From the Editor’s Desk

As we wait for the light to dawn on us during this Deepawali- the festival of lights, that celebrates the victory of right over wrong, all around us, the leaves turn from yellow to brown and then shed whatever was left of this process of decay into nothingness. It is the circle of life, this shedding, and the wait for the new to spring, between which the business of life, living and reading happens. And because words breathe, give meaning to who we are- how we use them, what we read and infer from them, this poem by Mahmoud Darwish, translated from Arabic by Mohammed Shaheen-

As you prepare your breakfast, think of others
   (do not forget the pigeon's food).
As you conduct your wars, think of others
    (do not forget those who seek peace).
As you pay your water bill, think of others
    (those who are nursed by clouds).
As you return home, to your home, think of others
    (do not forget the people of the camps).
As you sleep and count the stars, think of others
    (those who have nowhere to sleep).
As you liberate yourself in metaphor, think of others
    (those who have lost the right to speak).
As you think of others far away, think of yourself
    (say: “If only I were a candle in the dark").

As we pause to read, let us shed some light on love, on hope, and on the ethics of what we write. We share with you an issue filled with poetry, short stories, flash fiction, translation and essays. Read the beautiful poem, fractals, Autumn Blossoms a piece by Shantanu Ray Chaudhuri, where he tries to understand the genesis of the short stories by Gajra Kottary, film historian SMM Ausaja shares with us ten hand painted posters celebrating the centenary of RK films. Read a gripping story by Michael Karpati - NightDream , and Neera Kashyap gives us a fine essay on Ursula K. Le Guin’s, The left hand of darkness.

Thank you dear readers for being with us.

Maitreyee Bhattacharjee Chowdhury
Managing Editor, The Bangalore Review