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The world of Haiku

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Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry, founded and popularised by the poet Matsuo Basho. It is a very short poem of just three lines. The lines follow 5-7-5 format. First line should have 5 syllables, second 7 and third 5. A total of 17 syllables only. Haiku essentially captures the present moment, anything that you see or hear or smell or taste or feel that touches your heart. It is poetry with as few words as possible and is not expected to have a decorative language. Suggestiveness is a prominent feature of Haiku. It started in the 17th century but took a considerable time before it was first translated into English. Ravindranath Tagore brought it to India after his visit to Japan. Now, it is written in many Indian languages, particularly in Hindi and Marathi. Haiku became popular in Marathi in the 70s and 80s. Shirish Pai, acclaimed poetess, was instrumental in introducing it in Marathi. Since then, several poets have tried their hand at writing Haiku in marathi and the form is gainin...
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Operation Safed Sagar

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<script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3496793674991691"      crossorigin="anonymous"></script> I saw this web series on Netflix. Essentially, it is about Kargil war of 1999, how it was fought on the Indian side, the challenges faced by the Indian army and Indian Air Force. It was nail biting and I could not stop till the last episode. It was very well picturised and directed and the challenges to win back the occupied peaks were very well explained. The sacrifices made by the soldiers bring tears to the eyes. The performances of lead actors Siddhartha and Jimmy Shergil were outstanding, well supported by Abhay Verma, Amrita Bagchi, Dia Mirza, Mihir Ahuja and Prajakta Koli. This web series needs to be watched. Ravindra Shenolikar 
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Pride and prejudice A New Musical

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I saw 'Pride and prejudice musical' on the online British Council digital library yesterday. It was based on the famous novel 'Pride and prejudice' by Jane Austen. The musical was of two hours duration. I must say that it was most captivating. The lyrics were superb and performances outstanding. In particular, the parts of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy were played brilliantly. Elizabeth was beautiful, with a clear and lovely voice and very expressive face. Even though I had not read the novel, I had some idea of the story. With the subtitles, it was not difficult to follow and the lyrics could also be enjoyed easily alongwith the music. I look forward to watching some more musicals during the year. Ravindra Shenolikar 
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फक्त चोवीस तास

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  फक्त चोवीस तास नाही पुरत फक्त चोवीस तास दिवसात अठ्ठे चाळीस तास तरी हवेत इतके काही करायचे असते.... वाचायचे असते, लिहायचे असते पाहायचे असते, अभ्यासायचे असते पण हां हां म्हणता संध्याकाळ होते अंधार पडतो, दिवेलागण होते बघता बघता सामसूम होऊ लागते घराघरातील दिवे मालवू लागतात वाचताना डोळ्यांवर झापड येते शब्दांचे अर्थ कळेनासे होतात शरीर दमून, थकून जाते आणि शरणागती घेत हे स्वीकारावे लागते की अजून एक दिवस संपला आहे रवींद्र शेणोलीकर
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Windies vs Pak 1st Test

The first test between West Indies and Pakistan at the Brian Lara stadium, Trinidad, produced some quality test cricket. Batting first, West Indies scored 311 on the strength of Kavem Hodge's 84 and Shai Hope's 92. Mohammed Ali took 4 wickets and Mohammed Abbas took 3. Pakistan replied with 282 losing last 7 wickets in the space of 38 runs, largely due to a magnificent spell by Justin Greaves. Shan Masood scored 109 for Pakistan. West Indies had a meagre lead of 29 runs in the first innings. Pakistan came back in the match in the second innings by having West Indies tottering at 93/7 at one stage. But West Indies fought back through Shamar Joseph's 38 to score 181, giving Pakistan a target of 211 to win the test. Mohammed Abbas took 5 wickets. West Indies bowled superbly in the last innings to bowl out Pakistan for 120, winning by 90 runs. The captain of Pakistan Babar Azam fought a lonely battle and remained unbeaten on a classy 58. Jayden Seales got 5 wickets and Justin G...
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Anna Karenina Musical

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Today I saw Moscow Opera's Anna Karenina Musical on my smartphone, courtesy British Council online library of which I am a member. I have read the iconic novel 'Anna Karenina' by Leo Tolstoy, perhaps the most famous novel in the world. So, naturally, I was in a position to appreciate the musical better. Still, I don't have words to express how beautiful it was. Not only was the music awesome, but the lyrics (libretto), even with subtitles, were quite brilliant. So were the performances of one and all. It is a herculean task to present the 800-1000 page novel in just over two hours. But it was achieved with great team work, coordination and class. The screens and lights were used brilliantly to create the effect of a railway train. Above all, the musical was successful in bringing out the incredible passion of love, the suffering, drama and emotions in the story with stunning music and performance of actors. It was over two hours of pure magic which is impossible to forg...
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A visit to Madam Bedi

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I read an article with this title written by Tara Westover in a recent edition of the weekly "The New Yorker" dated 24th February 2025. It has come under the head "Personal history". The article has the above picture of a sari clad woman at the start. The obvious Indian connection attracted me to the article and I started reading it. The story goes thus :- The author is a graduate student at the University of Cambridge in USA. She has formed a close friendship with a student named Sukrit. She has come against the wishes of her father who stays in Idaho and is not on speaking terms with her. She carries the hurt with her all the time and the bitterness sometimes spills into her conversation with her fellow students. Sukrit is aware of her pain. He suggests that she visit his mother in Delhi for a few days. She finds it absurd initially but later on agrees. Sukrit's mother, Satbir Bedi, is a divorcee. But she is also a high ranking government officer enjoying all ...
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