Encounter
It will rain heavily, it may rain, it should rain, it’s amber rind
is called for, charred smell, Beni Babu at the wall’s nook, the ration card reserved–
there lies a stack of women’s hair, poetry has become silly
like a nitwit, I notice all that I lose daily–
Watching oneself asleep
Watching oneself asleep, agony-struck
Leaning, at the bedside, silently alone at night,
with half-opened eyes, perhaps shedding a tear
slipping into sleep, he wonders, in dreams, they can be seen–
Food
A fruit gnawed on both sides will never roll down
Today, on the way back, the rooster’s feathers lay scattered
Still, you took the potion, without telling your other half, but listen–
After all these days, this is not the way to beat your breast.
Mridul Dasgupta is a Bengali poet and a journalist by profession. He was born on 3 April 1955 in Serampore. Till now he has published six books of poetry and has contributed significantly to children’s literature. In 1974, he received the National Writers Award. He was subsequently presented with the Bangla Academy Award in 2000 and Rabindra Puroshkar in 2012.
Anindita Mukherjee is a poet, translator, and essayist. Her poems including translations have appeared in literary magazines like Madras Courier, Tomosha Potrika, and The Antonym. Her debut poetry collection titled Nothing and Variations (2022) was selected as one of the top ten young Indian Poets, by Hawakal Publishers. The readings of her poems in Bengali and English have been featured in the International Women Writer’s Guild as well as the Happening Multicultural Festival. In 2024, she was chosen as a participant for the Horizons Writing Circle, supported by the Edmonton Arts Council.
