Borderless Journal

28/12/2024

…Had the last Hyderabadi known how to take the metro rail into the new central business district of the city, he would have reached sooner than he did when hoisting himself upon his trusted Bajaj. The latter frequently needed a pat of encouragement from its owner when it chose to get stuck on clean, wide roads that could only ferry the chief minister and his coterie…

Poignant musings by Mohul Bhowmick

By Mohul Bhowmick Charminar, an iconic landmark of Hyderabad. Art by Kishore Singh. From Public Domain Had Paradise survived, the last Hyderabadi[1] would have done as well. Yet what remained of Pa…

27/12/2024

As tales unfolded, we drifted to sleep,
Fairies, demons, djins, and devils
Crept into their lore,
Yet we remained ignorant, as before.

Poem by Manzoor Bismil, translated from Balochi by Fazal Baloch

Translated from Balochi by Fazal Baloch A mythical Simurgh perched on the Tree of Life, to which it has special affinity. Belonging to Persian mythology, the Simurgh is said to have seen the world …

26/12/2024

…The road climbed through the clouds and tea gardens of Ilam. The neat little tea hedges were whorled around the round hills like the ridges on a fingerprint. The air was opaque with condensation, like every time I’ve been there…

From Human Nature: A Walking History of the Himalayan Landscape by Thomas Bell

Title: Human Nature: A Walking History of the Himalayan Landscape Author: Thomas Bell Publisher: Penguin Random House On the plane from Kathmandu I could see the thunderheads building over the east…

25/12/2024

They kneel down, the king and the beggar, the saint and
the sinner,
the wise and the fool, and cry:
‘Victory to Man, the newborn, the ever-living.’
The old man from the East murmurs to himself:
‘I have seen!’

Lines written by Rabindranath Tagore in English. Click on the link below to read the lines.
https://borderlessjournal.com/2023/12/14/a-christmas-poem-by-tagore/

Seasons Greetings from all of us at Borderless Journal

24/12/2024

It is Love that has been punctured and power that has prospered
With the nuclear bomb—was the increase in knowledge
Supposed to result in such a split?

A translation of Jibananada Das by Professor Fakrul Alam

A translation of Jibananada Das’s Andhar Dekhecche, Tobu Ache (I have seen the dark and yet there is another) from Bengali by Professor Fakrul Alam Art by Sohana Manzoor I have seen the dark and ye…

23/12/2024

Ratnottama Sengupta converses with Divya Dutta, an award-winning actress, who has authored two books recently, unfolding a galaxy littered with Bollywood snippets and emotional stories about life.

Ratnottama Sengupta, an eminent senior film journalist, converses with Divya Dutta, an award-winning actress, who has authored two books recently, Stars in my Sky and Me and Ma at a litfest in Odis…

22/12/2024

Leaves drift peacefully
under a blue sky
to fall into eternity.

Poetry by George Freek

Poem by George Freek I ENVY MY CATLeaves drift peacefullyunder a blue skyto fall into eternity.Death should alwayscome so easily.Flowers lie comfortablyin their beds,when they’re dead.Change is imp…

21/12/2024

Once, while a bird was searching for food, it spotted a berry under a banyan tree. As the bird grabbed the berry with its beak and flew, it slipped and fell. The place where the berry landed was a field next to a village…

A fable by Naramsetti Umamaheswararao

By Naramsetti Umamaheswararao From Public Domain Once, while a bird was searching for food, it spotted a berry under a banyan tree. As the bird grabbed the berry with its beak and flew, it …

20/12/2024

…The ebony boy and girl, both burn in the fire by will
They cackle, cackle and laugh, and wallow, cheek by jowl
Fire is their life; they haven’t yet been doused

Poetry by Manish Ghatak, translated from Bengali by Indrayudh Sinha

Aagun taader Praan (Fire is their Life) by Manish Ghatak, translated from Bengali by Indrayudh Sinha Manish Ghatak Manish Ghatak (1902-1979) was a poet and novelist who wrote in Bengali. He wa…

19/12/2024

The narrative of Daughter of the Agunmukha intricately weaves the life story of Noorjahan Bose, a remarkable woman whose journey is marked by resilience, courage, and an unwavering quest for freedom. Born in 1938 in a rural area of what is now Bangladesh, Noorjahan’s early life was deeply intertwined with the rhythms of nature and the struggles of her family, who were farmers living in close proximity to the tumultuous River Agunmukha, ominously referred to as the Fire Mouth River. This river, with its fierce currents and unpredictable nature, serves as a powerful metaphor…

Book review by Bhaskar Parichha

Book Review by Bhaskar Parichha Title: Daughter of The Agunmukha: A Bangla Life Author: Noorjahan Bose (Author), Rebecca Whittington (Translator) Publisher: Speaking Tiger Boo…

18/12/2024

…I step outside,
breathe the newly minted air,
look up to where the stars,
in various states of gleaming,
declare the universe open…

Poetry by John Grey

Poetry by John Grey Paintings by Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). From Public Domain THE BLESSING OF AFTER-RAINThe rain has stopped.The sky is clearing.It’s too late for the sunbut the moon, full and …

17/12/2024

…It is steeped in history, but still looks as if it was built not that long ago. Undoubtedly, it has real character and a distinctive place in the city’s life…

Essay by Professor Fakrul Alam on a road that witnessed more than a century of tumultuous events—

By Fakrul Alam From Public Domain Fuller Road, the short and winding road in the middle of the University of Dhaka campus, is quite legendary, not only as far as the history of that institution is …

16/12/2024

As we wait in anticipation for the new year, we invite you to join us to savour the December 2024 issue of Borderless Journal

https://borderlessjournal.com/2024/12/16/footfalls-echo-in-the-memory/

Thank you all — all of you who wrote for this issue, those who dare dream of a world beyond borders, our fabulous team and most of all our wonderful readers who inspire us to continue writing and publishing… Click on the link to read —

https://borderlessjournal.com/2024/12/16/footfalls-echo-in-the-memory/

16/12/2024

Thanks for welcoming the December 2024 issue of Borderless Journal🎉

Art by Sohana Manzoor Editorial ‘Footfalls Echo in the Memory’… Click here to read. Translations Jibananada Das’s Andhar Dekhecche, Tobu Ache (I have seen the dark and yet there is another) h…

15/12/2024

The Borderless Journal, December 2024 issue will be live soon

https://borderlessjournal.com/

Thanks Sohana Manzoor for the fabulous artwork

15/12/2024

Along with a colony of huddling youngsters—at the threshold of adolescence—I gather at the edge of a giant ice cliff, from where the sea below appears like a distant dream. A prolonged weakening, retreat of the ice shelf has suddenly realised into the shape of water, as if its very existence has vanished into thin air. T

A story by Seeelekha Chatterjee

By Sreelekha Chatterjee Along with a colony of huddling youngsters—at the threshold of adolescence—I gather at the edge of a giant ice cliff, from where the sea below appears like a distant dream. …

14/12/2024

‘In My Palestine, Mohammad Tarbush intertwines a moving personal narrative with sharp political and economic analysis, reflecting on the significant events that have influenced the history of Israel, Palestine, and the contemporary Middle East.’

Book Review by Bhaskar Parichha

Book Review by Bhaskar Parichha Title: My Palestine: An Impossible Exile Author: Mohammad Tarbush Publisher: Speaking Tiger Books “The theme of this book is Palestine and its history, a…