Note from Admin:  I found many people love to read poems or short stories possibly due to time constraints. I read Kamalbabu’s writings in both English and Bengali and gave me real pleasure. The themes of many of the poems are truly real-life. USBForum will publish them on time. Please do come from time to time and enjoy the poems. Please read below the introduction in his words. The author has used small letters for writing “i”, except for the title and at the beginning of a new sentence and a paragraph, because “i” strongly believes that the purpose of using capital letters for “i”, is for expressing human ego and pride.
Click below for poems:-

https://usbengalforum.com/be-what-you-want-to-be/

https://usbengalforum.com/i-keep-searching-for-you-2/

FORWARD

Most of the poems contained in this booklet were published last year in Bengali under the title
“বেলাশেশের কবেতা” – “Late Afternoon Poems”. This English version,
with a few new additions, is an attempt to satisfy the needs of those who are not so conversant with the Bengali language. This also satisfies my personal need to express myself in a new format and a language foreign to me. During our younger days in schools and colleges, there were hardly a few, who were not associated with literary activities, music, drama, or even politics, besides the routine studies and games. Being an introvert by nature, I was interested in writing, though there was no outward display of that talent – a few poems written in those days were quietly contained in my diary. After crossing the boundaries of college and studies, a few friends joined together to start a little magazine named “এেং”–“Abong”, which was edited by me, and a couple of my poems were published in the first few issues. Suddenly I had to leave Kolkata in search of a job and lost touch with my literary activities. Started writing again primarily to keep myself busy and utilise the ample time available after retiring from professional services. Got inspired by the writings of my friends who also had embarked upon this literary path after retirement. Instead of poems started with the travelogue “চররশেবত” – “The Journey of My Life”! In between came the devastating virus of COVID-19 – the whole world came to a standstill and everybody was confined to within four walls of home. The endless time forced me to write poems again to express my inner feelings and emotions, innumerable unanswered questions, and a little bit of my understanding of life. The collection of these poems is an outcome of that effort. Throughout this booklet, I have used small letters for writing “i”, except for the title and at the beginning of a new sentence and a paragraph, because “i” strongly believe that the purpose of using capital letters for “i”, is for expressing human ego and pride. My wife, Seema, and quite a few of my friends, specially Pranab Kumar Basu and Tapas Chakraborty have inspired and encouraged me in this venture. Special mention needs to be made to Aradhana, my niece, and Ranga Rao Maddala, my ex-colleague at Indian Airlines who helped me in editing this English manuscript. I express my sincere gratitude to all of them.

15th August, 2024 Kamal Ranjan Acharyya
Dwarka, New Delhi