Ramesh Anand 1

Newborn Smiles(Exciting & Enlightening Zen Haikus

AndInspirational Free Verses)

Preface by Patricia Prime and Kala Ramesh

Newborn Smiles2

Copyright© Ramesh Anand

ISBN 978-81-8253-278-6

First Edition: 2012

Rs. 200/-

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Newborn Smiles8

Preface for Newborn SmilesPatricia Prime

The credentials for the haiku in Ramesh Anand’s book

Newborn Smiles are impeccable. His life experiences, as haiku

moments, have been published and forthcoming in journals and

online in Magnapoets, ACORN and Bottle Rockets Press,

Anthologies such as The Temple Bell Stops : Loss And Grief,

Prayer for Japan and Haiku Journal, OM Times Magazine, Lyrical

Passion and many others.

Anand, it might be said, does not waste words, in as much

as his haiku are typically lean and terse, and meet the

requirements of haiku to be read in one breath. Observation is at

the heart of his haiku, finding the extraordinary in the ordinary,

and being able to translate precious moments into words. Haiku

poets write in the hope that their readers will be able to “complete”

the poet’s words, by experiencing the moment and relating it to

their own experiences. For instance, Anand writes in one of his

haiku: maple leaves / in so many colours / . . . her embroidery. In

this poem the reader can see the leaves changing colour as

autumn arrives and the beautiful colours in the woman’s

needlework. Many people will have observed the change that takes

place in autumn leaves and will also be familiar with a fine piece

of tapestry or needlepoint.

The main themes of Anand’s haiku concentrate on the

seasons, flowers, the weather, and the poet’s family. Anand’s

double allegiances to both his Indian background and the world

of European haiku emerge through particular motifs. Here, for

example, we have references to the monsoon, the mosque,

elephants and the wallah, alongside haiku that refer to the more

traditional themes of the natural world: spring’s end, winter twilight,

autumn dawn, maple leaves and cloud pause.

Ramesh Anand 9In a haiku climate which is choc-a-bloc with innovative work,

this collection assumes the need for haiku to move the human

heart, to confront the everyday, but not to be imprisoned by them,

and to hearten the reader to continue his or her own journey

through the reading and writing of haiku. And throughout, the

image recur, both natural and of the heart, out of which Anand

invites his readers to make a journey with him.

Patricia Prime

Co-editor of the New Zealand haiku magazine

Assistant Editor of Haibun Today

Newborn Smiles10

Ramesh Anand’s haiku deeply evokes moods of nostalgia.

Thanks to the imagery he has used in his poems, we have the

wonderful opportunity to reflect on experiences that have been

dear and tender to us.

K. Ramesh, author of Soap Bubbles.

I am sure this book on the “Newborn Smiles” will bring smiles

on the face of the Readers. Each poem, though short, delivers to

the point the message hidden therein. I wish him all the success

in this field.

Rajaram Ramachandran, Contributing Editor (2008-2009),

The Enchanting Verses Literary Review.

Witty, engaging and riveting! Newborn Smiles makes you

traverse miles of thoughts….a journey into the poetic mind of

Ramesh Anand.

Aparna, Poetry Editor, Boloji.

After reading Ramesh Anand’s haikus on Muse India and his

write up “What is Haiku (For beginners)” I developed more interest

in this form of writing. Haiku ‘King’ Ramesh comes with witty,

strange ones too. His keen sense of observation of Nature and

environment is highlighted through his short verses....

Hema Ravi, Senior Poet, Chennai.

Your Haiku is getting deeper and deeper, a great deal

expressed in the 3 lines, beautiful...

Safiyyah, UK.

Newborn Smiles72

The vibrancy of your homeland, the strength of a young

husband and father, a son’s devotion to his parents; this is a

poignant life and, as good haiku do, shares its beauty, its frailty,

and your love for it.

Jennie Townsend, Kukai Secretary, Haikuworld

Being young he is sure to burn the haiku world from all the

sides in the times to come, what he already has such

comfortable mastery. I knew with what grit and unstinted

determination he has evolved finding for himself a fine niche

among the best Haijans of our times. I wish him a great future

ahead.

Seshu Chamarty, Your Space Associate Editor, Muse India.

Intelligent, perceptive, with a keen observation of life and nature

– external and internal ... in a lively language, and bouncy style

... with appealing poetic sensibility.

U Atreya Sarma, Editor, museindia.com

A fresh breeze scintillates mind and soul and likewise, a poem

energizes heart. As a lover of nature RAMESH has woven a

magical volume of poetry that prints an everlasting impression

on the readers.

R. Purushothamarao, Guntur, India