IMPRINTS

  PREVIEW Sky Is the Limit: The Poetry of Hope and Awareness 'The Sky is Limit' by Rajni Chhabra is a landmark Anthology of Rajasthani Poems, translated by her into English, tinged with the placid beauty of diction and wordsmithery. The book is rounded out by many budding as well as the famous signatures of Rajasthani Poetry. Many people feel a strong urge to write and a considerable proportion of them have a desire to express their thoughts and feelings through the powerful, often emotive medium of poetry. The poetry she published in the past couple of years is pleasingly diverse, recognizable and has a unifying style. The poems in this new book engage in various formal and thematic experiments and yet the works embody the same spirit and sing with the same voice. She tends to reach peak intensity in larger works that afford her the space to stretch out, gather momentum and amplify resonance. In an era when there is a great temptation to offer consoling sentiments, she...

    COMPLEMENTS by JUD BOWNESS for SKY IS THE LIMIT    ******************************************************** This Anthology of Verses SKY IS THE LIMIT, translated from Rajasthani into English by multi-lingual Poetess and translator Rajni Chhabra is significant in so many ways.  These trans-verted poems open door of words from Rajasthani language and shed light on culture, traditions, natural surroundings and geographical conditions of beautifully distinct land. Becoming a doorway through which these fantastically talented poetesses can be seen and heard . It enlightens, educates and surfaces points of view otherwise would be lost by a wayside. It's so refreshing to be able to read, understand and absorb the bravery, beauty, kindness and emotions written and displayed by such talented writers. These 25 enlightened poetesses give more than simple images that reach out through words and feelings and give their hearts to a world that otherwise would nev...

  PRELUSION             to   SKY IS THE LIMIT ******************** After soulful thanks to Almighty for His choicest blessings for successful completion of my Anthology of Poems, trans-verted from Rajasthani into English, I would like to extend my heartiest thanks to global readers for constantly devouring my all literary works. 'Sky is the Limit' is my eighth translated Poetry-book from Rajasthani into English as target language. Choicest poems of Twenty five luminaries of Rajasthani Poetry have been anthologized in it. Privileged to announce that it is first Anthology of Poems of Rajasthani Poetesses ever translated into English. This English version offers a variety of emotions and thought processes of 25 Poetesses , contributing passionately for enrichment of Rajasthani Literature. Translation helps literature to travel. It is a means through which writers can speak across generations and culture. Translation is perceived as communicati...

 TRUE WORDS ************** Rivers that mingle into sea They remain full of waves Rivers that mingle with worthless destination They will get thorns only Without striving with waves Can lap be full of pearls? Without struggling with thorns Can favourite destination be attained? Without getting scared of pitch-dark nights O, human! Keep pacing forward in dark nights In dense layer of light You are sure to get one or two stars Even if your path is stony Don't be scared , O, human! Keep moving ahead. Embrace this uneven land, with open arms You might be confronted with pointed pebbles But don't get disheartened You will be bestowed with precious stones From lap of earth.  

 WISH ****** O, my heart! You become like ocean That encloses rain In its lap But, for sake of  Turning into cloud again O, heart! You become like cloud That transforms again For sake of filling   Lap  of earth.

 DESERTED VILLAGE ******************** O, Hawk Kuckoo! Tell me Why don't you sing in *Sawan now? O, Black bumble-bee Why don't you dance on flowers now? Why *panghat is devoid of water now? Why *Choupals are deserted? Why doe not move with galloping pace  Young Gopal in mango-grooves? Mango-groves have dried. O, Nightingale! Why don't you sing? Without cattle, habitat seems like graveyard Fields are deserted as all are migrating to towns O, milkmaid, why don't you measure gush of milk now? Why don't you mix *mishree in butter of Kanha? Shade of Bunyan and Peepal tree sheds tears Branches have dried up Now, who enjoys swings on branches of *Neem O, Sparrow! Why don't you sing in sweet and shrill voice  Waiting for beloved gone to foreign lands Why don't you reveal your heart now? *Choupals : community space in village  *Sawan : monsoon  * panghat: community well  *mishree : sugar candy

 I ASPIRE FOR SUCH A WORLD ***************************** Forehead of  the earth is glorified By bright crimson Sun Azure  is blue The moon has milky glow Plate of sky is  Ornamented with stars Birds fly chirping Singing in unison Soft, cool wind blows Enchanting bloom all-around I aspire for such a world Every home has place for worship Evenings and mornings echo  With hymns and prayers Hearts of human-beings are filled With feeling of intimacy Relations are never hurt by Falsehood and deceit Elders are held in esteem Sweetness flows in speech Human-beings, animals, group of children All behave affectionately No distinction of caste-creed prevails Nobody nurtures jealousy mutually I aspire for such a world Prosperity reigns May the conflicts be curbed  Our country progresses by leaps and bounds Granaries are full of crops always Literacy and literature spread  Trade of weapons comes to an end Universal fraternity prevails I aspire for such a world Drin...

 AGONY OF TREE ****************** Listen! Listen! O human -beings  Listen to me for a moment! What is my fault That whenever you feel like You start cutting me with saw Entrapped in excessive greed Keep on cutting me Don't cut me I, too, feel pain I  am rooted silently To a fixed place Viewing this universe flourishing Neither, I pass any comments Nor do interfere  I have feeling of brotherhood for all I don't spare any efforts  To shower  my affection Then, why do you cut me And cause partition with affection of  This nature and earth With my moist forehead I offer pleasantness to all I invite drops of rain Waving my hands From my own being  Irrigating  I produce plenty of fruits and flowers Offer shade to travellers Walking in scorching heat Why you sing in praise of me If you have to cut me with saw I provide you life-saving oxygen So that you can live comfortably Even after my death I leave behind Withered leaves, twigs  And wood I p...

 MEMORY ********** You were sitting near earthen-stove Your face glowing due to flame Shimmered in my eyes Your that beauty stuck in my heart In far-off foreign lands, confronted with  Mountains and valleys of trouble Your that glowing face Due to flames of light from earthen-stove Makes my heart glow And viewing your eyes I have crossed  Valleys of life. Still, while I am tired Surrounded by hardships The smile on your face And glow in your eyes Make me cross--mountains-valleys.

 COMMUNITY SQUARE FOR GOSSIPING  ************************************** Where has vanished that Community square for gossiping On which, by sunset Women-folk used to assemble Disclosing their heart Mirth, laughing heartily And at times harsh datum Rest of matter included bygone days And at times, used to sketch  Whole geographical background They narrated about their getting up  In wee hours Used to grind almost half a quintal of grains And then make chapatis too Used to take out quintals of grain For months, used to daub courtyard with mud In noon time, ornamented dresses  With golden laces They narrated that they used to Take bath with a single mug of water And did make up in the dim light of chimney *Kajalia lehnga, and wearing* yellow odhnee on it Smearing eyes with *kajal Putting *Teeki tied to string With all this make-up Went for *Gangaur worshipping Used to travel between Maternal home and in-laws' home Riding on camel Reviving all those past events A sm...

  ULTIMATE FATE OF SPARROWS ********************************* Goats were going to butcher-house on their own Butcher was not holding any knife in his hand Fence was eating field Irrelevant of black or white Enemy of tree was its own branch Transparent net and dancing fowlers Scared,  sparrows kept flying  Between earth and sky I am telling you story O my dear! And you are interrupting "What would have happened to sparrows then?"   O my dear! Still your question is same Same is place and time Same are fence, field, goats Fowlers Same is butcher without knife Tree-branches  All are still same O my dear! You only will have to tell me  After growing up " What would have happened to sparrows then?'

LIKE A TORTOISE *****************  I often think  That  I should move out To some other place For sake of seeking  education Establish myself  And have my own will But Again,  I retreat Confine Within myself Like a tortoise.

 NEW RELATION ****************** Why  You are wasting time  To see him Whether  He is online or not He  Is busy  In developing  New relation  With new numbers.

  KHEJRI ******** Khejri Bearing Chilling winter and frost Storm and rain You are standing aloof In midst of desert During famine of 1956 You bestowed life  On human-beings  With your pods and bark Perhaps due to  Your this sacrifice only You have been given medal of State tree. 

  ANKLET ********** I have  Due to this reason Removed anklet Gifted by you Because Whenever  I move ahead a step That very moment Its tinkling  Makes me remind of you And, after it I am not able to Step ahead.

  SUMMER ********** Summer with fiery flames all around Emitting hot wind and scorching heat This thirsty land is craving for water This forlorn earth is like mirage All the villages are facing scarcity of water  Restless and fed-up,  life is base Temperature has risen to melting level of mercury Earth is burning like blazing flame Rich persons are comfortable with A C Blood of poor is twitching with hard-work This summer turns human into human This summer boosts fate of peasants.

 CHILDREN OF THIS GENERATION *********************************** Children of this generation With the rise of day Bloom like sunflower For sake of seeking knowledge Go to school  Holding heavy bags They are not scared of  Any ghostly appearance They don't believe in baseless notions They compose new stories daily For future Children of this generation Don't get tired, observe patience They are same inward and outward Children of this generation Discuss plans to save water They discuss about harvesting Gold f rom earth Fly high in sky Children of this generation Make new plans Create new job avenues Maintain a new life-style Just, they don't about Ancestral vocations.

 I AM A TREE ************* I not only view But apprehend as well That about me Innumerable verses  Can be composed I am tree who has stuck  To the affection-brimmed bosom of earth Sipping nectar from it I have entrusted my whole life To creatures and cattle dwelling in it For livelihood and for survival Holding upright  My branches and foliage I invoke God for strength  To provide shade to travellers  With my greenery I turn into a resting place  Along with my own family I get access to family of human-beings Even across sky.

  STRING OF BEADS ********************** I am not familiar with Principles of sects and religion I don't apprehend meaning of Prayers   Ma! I don't know What is latent meaning  In string of beads That you made me wear What fruit  will be gained By maintaining it properly I don't know price of the Pearl of strings that you made me Wear round my neck Still, I  am wearing it till date Around my neck Not because I like it But,  I keep on wearing it  Because you made me wear it In this necklace are  Infused my deep faith And fathomless depth of Emotions of your heart I am not wearing this necklace I am wearing the passion The sentiment of your deep faith.

 Nightingales  *********** This Anthology of Verses translated from Rajasthani into English by multi-lingual Poetess and translator Rajni Chhabra is important in so many ways.  Becoming a doorway through which these fantastically talented poetesses can be seen and heard . It enlightens, educates and surfaces points of view otherwise would be lost by a wayside. It's so refreshing to be able to read, understand and absorb the bravery, beauty,  kindness and emotions written and displayed by such talented writers . These poetesses give more than simple images they reach out through words and feelings and give their hearts to a world that otherwise would never have seen them. Bravo, bravo! JUD BOWNESS Poet Boston ( U S)

 BLISS OF JOY ************** The Sun was about to set Not a single hope of his was sold Throughout the day He followed so many people With a hope to sell  In a circumference of ten yards He measured so many miles Shops are about to be closed now Crowd is dispersing He is holding in his hand Unsold flute He is holding in his hand Empty plates of food Clouds of sadness are over-casting His hopeful eyes He, too, is packing, not only his bag But shattered pieces of glass-like dreams These pieces prick his heart His heart is flinching Like a hurt deer The bundle that he carried on his shoulders Seemed to be heavier than it was in morning On his tiny shoulders, he was not only carrying flutes He was carrying burden of broken roof of his home too Evening had set  Diffused everywhere was  Deep silence after fair was over He saw a boy of his own age He was collecting peels of pleasure Probing in his bag  For a complete piece of happiness Perhaps, he, too, was lookin...

 DAUGHTERS ************** Daughters are pride of Our home, mohalla and street Daughters are soul of father And pride of mother They achieve fame in  Own country as well as abroad Fetched medals for nation Daughters are very meritorious They drive rail-engine and fly aero planes Conquer over every pain  Such strong are our daughters Daughters are pride of Our home, mohalla and street   They protect nation Become judge and pass judgements Do researches in science, enhance prestige of nation Daughters are pride of Our home, mohalla and street Once determined to have their will Cause upheaval in whole country and world If it be needed, they shoulder corpse too like sons The nurture their prodigy soulfully Enhance family tree  They are prestige of two pedigrees Daughters are pride of Our home, mohalla and street.

CLOUDLET OF REVERIES ************************ Whenever cloudlet of reveries  Rises again and again My eyes shed tears With that flow  Ocean of my heart is filled And in water of that ocean My heart swings Even afterwards When does this Reveries smeared cloudlet Dispel Ultimately Raining continually  Drenches my *kasumbal Chir  Keeps me tossing in bed whole might But Immigrant does not come back home Just, cloudlet smeared with reveries Comes again and again Who can convince  This anguished heart We can interpret a letter But, neither can heart be interpreted Nor this cloudlet of reveries Exhausts. *kasumbal Chir : colourful red attire worn by married ladies in Rajasthan

 YOUR EYES ************* Your eyes As if a casket of mysteries Shimmering, like earthen-lamps of Diwali Like stars twinkling in silvery moon-lit nights Your eyes converse more than your lips As if your eyes don't know how to remain silent These are so expressive that they prevent Your tongue from ushering Your eyes keep on spying me Won't let me hide any secret of mine Unveils layers of my heart and Disclose the entire story Just as a child burst out  After making so many lame excuses About how did his dress got shabby How it caught dust Your eyes are neither like a maze Nor like a thicket, which deviates from path Your eyes are like gist of this world Devoid of disorientation, boundless peace prevails Love floats in your eyes Just as reflection of sky in flowing river I view in your eyes Almighty glancing at me smilingly.