triveni spotlight A FEATURE EVERY ALTERNATE DAY hosts: Anju Kishore and Teji Sethi GUEST EDITOR: Arvinder kaur
19th December 2024
triveni spotlight December 2024
petting zoo
newlyweds stroke
each other
— Marietta McGregor
Failed Haiku, May 2016
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We live in a world that is ridden with tragicomedy. More of tragedy I should say, as this feeling tends to linger much longer in our heart than that of mirth. It seems all too human to forget the laughs rather soon. Perhaps playing the victim comes naturally to mankind. This year in particular, like so many others gone by, seems full to the brim with painful and tragic situations arising out of war and other factors that life is made up of. When I was asked to collect poems for this feature I immediately chose 'humour’. Isn’t there a dire need to smile! So many times we have to hark back to the times when we used to laugh heartily. Where are those times now! We have given so much of ourselves to other situations of life that we have forgotten to pause and to smile.
Besides, humour is an essential element of haiku. There are many kinds that I came across. For example, sarcastic humour, situational, tongue-in-cheek, subtle humour, and even idiosyncratic, among others. The sad part is when I called out for poems on the theme, many prolific poets were found scratching their heads and going back to their files over and over again to find a poem which could make the reader smile. Many admitted that they were more into melancholy, which I quite understand. So all the more reason to divert the attention a bit and laugh a little even if through tears sometimes as we move towards the end of this painful year. Prayers that the coming year brings peace and calm to the world. Amen!
Smiles from Arvinder
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Thank you for being our next guest editor, Arvinder. We look forward to a month of humour and the joy it would bring into our lives.
_()_ triveni spotlight team
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