Koushik Krishnan's Podcast

H. H. Munro, writing under the pen name "Saki" is an acclaimed master of the short stories. He is known for his sharp wit, great command over the language and fondness for themes that are dark, macabre and satirical. He was the inspiration for later writers like P.G. Wodehouse.  In this episode, Kavya and Koushik discuss the writers works, what makes him special and a few passages from some of his famous stories. 

It is May 2021. A little over a year since Covid hit us. Thousands have lost their lives, struggling for something as basic as oxygen. It is also a little over a year, George Floyd died, struggling for oxygen…. And I can’t help seeing the connection. This 2 min poem is my attempt to connect the twin horrors of racism and a rampant epidemic Many a man was hit by the virus,  Many a black was hurt in the US.  Poison spread like smokey wreath Many a man gasped, “I can’t breathe”! Here’s a story of a woman infected, Rushed to a hospital much affected  She was convinced, it was a sin,  For a black to administer vaccine! Refusing a hand that offered cure She went  in search of someone pure Poison spread like smokey wreath, Her family gasped, “We can’t breathe” ! The arc of justice can be long,  It takes a while to right a wrong, For the deadly virus there is cure But a bigoted heart is seldom never pure - Koushik Krishnan

“The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry”. This line from a Robert Burns poem, is one of the most popular quotes in the English language. In this poem, Burns describes a situation where he accidentally destroys the nest of a farm mouse while ploughing his land. He is greatly saddened by this act and feels repentant. He realizes the mouse had built the nest to survive the harsh winter. He then muses “the best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry”. The poem is rich with moral philosophy, metaphysics and contemplation.

Bazaars of Hyderabad is a poem composed by Sarojini Naidu. She was one of the early Indian writers in the English language. She was an active member of the Indian freedom struggle. She was rightly called the “Nightingale of India because of voice and her lyrical poems. In this poem she captures the vibrance, color, sounds and sights of a bazaar in Hyderabad!

Not all poems are sad or serious. They can be funny and nonsensical too! They could have animals come to life.

Exactly 73 years ago, on 14th August 1947, two new nations were born. India and Pakistan. The cities of Delhi, Lahore and Bombay were abuzz with preparations on this momentous occasion. Leaders were readying speeches and people celebrated on the streets. But in the city of Calcutta, the air was heavy with dread. The community was on edge. It was the 1st anniversary of Direct -action-Day, one of the bloodiest communal clashes in the country which left more than 5,000 people dead. And this is where Mahatma Gandhi was to be found, cooling down tempers between Hindus and Muslims. When asked why he wasn’t at the ramparts of the red fort in Delhi, he responded with this verse from John Masefield. Not the ruler for me, but the ranker, the tramp of the road, The slave with the sack on his shoulders pricked on with the goad, The man with too weighty a burden, too weary a load. The sailor, the stoker of steamers, the man with the clout, The chantyman bent at the halliards putting a tune to the shout, The drowsy man at the wheel and the tired lookout. Others may sing of the wine and the wealth and the mirth, The portly presence of potentates goodly in girth; – Mine be the dirt and the dross, the dust and scum of the earth! Theirs be the music, the colour, the glory, the gold; Mine be a handful of ashes, a mouthful of mould. Of the maimed, of the halt and the blind in the rain and the cold – Of these shall my songs be fashioned, my tales be told.

Kavya interviews Koushik on what he thinks about poetry and it’s place in society. They cover form, nature, and the future of poetry. Koushik shares some tips on how to write poetry and his poetic journey.

The phrase “All the world’s a stage” and the monologue that follows about the seven ages of man is well known. They are from Shakespeare’s pastoral romance, “As you like it”. When you hear it, you’ll say, “Wow, Shakespeare puts it so well!”. He was indeed clever. But not original. “All the world’s a stage” was a concept that predated Shakespeare by a comfortable 1,700 years. It was first popularised by the Roman poet Juvenal. Since then many people have made the reference. In fact, Shakespeare himself used this allegory in his earlier play “Merchant of Venice”. Similarly, the different ages of man aren’t novel. Aristotle, the great Greek philosopher and scientist, spoke about it. Closer home, the four ages of man are described in the Indian vedas. So, should we think less of Shakespeare because he wasn’t original? Not really. His genius lay in attracting and holding the attention of a live audience with popular and pithy themes. He used devices like rhyme and personification to engage the audience. And that is why his works are still in currency, or at least they should be.

Standing at the crossroads is both good and difficult. Life gives us a choice, but it forces us to stop, think and decide. We have all been there, haven’t we? What course of study should I pick, should I marry A, or do I love B more, vanilla or butterscotch? Even if it looks hazy, we try to see down one road for clues. We speak with people who made that choice before us and walked that road. We listen to our hearts. Of course, we can’t stand at the crossroads forever, so we pick one road over another and start walking. Tentative at first but growing in confidence. Are we happy with our choice? Or do we regret not taking the other road? You see it is easy to decide, tough not to regret the choice. Robert Frost, the celebrated American poet talked about the very same dilemma in his wonderful poem, “The road not taken”. The last para is most enigmatic. We don’t know if the poet is happy with his choice or not. It has been endlessly analysed and argued over the decades. Frost himself was bemused with all the attention it received. Be that as it may, I’d like to recite the poem for you, and let you think of the major crossroads in your life and what you feel about them now.

Emily Dickinson was an American poet of great repute. Her poems had abstract themes. She was influenced by Walt Whitman and Ralph Waldo Emerson. In this poem, she uses a bird as a metaphor for Hope. It is a lyrical ballad which is childlike in its...

In this podcast, Kavya explores the connection between marriage and money. Is it a coincidence that Marriage and money both begin with M? Is it only emotion or also economics ? Economic well being is one of the unseen effects of marriage. Combined...

Kanishk narrates the popular Welsh poem - The miller of the Dee. It is about the simple yet content life that a miller leads by the River Dee. He sings the wonderful refrain, " I envy nobody, no, not I, Nobody envies me" !He is noticed by the local king who assures him, his simple and content life is indeed enviable and such men as the miller are rare and a gift to the country!

Is there a perfect poem? Has anyone composed one that comes close to perfection? Ode to Autumn, by John Keats is widely regarded as the perfect short poem in the English language. The reason it is special is because while every other poet celebrates Spring, Keats sees beauty in Autumn. Through rich imagery and apt personification, he brings to life the sights and sounds of Autumn. In 3 stanzas of eleven lines each, he describes the progression of the season from the ripening of crops to harvest to the slow onset of winter. There is a latent sadness in the poem, maybe because it also signaled the end of Keats poetic career.

This poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson is a firm favorite among children and adults alike. It narrates the journey of a brook from from its origin to the end where it joins a larger river. The poem has rhythm, movement and cadence which makes it beautiful to recite and hear. This poem has been chosen by scholars as being culturally important.

From a railway carriage is a poem by the famous Scottish poet and writer Robert Louis Stevenson. He is well known for the adventure story, Treasure Island. He composed this poem in 1885 and it was published in his anthology, A Child's garden of verses. This poem evokes the movement of a train in a beautiful manner and keeps alive the romance of trains.

The charge of the Light Brigade, by Alfred Lord Tennyson. This poem was written in response to the Crimean war. In this battle, a British cavalry unit was ordered to charge against a Russian artillery unit. This order was suicidal. This poem talks about the bravery of these 600 men of the British army, who rode through the jaws of death and the mouth of hell.

Although i have never walked in the woods of New Hampshire, I am sure i would have been captivated by the mesmerising beauty of nature. Perhaps this is what happened to Robert Frost, the great American poet, who was born and raised there. Surrounded by nature's bounty, he wrote the poem, "Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening". This poem highlights the conflict between mans wishes and obligations. And as Frost used to say, it begins with delight and ends with an insight.

The daffodils is a poem by the famous English poet, William Wordsworth. Though it was composed more than 200 years ago, it is kept alive in school textbooks and various poetry recital competitions. While walking along a lake in Ullsworth, with his sister, Wordsworth is said to have spied a field of daffodils, which inspired him to compose the wonderfully visual yet simple poem

The listeners by Walter de La Mare. An English poet acclaimed for his subtle psychological stories, the listeners is one of his popular poems. Beautiful in its simplicity, this poems tells the story of a lone traveler knocking at a decrepit house on a starry, quiet, moonlit night. Who the listeners are, we don't know. Who the traveler is we do not know. Cloaked in mystery, this wonderful poem evokes suspense and intrigue, which is perhaps what makes it so beautiful.

Hi friends, I am here with a wonderful sonnet, called Ozymandiaz. This was composed by the 18th century, English poet, Percy Shelley. In this poem, a traveller from the exotic lands, tells us the about the grand, but ruined statue of Ozymandias, in the deserts of Egypt. He tells us how proud the king was of his own greatness. He wanted his glory to be immortalized, so he commissions a statue to be sculpted and erected. In time, however, the statue is battered and breaks, his greatness diminished and his glory largely forgotten. This short poem, packs in so many ideas. The first is that Man is boastful. The second is that his pomp and glory are short lived. Even the mightiest must finally fall and be forgotten. The third is the littleness of Man compared to the vastness of nature and time. And the last is that while life passes, art remains. I love this poem for its compactness, and the powerful irony it represents. I do hope you like the poem.

In this episode, Kavya and Koushik talk about the 1st ever story of James Bond, the iconic British spy. They talk about the book plot, movie plot, which is better, and about Ian Fleming, the author, and the characters enduring popularity.

In this episode of the Blue Studio, Koushik and Kavya review the 2006 India movie, "Rang De Basanti". This movie was India's official entry to the Academy Awards that year. It won a slew of awards across the world and has been hailed as a landmark in Indian movie history.

In this episode of BlueStudio, Kavya and Koushik talk about the movie, the Client, a 1994 legal thriller. This movie is based on an eponymous book by John Grisham. In the story, 11 year old Mark Sway witnesses the suicide of a lawyer working for the mob. Before his death, the lawyer reveals some secrets to Mark. From then on, Mark is caught up in the ugly and dangerous cat and mouse game between the mobs, and the cops and the District Attorneys office. In this adult world, with adult problems, Marks navigates with great resourcefulness and bravery to get to the bottom of the mess and protect his family. He is ably supported by Reggie Love, played by Susan Sarandon, in navigating through the treacherous legal process. The hosts discuss various nuances of the movie, the story, what worked for them and what did not. Hope you enjoy this episode of Blue Studio.

In Blue Studio today, Kanishk recites a beautiful poem called "The Wonderful Words" written by Mary O' Neil. In this poem, the poet says, we must use the right words to express our thoughts. Words must be "well fed and handsomely dressed". She asks us not to be shy in expressing our thoughts. Many wonderful thoughts have stayed unexpressed because people could not find the right words and form to convey them. This is the full text of the poem. Never let a thought shrivel and dieFor want of a way to say itFor English is a wonderful gameAnd all of you can play it.All that you do is match the wordsTo the brightest thoughts in your headSo that they come out clear and trueAnd handsomely groomed and fed—For many of the loveliest thingsHave never yet been said.Words are the food and dress of thoughtThey give it its body and swingAnd everyone’s longing today to hearSome fresh and beautiful thing;But only words can free a thoughtFrom its prison behind your eyesMay be your mind is holding nowA marvellous new surprise!

A reading of the short and lovely poem, "Mercy" by William Shakespeare. This poem is from the famous play "Merchant of Venice".