R.A.Pai's prose and poetry reflect the experience of his years and the freshness of his spirit. A simple style and a lot of substance characterize the work of this painter turned writer.
The
Aspirant (5th
September 2002)
Kali Kinkar Bhattacharya aspired to be a Tantrik Yogi. He was fascinated
by the mental and physical excellence he would acquire by these practices,
in addition to getting the vision of the Divine Mother...
The
Other Occupant (22nd August 2002)
They heard footsteps coming down the stairs at 1.00 a.m. sharp, going
to the bathroom, opening and closing the taps, and footsteps climbing
back up the stairs, all these actions accompanied by chanting and mumbling
of prayers...
The
Stranger (15th August 2002)
It seemed odd that somebody would go to a tourist resort and shut himself
up the whole day instead of enjoying a stroll on the beach, a swim in
the sea or seeing places of interest. Was he a fugitive...
The
Young Widow (8th August 2002)
The young widow subjected her head to the local barber with monotonous
regularity and also obeyed the other dictates of her strict and revengeful
father-in-law. When the torture became unbearable, she ended her life
by jumping into the well...
The
Outsider (1st August 2002)
All his efforts to woo Kamalika paid off to the extent that she agreed
to go for walks along with him first through the cobbled footpaths of
Southern Avenue and gradually to the Dhakuria Lakes where they used to
sit at the banks...
A
Wrong Assessment (25th July 2002)
The One that I beckoned didn't answer the call/He had built in-between
a formidable wall...
The
Bore (13th June 2002)
The people of Kovaipudur are a patient lot/They listen to all the tales
I have got/Without a complaint, without a murmur/With a deadpan face devoid
of humour...
The
Budget (6th June 2002)
Every budget brings welfare schemes/Where the money goes nobody knows/The
Minister grins, the partymen thump,...
The
Arch Bore (30th May 2002)
When you select your victims, be sure the persons concerned are gentle
enough not to react; they should be subjugated to your talk in small degrees
till your conversation gains complete mastery over them...
The
Child Bride (23rd May 2002)
His aunt, anxious that there should be an heir to the inheritance, scouted
for a bride for her nephew. Her choice fell on Padmarani, who was ten
years old, the correct age for girls to marry in the olden days. She was
playful, good at music...
Two
Sisters (16th May 2002)
Their daughters, when alive, used to go for walks along the banks of the
river and these walks, it was rumoured, continued even after their death...
The
Failure (9th May 2002)
Bikram Singh was known for his efficient management of the estate, his
charity and self-discipline. He treated those who depended on him kindly
and they in turn adored him...
Without
Malice (2nd May 2002)
When I look back and think of all the colleagues I worked with during
my fairly long career, only two people stand out for their extra-curricular
activities...
The
Pond (25th April 2002)
Those who could describe it after the experience were few, that is, if
they lived to tell the tale. Some others who continued to live were mentally
traumatised for life...
The
Lady of the Mountain Slopes (18th April 2002)
Nature has a unique way of warning us about the arrival of spirits. If
it is a windy day, the winds will suddenly stop, not even a leaf will
move and there will be pin-drop silence. Conversely, on a clear day when
everything is quiet, clouds will suddenly appear and there will be stormy
winds...
The
Wayfarer (11th April 2002)
Awaken my friend! the day has dawned/Shake off thy slumber, proceed on
thy path/The road, I admit, is not paved with roses...
The
Monkey's Paw (4th April 2002)
Strange sights were seen there and stranger things used to happen to those
who dared to cross it after nightfall. Many of them were dumbfounded for
life, others went insane...
War
of the Shirtsleeves (28th March 2002)
There were constant bickerings and quarrels and even fights on this issue.
In their midst, there was a wise man, a shirtless one, a saint who pointed
out the futility of the argument...
Gujarat
- 2002 (14th March 2002)
The colour of blood/Is universally red/Lanes are tainted with blood -/Red
flows the Sabarmati...
The
Temptation (28th February 2002)
He waited at the gate of the Lord of Death/For three full days and three
full nights
Foreign Training (21st February 2002)
In 1958, when I received the telegram that I would be included among the
trainees heading for the USA if I joined the steel company immediately,
I was not overjoyed, but apprehensive...
The Betrayal (14th February 2002)
It was an arranged marriage; they both came from similar backgrounds;
he was as much an extrovert as she was otherwise ...
The Bluebird - II (7th February
2002)
Looking at the bluebird/on the mayflower tree/Is an end in itself/you'll
agree with me
Sure Cure for Worries (17th January
2002)
I was five years old when World War II started. My elder brothers would
worry me saying that Hitler and Mussolini would carry away our baby sister...
The Traveller (10th January 2002)
"I give up," said to himself the weary traveller/The goal is
far, wish it were nearer/The way is long, dangerous and difficult
The Best of Both Worlds (3rd January
2002)
For generations Indians had settled in Kampala, the capital city, trading
in textiles and spices. They were disciplined and respected but were also
envied for their affluence...
The Bluebird - I (27th December 2001)
The little bluebird on the Mayflower tree/This I'll do if it I be -/I'll
fly so high and talk to the kites/In my own way in sweet little tweets
The First Wife (20th December 2001)
He was the scion of the zamindars of Nangia Gunj in Murshidabad
district of undivided Bengal. The zamindari was given to his ancestors,
in the eighteenth century by Siraj-ud-Dowlah, the then Nawab...
The Encounter (13th December 2001)
Ravindranath was studying then in high school at Trivandrum. Those were
the days when the freedom struggle was in full swing...
The Constant Identity (6th December
2001)
Alliance Flight Six Two Seven,/She sat by my side, the young maiden -
A Visit to an Old Uncle (22nd November
2001)
The biggest change which overtook Indian society in the mid-twentieth
society was the collapse of the joint family system. The change was so
abrupt that many who lived under its umbrella were overnight left, unprepared
and defenceless, to fend for themselves...
On the Death of Bisakha (15th November
2001)
Bisakha, would-have-been mother/of a thousand brave sons, she/had the
seed in her when plucked by/cruel Death at the threshold of youth.
The House of the Shiva Yogi (8th November
2001)
House No. XV/173 facing the third railway overbridge from the Pettah Railway
Station in Thiruvananthapuram has a sad story to tell. Three of its occupants
had untimely deaths and two of them went insane...
Never on a Friday (1st November 2001)
This is the Buddha's tooth, this is His nail,/Revered relics these, ancient,
sacred and holy.
