THE HAIBUN GALLERY: 25th December 2025. Lakshmi Iyer - Guest Editor

editors on haikuKATHA: Shalini Pattabiraman, Vidya Shankar, Firdaus Parvez and Kala Ramesh

Lorraine Haig has stepped down from being a mentor for this forum. Triveni Haikai India and The Haibun Gallery are grateful for her exceptional feedback and responses over the last few years.

Guest Editor: Lakshmi Iyer

Featured Poet: Akila G

A Thursday Feature 25th December

Naming Ceremony

The path to the volcano at Bandung, Indonesia, winds up and down through dense vegetation. Shrubs, moss-laden, uneven stepping-stones, interspersed with rustling leaves.

Dad recalls his father’s childhood story. Grandpa used to walk miles through a dense forest to his school in the next town. In those days, forests were infested with robbers. The village buzzed with stories of victims, especially Brahmin pundits who would be robbed of rice grains, lentils, vegetables, and sometimes, the few annas received by them for performing religious ceremonies and holy chanting.

Karuthuvaavan, Cheengannan, Veeru – Grandpa never encountered these rogues in the forest but their description from villagers was vivid enough for his memory to nickname his three sons.

night duty –

the watchman has a name

for every star

Akila G, Hyderabad

CHO, October 2018, vol 14, no 3

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Week 4 :

Another excellent haibun from Akila, who has the ability to weave intricate real life episodes with a balanced, dignified and transparent array of words that forms the essence of haibun writing. ‘Naming Ceremony’ is a nostalgic drift from the present to past and present. The title is a celebration of Akila’s inner voice with a beautiful blend of humour; often cathartic.

Can you capture such moments in your life that have brought a smile to your loved ones? Your prompt this week : Refine and Define Humour! Storytelling time!

Merry Christmas to One and All!

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Thank you so much, Lakshmi, for accepting to be the Guest Editor of The Haibun Gallery. This week is your concluding one, and what a befitting haibun you've chosen to showcase on this platform on Christmas Day!

Thank you for being with us, Lakshmi.

_kala

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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT NOTICE

              NOTICE

Dear Haibuneers

Starting from March 2025, we at haikuKATHA are moving on to a new submissions format for haibun submissions. (Only for haibun, please note!)

Writers are invited to submit one unpublished haibun per submission window.

Kindly note the submissions calendar.

1-20 March, to be considered for publication in May

1-20 June, to be considered for publication in August

1-20 September, to be considered for publication in November

1-20 December, to be considered for publication in February

All accepted submissions will receive an email to confirm their acceptance by the 5th day of the publication month.

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The Haibun Gallery continues as is.

We will be having editors and prompts, and your sharing…