IIT Madras Creative Writing Competition Result :By Vidya Muthukumar

Madras : Much awaited Result of LitSoc Creative Writing (Solo) 2012 Announced in IIT Madras. A maximum of 2 fiction entries and 3 poems were allowed per hostel, and as always results turned out to be quite interesting. The reviews are as follows.

Poetry :

First : Last Words Of A Religion- Swapnil Basak, Mandak

Swapnil Basak wrote a poem on the topic “Losing My Religion”. His poem, which personifies a dying religion, portrays the many emotions of the religion following its sudden abandonment and impending demise. He starts by describing that fear of the unknown, attempted to be suppressed in vain. This, however, soon gives way to a curious washing away of all emotion, and a sense of inner peace as the religion dies away.

Last words of a Religion….. (losing my religion)

There was a time, when I showed you light

The principles in me, provided you with might

But now that you are abandoning me,

changing yourself and go free

I know, that there isn’t any other way,

That I can change what’ll happen today.

I try not to panic, I try forcing my mind,

To not look, at the world I’m leaving behind.

As I’m moved along, I can see it in the distance,

The contraption, that’ll wipe out my existence…

As I rise, to ascend the throne of demise,

Time to say my prayers, to say my goodbyes…

With the rope around my neck, I’ll stand with pride,

Till everything goes black, and the rope will be tied…

The thought so hard to fathom – struggling for breath,

The rope strangling and dragging me closer to death…

I feel no shock, no pain, no remorse,

Neither tears nor any bloodthirsty force…

No desire to defend or criticize my deeds,

I’m just blank as my execution proceeds…

How will it feel to feel nothing at all?

What if I scream? Will no one answer my call?

A thousand such questions speed through my mind,

A thousand memories too, that I’ve left behind,

Strangely, I feel my curiosity subside,

As I ignore all the questions roaring inside…

I await the instant, when I’ll finally be gone…

And everything I’ve done will be withdrawn…

The peace is astounding,

The silence, serene…

As the black hood covers my face,

Tears of salvation roll down, unseen…Thank you for you at least followed me this far

Though now I look like a trivial scar

We share the tears and cry out loud

You can relinquish me with a feeling of proud

Death be the end, death be the ultimate truth…

Good Bye.

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Second : On A Road So Busy And So Long – Kedar Kulkarni, Tapti

Kedar Kulkarni wrote on the topic “Serendipity”. His poem is about a girl on a long road of milestones to her destination, who experiences a sudden burst of serendipity that brings cheer to her journey. The tone of the poem is initially melancholy as she passes a long string of milestones without quite knowing why, and subsequently happy as a result of the epiphany brought about by suddenly-glimpsed natural beauty.

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Third : Serendipity – Suraj Shankar, Saras

Suraj Shankar’s piece on the topic “Serendipity” speaks of the need for humankind to pause in the fast pace of life, look around and discover new pleasures entirely accidentally. He bemoans the hectic path most choose to take in life, describing it as ‘a mindless stride to the grave’. There is a tone of optimism and tranquility throughout the poem – it talks about hope in the future and serendipity as an effervescent bliss that flows with the wind. One needs to read between the lines to capture the essence of the poem.

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Fourth : The Cairo Diaries – T. P. Kurian, Tapti

T.P. Kurian’s excerpt from the Diaries of Cleopatra is an entertaining rant of the imperious, spoiled and altogether wicked Egyptian pharaoh. Cleopatra begins her entry with an exaggerated and mildly comical lament of a few blemishes on her face and even fewer edible morsels in Cairo. Also displayed is a sizeable amount of insecurity about her relationship with Mark Antony, written with subtle irony. Cleopatra, in her diary entry, also exhibits plenty of pride and dominance – she boils her therapist in a vat of stew and cuts out the tongue of a page from Rome, simply because they tell her what she wishes not to hear. One glimpses flashes of her frustrations of pregnancy and disgust with war, which she experiences firsthand as a result of her alliance with ‘Tony’. The piece captures a variety of emotions in her life and portrays her for who she is – regal and pampered.