triveni spotlight: 23rd September 2025
- Anju Kishore
- Sep 23
- 2 min read
triveni spotlight A FEATURE EVERY ALTERNATE DAY hosts: Anju Kishore and Mohua Maulik GUEST EDITOR: Anju Kishore
23rd September 2025
triveni spotlight September 2025
newspaper kite
the obituary page
now closer to heaven
Lakshmi Iyer
“Zoka as the Creative strikes a balance within its parameters of yin-yang, transformation and transience.”
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Zoka
This month, the Spotlight is on Janice Doppler’s path-breaking compilation One Thread, Zoka in Contemporary Haiku published in 2024.
So what is zoka?
In her introduction, Janice says quoting Steven D. Carter, “the one thread” that runs through the work of the masters is a “commitment to zoka, the creative” — the dynamic spirit that transforms the natural world and the inner workings of the cosmos. Kala Ramesh in her foreword to the book says zoka is the creative force of nature and calls it “Prakriti”, an ever-changing aspect of reality as per ancient Hindu belief systems. She quotes Hiroyuki Murakami about working on zoka. “… this state can only be achieved when the haiku poet looks deeply toward nature that never stops changing and, in a sense, toward the universe, to the extent that he or she becomes assimilated with the subject.”
The book is a collection of haiku written by poets from around the world who have presented their views and their own previously published poems that best embody zoka as they understand it. City-bred poets as most of us are, we seek both muse and solace in our brick-and-mortar lives, and in the little nature it provides. Attention to zoka therefore, is a practice that becomes necessary to cultivate, a skill important to be honed. From this stimulating anthology, I have attempted to choose haiku that blur the line between humanity and nature in a way that binds all of creation with one thread — zoka. Also included is a quote from the write-up of each featured poet.
Anju Kishore
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As Joanna Ashwell said, so many layers to this one. The transformation of paper from newspaper page to kite and Laksmi’s father from physical being to beloved memory. The transcience of the life of a person, paper, and even the string between hand and kite. The yin of a newspaper lying on a table to the yang of a newspaper kite in flight. This ku brilliantly shines a light on the energies of zoka in humans and non-human things.
Such a lovely ku!
This is beautifully done. The physical meeting the etheric - so many wonderful layers to this one.
Thank you Spotlight Team!! This poem is one of my favourites and a memory to remember of my father.. an expert in making kites and running along with it to give it a lift, on Makara Sankranti day. A thrill to catch the Firki - the spool of thread and shout, Kai Poche!!
I miss you Dad!!