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Four Beautiful Towns of France & Germany----a photo essay

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Four Lovely neighbours of Heidelberg Four lovely neighbours of Heidelberg A pictorial journey   Wyssembourg, France Wyssembourg is a small town in France. It is on the border with Germany and not far from Heidelberg, Germany's university town. We had taken a train that touched Mannheim and Landau on the way. When the train pulled up at Wyssembourg station, an almost empty platform soaked by drizzles preceding our arrival greeted us. An absolute beauty! Right from there it was a comfortable saunter through a picturesque, pretty, clean and graceful little town. I was so awed that even this potpourri of adjectives is not enough to describe the photogenic French town. A little river Lauter flows through the town. It is so small and so narrow that on first view it gives an impression of a narrow canal flowing through the town. Not far from its larger counterpart Strasbourg, this cute town is rich in history. Born in the seventh century, the town grew up around ...
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Poems of a retired Engineer from Calcutta

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Poems penned by retired eminent Engineer Ramni Prasad

SUNSET AT MAYFAIR EMERALD


As I sit on the terrace
Of Mayfair Emerald in Kolkata,
I watch a heavenly phenomenon unfold

In the western sky.



The sun larger and red,

Seems sinking in the horizon

With an ever changing cloud pattern

A spectacle I watch in utter amazement.


The birds fly homewards,

Tired after the day’s toil,

Gather in groups,

Bidding goodbye to the restless world.


The dogs bark on the road below,

To settle some grave issues,

Then suddenly withdraw

And silence prevails again.



I go round the terrace,

On a leisurely walk.

Keep counting the mandatory rounds,

That falsely assures my fitness.



On the pavements below,

Ladies young and old,

Gather after their day’s toil,

To enjoy some mirth and merriment.



New apartment houses,

Keep coming up,

Served so far, by a single shop

The Ramakrishna Enterprises, working tirelessly.


Arpee Engineer, Nov.2012







MAN, GOD AND COSMOS



Jawa, a deeply religious woman,

Partially owns a temple.

With other members of her family,

She worships many Gods and Goddesses.



The family shares the cost and toil,

And performs pujas round the year.

The Gods and Goddesses appear pleased

And the family is happy with their blessings.



Out in the large world,

Symbols of different religions predominate.

The Cross, The Moon and Star, The Trident,

And others seem uncomfortable with each other.



Somewhere the Gods laugh at the spectacle

Of human folly and myopic vision.

Residents of a microscopic planet earth,

Fail to see God’s awesome presence in the night sky.



When Carl Sagan beckons,

Go, have a glorious view of the Cosmos,

Which has been expanding since the Big Bang?

And will return to Brahma with the Big Crunch.


Arpee Engineer

09/02/2014





 
India 68, Pratapaditya Road, Lalpara, Mudiali, Kalighat, Kolkata, West Bengal 700026, India

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