• The book offers a profound meditation on how ancient epics continue to illuminate our understanding of human nature and purpose

Dr. Manju Chouhan

“From Siege to Salvation” stands as a remarkable contribution to comparative literature, offering a profound meditation on how ancient epics continue to illuminate our understanding of human nature and purpose. Through his innovative dramatic structure, Professor Anand creates a space where East meets West, where the physical clashes with the spiritual, and where ancient wisdom speaks directly to contemporary concerns.

The work’s unique framework, structured as a dialogue between Professor and Chorus across thirteen cantos, allows Anand to explore the philosophical depths of both the Illiad and the Mahabharata with remarkable nuance. This conversational approach enables him to unpack complex ideas gradually, examining how these epics reflect fundamentally different worldviews. The Iliad, rooted in the heroic traditions of ancient Greece, celebrates individual achievement, physical prowess, and personal glory. Through characters like Achilles and Hector, it portrays a world where human worth is measured by battlefield victories and personal honor. This perspective, Anand suggests, laid the groundwork for Western individualism and its emphasis on material success.

Anand’s work is particularly innovative in how it examines gender roles across these epics. Through his analysis of characters like Helen, Draupadi, and Sita, he raises crucial questions about female agency and representation in classical literature. The comparison reveals how different civilizations understood and portrayed women’s roles in shaping historical and mythological narratives.

The relevance of Anand’s analysis to contemporary society cannot be overstated. In an era marked by technological advancement and material prosperity (as he notes our world of “aeroplanes, IT, and now AI”), his work suggests that ancient wisdom remains vital for addressing modern moral challenges. The “siege” referred in the title becomes a powerful metaphor for various forms of modern conflict – between materialism and spirituality, between individual ambition and collective welfare, between immediate gratification and eternal values

What makes Anand’s work particularly compelling is its synthetic vision. Rather than simply contrasting Eastern and Western perspectives, he works toward a deeper understanding of how these different approaches to human experience might complement each other. Through careful analysis and thoughtful comparison, he suggests that perhaps the truest path to human fulfillment lies in finding a balance between the physical and spiritual realms between individual achievement and collective welfare.

The thirteen-canto structure allows Anand to systematically explore these themes while maintaining narrative tension and intellectual engagement. Each canto builds upon the previous ones, creating a comprehensive examination of how these ancient epics continue to inform our understanding of human nature, moral choice, and the eternal quest for meaning.

Read: All about the Evil

The work ultimately challenges readers to reconsider their own assumptions about success, achievement, and purpose. By juxtaposing the siege of Troy with the battle of Kurukshetra, Anand invites us to question what truly constitutes victory in human life. Is it the achievement of personal glory and material success, as celebrated in the Iliad? Or is it the realization of spiritual truth and dharmic duty, as emphasized in the Mahabharata? Through this thoughtful exploration, Anand suggests that perhaps the highest form of human achievement lies in bridging these seemingly opposing viewpoints, finding a path that honors both material and spiritual dimensions of human experience.

Read: A DISCOURSE ON PEACE AND RENUNCIATION: A REVIEW OF TRADITONAL ETHOS

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Dr. Manju Chouhan is Professor of English, Chandigarh University, Punjab    

The post From Siege to Salvation – Upcoming Epic Poem by Dr. Jernail S. Anand first appeared on Sindh Courier.

Interviewed by Dr. Shiv Sethi

[Dr. Jernail Singh Anand is one of the tallest literary figures of the world with an oeuvre of 160 plus books. Recently, he won the Charter of Morava, an international award in Creativity at the 60th Belgrade Writers Meet, 2023, and his name was engraved on the Poets’ Rock in Serbia)

Dr. Anand, do you think literature is playing its destined role in contemporary times?

If we look at newspapers which represent our society on a miniscule level, literature has no role to play. The newspapers have a business page, a sports page, and all the pages for mudslinging, but none for literature.  Still poets are idealists, and go on creating literature. Literature appears to have lost its prime position as a driving force of society, because men of literature are nonstop critics of the ways of the world, and the world has nothing but hemlock for its critics. Moreover, poetry is a romantic luxury the wise world cannot afford.

What are the differences between your great epic ‘Lustus: The Prince of Darkness’ and Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’?

Literature appears to have lost its prime position as a driving force of society

Satan represents a world of the medieval times, which has turned over. He appears to be a monk when juxtaposed with Lustus, a neo-mythological creation, who is a Corporate of Evil, and is called upon to look after the empire of Darkness, after Satan becomes old and sick. It is different from Paradise Lost in several ways. Satan was a sauve villain, whereas Lustus is a hardcore criminal, who possesses the heart and soul of mankind. His avowed ambition is to destabilize man emotionally by disturbing his sexual balance, and he wants to humanize the animal race, by giving them a ‘homovid’ vaccine. It is a new idea which makes Lustus the most dangerous creation of our times.

Have your books been translated into other world languages? What about your Iranian connection?

My books ‘Bliss’, ‘I Belong to you’ have been translated into Persian by Iranian scholar Prof. Nargues Mohammadi and Dr. Roghayeh Farsi has translated The Broken Narrative and Lustus into Persian. ‘Lustus’ has been translated into Bengali by Dr. Tamali Neogi. It translation in Arabic, French and Tamil is under way. Dr. Roghayeh Farsi, my literary biographer, carried out a research project in the Dept. of English, Neyshabur University, comparing my poetry with two other Iranian poets. She has also helped me in expounding my Theory of Biotext.

Dr. Anand, you are considered greatest philosopher poet of the century. How the world has recognized your work? And what is your message to the world?

I was conferred The Charter of Morava International Award in Creativity at the 60th Belgrade International Writers Meet, Oct. 2023. And my name has been put on the Poets’ Rock in Serbia. It is a rare recognition for any Indian poet. I have received the Cross of Peace, Cross of Literature, Word Icon of Peace, Art4 Life Lifetime Achievement Award from Beverley Hills, Franz Kafka Literary Prize and Maxim Gorky Literature Award. I am glad my work has been recognized globally. I believe that a Poet has to be a good human beings also. The world needs good men to improve its score as a divine habitation.

These are election times and there is not one poet in the entire country who is contesting the election. What can be the reason?

The world of the poet and the world of men are two different plains. The poet with his particular mindset often suffers because of his beliefs.  He belongs to the ideal world of romance, metaphors and similes, while the world believes in dry and violent facts. That is why it can be disastrous to make a poet a Member of the Parliament. Dealing in words, ideas and philosophies is more rewarding and fulfilling than dealing in men with gutter sensibility. Shelley’s thought that poets are unacknowledged legislators of the world is hot steam, having little relevance in the matter of fact world.

What is important for a poet? To create great literature or a best seller?

The creation of great literature is always the passion of great poets. Such literature cannot be created with an eye on the box office. However, even a poet has to survive and this struggle for survival turns mundane when the Poet has to turn a vegetable seller. . I think more than sales, the truly valuable literature is that which is timeless, and written without an eye on awards.   Poetry has something divine behind its creation. A true poet won’t stop writing poetry, whether it pays him anything or not or even if it goes unrewarded.

Is Poetry an art like painting and music? Can it be learnt like an art in Schools of Poetry?

The Universities have departments where Poetry is taught but the focus is on appreciation of poetry. So far as writing of poetry is concerned, Poetry cannot be learnt as an art, like painting or music because it is a matter of inspiration, not passion alone. Universities play a great role in dissemination of literature. But they have scant provisions to promote the creation of poetry. They believe in dry desk work, writing research papers on poets dead or alive. We must distinguish between writing poetry and writing about poetry. University teachers who have taught the Paper of Poetry for years may not have themselves written a poem. Universities eulogize theory and research, but never a creative poet is on their rolls, simply because of his creative work.

 ‘The Master’s Voice’ is in the news. What is special about this book?

Very few poets come up with such books in which every poem has been critically evaluated. This book contains more than 200 poems of mine, with their critical appreciation by a senior faculty, Prof Cijo Joseph Chennelil. These poems were written over a period of 15 years. They are a mirror of my philosophy, and present a glimpse of the times under transformation.

Read: The Weird Chemistry of Darkness

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Dr Shiv Sethi is an academician, a columnist, an author, translator, and a Reviewer of international standing. He is associated with international newspapers like the Daily Guardian, Deccan Chronicle and  Hitavda etc.

The post Poetry is not a Romantic Luxury – Dr. Jernail Singh Anand first appeared on Sindh Courier.