Things through me by Minu Jasdanwala

I am a regular living form,
As a type,
I sin in the morning
And repent by night.

I test the testing times,
I taste and swallow moments,
I scream my dreams,
I choose what others refuse,
I play with the abandoned,
I face open when threatened,
I half delight in pain,
Happiness I sustain,
I laugh, I cry,
I fall, I rise,
I fail and fail,
I give up, and then
I buckle down to win,


I'm hope for the hopeless,
Faith for the faithless,
Even in my rest,
If I'm a little stirred,
I'll do what the tongue uttered.

I stand on it
Things don't happen by me,
They happen through me.


Minu Jasdanwala

Musings of my mind by Minu Jasdanwala

I am experiencing what I have been experiencing for the last few days. I am worried  for the other side of life. I am trying to find the answer but the problem is the many ideologies that I have come across. I find no reasonable stand to come and hoist the flag. Life after death, no life after death, nirvana etc., I know little about. I feel happy, sad, elated, joyful at times for no reason. A child call me if it were.  I visit my school days and college days, the next moment I realise I am 'me' in present with everything lost. The next moment I console that I am happiest as my bad days are done. The tables are turned. The breath takes me back and forth. I am worried for the impermanence of everything and 'what next' feeling after every action of mine. I feel the charisma of the 'now moment' would fade and die. The  'now' and all undertakings would soon give away and with them, the love I derive and the things I perceive. I laugh at myself when I think on what I have done and what I could have avoided but somehow could not. With people talking of the past, I also walk through time. I can picture places very vividly which I have never visited or have visited only for a few times. I feel that they are the part of my memory. I can see what is coming when I talk. I can be the other and can be me at the same time. I fear, I think, I stop and I act. There is no actual worry that I should be worried, still I am worried. The reason is not known and that makes the cure of it difficult and complex. I talk to many with strain. And that strain comes out when I leave them. The words resonate later. At some places, I lose the fascination to revisit. That is true to people. I perceive the energy of a place and also term it as good or bad without supporting evidence. May be that is intuition which is taking the upper hand. I also sense someone standing and overseeing me or guiding me but never hurting me. At night in dreams, things intricate,  characters are replaced in episodes, episodes coexist, the stories become linear to an extent or are broken in pieces and when they do, it becomes harder to thread the flow of events. I become aware of something happening still asleep but not aware exactly of what goes on. I also experience jerk while eyes closed. I am conscious of the movements. Sometimes I write  lines, I recite in sleep mutely but I completely miss when I try to organise in writing when I try or I don't pick those lines with maturing awareness of awakening from sleep. The conscious I am of an act, the creation loses the essence. Before this writing faces the same, I must put off my pen.


Minu Jasdanwala

Death of a rat

Death of a rat


I crossed the half dead rat.
I caught the moment, his struggle
in the great noise of life.
I took the U turn on the road
and came to rescue the rat
as if it was in my command.


He was centured on the road -
not by his will.
It was not a suicide attempt,
they are brave indeed.

I saw the moments of his struggling
to enter a better life in all ways possible.
The wheels of the giant cars
buzzed over it, mercilessly.

The tiny velvety ears flapping by the wind
and then
lost forever to hear the music of the space.

Minu Jasdanwala 

Musings before midnight

Musings before midnight


The night is beautifully set
for such mixed thoughts
which arise between moments of staring.

Between unmeasurable moments ,
infinite things happen and misshapen-
all consciously unattempted.
Figures,shapes,shadows,the unknown etc  are lost in imagined vortex.

The flashes send chills and icy cold numbness to me wishing me to be me as of now:the present me
but then a distraction ;
a persistent sharp cricket,
a door knock uninvited,
an uncalled mosquito,
a tempting Whatsapp ting, so frequent
the mocking aged mirror, so consistent.

This foreseeing of the time melts like
a fading song .
The weight of being grey lifts up,
gently, slowly
like a releasing arm hold with a
mercury drop on a BP monitor .  

Thus comes back
my youthful calm,
the present youth,
the happy sigh,
the consciousness of my 'now' moment !
With the winds of the night
the frozen time ticks again .


Minu Jasdanwala

Typed by: Krutika Popat

About Kafka's English Corner

                                                 

                                                     About Kafka's English Corner 

Minu Jasdanwala is the founder of Kafka's English Corner. He began his centre  in 2009. As the years passed the English class turned into multidisciplinary institution.  In the year 2014, the centre was officially registered exam centre (51318) for Trinity College London (Graded examination for spoken English). Since then more than 100 students have strengthened their communications skills and personal profile. The students are inculcated the habits of reading and writing especially letters. 

Board members 

Dr D.A. Jasdanwala

Mr Mansoor Jasdanwala 

Mrs Rashida Jasdanwala 

Assistant teacher

Mr Satish Kathad



Uniform for Trinity College London pupils at KEC:

Sky Blue Khadi top and Blue denim.

Simple  rules of the class:

-The student and the teacher must inform each other in case of absentia. A student/teacher can be forgiven if there is a medical emergency of any kind on student or the family member.

-A student is expected to bring dictionary.

-Both the teacher and student must follow the time and keep the class neat.

-'Sarcasm' and 'Dictionary' are two things provided we provide for free.' 

Trinity College London (Graded examination for spoken English)

-International exams is  recognized in more than 60 countries 

-It is one on one interview oral exams based on CEFR grading.

Minu's Mehfil recitation 

Minu's Mehfil is an annual poetry recitation (partly inspired by Sir Andrew Motion) project where students recite poems in any language on stage. The poem can be self written or written by someone else. The season one was launched on 21st March 2015 to celebrate World Poetry Day. Season 2 also witnessed dances, speeches and felicitation of distinguished poets. 

Minu's Mehfil book

Minu Jasdanwala has also edited and launched 2 books entitled Minu's Mehfil with ISBN number to encourage writing amongst students.

CCC exam 

The class arranges CCC Exam, 'Compulsory Computer Course' which is required before applying for a government job.

Social services 

Minu Jasdanwala encourages his students to take part in tree plantation, setting sparrow nests, gifting books, distributing butter milks and also in Gandhian service along with the regular academia.

National records

Kafka's English Corner has as many as 14 national records to its credit. A few to mention are Limca book of record, Asia book of record, World Records India and India  book of records for marathon reading, poetry recitation and taking oath on nature conservation. 

Minu's Media 

Minu Jasdanwala writes for English tabloid called Rajkot Now and also maintains his personal blog minujasdanwala.blogspot.in

He also does social commentary on various issues on Gujarati channels. His videos can be watched on YouTube.

Translation

The class offers translation service  from one language to the other. ( English to Gujarati and Gujarati to English) 

Contact

Kafka's English Corner 

Office number 1,

Madhav Vatika complex,

Sojitra nagar main road,

Above Golden super market,

Rajkot 

E: minujasdanwala@gmail.com

B: minujasdanwala.blogspot.in
F: Kafka's English Corner

C: +91 9228191919

                                                                                                              

Minu Jasdanwala on ways of dying

There are 2 ways I want to die:

Either as a brilliant youth in 40s with short hair, slender like a deer , gentle heart and in full immortal romance with myself or as an old poetic man of 100 with great wit and neat looks, surrounded by cultivated youth of the day, resting their chins on their palms, desirous to listen my eventful life journey. 

Minu Jasdanwala on Minu's Mehfil whatsapp group

Guidelines for becoming a member in Minu's Mehfil Whatsapp group.



The applicant has to submit the proposal explaining why he thinks he should be member of the group, the copy of his latest published poem and his utter disappointment for his other unpublished works.
The applicant (if he crosses the 1st barrier) shall be summoned for a face-to-face interview where his literary competency and his abilities to communicate (both virtually and in-person) shall be tested.

Along with the Admin of the group, "Panel of 3", a board elected by the Admin himself, has a right to vote in the appointment of the new member.

Once the member is elected, the Admin has the full and final authority as the immortal founder of the group to select, reject or discontinue the member of the Minu's Mehfil group with a prior notice of 24 hours to prepare the member from immediate trauma on his poetic heart and the shock he receives at the time of termination.

It will be encouraged that the eminent member shall constantly endeavour to write (outside the web world too) feeling it is their obligation to the society to gift writings.
Within the Whatsapp group, the Admin is glad to bestow poetic licence and freedom of expression but there would be no relief for suspending grammatical incorrectness (although they are unintentionally made in the name of overpowering emotions).

With the inception of a new member, there will be a provisional period of 30 days which shall examine the quality of the post (self written or quoted from elsewhere), frequency of the posts, feedback of other group members and the reception of the panel.

Once the provisional period is achieved, the member is expected to endeavour in contribution of the best of his intellectual and artistic energies to justify his privileged membership.
The member at the end of the aforementioned barriers is entitled to recommend other suitable candidate for the same. The prerequisites of the nominee are:

1) He should be googleble at 1st name search.
2) He should have been invited to address a literary cause in places more than 2.
3) He should atleast a Ph.D
4) He should have a published collection of poetry (as 1st author).
5) He should have edited and published an anthology of short stories with ISBN (followed by 13 digits and scannable via smartphone.)

 Because there is a limited space to include 100 members in the group, the Admin wishes that the general/average minds must not be enlightened regarding the existence of this group and its superior pursuits of awakening.


Written by : Minu Jasdanwala
Typed by : Riddhi Doshi

Minu Jasdanwala on Bullet

Ode to the Bullet

Our machine is not a machine.
It is more communicative than most humans.
It has a very pattern of calculative sound beats.


Bullet like all other so called bikes
is not built of flesh and blood but of iron, steel and tin -
of noble birth to journey long and win.


Its language is not mediocre.
It is heightened poetry, enjoyable and complacent, sublime and subhuman,
Godlike and divine.


In that poetry of sound,
In that magnificent acoustic experience,
On the beautiful artwork of weight and balance,
the rider finds an escape though in the great life traffic
or on an open freeway
or just casting eyes upon it on a parking slot.


The rider speaks to it not necessary by words,
for who says or have had said "words are the only talking tools!"


The deep hollow sound slices through the air,
heavy blowing air bubbles abstract, intoxicating and beautiful to the ear are they heard.


Its sound fades and when it gets past the other second-rated machines,
it leaves the legacies of tyreprints on the tracks
and euphony in the air.


The rides too is an absurd, uncommon, cracked soul.
He hugs his bike everyday,
he splashes soap water,
He moisturizes every organ of it and finally sun showers his pride.
He gets lost deep down in the aesthetic pleasures.
For him riding is therapeutic and parallel happy universe of movement.


The highways and the green expands pull him above all.
He goes on and on and on through the breeze,
the suns,
the winds,
and the rains.


And when he is asked
"What's your religion, wanderer?"
He says "Bulletism is my religion and garage is my temple."


-Minu Jasdanwala.


(Typed By: Riddhi Doshi)

Minu Jasdanwala on tattoos

On Tattoos

Tattoos are the scars emerged from a terrible pain of life. The irony is we call them as art!

-Minu Jasdanwala.

(Typed By: Riddhi Doshi)

Minu Jasdanwala Snowy poems

Snowy


Life is short
My snowy came
And in my heart
He made his lasting name.


O dear god !
Spare my brother, take him not.
I remember my baby brother
15 days old was he
When my father and me
Brought him home.
But the timelessness of time played its cruel icy tricks
And defaced the internal geography
Of my little lad.


The energy pines are flowing in his blood but without a gain,
Stil this morning he saw with his graze transfixed to mine,
For a moment world of us did shine.
But that was most transitory and uncalculable in unit of time.



My father is broken,almost destroyed !
Out lives are falling apart.
Dear god grant him some time more
And tell your bloody death
To keep away her frown.

Minu Jasdanwala


Typed by Kruti Karia 

Minu Jasdanwala on Jeep

"JEEP"

Jeep is not a car, it is pronounced heartbeat of the one who is driving her. On the driving seat there is less comfort. The seats are as they are, no adjustable positional changes that one can find in other less abled machines. One gets the square wind past him. The windbrushes the worries with her as the driver sees them disappearing in the rear mirror and smiles. The jeep experiences is cost friendly as there is no AC, no soft seats to please the bottoms, no lamps and stereos to prevent the music of the jeep beats. Things of absolute necessity only have place. It is nature loving with nothing overhead except the sun, the moon and the stars. The attention one gets is stately; a great reminder of an old king mounted atop on the chariot seeing his subjects who stare at his glory with mouths half open. At the end of the long day, the only few of the things which have capacity to stir and move and lift is an open Jeep.

Jeep is not a car. It is a heartbeat of a blooming poet whose language is uniquely distinct but more pleasurable from all standards than an average man's.

                                                                -Minu Jasdanwala.

                                                                   (Typed By: Riddhi Doshi)