S.U.P.W. No. 1

Hey Doods!

I promised you some humour, didnt I? This is the first in the series of S.U.P.W. - Selected Useless Poetic Works by SKK.
SKK is another dosthu who also 'kuppa kottufied' (only this Kuppai is bio-engineered while ours was CMOS and 1's & 0's based) along with us at IIT Kgp. I dont have to say anything more... This poem would speak volumes and volumes of him. Now, without taking any more of your time...I present here...

Poem # 1: Lord Labhakdas

Lord Labhakdas is about general life, as one finds it or does not find it. In this poem, the poet explores the depths of human emotions and suggests a way of escaping from the day-to-day tensions and compressions. In this way, the poet bridges life and death. The very principle by which the modern day society functions is questioned. _____________________________________________________
My life started when I was born.. ….
So many days have gone..
I had a friend named John….
And in chess, I moved a pawn.

The tire caught fire….
Because the wire was near..
I was here…
but.. I had fear….
I can draw a square….
And can climb higher…
My eyes are filled with tear(s)…
Since you are my peer!!!!

Do I breathe to live or live to breathe???
Do I eat to live or live to eat????
Do I work hard or hardly work???
Do I do right things or things right???
Questions… Questions… everywhere….
Answers… Answers…. nowhere….

Finding answers is my goal....
Even if I have to go to the pole...
My pants were a bit short of length…
But that didn’t alter my strength….
After ninth, I studied in class tenth….
And after that in class eleventh…

You can ask me why I’m so dumb….
Oh no…. that won’t make me numb…
In fact, I have two thumb(s)…
And that makes me jump.
- SKK
_____________________________________________________
Summary

The author of this poem is deeply distressed and frustrated with the way the society functions. In the first stanza, he talks about his childhood days. He had a childhood friend named John with whom he used to play chess. He compares the game of chess (which is extremely challenging) with life. He says that it's been ages since he played chess ....he longs to go back in time and relive his childhood.

In the second stanza, he recalls an accident in which he loses his friend. He feels that he did not do enough to prevent the accident. The line "I can draw a square" means that he wants to go and lock himself in a 4X4 room as a self-imposed punishment for his failure to prevent the accident. The phrase "can climb higher" means that he will eventually die and reach heaven and meet his friend there.

In the third stanza, the author questions each and every thing he sees or does....he has become so sarcastic and cynical (because of the loss of his friend) that he starts questioning everything....even questions.....he feels that if he finds an answer or multiple answers to the questions, he will be able to redefine human values. This stanza, albeit short, has profound implications on the society. This takes into account the socio-economic-political situations of the modern day society with special emphasis on the weather conditions at the North Pole i.e the author compares day-to-day life with the extremities and vagaries of nature.

In the next stanza, the author revisits his childhood days yet again. Here, he describes one situation that totally changed his outlook on life. He says that just because the pants are short doesn't mean that one has to cut his legs off. In other words, there are other solutions to the problem at hand..... The words tenth and eleventh are of great significance. Ten has the two digits 1 and 0 in it.....1 stands for "+" and 0 signifies "-".In other words, life is full of positives and negatives. In eleven, there are two 1s, which means that if one is mature enough, the 0s can be converted into 1s.
To put it in more simple words....."IF FATE HANDS YOU A LEMON, MAKE LEMONADE OUT OF IT".

In the concluding stanza, the poet admits that he has been criticized in the past for his view of thinking.....he says that no matter what anyone says or writes, he will continue to question every aspect of life and try to find answers to them. _____________________________________________________
Reviews on "Lord Labhakdas"

** stupendous...marvelous...absolutely fantastic.....SKK has truly crossed every barrier.
- DAILY REEL dated 11th JAN,2002.

** truly an amazing work of art....we feel that we are not qualified enough to describe SKK or his epic.....
- THURSDAY TIMES dated 12th JAN,2002.

** stunning......being an engineer and a psychiatrist, I can definitely say that SKK's IQ is greater than 13,000.His mind works in the turbulent zone.....
- Dr.Kaththiri Gajaa in a letter to THE MANDU dated 12th JAN,2002.

** if Shakespeare were alive today, he will cry till death.
- NUT-LOOSE-AT-NIGHT dated 12th JAN,2002.

**I now believe that God exists.....
- Dr.PEELA PERUMAL, atheist and agnostic in a personal letter to SKK dated 11th Jan,2002.

** oh SKK....we bow before your talent....
- DAILY GALEEJ dated 13th JAN,2002. ____________________________________________________

PS: Again.. his email id is available only after some preliminary screening... may be i'll conduct GDs and/or interview rounds also..
- Bhaskar