The Woman on the Red Oxide Floor by Shikhandin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Woman whom we meet on the red oxide floor is perhaps every woman’s agonized self as she tries to rebel against the incomprehensible societal forces that remove her sense of self as an individual and relegate her to the status of a ‘housewife’ whose views do not matter. She has become trivialized, she is now ‘nothing’.

Yet her imagination is in her control, and this is what sends her into dream like spaces where she thinks and questions and enters other worlds through her mind space.

She is also the mother of Blue, her son, and we see and understand this world largely through his eyes, as he slowly leaves the cosmos to which he once belonged and becomes more and more a part of this world where he is born as Mamma’s and Baba’s baby. Mamma, who loves him, but also resents him at times, for he has ensnared her into the trappings of motherhood. Mamma, who takes care of him unconditionally as a child, but whom he leaves later to chart his own path in the world.

This book works with the mundane and the extraordinary and takes us in and out of several worlds; making the reader feel as if she has entered a dream world, but also a world where reality comes and goes with all its beauty and bitterness. There is also a future time we enter with this woman who once lay on the red oxide floor, but what she thinks and does at this time, I will let you discover for yourself.

The prose is an exquisite web woven by Shikhandin’s magic fingers, and it leaves us in a dream-like state. There are indeed worlds other than ours, ‘real worlds’— if we only choose to believe.

***

View all my reviews

A Reminder-poem

My love is a wound on your left thigh It will not fade with time The wound on the heart does But I have left a reminder. ~Abha Iyengar, March 25, 2011. (Upal Deb compared this to Lorca’s poetry!)

 #Editing #Appreciation

"I gave two of my short stories for editing to Abha, and I'm really glad I did that. Her edits were thorough and meticulous yet they didn't alter the flow and idea of my writing.

Moreover, she returned the edits much before the deadline. Every writer needs an editor like Abha to bring more finesse into their work."

~Ramya Srinivasan

Testimonial for my editing

'Mrs Abha Iyengar is a professional and dedicated editor. Her dedication and efforts are quite praiseworthy especially because the quality of the manuscript is enhanced after her editing. She is soft spoken and handles the work assigned in a very sincere and professional manner. She is one of the best editors one can find online. Her evaluation is thorough and comprehensive. I wish her all the best.'

Ankush Kumar, author of a self-help book. (June 23, 2020)

More Praise for My Editing from an Indian Doctor in Australia- Dr. G.S. Oberoi

During this pandemic lockdown I found myself staring at a heap of papers (short stories) stowed away over last so many years in various dark corners. The challenge was - ‘where from here’. Then appears Abha Iyengar – like a light in the darkness. Soon those scribbles start to look like distinct characters forming a tellable story. Result- ten stories and a  collection (Stories- that remained untold).  Thanks Abha! 

Gajinder Oberoi

Abha Iyengar’s Shrayan is an Indian fantasy novel that explores the individual’s struggle for both social and self-acceptance--- Review by Smita Sahay at Women’s Web

Abha Iyengar’s Shrayan is an Indian fantasy novel that explores the individual’s struggle for both social and self-acceptance.

Review by Smita Sahay at Women’s Web

All of us have a hidden place within ourselves, the place of longing and of escape from the dissatisfactions of life. But is it as easy as it sounds? Abha Iyengar’s first novel, Shrayan, is the journey of a creature, half human, half animal, through rejection and self-awareness to self-acceptance. He seeks and struggles to be understood in a world where he does not belong. 

Iyengar liberally dips her quill into mythology and magic. The book is a fable of sorts; it brings to us a world of dissatisfied, imperfect characters, humans, semi-humans, or fantastical, fighting their own battles. Through these characters and their struggles, the reader learns something about herself too, for instance, learning to make peace with her unfulfilled desires.

Shrayan, a dweller of the underground, finds his first friends in snakes and Sapera and discovers dance, which gives him strength and solace throughout his life. Sapera’s brother Vishwasghat murders him and sells Shrayan like an animal. Fate rescues him and he reaches a school. This is where he discovers beauty and love for the first time. He learns Kshatriyam, a martial arts dance form, and he learns to read and write. However, due to certain unfortunate circumstances, he is forced to run away and he battles with his own bestiality. Eventually, he reaches a place where he finds food, shelter and a job with a baba and his hunchback companion. But will this last or will Life continue to test him?

Iyengar has brought magic realism and fantasy together. Shrayan has hooves and fur, but speaks, walks, eats and dances like a human. He reaches the fantastical land of happiness, where he meets Nordic beauties, snake-dragon women and a giant named Trishna, which means hunger. Iyengar brings in Indian arts, in Kshatriyam, mythology, in the dance drama unfolding the love story between Krishna and Rukmini, philosophy, in conversations Shrayan has with Lotus, Madira and Manila, and Indian culture, in kundalini. 

The narrative is conversational and engaging and lots of unexpected plot turns and character appearances keep the reader immersed. Love takes myriad shapes, and so does sexuality. Fatherhood recurs in the many relationships that are formed and lost. Most of the characters are silent and complex with histories, strengths and failings.

However, sometimes the conversational, chatty narrative takes away from the magic, and some motifs, such as that of the recurring snake, probably symbolic of something, could be more plausibly accommodated in the plot. Some character appearances and plot turns would have been more impactful with a deeper treatment. One also wishes that some other characters whom Shrayan meets through his journey, show up later and have more role in the story and his life. A clearer sense of the passage of time would avoid confusion and make Shrayan more concrete in the reader’s psyche – his is called “…the body of a young man‘s” at the beginning of the story, and he is in his early twenties towards the end of it.

Short chapters, easy language and a dramatic narrative make the book a light read. The speculative fiction and magic take one to far away journeys. Speculative fiction is an evolving genre in Indian literature in English. In this book magic, relationships, fate and a semi-human character come together in a contemporary Indian context, to make you reach into your own insecurities and imperfections. The next time you worry about your own hooves, think about how far Shrayan walked on them.

*****

Thanks, Smita Sahay.

Words Matter: The Lateral Learnings of a Writer

As a writer and editor and sometimes book reviewer, I pick up some nuggets through casual conversations, some word that flies in the air, or a work I suddenly stumble upon.  I shall give you some instances to illustrate what I am talking about.

In 2013, Sudeep Sen invited me to review the Harper Collins Book of Poetry edited by him, and the review appeared in Cha (http://www.asiancha.com/content/view/1424/394/).  While reviewing the collection, I was introduced to the work of several new poets, one of them, John Siddique, whose poems really resonate with me. This is one of the unexpected throwbacks of doing voluntary work; you gather your diamonds on the way. And later, I found in John Siddique’s collection of poems titled ‘Full Blood’ which I bought, that he actually has a very beautiful poem in there (among so many others) which is titled ‘Abha’. I posted this on my blog:

http://poetryilove-abhaiyengar.blogspot.in/2016/06/abha-by-john-siddique-in-his-collection.html!

I recently participated in the Seemanchal International Literature Festival in Bihar where I met a young Bengaluru writer, whose body is home to several tattoos. I admired a few and she gave the reason or occasion that made her get them one by one. There was one on her forearm, however, which she said she had got done ‘just chumma’.

“Just chumma?” I raised an eyebrow. “You mean, for a chumma? A kiss?” for that is what chumma means in the general understanding of the term.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ME4eg7RYTQ

She laughed. “No, chumma is a Bengaluru word, meaning ‘just like that’.”

“Oh”, I grinned, “you mean ‘aiwein’, which is what is used in Delhi to denote the same thing?”

We began to laugh. But for me, this was a delightful term which I would make a part of my arsenal. When I say arsenal, I mean I would use it sometime somewhere in my writing or one of my talks.

I was also introduced to some poet hitherto unknown to me like Abdul Ahad Saaz, whose poem finds its mark in me:

मैं बढ़ते बढ़ते किसी रोज तुझको छू लेता

कि गिन  कर रख दिये तू ने मेरी मजाल के दिन

~ अब्दुल अहद साज़

which translated reads:

I would slowly move forward and touch you some day

But you have counted out the days of my impertinence

Another word making the rounds sometime in Darjeeling post the festival was the word ‘itemgiri’. It was a Mumbai phrase, and one I thought had to do with Bollywood item numbers (raunchy songs), but it turned out that this phrase is for boys who hang around outside college gates eyeing girls. So they do ’itemgiri’, and it is supposed to be an inherently youth-centric pastime.

At a recent gathering at Habitat Centre where the discussion was on women at the work place and how an environment could be created there for their safety and wellbeing, a word that cropped up was ‘mamitsu’, which is an Italian term that translates into ‘being soft inside’. It was a term used in the discussion to ask for a certain degree of vulnerability and understanding to occur in the workplace. This was another word that has uniquely found its way into my arsenal of words and expressions.

And so this carries on, people and places and the words they carry with them that add dimensions to my life. Words and expressions fall upon you indirectly and get imbibed into your system for further thought and action. Or you let them lie within you to just nourish you on your journey as a writer.

*****

© Abha Iyengar, 12^th February 2017. First published in Different Truths.

Another recommendation: Gargi Mehra writes

Thanks very much to Abha for reviewing and providing quick and quality feedback on my flash fiction stories. Abha pointed out exactly where the stories were not working and gave detailed suggestions as well as line edits. I’m very pleased to see the improvements in both pieces and I’m excited to send them out after working on the given comments.

Warm Regards,
Gargi Mehra

Another Endorsement

Vrinda Baliga, author of the short-story collection 'Name, Place, Animal, Thing' (2017), writes of my recent editing of her stories:

"Abha edited my short stories with a keen eye for detail, and I am very happy with the results. She is prompt and professional, and a pleasure to work with. I highly recommend her services."

Thanks so much, Vrinda, for your endorsement.

More Praise for my Editing

Dr. Ameya Bodre, Head, Clinical R&D, SINE lab, IIT-Mumbai writes:

'I got an opportunity to share one of the stories of my debut collection with Abha and I am more than happy with her edits. I think this story was a bit different from the others I'd written, and I felt I experimented with the style and narrative. She provided useful feedback without outrightly asking me to make any major structural changes. She didn't remove any chunk of text but finely edited it to retain its essence and yet sound crisp and effective. She introduced important transitions in the plot that changed my reading experience of this story. I would surely recommend her edits for all budding and established short story and fiction writers!'

TEA WITHOUT SUGAR by Anonymous

These days I take my tea without sugar,
And I like the music turned down low.
I have less appetite for small talk, 
And I like books that are short but truthful. 
I love you but I don’t want to own you. 
When you’re gone, I will miss you
But not too much; I have my writing. 
I start shows on Netflix and abandon them. 
I look up at the sky and am transfixed. 
I look also at the banyan tree’s roots 
On some nights while going home; 
The roots hanging long and still, 
Like a sleeping woman’s hair 
Hanging off of the edge of the bed. 
I have less and less to say to people. 
I tune into silence with alacrity, 
Like it’s a preferred radio station. 
I am casting off old darlings 
One by one; sugar, sound, drama. 
“Well, dear, life is a casting off. 
It was always that way.” 
I remember those lines 
From an Arthur Miller play. 
Am I getting older and wiser, 
Or merely older and colder? 
How to be sure? 
Maybe I don’t want to be sure;
I’ll cast off that darling too; 
The need to feel sure.

What was that?
Do I need anything?
No, my dear.
Well, maybe a cup of tea,
If you’re having some too.
Warm, not piping hot.
And no sugar.

Further Praise for My Editing Skills

Ma'am,

            You were referred to me by a common friend of ours who gave very good review about your style of working and editing. So I decided to avail your services and true to the review I got about you I too had a wonderful experience working under your guidance. Your schedule for editing was very time bound. The clarification asked for was duly addressed and the editing of the novel was good. Moreover I got to learn quite a few things about presentation, Grammar, structuring of sentences and paragraphs. Thank you ma'am for all your patient help and guidance and all the insight into editing. It was a wonderful learning experience for me. I admire your professional and friendly approach to work. I hope I get an opportunity to work under your guidance in near future again.

Piyush Rohankar

In praise of my editing skills

Thank you Abha for copy editing and proof reading my book even before the dead line. 

You have done a wonderful job and it was a pleasure working with you.

I greatly appreciate the work you have done for me, and for your valuable time and patience. 

Thanks to you my book is ready for publishing.

Warm Regards,

B.P. 

In praise of my work

Authors attempting daring leaps out of traditional form deserve to be read especially if their work is done with focused intent.
I am pleased and enriched for having read it (Flash Bites) as well as your novel, Shrayan.'

`Rich Perrotti

Book Review of Yearnings: My poetry collection

https://hashspeaks.blogspot.in/2011/02/book-review-yearnings-by-abha-iyengar.html

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Book Review: Yearnings by Abha Iyengar

I'm not a great reader of poems, but as a lover of literary expression in any form, I was drawn in by Abha Iyengar's sample poems from her book Yearnings. Drawn in enough to immediately order a copy of her book.

As the title makes clear, this collection is about longing, love, loss, passion and related emotions and situations. What I admire about Abha's poetry is its impressionist style of communication--it paints a quick, terse picture whose aim is to capture the moment and the emotion, and it does that effectively. In art, too, I have a deeper admiration of Impressionism than Realism. Realism merely portrays what the eye sees, albeit in careful, loving detail but Impressionism carries the heart of the artist as well--it is his choice to capture the subject in that particular moment, angle and light, and this choice and his quick strokes show intense focus and urgency to record and love that person, place or action at that moment.

Yearnings is a collection of 67 short poems that are a pleasure to read and re-read. In these poems, there's none of the embellishment that a lot of poetry falls prey to: the frills and lace that really point to nothing. Instead there's solid content, honesty and truth. For example, here's Travel:

If you give me a look

vistas open up

If you blow me a kiss

winds gather up a storm

If you hold my hand

my fingers touch smooth pillars

In unseen corridors

I travel blind

but belong.

Another one I like is Aroma:

Sometimes it takes just the aroma

Of freshly ground coffee beans

To make me fall into your brown arms.

I am vacuuming

The carpet,

Wiping the sweat off my

Hot brow,

And the whiff comes from across the hall

Of somebody casting the magic spell

With the help of a potent witches' brew.

I switch off the vacuum and

Remove my shirt.

Some of the other poems I enjoyed in this collection are Ice cream, Strange Lands, A Table, Two Poems, Echo, Grief, Shadows, Everything Natural and I Conserve.

Yearnings is available from Serene Woods and Flipkart.

at 3:59 pm

1 comment:

monideepa said...

The poems are lovely. Abha caputres so aptly the many delicate nuances of romance. A must-read for die-hard romantic dreamers and everyone else too