Prof. K. V. Dominic, Writer & Editor

Thursday, 24 November 2016

K V Dominic's Poem "Dogs’ Curse on Human Beings"

Dogs’ Curse on Human Beings

K. V. Dominic

Curse upon you human beings

You are the most selfish

ungrateful and cruelest

of all creations on this planet

Irrespective of your ruthless

cold-blooded callous nature

we love you and serve you

better than your family inmates

As reward for our service

you dispose our dear puppies

road sides. They run starving

across dashing vehicles

Some are dead while others

live on littered wastes

you throw after use

Cruelty thy name is man!

You have made your pets

stray dogs struggling for life

Your throw out culture

throwing kitchen wastes of

meat and fish on road sides

turned some carnivores who

are violent than the herbivores

Famished, a few become violent

and prey upon pedestrians

And you start massacre

killing all stray dogs labeling

violent or man-eaters

Compared to our violators

multitudinous are your

criminals and murderers

Do you kill them all

as you mercilessly butcher

roads after roads?

Mind you, this world is

not your grandpas’

We too have a right

as all other animals have

to live and share

its sustaining wealth.

Saturday, 19 November 2016

Report of the 5th National Level Two day Literary Festival of GIEWEC in Collaboration with the Department of English, JKC College, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh on 11th and 12th November 2016

Report of the 5^th National Level Two day Literary Festival of GIEWEC in Collaboration with the Department of English, JKC College, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh on 11^th and 12^th November 2016

Dr. K. V. Dominic

Guild of Indian English Writers, Editors and Critics (GIEWEC) in collaboration with Department of English, JKC College, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh conducted its fifth two day national level literary festival at JKC College on 11^h and 12^th November 2016. The topic for the festival was "Multiculturalism, Human Values and Language and Literature."

In the inaugural session at 10.30 am on 11^th November, Prof. T. V. Reddy, President of the GIEWEC was the Chairperson. Prof. P. Gopichand, Associate Professor of English as well as Organizing Secretary welcomed the guests and audience. After the lighting of the lamp Dr K. Basavapunnaiah, President of J. K. C. College, made the inaugural address. It was followed by messages from J. Murali Mohan, Secretary and Correspondent of J. K. C. College, SRK Prasad, Director of PG Courses of J. K. C. College and Dr. I. Nageswararao, Principal of J. K. C. College. They all thanked GIEWEC for the collaboration. They also praised Profs. P. Gopichand and P. Nagasuseela for their meritorious service to the college and to the writers in India and abroad by conducting nine international poetry festivals annually. Prof. T. V. Reddy then made a brief speech on multiculturalism. Dr. K. V. Dominic expressed deep gratitude to the management of J K C College as well as to the organizing secretaries Profs. P. Gopichand and P. Nagasuseela. He also thanked the faculty and students of the Department of English as well as all participants of the festival. The proceedings book of the festival was launched by Dr K. Basavapunnaiah, President of J. K. C. College. Prof. P. Nagasuseela, Associate Professor of English as well as Organizing Secretary delivered the vote of thanks and thus the inaugural session ended at 11.30 am.

In the book launching ceremony that followed nearly twenty new books of the participants were launched. The authors include Dr. T. V. Reddy (Tirupati), Dr. Jaydeep Sarangi (Kolkata), Dr. Ratan Bhattacharjee (Kolkata), Fr. Varghese Paul, SJ (Ahmadabad), Profs. P. Gopichand & P. Nagasuseela (Guntur), Dr. S. Kumaran (Salem), Dr. Pamela Jeyaraju (Pondicherry), Dr. S. Ayyappa Raja (Chidambaram, T.N.), Dr. Molly Joseph (Kerala), Dr. Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya (Kolkata), Ms. Reema Das (Assam) and Dr. K. V. Dominic (Kerala).

In the plenary session at 12 noon, Prof. T. V. Reddy, Dr. K. V. Dominic, Dr. Jaydeep Sarangi, Fr. Varghese Paul, Profs. P. Gopichand and P. Nagasuseela, Dr. Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya presented their papers. After lunch, there was poetry reading session chaired by Prof. T. V. Reddy. Fifteen poets read their poems on various themes.

In the paper presentation sessions that followed Dr. S. Kumaran, Dr. S. Ayyappa Raja, Dr. Joji John Panicker and Dr. Pamela Jeyaraju chaired as well as presented their papers. More than twenty participants presented their papers. From 9 pm to 10 pm there was a cultural programme of the students of J K C College which entertained the participants.

GIEWEC’s General Body Meeting was conducted at 10.30 pm. In the election to the executive committee of GIEWEC, the twelve member committee was unanimously elected. The following are the new office bearers and committee members:

President – Prof. T. V. Reddy

Secretary – Dr. K. V. Dominic

Vice President – Dr. Jaydeep Sarangi

Vice President – Prof. P. Gopichand

Joint Secretary – Dr. Joji John Panicker

Treasurer – Dr. S. Kumaran

Members of the Executive Committee

Dr. Poonam Nigam Sahay

Dr. Ketaki Datta

Prof. P. Nagasuseela

Dr. S. Ayyappa Raja

Dr. Pamela Jeyaraju
Prof. Sibasis Jana

On 12^h November, Saturday, at 9.30 am there was the valedictory function. Prof. P. Nagasuseela welcomed the chief guests and audience. On the Dias were Dr. T. V. Reddy, Dr. K. V. Dominic, and Prof. P. Gopichand. After brief addresses by the dignitaries, merit certificates and certificates of excellence were awarded to the students of JKC College. Cash Prizes of Rs. 5000 were given to the best performers as well as to the entire group. The chairpersons of the paper presentation and poetry reading sessions were honoured with mementos. Shri Sudarshan Kcherry, the founder member of GIEWEC as well as publisher of Authorspress, New Delhi, Dr. Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya, Dr. K. V. Dominic and Dr. Jaydeep Sarangi were honoured with mementos by the local organizing secretaries. The festival ended with Prof. P. Gopichand’s vote of thanks.

Overall, the festival was a grand success. The credit goes to the Secretaries of the Organising Committee, Profs. P. Gopichand and P. Nagasuseela who took the initiative several months before and got GIEWEC’s proposal sanctioned by the college management. They worked really hard for several days and nights and could very well coordinate their colleagues and students for the great outcome. GIEWEC’s bouquet of gratitude to them!

Report of the 5th National Level Two day Literary Festival of GIEWEC in Collaboration with the Department of English, JKC College, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh on 11th and 12th November 2016

Report of the 5^th National Level Two day Literary Festival of GIEWEC in Collaboration with the Department of English, JKC College, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh on 11^th and 12^th November 2016

Dr. K. V. Dominic

President – Prof. T. V. Reddy

Secretary – Dr. K. V. Dominic

Vice President – Dr. Jaydeep Sarangi

Vice President – Prof. P. Gopichand

Joint Secretary – Dr. Joji John Panicker

Treasurer – Dr. S. Kumaran

Members of the Executive Committee

Dr. Poonam Nigam Sahay

Dr. Ketaki Datta

Prof. P. Nagasuseela

Dr. S. Ayyappa Raja

Dr. Pamela Jeyaraju
Prof. Sibasis Jana

Tuesday, 6 September 2016

CONTENTS OF 6.2 SEPTEMBER 2016 ISSUE OF WEC DEDICATED TO MAHASWETA DEVI

Contents of WEC 6.2 September 2016

A Poetic Tribute to Mahasweta Devi

--K. V. Dominic

PAPERS AND POEM ON MAHASWETA DEVI

Mahasweta Devi: Death cannot Claim a Valiant Soul

--Ketaki Datta

Mahasweta Devi: Fourth World Literature for Indigenous People--An Obituary

--Ratan Bhattacharjee

Charting the ‘Subaltern’ Terrain--The Outsider-Insider: Mahashweta Devi’s “Pterodactyl” in Perspective

--Poonam Sahay

Aarti to Maha Shakthi

--P. Gopichand & P. Nagasuseela

Mahasweta Devi: Voice of the Deprived Millions

--Manas Bakshi

The Mourners of Mahasweta Devi: A Critical Analysis of Rudali

--J. Pamela

The Subaltern Woman and Woman as Subaltern: A Study of Selected Works of Mahasweta Devi

--Anisha Ghosh (Paul)

A Critical Analysis of Mahasweta Devi’s “Bharsaa”

--Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya

The Plight of Tribal People in Mahasweta Devi’s “Shishu” (Children)

--P. Senthilkumaran & S. Kumaran

Mahasweta Devi: An Unending Legend (an Obituary)

--Reema Das

CRITICAL/RESEARCH ARTICLES

K. V. Dominic’s Winged Reason: A Portrait of Social Realism

--D. C. Chambial

Italian Women’s Archives: Their Origin, Development, and American Connections

--Elisabetta Marino

Chetan Bhagat’s Fiction: A Clarion Call for Restructuring the Canon of Indian Fictional Writing

--Kavitha Gopalakrishnan

Playing God: Robin Cook’s ‘Mutation’ as a Reworking of the Frankenstein Theme of the Creator Pitted against the Creation

--Lekshmi R. Nair

Quest for Identity and Female Iconoclasm in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Lowland

--Mohd Faiez

History Community and Identity: Reading M. G. Vassanji’s The Magic of Saida

--Siddhartha Singh

The State of Emergency and the Loss of Identity in Rohinton Mistry’s A Fine Balance

--A. Sulochana & S. Kumaran

Shakespeare’s Conception of Insomnia and Somnambulism in Macbeth

--Deen Dayal

REVIEW ARTICLES

A Philosophic Voyage through K. V. Dominic’s Poetry

--S. Barathi

The Circle of Life: A Critical Evaluation of Chandramoni Narayanaswamy’s Houseful.

--Kavitha Gopalakrishnan

BOOK REVIEWS

T. V. Reddy’s A Critical Survey of Indo-English Poetry

--K. V. Dominic

I. K. Sharma’s A Treasure Island of Letters

--Kavitha Gopalakrishnan

Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya’s Write My Son, Write--Text and Interpretation: An Exercise in Close Reading

--S. Barathi

T. V. Reddy’s Thousand Haiku Pearls

--Patricia Prime

S. Kumaran’s (ed) Philosophical Musings for a Meaningful Life: An Analysis of K. V. Dominic’s Poems

--Elisabetta Marino

Dr. Molly Joseph’s Autumn Leaves

--Sugandha Agarwal

SHORT STORIES

Niyog—the Authorization

--Ramesh K. Srivastava

Strange Equation

--Manas Bakshi

An Elephantine Memory

--Chandramony Narayanaswami

Guilty Conscience

Jayanti M. Dalal (Trans. Himmatsingh Waghela)

POETRY

What a Justice!

--D. C. Chambial

Woman is a Woman

--D. C. Chambial

Blue Bells

--D. C. Chambial

Pain and Laughter

--D. C. Chambial

Rivers of Happiness

--D. C. Chambial

Unseen Hands

--Manas Bakshi

Changing Fate

--Manas Bakshi

Where was the Sun?

--Jayanti M. Dalal (Trans. Pavankumar Jain)

They Decide

--O. P. Arora

Peace

--O. P. Arora

Union

--Sibasis Jana

Rhythms of Clouds

--Sibasis Jana

Lines

--Molly Joseph

Dream-call
--Ram Sharma

Ganga Maiyya

--Ram Sharma

Morning

--Ram Sharma

O! God Who Are Thou

--Ram Sharma

O Globetrotter

--Sugandha Agarwal

Ideology

--Vijay Kumar Roy

The Earth Orbits

--Parthajit Ghosh

Contributors

Brochure of GIEWEC’s Collaborative Festival

at JKC College Guntur

Tuesday, 30 August 2016

Dr. Ketaki Datta's Review of Prof. Dr. K. V. Dominic & Dr. Mahboobeh's (eds) Multicultural Studies on Three Nobel Laureates: Rabindranath Tagore,Toni Morrison and Alice Munro

Prof. Dr. K.V. Dominic & Dr. MahboobehKhalegi, eds. Multicultural Studies on Three Nobel Laureates: Rabindranath Tagore, Toni Morrison & Alice Munro. New Delhi: Authorspress, 2016, 327 pp. Price: Rs. 1200, $ 60. HB. ISBN: 978-93-5207-217-0.

Dr. Ketaki Datta

This book is a novel attempt in the arena of ‘criticism’, focusing on the works of three Nobel Laureates like Rabindranath Tagore, Toni Morrison and Alice Munro at one go. Tagore’s versatility and his contribution to various genres of literature stands unquestioned, is beyond doubt. And again, the critical domain is swamped by numerous articles on his multifaceted talents. Tagore winning Nobel Prize in 1913 was not just a matter of pride for Bengal or India as a nation or Asia, by and large, but, his literature and philosophy, his poetry and music stand unique with universal appeal till date.

This book contains eight thought-provoking research articles on Tagore [1861-1941] making us think anew about his multifarious creations. All articles are unique in their own way but Nalini Nambiar’s “Rabindranath Tagore, the Transcendental Ecologist,” “Classic Representatives of Womanhood: A Critical Examination of Tagore’s Heroines in Short Stories” by K. V. Dominic, one of the editors of the book, are quite contemporary in their dealing with the topic, as modern tools of critical theory like Ecocriticism and Feminism came handy for them. Six other articles are also good, no doubt.

Writing on Toni Morrison [born 1931], a Nobel Laureate in 1993, is not at all easy as the ‘black identity’ which she emphasizes in her novels and short stories lies embedded in her growing-up years in rural belt of Ohio. The local touch of the soil, the conceit of the ‘colour of skin’ all find considerable place in her writings. Apart from Nobel Prize, she had also bagged Pulitzer Prize, American Book Award and Presidential Medal of Freedom at different times. Thus, to justify critical analyses of her works, it is essential to have a thorough knowledge of the deprivation of the Afro-Americans in those times, role of a ‘black’ woman writer to raise her voice in protest against all inequalities based on race, identity and colour. Eleven papers on Morrison are there in this volume and five of them are on The Bluest Eye, the most widely read novel by her, which already has been able to carve a niche in the syllabus of Afro-American studies in quite a few universities, here and abroad. And all these five essays judge the novel from five different thought-provoking angles. Though the six other essays are no less scholarly in merit, Swati Samantaray’s “The Search for Identity: An Appraisal of Toni Morrison’s Novels” and Mohammad Roshan’s “Postcolonialism and Identity Crisis in Toni Morrison’s Beloved” embrace wider aspects in respective fields of discussion and analysis.

Alice Munro’s [born 1931] short stories are read widely in the West, but in India, she is not yet so popular among the literature-lovers. Naturally, all the four essayists have done a commendable job by highlighting different perspectives of Munro’s writing. J. Pamela’s “Elective Solitariness in Alice Munro’s Dear Life” is a pleasant read apart from its scholarly appeal.

One must read the book thoroughly to get a solid taste of literary articles on three Nobel Laureates from three different parts of the globe. Kudos to Dr. K. V. Dominic and Dr. Mahboobeh Khalegi for their untiring effort to make this joint editorial endeavour a success. The publisher has brought out the book in a smart jacket and legible fonts.

Dr. D.C. Chambial's Review of S. Kumaran's (ed) Philosophical Musings for a Meaningful Life: An Analysis of K. V. Dominic's Poems

S. Kumaran, ed. Philosophical Musings for a Meaningful Life: An Analysis of KV Dominic’s Poems. Ann Arbor, MI 48105 (USA): Modern History Press, 2016. Pp. 219. USD $29.95.

Review by:

Dr D. C. Chambial: Editor Poetcirt, Maranda – 176 102 (HP)

Email: editorpoetcrit@gmail.com

(Published in 29.2 (July 2016) issue of Poetcrit)

Dr. Kumaran has done great service to the contemporary Indian English poetry by editing this book on our contemporary poet, Dr. K. V. Dominic. The book has 24 articles by various critics and one interview with the poet that throws light on his poetic philosophy and creative art. He tells his interviewer: “The main objective of our life is happiness and we can attain this happiness best by serving others” (210); besides, “Man has to learn a lot from Nature, especially from the animal world” (211). In his introduction, PCK Prem observes that “Workers, farmers, laborers, and the exploited encourage him to write and write” (15), and in his article on Winged Reason, he observes that Dominic’s poetry manifests “a humanitarian view of men in distress” (53). Kumaran traces Dominic’s humanism in Winged Reason and observes: “the analysis reveals the poet’s faith in didactic poetry and ascertains the relevance of his writing” (23). Sudhir Arora also explores Winged Reason critically and affirms: “The poet in Dominic is an angel who searches for the angelic qualities in men” (29). In Multicultural Symphony, Dr. Arora finds that the poet “is grieved when he sees the present India that has now become ‘a hell of intolerance and religious fundamentalism’”, and the poet is resolved “to win the hearts of his readers by virtue of his ‘content’” (39). Chambial studies Dominic’s book, Write Son, Write, and infers, in his study, that his poetry is full of “humanitarian philosophy steeped in contemporaneous societal consciousness” (45). TV Reddy, in his study of Winged Reason and Write Son, Write, argues that “his poems are a strong testimony of his socialistic ideas, to his leanings toward communistic ideology, and to his earnest zest as a social reformer” (61). Sugandha Agarwal opines that Dominic’s poetry addresses “the entire humanity about its prevailing issues and problems in society . . . and [he] believes that the real wealth of a nation is its citizens” (78).

Rob Harle, in his paper on Dominic’s poetry concludes that his “poems are important additions to literature and to the growing global movement to bring about positive change and equality for all individuals” (84). In her article, Dr. J. Pamela holds that “His requiems are therapeutic, for they console the losers; they are philosophic, for they impart truths of value; . . . which inspires the reader. . .” (94). Bhaskar Roy Barman has discussed some poems in his article from Multicultural Symphony, Winged Reason, and Write Son, Write and finds these poems as Dominic’s “representative poems” (105). Dr. S. Ayyappa Raja also studies the same three volumes in his analysis; he comments that “the readers could understand the social consciousness of the poet. He is very much concerned about the evils of the society which affect millions of people” (115). For Arbind Kumar Choudhary, who compares Dominic with several contemporary poets in a passing reference, “His forceful voice will remain ever ringing in the womb of time” (122) and also studies his poetry from the perspective of ecology and social issues (197). “Dominic’s poems have a strong philosophical base, as his mind is steeped in the doctrines of Advaita Vedanta philosophy,” (123) observes Anisha Ghosh Paul in her article; and, then, says that he “never romanticizes Kerala nor aggrandizes his fellowmen, but gives us a rather realistic portrayal of his home State” (186). Joe Palathunkal interprets Dominic’s poetry with reference to Pablo Neruda’s definition of poetry as “rebellion”. Dominic’s poetry “is an all-encompassing world view . . . [where] reticence will be a corollary of rebellion because you cannot really rebel against the other as the other is part of you” (136). For Patricia Prime, his “books reveal Dominic’s curiosity about the things people do and say, . . . ” (143). “Through his poems, Dominic motivates humans to realize the value of God’s gifts. Man should preserve nature instead of destroying it” (153), observes Mahboobeh Khaleghi.

Sangeeta Mahesh feels that his “poems are full of feelings and emotions and directly touch the heart, compelling the reader to think and act” (155) and that he “is the poet of humanity, peace and harmony” (165). Radhamany Sarma is of the view that Dominic establishes oneness with the society “by projecting the primary, the necessities, pitfalls to be ameliorated and redeemed” (179). S. Barathi explores his poetry from eco-critical perspective and points out that Dominic “looks at men as ego-centric and wants them to become eco-centric” (189). Rincy Mol Sebastian also examines his poetry from the same perspective and says: “Here the poet’s purpose is to convey the inner and outer connection between nature and humanity” (194). According to Kavitha Gopalakrishnan, Dominic stresses the “need of coexistence and the need of cultivating empathy and benevolence for a harmonious, peaceful life” (208).

The book is a milestone in the evaluation of KV Dominic’s poetry.

Dr. Sulakshana Sharma's Review of K. V. Dominic's Who is Responsible? (A Collection of Short Stories)

Review of Who is Responsible: A Collection of Short Stories

Dr. Sulakshna Sharma

(Published in 29.2 (July 2016) issue of Poetcrit)

K. V. Dominic’s book, Who is Responsible? (2016) is his maiden collection of fifteen short stories. Many of these stories, according the author, “have been published periodically through . . . [his] own edited journals as well as through other international refereed journals, both print and online” (Preface). Dominic has “used several themes and focused on many issues which are universal and at the same time frequently occurring in . . . [his] own State, Kerala” (Preface). The themes are mainly socio-political and socio-economic. The tone is satirical and, at times, didactic.

The author has enlisted a number of themes in the preface to his book on which his stories are based. Succinctly, the various themes can be put under the following main headings: unemployment, Diaspora and its repercussions, devaluation and the frustration of highly educated youth in the highly literate State like Kerala; superstitions, immorality and modernity, discrimination on the basis of caste and social status, the follies in the Indian marriage system, communism versus democracy, corruption and political exploitation of the weak and the downtrodden, plight of the poor, wild life and its conservation, the Hindu religious philosophy of karma et cetera.

The characters and their social milieu are plausible and interesting. Every story brings into light a bunch of fresh problems and themes are explored and realized by its characters to the fullest. Every story leaves a stinging question that forces its reader to rethink his/her role and contribution towards the society. For example, at the end of his short story, “Ammu’s Birthday” (35), an English Professor, Dr. Sankar asks his class about the story he had just read for them. The students, referring to the story as an ordinary one, insisted that they wanted “to hear something merry and pleasant” as “tragic incidents” are rife in newspapers (38). Perturbed by such responses, Dr. Sankar tries to explain the need of such a “tragic” story, thus:

“My dear students, I honour your reactions. What Joseph said is true. This is just an ordinary story. I am not revealing the author’s name. And what relevance has an author in a work as per New Criticism? The author has mentioned as a footnote that the story is based on a tragedy at a village in North Kerala. As Meera has complained we are reading such tragic lives every day. Dear students, don’t forget the fact that our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thoughts, as Shelley has written. The more we read such things the more compassionate and humane we should become. Such literature purges our mind and we get karunyam (compassion) rasa. We should not turn our faces to miseries and tragedies of others. Such tragedies are part of the flow of the system and as participatory beings we should flow with the system. Mysterious are the ways of the Creator and our little intelligence can’t find justifications for the multitudinous activities of the Almighty. Hope you are satisfied with my answers,” Dr. Sankar ended his lecture (39).

Clearly, the aim of the author as a “social critic” has always been the betterment of his society, State and nation.

Most of the stories have a somber tone. They exhibit various socio-political-economic vignettes and are brimming with moral implications: ‘Who is Responsible?’ (11), ‘A Good Samaritan’ (19), ‘Best Government Servant’ (25) ‘Ammu’s Birthday’ (35), ‘An Email from Senthil Kumar’ (40), ‘Joseph’s Maiden Vote to the Parliament’ (50), ‘Matthews, the Real Christian’ (56), ‘Our Dear Bhai’ (66), ‘Sanchita Karma’ (73), ‘Selvan’s House’ (85) and ‘Twisted Course of Destiny’ (103). In comparison to the above mentioned short stories, the following stories put forward the message of the significance of rational thinking, morality, compassion and humanity in a more jovial and a light-hearted manner: ‘Fire Your Horoscope!’ (45), ‘School Entrance Festival’ (78), ‘The Twins’ (104) and ‘World Environment Day’ (112).

In conclusion, the book is a true mirror of the society that writhes under the burden of economic insecurities and lack of good governance. Most of the stories in the book can be adapted for small plays, skits, and eve TV serials—aiming to spread social awareness on the burning issues and rampant evils in the Indian society and the Indian political system. Moreover, the stories can be easily incorporated in English textbooks of any school or college. Its copies in the school and college libraries will contribute towards nurturing the young minds of India and making them more humane, considerate and socially aware citizens. I congratulate K. V. Dominic for the success of his noble pursuit.

Dr. Sulakshna Sharma is Associate Editor as well as Review Editor of Poetcrit, an international refereed biannual journal on literary criticism and contemporary poetry edited and published by Dr. D. C. Chambial, Maranda, Himachal Pradesh, India.