"Siesta" is one of the best known poems of

Shampa Sinha Shampa Sinha is a doctor and writer with previous careers in diplomacy and public health. She is best known for her poem Siesta, which won the First Prize in the Fifth ''National Poetry Competition'' in 1993 organized by The Poetry Society (India) ...

, the Indian born Australian poet. The poem won First Prize in the Fifth All India Poetry Competition conducted by

The Poetry Society (India) The Poetry Society (India) was formed in July 1984 at New Delhi as a voluntary association to promote Indian poetry and to look after the interests of Indian Poets. The founding members included the Indian poets Keshav Malik, J P Das, H K Kaul ...

in 1993. The poem was the second major award winning work of Shampa Sinha after she won the Best Young Poet award at the Third National Poetry Competition in 1991 for the poem ''"The Difference"''.

Excerpts from the poem

:After lunch :when the files had ceased buzzing :over the food-littered floor :and the air was still and heavy :when only the soft plop :of drops from a leaky tap :broke the quiet ::: ***** :my wrinkled grandmother :would ask me to comb :her long wet hair :and as the comb furrowed :through the dark shining mass :and the smell of her coconut hair oil ::: ***** :her lips would tell me :of how an illiterate peasant :had obtained the gift of rhymes :from the Goddess Saraswati :of how the new-born Krishna :escaped the wrath of a jealous king ::: ***** :I would look on :with sleep-drunk eyes :as she recited Sanskrit verse :in a grating sandpapery voice :and when her eyes closed in comfort :and her breathing became as rhythmic :as the poetry she had chanted :through the long lazy afternoon, :I would tiptoe :Up to the old wall clock :to see :if time had stopped.

Comments and criticism

Shampa Sinha wrote the poem when she was a 15-year-old high school student. The poem has received positive reviews since its first publication in 1994 in the book ''Voices of the Future''. The poem has been frequently quoted in scholarly analysis of contemporary

Indian English poetry Indian English poetry is the oldest form of Indian English literature. Indian poets writing in English have succeeded to nativize or indianize English in order to reveal typical Indian situations. Henry Louis Vivian Derozio is considered the first ...

. The poem is regarded by critics as a jewel in contemporary Indian poetry.

Notes

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External links

, First National Poetry Competition 1988 - Award Winners, Liberation Magazine - L'Art de la Sieste"Best Indian Poems"
Indian English poems 1988 poems Works originally published in Indian magazines Works originally published in literary magazines

Excerpts from the poem

Comments and criticism

See also

Notes

External links