder, Executive Producer, and Workshop Leader
and Dancer
PR and
Our partners believe in the mission of The Lily-Jo Project and generously donate resources to help us do what we do. We strive to foster a two-way relationship and truly consider these wonderful people and organisations we have the pleasure to work with as friends. Partners have the opportunity to receive additional newsletters, gain insight into our future activities, and collaborate with us on a range of projects.
Our trustees help us plan, think strategically, and stay focused. With their generous support and guidance, we can make sure that The Lily-Jo Project makes the right decisions for the future.
Rebecca Fidler – Estar Bennett – Clare Hooper
Building a sense of community and connection with other people is so important to us. If you are interested in volunteering, sharing your story, becoming a partner, collaborating on a project, or donating, please get in touch with us by sending an email to: admin@thelilyjoproject.com.
The Lily-Jo Project only happens through the generous donations and support of people like you!
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You are here: Main » Denmark beat Peru in Group C tie
Denmark beat Peru in Group C tie
by Gordon Cummings	- at June 19, 2018
"Whatever happened before I think now he is training at a very high level and he really is ready to play", said Gareca, who saw his star forward receive backing during his appeal from France's Hugo Lloris, Australia's Mile Jedinak and Denmark's Simon Kjaer - the three captains of Peru's Group C rivals.
"Peru is a very good team".
We will shortly have the line-ups for the Denmark vs Peru game. "This team has been playing together well (without him)", he said.
"He is fast on his feet and his goal line play is probably the best in the world when he is in form".
The joy at the final whistle for Denmark was contrasted with the agony for Peru and especially Cueva, who was consoled by team-mates on the pitch both at half-time and at the end of the game.
Right-back Henrik Dalsgaard, meanwhile, will become the first player under contract at Brentford to feature at a World Cup.
- One of the original participants in 1930, Peru qualified for their fifth World Cup after beating New Zealand in the play-offs.
"Eriksen is obviously a key player, he is very well known".
Denmark's forward Yussuf Poulsen (R) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the Russian Federation 2018 World Cup Group C football match between Peru and Denmark at the Mordovia Arena in Saransk on June 16, 2018.
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes charged with fraud
The DOJ claims that Holmes and Balwani knew Theranos' product wasn't as effective as the company had been describing. The criminal charges came after Holmes in March settled civil fraud charges brought by the U.S.
Orlando City's Yoshimar Yotun lashed the ball into Schmeichel's midriff from 25 yards as Peru made a positive, energetic start to the game and Edison Flores lifted a powerful shot over the crossbar from just outside the box. The scoreline reads 1-0 in favour of Denmark now.
"I made a mistake; all I can do is correct it", he said.
The 26-year-old was his country's top-scorer in World Cup qualifying, finding the net 11 times, and provided three assists as he found himself directly involved in 56 per cent of Denmark's goals. Peru 0, Denmark 0. Germany enters the tournament as the defending champion after winning the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
"We put are creating good pressure in the team to give the coach a problem, it won't be easy for him to choose the players", said defender Anderson Santamaria.
Cabrera did not meet Federation Internationale de Football Association rules of eligibility and the result was given as a 3-0 win to Peru, who would have finished seventh in South American qualifying and been eliminated without those three points.
FIFA World Cup 2018 Peru v/s Denmark match live streaming will be available on Sony Liv app and sonyliv.con website. 2018 FIFA World Cup Schedule in IST for PDF Download: Fixtures, Groups, Time Table with Matches in Indian Time & Venue Details of Football WC in Russian Federation.
Peru veteran Paolo Guerrero, who only made it to Russian Federation after a late reprieve for a drug ban, came on for the final 30 minutes, but his efforts at the Mordovia Arena came to no avail.
Hareide drew parallels between Gareca's side and his own, having watched them draw 0-0 with Sweden in their final warm-up game. The match can also seen using Jio TV and Airtel TV.
Jason Momoa, Nicole Kidman, Amber Heard transform into majestic Atlanteans
Aquaman hits theaters in December and will be the only DCEU movie to be released in 2018 and the first since Justice League . Black Manta will take on an antagonistic role in the movie, but according to director James Wan , isn't the primary villain.
Swiss hold favourites Brazil after Coutinho stunner
With World Cup time upon us, Rob Pizzo breaks down what you need to know about one of the biggest events in the world. The only nation to compete in every World Cup, Brazil has won five of the 20 championships, more than any other team.
"'I'm the best in the world", Neymar says
According to both reports, the Spanish tax agency has yet to agree to substitute a fine for a potential suspended sentence. We now have a classic between Portugal and Spain .
Jason Momoa front and center as Aquaman on Entertainment Weekly
Aquaman hits theaters in December and will be the only DCEU movie to be released in 2018 and the first since Justice League . Until then, we'll just enjoy these awesome pictures and prepare for Aquaman's December 21 theatrical release.
Watch the 2018 World Cup on Hulu Live for free
The people of Israel can watch the FIFA World Cup 2018 by heading over to the website of the public broadcaster IPBC. The package includes live coverage of all 64 World Cup matches in full HD and will cost Dhs551 (excluding VAT).
Oxfam claims French border guards abuse child migrants
Merkel has pleaded for more time to negotiate with her European partners on a common response ahead of an EU summit on June 28-29. This week, Italian and Maltese officials denied entry for the Aquarius , a ship carrying more than 600 Libyan migrants.
US, China firms brace for escalating trade war
And he warned that any retaliation by Beijing would trigger another round of tariffs on Chinese goods. That includes a tentative deal to increase Chinese purchases of USA energy and agricultural goods.
Phil Mickelson hits moving ball with putter at US Open
Saturday was Mickelson's 48th birthday, and there were good vibes everywhere early in his round. It appeared that he took 8 strokes before the two-stroke penalty was added.
'This Is Just The Beginning For Afghanistan': India's Captain
Indian openers Shikhar Dhawan (L) and Murali Vijay take a run during the one-off Test against Afghanistan at the M. Ravindra Jadeja bagged 4 for 17 while Umesh Yadav 3/26.
Rapper XXXTentacion shot dead in Florida
In March, a judge ruled that XXXTentacion could be released from house arrest in order to tour in support of his new album . Following the sudden death of rapper XXXTentacion on Monday, celebrities flooded social media to honor the late artist.
Mexico fans chant homophobic slur at Germany keeper Manuel Neuer
The only time the ball was in midfield was when it was passing through to either end, with the teams combined for 18 shots. Javier Hernandez raced clear from the halfway line before picking out Lozano on the left.
2nd Kansas sheriff's deputy dies after shooting
Police Chief Terry Zeigler said on Twitter that the department is working a major incident but provided no further details. Fielder was a free man until this February when he was charged with a different murder in Kansas City, Missouri from 2017.
England fan thrown off auto in Plymouth after celebrating win
Lukaku scored a brace to break the resistance of a fearless Panama side on their World Cup debut. Asked about the England attendance he said he felt they may have been put off by media stories.
Eight injured after taxi runs into crowd in Moscow
A witness at the scene told Reuters news agency that some of the people hit were wearing Mexico team colours. Authorities did not give any details on if the man was stopped by the people or if he was detained by them.
Gaming disorder could soon be treated in public health sector
The new ICD also includes for the first time a chapter on traditional medicines, used by millions of people around the world. WHO has said that gaming disorder is a serious health condition that requires monitoring.
Laura Bush pens scathing column on child separation policy
Former Trump adviser Anthony Scaramucci said in a weekend interview that the child separation interview could be unsafe for Trump. Trump was due to meet Republicans in the House of Representatives on Tuesday as they prepared to vote on two immigration bills.
Giuliani suggests Trump may pardon Manafort after Mueller's probe
The New York Daily News reported that Giuliani also found the charges against Manafort to be unfair. In an interview on Fox News, former New York Mayor Rudolph W.
Trump's legal team emboldened by inspector general report
The FBI obtained a warrant nine days before the presidential election to review those emails, found on the laptop of former Rep. That investigation, now led by Mueller, is also looking into whether Trump obstructed justice.
Australians Bust Up World Cup Ball
Technology again went in France's favour as goal-line technology ruled that Pogba shot landed inside the goal before bouncing out. It was a courageous display from the Australians who looked world-class in periods but ultimately lacked conviction up front.
Taxi drives into crowd of people in central Moscow, eight injured
Russia is now hosting the soccer tournament and Moscow is one of 11 Russian cities where World Cup games are being played. Russian authorities have promised to host a safe World Cup tournament, which is taking place in 11 cities until 15 July.
I did a great service in firing ex-FBI chief Comey
Comey said in a tweet shortly after the report's release that he respected the OIG and that he had urged it to conduct its review. Trump himself said he had "reservations" about a sit-down with the investigators. "The top people were terrible ", Trump said.
Reigning US Open champion refuses to be ignored
His driving let him down thereafter, but he fought off a bogey at the par-4 14th with a birdie at the par-5 16th. He played the next 11 holes in level par before making his move with three birdies in four holes.
President Trump says North Korea returning remains of US soldiers
Hey, who are you with? If we did, millions of people would have been killed, he said . He explained that millions of lives could be lost "if you go to war there".
Egypt vs Uruguay: 5 key players that will decide the game
The 25-year-old injured shoulder ligaments in the Champions League final defeat by Real Madrid on May 26 and has not played since. This is also the last big push for Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani , the duo of deadly strikers that both turn 31 this year.
Twitter reacts to Tiger Woods' brutal start at US Open
Every golfer made it to the course in time on Day 1 despite traffic that had players anxious someone would miss his tee time. Mickelson asked an official if there was a rule that allowed a player to see the ball as he was trying to hit it.
Gerard Pique wishes Antoine Griezmann success after Barca snub
And he will be sticking around to help them mount a challenge in the Champions League as well. I'm sure there are plenty of players at clubs below the elite that feel this way'.
Prof John Stremlau on the Trump-Kim Summit
A spokeswoman for USA military forces in Korea said it had not received any direction to cease joint military drills. Peter's Square in prayer June 10, expressing hopes the summit would lead to lasting peace.
Gareth Southgate tells England to not let pressure…
Apple fined $9m for misleading Australian customers with faulty iPhones and iPads
US, South Korea agree to suspend joint military exercise
Phil Mickelson Took Advantage Of Risky Loophole With Double-Putt
May offers pro-EU rebels Brexit compromise
Melania Trump 'Hates to See Children Separated' at Border, Spox Says
Argentina vs Iceland: Messi misses penalty as Argentina held by Iceland
ROK official: No change to U.S. troops in S. Korea
France edge Australia with helping hand from VAR
Russian Federation crush toothless Saudi Arabia 5-0
Mohamed Salah 'almost 100 per cent' fit for Egypt's World Cup opener
S. Korea hints at suspending military drills with US
U.S.,Mexico and Canada to host 2026 World Cup
How Donald Trump Shivved a Compromise GOP Immigration Bill
Police arrest suspect in Shujaat Bukhari murder case
HBO MAX and DC UNIVERSE's Relationship Still Being Worked Out
After Debate, Warren Told Sanders: 'I Think You Called Me A Liar'
Twitter Reacts To The 2020 Oscar Nominations With Jokes & Memes
The Simpsons Voice Actor Will No Longer Play Apu
Betty White Celebrates Her 98th Birthday Today
Ariana Grande Hit With Copyright Suit Over '7 Rings'
Watch Crisis On Infinite Earths online
Star Wars: Taika Waititi Reportedly Approached for New Movie