Unbreaking the Rainbow, Voices of Protest from New South Africa

In this collection of protest poetry from the New South Africa, a multiplicity of voices find a place to be heard, read and seen.

The complete E Book now can be read free - Click here

Poets Printery International Best Poetry Web Site Award for Creativity and New Age Poetry

This prestigious award will be given to websites which publish exclusively poetry and shows innovation in creativity.
Poetry and Blog sites publishing PoetryArt and showcasing Poetry Films would be preferentially considered.

If you feel that your blog / website deserves this award, please feel free to contact us with your website details.

amitabh@amitabhmitra.com

Dechen

we met at a thimphu sunday flea market
there was mist all over
the crowd spoke in gregarious tones
like mountains hunting for lost ones
there was mist on her face
her lips balanced an era
of happening
mist on her kira
hiding
somebody whispered
that’s dashoam
our princess
and i remember speaking to her in shameless
colors
curves
woven forests
even in sleep
next to the log fire
i thought i spoke of the earth
beyond  mountains
and chortens
we would leave
having touched once
sundays we met
and parted
buying always laughter
exchanged odours
when are you going to wear the boku
when would you make me a dasho
she laughed and laughed
a sky just opened up
a mist went thicker
amidst the staring gargoyles of tashikodzong
tired dragon roofs
grunting yaks
nobody saw us embracing
an unsheltered sun.

Poem and Watercolor by Amitabh Mitra

Daily Dispatch, South Africa’s premier news daily talks on Poems for Haiti

Once again, The Daily Dispatch, South Africa’s premier news daily talks fervently on the anthology, Poems for Haiti. With a forward by Professor Peter Horn who received the SALA Lifetime Literary Achievement Award a few days back, this book is not only the first of its kind in global literature on Haiti but also has the major representative voices of contemporary South African poetry. Six books are up for grabs via the Daily Dispatch to poets and poetry lovers.

1860 - 2010 Indians in South Africa

Celebrating 150 years of the arrival of Indians in South Africa with an exhibition of my art, poetry and films at Gonubie, East London, 30 October 2010.

Call for submission to a radical left poetry anthology

and let this sun
shatter in our thoughts
shards, lets pick up again
roofless
skyless
in drought
come
lets strike
lets form
in shapeless rivers
lets ride
a multitude
star again.

Poem and Watercolor by Amitabh Mitra

Ma Ngobo's Place at Scenery Park

ma ngobo lives in the far stretches
of scenery park
a tiny house amidst shacks and shanties
seems to challenge still
an unburnt sky
lush greenery in abundance
has taken over the tiredness
of old thoughts
flaming tyres around necks
and a flaming jungle
are as remote
as long lost anc promises
i often drink here to
the laughter of myths
a rebellion of conscience
seems so far.

Poem and Watercolor by Amitabh Mitra

Launch of Poems for Haiti, A South African Anthology

Poems for Haiti, A South African Anthology is to be launched by firebrand ANC activist Prithraj Dullay at the Point Yacht Club on 13 October 2010 5.30 pm onwards. Prithraj Dullay is the author of Salt Water Runs In My Veins.
Ela Gandhi has kindly consented to grace the occasion.
Please do come.

Sunil Sharma, Associate Professor of English Literature at Mumbai says

On Wednesday evening, October 13, history is going to be made at the famous Point Yacht Club, Beachfront, Durban, SA. On this day and appointed hour, the assembly of the best poets will witness the launch of: Poems for Haiti, A South African Anthology by the Live Poets Society. “Poetry as Activism” is going to be on a wide-screen display from 5:30 pm onwards: For a change, the finest creative minds— instead of contemplating the world and its myriad recurring crises as is the general wont and pose of alienated souls—will be listening to and discussing the natural tragedy that affected a small but resilient island nation, and, what is more important, its recovery through solidarity and community efforts of little men and women, the marginalized of the local and global histories in every age. The poets featured in the collection talk of real problems of gigantic scales and address an entire nation in the aftermath of a severe quake that flattened the rich and poor houses alike, as nature is, mercifully, not hierarchical and pro-rich like human societies.

Professor Peter Horn in his forward -

A group of concerned poets rallied and expressed their shock and their support for the victims in their poems. While poems cannot rebuild destroyed houses, they can reaffirm the unity of humanity across the entire globe. The pain of our friends in Haiti was our pain as well.
While food, water, shelter, medical care are, of course, prime necessities in a disaster like this, it would be a misunderstanding, to believe that beyond the material needs there are no psychological, religious and cultural needs. People who survive man-made or natural disasters are in need of more than the bare necessities of survival. They need to come to terms with the destruction of their lives, the loss of their friends and relatives, the shaking of their most fundamental beliefs.

In my editorial –

This anthology not only verifies the extreme torture a single nation, a single environment and a single feeling went through that day but also unveils dehumanization of victims, death couldn’t have erased such stretched pain, such agonizing screams till this day.
The poets included here are, some as young as seventeen and others who are recognized voices of the South African poetry movement but many others who came out to share their sorrows and be a part of this minor collection, Poems for Haiti.

The contributors to this anthology are

Phillippa Yaa de Villiers
Mahalingum Govender
Anne Bebington
Peter Horn
Ben Schermbrucker
Arja Salafranca
Barbara Johnson
Amy von Witt
Carol Leff
Gona Pragasen Kathan (Danny) Naicker
Roy Venketsamy
Kogi Singh
Vivagalatchmie Ananthavallie Naicker
Shameela Abraham
Sharm Govender
Thaveshree Morgan
Sandeepa Ramsugit
Jean Cornet
Shabbir Banoobhai
Irene Emanuel
Louise Buchler
Brett Beiles
Ndaba Sibanda
Rozanne Baker
Khumbudzo Daniel Masutha
Tlangelani Ngobeni
Douglas Ntando Gumbo
Sarita Mathur
Mandy Mitchell
Kambani Ramano
Grace Kim
Tendai R. Mwanaka
Tlangelani Ngobeni
Muthal Naidoo
Crystal Warren
Pratish Mistry
Abigail George
Mxolisi Nyezwa
Marelise van der Merwe
Kakoli Ghosh
Amitabh Mitra
Ravi Naicker
Liza Smith

Publisher – Poets Printery, South Africa
ISBN 13 -9780620464734
Price – Rand 100

Scenery Park, East London

and next to the trees, shrubs and homes
women laughed, loved and drank
a spring evening at scenery park
when seasons excused themselves
joining the revelry
nothingness is here
and the trees revere to it
a sky jumps up in nude
a chant believes in streaking
a sudden heckling
stranger is oneself
stranger is a night
here
blooms
in untold eviction.

Poem and Watercolor by Amitabh Mitra

The rainbows last evening

two rainbows woke up
last evening at east london
eyes still heavy in slumber
in rebellion
in unequivocal shadows
clouds gaggled away in
a rush of quarrelsome gulls
about
who is who
more beautiful today
I remembered you at hauz khas
behind the ruins
when you had touched
me with your smile
on such an unlikely day.

Poem and Photograph by Amitabh Mitra

Mdantsane to Transkei

in transkei
we drove on roads beyond roads
the sun and the sky set themselves apart
and people there talked about new south africa.
i wanted to get braids done on the
roadside
and dance to hip-hop
with others
being played by a blind musician
his head moving
his eyes behind dark glasses
negating all
nothing has really changed
only the dog among hitchhikers
just wanted to cross the street.

Poem and Watercolor by Amitabh Mitra

Preview Mdantsane Breathing

Mdantsane Breathing by Amitabh Mitra

Mdantsane Shirts

Poets Printery, South Africa has launched an exclusive range of shirts with my art featuring the vibrant culture of beautiful Mdantsane. T shirts, Jackets, Ties and Scarves will have the insignia and colors of Mdantsane Art and its Poetry. T Shirts of all sizes are being sold at Rand 100 including postage.
amitabh@amitabhmitra.com

Road to Keiskammahoek

a pink sky suddenly

asked the blue keiskammahoek

mountain

reasons for living

and lasting

so long

a whiff of fern

air exploded in stranger

vicinity

somebody laughed

children

chased a dipping sun

Poem and Watercolor by Amitabh Mitra

Leaping the Lilac Sun Launched

After a successful launch of poetry / art book, ‘A Slow Train to Gwalior’, Amitabh Mitra brings you yet another extravaganza of art and poetry in his latest book, ‘Leaping the Lilac Sun’. The book was simultaneously launched at New Delhi and East London today. A coffee table book printed on premium paper, this book is a reflection of contemporary South African Poetry and is a proof of Amitabh Mitra’s close interest in fusion of art with poetry. This book is priced at Rand 700 including postage. Any enquiry to Amitabh at amitabh@amitabhmitra.com

drawing suns near her breast
where the lilacs are the word
of strange blind men
Pritish Nandy
Riding the Midnight River