About Priya Sarukkai-Chabria

The Gathering of Time: Poems by Priya Sarukkai-Chabria

Another Subcontinent is pleased to present our first poetry feature. These poems by Indian poet Priya Sarukkai-Chabria will be our feature presentation till December 2, 2005, and will be archived thereafter in the "writing" features section (see links at left). The feature consists of three poem cycles. Of these, "The Gathering of Time", a response to Kalidasa's Rithusamharam, is being published here for the first time. The other two cycles, "Plant-Life-Stories" and "The Grove" have been published before in Dialogue and Other Poems, a collection of her poetry brought out by the Sahitya Akademi of India. We thank the Akademi for permission to reprint them here.

To read the poems click on the links below. To discuss the poems on Another Subcontinent's poetry forum click here. Priya Sarukkai-Chabria will join the discussion.

"The Gathering of Time
"Plant-Life-Stories"
"The Grove"

About Priya Sarukkai-Chabria

Priya Sarukkai-Chabria's most recent publication is Dialogue and Other Poems, part of a two-in-one volume of poetry brought out in January 2005 by the Sahitya Akademi of India (Anna Sujata Mathai is the other poet featured in the volume). She has also published poems, short stories, book reviews and essays in a number of journals in India and abroad, including Adelphiniana published by Roberto Calasso, the India International Center’s Quarterly, The Little Magazine, New Quest, Aphrodite’s Garden, Journal of Indian Literature and L A B . Her novel, The Other Garden was published by Rupa in 1995. She has also completed another novel, Or Else. She is the editor of "Talking Poetry", the literature section of the website of the NGO Open Space which hopes to foster change through the arts. She was was the recipient of the Senior Fellowship to Outstanding Artists for Literature (1996-1999) from the Department of Culture, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Delhi, for working on poems that explore the validity of the classical rasa theory of aesthetics in contemporary writing in English. This resulted in a typescript: Out and In: A Book for Lovers Past and Present, a dialogue with late mediaeval Sanskrit and Prakrit poetry.

She is also involved with various multimedia projects. Her production, VIPINAM: THE GROVE, will premiere in December 2005 in Delhi. In this experimental project, she works with digital imaging - mainly with found images - to create artworks that will be projected onscreen along with her poetry, music and Malavika Sarukkai’s classical dance. Other experimental work includes Srinkala, which combined contemporary poetry in English, the moving image and classical dance. She scripted and narrated Fireflies, a multimedia production of poetry in English, classical dance and ‘miniature’ painting that was presented in major Indian cities and at The Asian Arts Festival in Singapore in 1994. She also co-founded the film society, Friends of the Archive and co-scripted the short film, Dhaara which opened The Critics Section, Oberhausen Film Festival, Germany in 1989.

Priya Sarukkai-Chabria lives in Pune, India.

(Photograph on front page by Arnab Chakladar. Photograph of Priya Sarukkai-Chabria by Shekar Godbole)


home about contact policies submissions feature archives audio visual writing reviews forums art film & television food literature music society & culture elsewhere desilit parabaas sasialit sawnet upper stall	The Gathering of Time: Poems by Priya Sarukkai-Chabria Another Subcontinent is pleased to present our first poetry feature. These poems by Indian poet Priya Sarukkai-Chabria will be our feature presentation till December 2, 2005, and will be archived thereafter in the "writing" features section (see links at left). The feature consists of three poem cycles. Of these, "The Gathering of Time", a response to Kalidasa's Rithusamharam, is being published here for the first time. The other two cycles, "Plant-Life-Stories" and "The Grove" have been published before in Dialogue and Other Poems, a collection of her poetry brought out by the Sahitya Akademi of India. We thank the Akademi for permission to reprint them here. To read the poems click on the links below. To discuss the poems on Another Subcontinent's poetry forum click here. Priya Sarukkai-Chabria will join the discussion. "The Gathering of Time "Plant-Life-Stories" "The Grove" About Priya Sarukkai-Chabria Priya Sarukkai-Chabria's most recent publication is Dialogue and Other Poems, part of a two-in-one volume of poetry brought out in January 2005 by the Sahitya Akademi of India (Anna Sujata Mathai is the other poet featured in the volume). She has also published poems, short stories, book reviews and essays in a number of journals in India and abroad, including Adelphiniana published by Roberto Calasso, the India International Center’s Quarterly, The Little Magazine, New Quest, Aphrodite’s Garden, Journal of Indian Literature and L A B . Her novel, The Other Garden was published by Rupa in 1995. She has also completed another novel, Or Else. She is the editor of "Talking Poetry", the literature section of the website of the NGO Open Space which hopes to foster change through the arts. She was was the recipient of the Senior Fellowship to Outstanding Artists for Literature (1996-1999) from the Department of Culture, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Delhi, for working on poems that explore the validity of the classical rasa theory of aesthetics in contemporary writing in English. This resulted in a typescript: Out and In: A Book for Lovers Past and Present, a dialogue with late mediaeval Sanskrit and Prakrit poetry. She is also involved with various multimedia projects. Her production, VIPINAM: THE GROVE, will premiere in December 2005 in Delhi. In this experimental project, she works with digital imaging - mainly with found images - to create artworks that will be projected onscreen along with her poetry, music and Malavika Sarukkai’s classical dance. Other experimental work includes Srinkala, which combined contemporary poetry in English, the moving image and classical dance. She scripted and narrated Fireflies, a multimedia production of poetry in English, classical dance and ‘miniature’ painting that was presented in major Indian cities and at The Asian Arts Festival in Singapore in 1994. She also co-founded the film society, Friends of the Archive and co-scripted the short film, Dhaara which opened The Critics Section, Oberhausen Film Festival, Germany in 1989. Priya Sarukkai-Chabria lives in Pune, India. (Photograph on front page by Arnab Chakladar. Photograph of Priya Sarukkai-Chabria by Shekar Godbole)