RANJANA SHARAN SHINHA

RANJANA SHARAN SINHA

THE NOSTALGIA OF TRAIN

The rumbling sound of train

reaching my apartment,

opens the floodgates of memory

with fascinating childhood snapshots-

My madeleine moment!

On the mesmeric window seat

of the train coach,

I sat with an artless ease

running my curious eyes

over the different horizons-

The green zone of open fields,

tall trees and jungles with

vast virescent canopy of leaves

lulling me into dreams captivating!

A myriad of egrets

with buff plumage

on the bank of a river

that ran along a bed of stones

enormous and white

like prehistoric eggs!

The journey was made special

by the pervading smell of

crunchy samosas and purees,

while the voice of chaiwala

continued to resonate in the

thick of the bustle of platform

Whizzing past station after station

amid the train ratting down

the tracks, as my heart

waited in anticipation for

the train to pass a bridge:

Throwing coins into a river

was a real thrill for me!

Tell me, how can I forget

the innocent excitements

and the exhilaration-

the thickly textured experience

of bygone train journeys?

Ah! that once more I were a child !

SHADES OF MEMORY

Your memory-

The pink- red lake

of a mirific morning

with golden strands:

I wish to drown myself

in the colour coral!

Your memory -

The blue-grey lagoon

of a dark night

with silver threads:

I love to swim

and feel weird!

Your memory -

The fireflies with

a soft warm glow

flickering through the

trees of my heart: I behold

the wonder of phosphorescence!

Your memory -

The fading flames of dusk

with dying embers of love

burning fitfully:

I watch the

cinders in snatches!

Your memory –

The weepy feeling of

a melancholy moment:

With hands holding

bruised blossoms and dried leaves

I endure the ache!

POTPOURRI

Age cannot be defied

Pearls fallen from the string

Can’t be retrieved.

We must accept the change

There is no free will

Only … only the inevitable.

Like silent shadows

Fly the aberrant days and nights

Gone are the green meadows.

Older still I daily grow

Amid the missing notes of yesteryear

A deluge of memories overflows.

Spring flowers in bloom

A burst of colours the pulse of passion

Waned in silent gloom.

The dull remembrance of change

Tugs at my heart pulling me back

A feeling sad and strange.

But the nostalgic longings

Don’t trap me in the negative conundrums

I realise the natured part of life cycles.

My advancing years now

Become a season of harvest

I’ll tell you how.

I tap the source of my mind

Full of positive vibes and hope

Colours in creative contours I find.

The sun and the rain of yesterday

Join to make a beautiful rainbow

For me a new archway.

The scent of my departed years

A potpourri of pale purple flowers

Envelops me in a fog of fragrance!

RANJANA SHARAN SHINHA

Dr. RANJANA SHARAN SINHA: A professor by profession and a poet by passion – Dr. Ranjana Sharan Sinha has been honoured with many awards and accolades for her outstanding contribution to Literature: Best Poet Award, Poets International, Bangalore; Commendation from the former President of India, A.P.J Abdul Kalam for the poem ‘Mother Nature’; Rashtriya Pratibha Samman (Kavya Kalanidhi) Udaipur; Best Citizens of India, International Publishing House, New Delhi; Best Teacher Award, Nagpur, Brajsahityamani Samman, Brajlok Sahitya Kala, Sanskriti Samiti, Agra; Chitransh Kulbhaskar Samman, Bilaspur, etc. She is an eminent author and critic, too. Her poems, short stories, articles and research papers have been widely published at national and international levels as well as prestigious dailies, magazines, e-zines, archives. She has the privilege of getting her poems published in Indian Literature, India’s oldest official English language literary journal of its kind published by Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi. Her poems have appeared in world class anthologies of poetry. Authored and published 7 books in different genres and 50 research papers covering different subjects and themes. The books are 1. Spring Zone (Collection of Poems and Haiku), 2. Midnight Sun (Collection of Short Stories), 3. Nature in the Poetry of William Wordsworth and Sumitra Nandan Pant (Criticism), 4. Feminism: Times and Tides (A Historiographical and theoretical commentary on Feminism), 5. Different Dimensions (Compilation of Research papers), 6. Scents and Shadows (Collection of Poems),   7. Rhymes for Children (Rhyme Book). Presented papers in many national and international conferences and seminars. Invited as a resource person. Completed and published UGC-sponsored MRP on comparative literature. Research supervisor (English Literature), RTM Nagpur University, Nagpur, India. Associated with a number of poetry groups and literary organisations. Writes in Hindi, too A lifelong learner and educator.