India, Happy Independence Day!!

A country of glorious history,

A bravely nourished dream of freedom fighters,

A mother of a blessed nation,

A land of richest culture,

A vast source of wisdom!!

A democracy of certitude & stability,

A slogan of unity in diversity,

A fusion of tunes and music,

A verse of manifold themes,

A follower of peace & tranquility!!

A brave, fearless and gallant worrier,

A witness of highs and lows,

A trusted friend & a helping neighbour,

A painting of brightest colors,

A stream of purity and spirituality!!

Guarding Angels

(Note: This poem is a dedication to the worthy soldiers of the country and to honor their martyrdom, their chivalry and their passion for the motherland, India)

You die there, we live here

It is uncertain to us what death is

And it is uncertain to you what it is like living

We live every passing moment

They become a memory for us

You pass with every moment

And become a memory for us.

We have infinite names, we can be called anything

But what is your name, what should I call you?

Soldier, security personnel, they are so earthly

But your spirit, your passion is purer and unearthly

You are guarding angels, higher than us all

Be there wherever you are, like a cloud on the sky

Like a sage, like every beautiful humming fly

You ensure our breaths; you show immense care

We grow in our places with one marked difference

Over and over again; you die there and we live here.

Stunning Artistes: The Hills

The golden morrow illuminates thy skin,

Dripping each dewdrop to bathe thy essentials,

Thy fragrance comes from the mysterious flora,

Thou need nothing unnatural to sew thy gabardine.

Each passing moment show unnoticed colors

Once I saw thee in gloomy but drizzling rain,

Dance of weakest storm ignites thy passion,

I saw thee surrendering to the majestic minstrel,

Unmasking thou art bit by bit to propel.

There were times I saw thee under torturing heat,

Thou left canopied armies to cover thy face,

The silvery balm came in the dark for thee,

Only to heal thy scars, to restore thy grace.

Thee preformed from ages and ages are there to come,

My admiration with passing moment will too get old,

Still thee dances, sings and acts, still I see the announcing drum,

After I rest, may souls like me never let thy tale remain untold.

Dedications

I wish to express my gratitude to Central University of Punjab for honoring me with a gold medal on the completion of my M.Phil. in Comparative Literature. I want to thank worthy Chancellor Dr. S.S. Johl, former Vice-Chancellor Dr. Jai Rup Singh and to the Vice-Chancellor (at present) Dr. R.K. Kohli. I also wish to thank the Administration block of this university, Registrar Dr. Pankaj Khare, Deputy Registrar Ms. Sweta Arora, Controller of Examination Prof. Jagdeep Singh, OSD (Academics and Admin.) Dr. Sunil K. Gupta, Er. Daljeet Singh (Executive Engineer), Librarian/Professional Assistant Mr. Bhupinder Singh, Mr. Sandeep Kumar (Assistant) and all other administrative officers and staff for their timely and needful help.

I also wish to thank the former COCs of my department of Comparative Literature, Prof. Permjeet Singh Ramana, Prof. Chaman Lal and the current COC Dr. Zameerpal Kaur. I am grateful to faculty members of my department, Dr. Alpna Saini, Dr. Rajinder Kumar Sen, Dr. Ramanpreet Kaur, Dr. Yadwinder Singh and Dr. Neetu Purohit for their immense support. I wish to convey my heartiest thanks to Dr. Amandeep Singh for being the supervisor of my dissertation of M.Phil. It was a great pleasure working under his supervision and to gain knowledge regarding the research work.

I also find the help and support of COCs of other departments and faculty as a great assistance, especially the support of Prof. P. Rama Rao, Prof. R.G. Saini, Prof. R.C. Sharma and others. I am very thankful to my parents and sister for their kind and unconditional efforts. This dedication is incomplete without mentioning that my relatives, neighbors, friends, seniors, classmates and hostel mates were equally supportive during my research work. I also wish to thanks the hostel & mess staff/members for their help.

I wish to dedicate this gold medal to all these above mentioned people because without their motivation I might not have achieved such an honor. I thank each and every one of them for influencing my life with positivity and I will always cherish their kindness.

With warm regards,

Neha Sharma

PS:  I was not able to write all the names so please forgive me but I am grateful to you all.