The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 3,600 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 60 trips to carry that many people.
Click here to see the complete report.
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Some Thoughts
Poems in Surjeet Kalsey’s new poetry book “Colours of My Heart” portray picture and mannerism in which women are being treated in our society even now while living in the most advanced countries.
- Publisher
In this solitude – broken things/your body did not leave the house./I was punished to live/with a dead body/which silently was eroding/ my energies my self-esteem/and was stealing my soul!” This plaint from the poem ‘Living with the dead’ illustrates the poet’s sombre reflections on vagaries of life. Another poem ‘The Priority’ dwells upon the manner in which women are treated in the society. However, if you are under the impression that this is an anthology of laments, banish the thought. There is a streak of feminist assertiveness in the poems like “An Incarnation of the Kali” and ‘A Warrior’ when she proclaims, “I am a woman warrior/who believes in Self/and only in myself/and does not need Krishna/to be my charioteer/and utter sermons from the Gita“. The feminist motif is predominant in this collection, as typified by the poem ‘I don’t intend’ (85). The term ‘feminist’ here is used in the sense more as a woman’s awareness of its rights and her rightful place in the society. The poet also portrays other moods ranging from reflections on lunar waxing and waning to self-abnegation.
-Brig R K Sharma, The Tribune, Chandigarh
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Colours of my Heart
“Surjeet Kalsey’s new book of poems ‘Colours of My Heart’ is an introspective perspective of the plight of all women. Kalsey’s selection and placement of words weaves a poetic pathway that awakens and heightens the reader’s senses. Her use of colour as a definition for emotion paints from a palette all women can identify with a world where men and women betray each other, i.e.: ‘Jealousy’ …so they prey on other women’s partners; with exotic lingerie and vodka, they hunt their prey, and suck on male vulnerabilities… Her writing is provocative, hopeful and empowering.”
-Valerie B.-Taylor, President/Facilitator New West Writers Co-ordinator/Facilitator Renaissance Books
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YEAR 2011 – AT A GLANCE
You asked -How did my year gone by ?
JANUARY
(1) Compiled and edited An Anthology of the Fraser Valley Writers for the first time – Shabdan Di Sanjh: Kalman Fraser Valley Diyan, Published by Tarlochan Publishers Chandigarh 2011
(2) Proof read and completed the Gurmukhi script of Skeena (300 pages), a novel by Fauzia Rafiq of Surrey
FEBRUARY
(1) Completed a two-year project of poetry “Colours of My Heart” in English, published by Tarlochan Publishers Chandigarh 2011
(2) Edited, proof read and wrote introductions of Jaswant Kaur Virk’s first book of poetry “Moh DiyNa Tandan” and “Magnolia dy Phul” of Satwant Kaur Pandher’s first book.
MARCH
Book Releases
(1) 28 March : Performed MC and conducted book release function on request by the author Sukhmander Singh Brar for his first poetry book “Hasey Hasey Vich” released by Punjabi Sahit Sabha Abbotsford at Banquet Hall Abbotsford.
APRIL
(2) 12 April : Present paper/article on Fauzia Rafiq’s first novel Skeena – ‘Skeena: A Woman Beyond Borders’ released by its Publisher Libros Libertad, 2011 in Surrey
(3) 16 April – My new poetry book “Colours of My Heart” was launched at
MAY
Performed MC and conducted program to release the following books of the members of Punjabi Sahit Sabha Abbotsford
(1) Shabdan Di Sanjh: Kalman Fraser Valley Diyan- PSSA
(2) “Colours of My Heart” by Surjeet Kalsey
(3) “Mithi Jail” – Songs CD by Gurdev Singh Buttar
(4) “Apna Mool Pachhan” by Hakim Singh
JUNE
(1) Performed MC and conducted book release program on the request of Surrey writer Harbhajan Singh Manget for his book, released by Punjabi Sahit Sabha Abbotsford
JULY -
AUGUST
(1) Worked on my left-out projects and my next poetry book.
SEPTEMBER
(1) Guest Speaker and Presenter – Read paper on Canadian Punjabi Literature with focused on Women Writers at the Punjabi Writers Annual Conference by North American Punjabi Sahit Academy USA
(2) Participated and launched my poetry book “Colours of My Heart” at Festival of South Asian Literature and Art (FSALA) on 30 Sept-02 Oct. 2011 in Toronto.
OCTOBER
(1) 09 October – Performed MC for a book release “Sunehri Yaadan” by Hakumat Singh Nijjar, released by Punjabi Sahit sabha, Abbotsford
(2) 27 October –Guest Speaker and Presenter, Read paper on Canadian Punjabi Poetry and Drama focused on themes at the Indian Writers Festival, at the Asian Studies Department, University of British Columbia.
NOVEMBER
(1) 18 November – Guest Speaker and Presenter: Presented paper on Violence Against Women in the Indo-Canadian Community at Sahara Support Services Society’s Annual function; donated books - 10 copies of book of short stories “Katha Teri Meri” dedicated to issues of violence against women, and 5 copies of “Colurs of My Heart” poetry.
(2) 26 November –Performed MC on the request of Punjabi Sahit Sabha Abbotsford to conduct their book release function and to read paper to introduce Satwant Kaur Pandher’s first book
DECEMBER
(1) 04 December – Performed MC on the request of Punjabi Sahit Sabha Abbotsford to conduct their book release function and read paper to introduce Jaswant Kaur Virk’s first poetry book “Moh Diyan Tandan”.
Conferences 2011
Papers/Articles 2011:
(1) Canadian Punjabi Literature in Translation Apna.org
(2) Review/Article Skeena: A Woman Without Borders, a novel by Fauzia Rafiq, published in Indo-Canadian Times, Surrey.
(3) Article- Rakhi- A Defocused Effort to curb Violence Against Women , published in Indo-Canadian Times
(4) Urdu Shayree – Transliteration (Lipiantar) from Urdu to Gurmukhi poetry of Late Zahid Laeeq’s Urdu poetry, published in Indo-Canadian Times Surrey
(5) Faiz in Gurmukhi - Transliteration (Lipiantar) from Urdu to Gurmukhi of famous Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poetry published in Punjabi Patrika Abbotsford
(6) Review/Article and Introduction Amarjit Shant’s first poetry book “Preet Sunehe”, 10 August 2011, published in Indo-Canadian Times Surrey
(7) Review and/Article and Introduction of Jaswant Kaur Virk’s first poetry book “Moh Diyan Tandan”, published in Indo-Canadian Times
(8) Review/Article - “Samosa Politics: Sukhinder Di Kalam Katari Ton” of Sukhinder’s poetry book Samosa Politics.
(9) Article -“Pride of Punjabi Journalism: Late Tara Singh Hayer and his Enlightened Heritage“, Indo-Canadian Times, 18 November 2011
(10) Review/Article – Earthen Lamp On A Grave (Marih Da Diva), a Novel by Gurdial Singh, a famous novelist from Punjab, reviewed by Surjeet Kalsey for India’s 50 Great Novels.
(11) Paper/Article - Violence Against Women in Indo-Canadian Community – presented at the Sahara Support Services Society’s Annual Function, 18 Nov.2011.
Apni Awaaz Radio Shows 2011
click www.civl.ca to listen to the special programs:
Total 45 one-hour “Apni Awaaz” shows on Radio CIVL 101.7FM in a year
Special Shows of Apni Awaz program at CIVL Radio broadcast from the University of Fraser Valley studios:
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Click Aurat Kav to read in Punjabi
Woman_Poetry A hole in her heart. This is her heart - soft like flower and hard like steel woman has a hole in her heart carrying from generation to generation she cannot say what she wants to she cannot feel in her mind and body what is not allowed for her to feel. Her heart thinks and her conscious mind feels she is a miracle of the nature! She blooms like the first crux of the spring and her smile being unaware of the traditions gets plucked and trampled under the feet. She stops right there in the footprint of time and is reminded that she has a hole in her heart. She was given a gift of being a woman when she opened her eyes for the first time and saw the light and heard the very first words: “Again we have got a stone not a heir!” Bad omen for the mother that she did not give birth to a son and bad luck for the baby girl that a hole was drilled in her heart by the tradition and the mother put her hand on her own chest and said “I also have a hole in my heart, and my mother too and my mother’s mother too…!” . Foot Prints of the Silence that become the pages of history.http://surjeetkalsey.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/aurat-kav.pdf
.by Surjeet Kalsey
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Name any work, chore, skill, art where women’s hands are not seen. Women’s hands work non-stop round the clock everywhere. Women’s hands are hermits protectors and great healers. From Foot Prints of Silence
