From the ruins of war
I write this
editorial note with self contempt. I am
part of the so-called humanity which has
founded its civilization on the philosophy
of extermination! And I am all the more
unhappy because on this day when the Israeli
forces are said to have begun cease-fire,
they hit human agglomeration in Lebanon
as predefined targets. God knows why man
does this to man. Cities after cities have
become morsels of debris in Lebanon. Beirut,
Sidon, Tyre, Byblos etc are converted into
ruins. Rains of bombs and ruinations have
made the places uninhabitable for at least
decades to come. I have added a few pictures
from the debris and ruins of Lebanon. And
the people of Phoenicia have been suffering
this for the last nearly four thousand years.
They were fighting, robbing others and marketing
what they got, the Phoenicians were in ancient
times!. It was through Byblos that papyrus
leaves were sold and bought; it is thus
book got its name Bible; it is from this,
the name of the Holy book, which even George
Bush claims to follow, originated. Very
often history is a funny affair. It will
be certainly funny for those who claim that
history has ended, civilization has ended.
The Jews of Israel want to exterminate the
Palestinians that had been inhabiting their
land for more than many thousands of years.
A skirted woman called Condoleezza Rice
is readily willing to support the aggressors.
The audacity to declare that it is unwise
to ask a winning country to cease fire is
a novel diplomacy. But the lady is ignorant
of the fact that there are millions in the
world who could not digest this diplomacy.
The lesson from this is that the US diplomacy
is still immaturely skirtish. The western
powers captured Jerusalem from its natural
people and gave it to Jews who put a claim
on it just on the ground of a religion.
And funny again, they shed tears and bombs
on innocent people on grounds of democracy
when it suits them. The famous Malayalam
poet Vyloppilly had, in the wake of Suez
war, written his poem “Two Winds”.
He asked in the poem:
Do they smell the blood of hundreds of
innocent men?
Do they chant the story of cruel, inhuman
attacks?
And now tell me, Mr. or Mrs. Something,
what do we smell, blood or burning corpse?
The sad aspect is that terror does not
end terror. We are unable to learn this
lesson. Killing people from behind is not
bravery; still it is killing. Is not war
the most terrific crime? Why do the innocent
young men of the United States get killed
in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere? And
why do they kill in places where they have
not even a border? This is globalization
of death and destruction. This is defrontierization
of cultures! Why do the Israelis get killed
in Lebanon and kill hundreds of thousands?
Or is it that what Vaikkom Mohammed Basheer
has said is true: There has always been
war, now there is war and then in future
too there will be war! If it is so, why
was man evolved?
When will we see the doves of peace in
stead of corpse eating eagles? How do we
regain peace in Mumbai and other Indian
cities? When will we be able to travel in
trains and planes without fear and hold
our heads high with the glee that we are
part of humanity? When could we write the
song of immortal unity of mankind in prose
and verse without fear or scare, in blogs
or webs?
This issue
This third issue of thanalonline prospers
with abundance of poetry. A number of nationals
have contributed their poems to thanalonline
with love and a sense of cooperation. Many
contacted me offering to help with their
writings. The main feature this time is
an interview with Blaga Dimitrova’s
poetry by Farideh Hasanzadeh (Anahita Irani).
The former was a Bulgarian poet who died
of Apolepsy in May 2003. The latter is one
of the most read poets of Iran. She had
translated Blaga into the Persian language.
This interview is not with the poet, but
with poetry. Perhaps it is the first of
its kind ever written. Farideh has been
kind enough to contribute this piece of
artistic interview , besides a telling poem,
revealing her outlook and vision. Fide Erken
and Uzeyir Lakmen Caycee, dimitris P. Kraniotis,
George Trialonis, Steven Manchester, Agro
Spier, Ananya Guha, Joneve McCormick are
all contributors in this issue. Poems have
poured in from several continents. I hope,
had I been able to rise to the level of
expectations that my writers posit in me!
This time the editor’s choice includes
Gandhi by Joneve McCormick and Naughty Love
by fide Erken.
The existence of thanalonline.com
The site will certainly survive the financial
adversities; what after all is required
to publish a web magazine? Still, I would
solicit financial assistance from well-wishers
and advertisers so that it will not become
a heavy burden on my dearly meager incomes.
It is hard earned money; pension, income
from a few classes, and a bare minimum level
of remunerations to writings!
The comments from readers
are welcome to editor@thanalonline.com,
cpaboobacker@gmail.com, cpaboobacker@thanalonline.com,
http://cpaboobacker.blogspot.com/ and http://thanalonline.blogspot.com/
C.P.Aboobacker, Editor
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