PHOSPHENES Issue 3

PHOSPHENES MAY, 2022

05

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PHOSPHENES Editor's Note

by Pragya Gogoi

02

Author Interview

with Debarati Sen

05

Come, Fly With Me

with Rachana Narendra

08

A journey of Milestones - Ankita Bhatia

09

Artwork

- Mantasha Shaikh

13

Cover Star Story-Karon Gaines

14

Author Interview with Author Interview

Poetry by Fatima Amin Elizabeth Akinniyi Rameswari Mishra Kavshika Bargavi Tarshvi Ayana Trivedi Dhayaalini Gunasaigaran Sumana Acherjee Mukherjee

20

14

Cover Star Story- Karon Gaines

Book Recommendations

05

By Pragya Gogoi

NaPoWriMo'22 x EBA Winners

31 34 A Journey of Milestones-Ankita Bhatia

09

The month of April is one of my absolute favourite months because of NaPoWriMo. Poetry is perhaps one of the most beautiful and raw mediums of expressing a plethora of emotions from perspectives.

Editor’s Note I love poetry to death-its an indescribable form of solace and escape for me. Sadly, the engineer in me had to spend the majority of April writing thesis and research papers in place of poetry [cries in a corner :( ]. Hence I decided to make others explore and celebrate poetry instead with some of my prompt ideas. It was a random idea that struck my mind and I am so glad that the first ever NaPoWriMo hosted by me turned out to be so constructive and was warmly received by an incredible number of poets within and beyond India. I loved giving out the prompts and thank each and every poet who took out time to scribble a piece from their heart.

I am happy to bring out to you all the 3rd issue of PHOSPHENES published by Digital of EBA's NaPoWriMo'22 and many other interesting sections. International literary sensation

and

World

Record

Holder

Ka'Ron Gaines graces the cover of PHOSPHENES Issue 3. I express my sincere gratitude to all the jury members of NaPoWriMo'22 and all the participants of the event. Special thanks to Mr Abhishek Kapoor, CEO Digital Golgappa for making the publishing process so smooth.

PHOSPHENES| 02

Much Love, Pragya Gogoi Editor-in-Chief

Phosphenes Magazine

MAY 2022 | ISSUE 3

Golgappa. This issue reveals the winners

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PAGE 22

PHOSPHENES| 04

Author's Corner

About the Author Debarati Sen works in Presidency University Kolkata as a Junior Assistant

in

the

English

Department

and

has

completed

Masters in English from Presidency College Kolkata. She is a published poet, a columnist in Youth Ki Awaz, a freelancer at an

International

NGO,

a

Co-author

in

Amazon,

and

an

independent researcher in the genre of Disability Studies. Her debut

poetry

book

Blurred

Musings

has

been

recently

launched. She has also won the first prize in the International Poetry writing completion organized by the Elite Book Awards in November 2021. She is also the recipient of the Best Writer award by the Opus Talent Awards and has ranked among the top 10 poets chosen by Delhi Slam Poetry for their women’s day poetry writing competition. She has featured in the Year Book 2021 launched by Literoma on the occasion of Women’s day and

has

also

been

declared

as

anEmpanelled

Author

for

Literoma’s International Author’s Conclave. She has been a coauthor in more than 15 anthologies and is compiling her first anthology

named

Publishers.

PHOSPHENES| 05

Time’s

Tentacles

for

the

Quill

House

PHOSPHENES ISSUE 3

AUTHOR INTERVIEW DEBARATI SEN 1) What one thing would you give up to become a better writer?

Occasional bouts of self-doubt. I think like all creative minds I also experience moments of creative languor and these are the times I suffer from an acute sense of selfdoubt about my creative abilities.

However, I feel I need to give up such thoughts and channelize my energy and leisure in a better way by creating something beautiful rather than doubting my creativity.

3) Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly?

2) Do you view writing as a kind of spiritual practice?

4) What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Yes, of course. A fine piece of writing is like a delicate work of art that needs a lot of concentration and finesse. It is like a regular spiritual devotion that demands all our positivity and care.

A cup of brewing hot lemon tea and my room with its frescoed walls, and I am good to go. Also, I love to read poetries of poets from all over the world.

Various ideas that churn in my mind while reading that often find a passive reflection in my writings often believe the silence of the wee hoursnurture the creative endeavour within me.

PHOSPHENES| 06

As William Wordsworth had said in the Lyrical Ballads, “Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquillity.” So is the case with any form of writing. Thus a person who cannot feel emotions strongly can never become a good writer.

Writing is all about documenting one’s emotions and weaving them into words.

5) Tell us about one of your best works that you are extremely proud of.

9) What are common traps for aspiring writers?

Well, all my works are close to my heart, however, if I had to choose one, I would say I am proud of my research article on Disability Studies that got published in the legal online journal called ‘Law Mantra’’. Disability is still a taboo in our society and people with disabilities are subjected to many biases04. in their daily lives. Through my article, I had tried to raise an awareness of women with disabilities who are doubly marginalized by the so-called ‘abled’ society.

I have seen an increasing trend to pay various publishers these days to get your works published. I had fallen for this trap once. There are various agencies these days who allure you to pay for getting your work published, while a few of them are authentic, for the rest, I sincerely doubt if they are genuine publishers. Wait for the right time and the right platform to showcase your work. Don’t aspire for too much within a short span. Also, prioritize the quality of your work over quantity. It is not a race that you have to win.

6) If you could tell your younger self anything, what would it be?

I would suggest she dares to dream and that consistency is the key to success, be it in any genre05. in life. Also never give up on your dreams just because they are out of the box. Conventions can never be the validation of your dreams.

7) Do 02.you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

Yes, very often. They suggest I continue my writing journey despite all turmoil. A few of them give me ideas to write poetry on current issues like the war in Ukraine and the recent case of political upheaval in Bengal where several houses were burnt down as a result of political rivalry.

8) What was one of the most surprising things 03. you learned in creating your books?

In all my works memories and moments have played the central roles and I was surprised to see how my memory recollected all incidents with accuracy when I sat down to weave them into poetries.

PHOSPHENES| 07

10) What does literary success look like to you?

It is food for my soul. Basking in the glory of my creations feels like nurturing my child. Just like a mother becomes happy when her kid achieves success, I become overjoyed with my literary success. I am a government employee by profession and a writer by passion so with every success in the literary world my passion gets its wings to soar higher.

MUSING

WRITTEN BY

RACHANA NARENDRA

PHOSPHENES| 08

COME FLY AWAY WITH ME

It was a dark cloudy evening, I was sitting in the terrace of my house. Not a single man was seen in sight, Silence all around. I could not hear any noise except the chirping of birds flying in the sky. I tilted my head back and looked up at the sky and closed my eyes. At that moment a cold breeze blew. My mind felt very calm because of that frigid air and Many thoughts in my mind during that time like when those clouds are moving I wished to travel along those clouds, Seemed to play with the clouds, I felt like a bird flying in the middle of dark clouds. In the winter season, it felt like lying down wrapped in a warm blanket when the cool breeze came from the AC. But this wintry air coming from nature just made me enjoy it even more. Because the air coming from the AC and the air coming from nature are different. the air coming from the AC made me feel chilly rather than enjoying it. Remember once, How blissful it is to enjoy the cool fresh air that comes when it is cloudy. I felt very cheery at the time. Because there was no one around me at the time and I could hear nothing but the sound of trees swaying. It rained heavily all night. On the next day When I went out early in the morning, I saw a very pleasant weather. The sun, which had been hided behind the black clouds until yesterday evening, was shining bright yellow this morning. The sun’s rays come and falling on the green trees, making them glow more green. The wintry fresh air came and Made me even more hilarious. It seemed good to have such a pleasant atmosphere every day. All these memories made me feel like I was in the lap of nature.

Phosphenes

A JOURNEY

Ankita Bhatia

O F M I L E S T O N E S

PHOSPHENES| 09

Ankita Bhatia is a 21 year old International Award holder, hailing from New Delhi and resides with her mom and dad. Currently she is pursuing BSc second year and has completed Diploma in Travel and Tourism Management.

Designation : Entrepreneur (Founder of Shahanshah Publications and it's affiliates) , Writer and Student She has worked as Special Educator , Visa Consultant , Reservation Executive and Front Desk Executive in the corporate world. Currently she is working to grow her own firm Shahanshah Publications with its affiliates to provide different platforms for talent.

"THE GOAL OF MY LIFE IS NOT TO BECOME SOMEONE'S WIFE BUT TO BE MY PARENT'S PRIDE" ANKITA BHATIA "In many parts of world still Society thinks a women can do nothing or they say that girl is 20+ lets get her married But at age of 21 with God's grace and parents support I have achieved part of success which I deserve and I have penned "the goal of my life is not to become someone's wife But to be my parent's pride By keeping everything aside" so I will keep working hard for my parents."- Ankita I was always into debate competitions and hosting various programs at my school level When ever i used to go for auditions for same few of my classmates used to laugh ankita on stage hahaha...... Inspite of all these demotivations I crack those auditions and succefully came up as position holder whether achieving first position at district level nukad natak competition or second level in debate competition at school level *"demotivations should never push you back "-this thought made me keep moving and achieving* In Class 12th I started my Instagram blog to write something or other on daily basis so as to improve my vocabulary and give best in boards this writing journey continued then came *NaPoWriMo daily prompt competition in April 2020*

PHOSPHENES| 10

It is said that one should give 5 mins in a day to himself to analyse where he stand and if I analyse the reason behind my success then three answers come from my inner soul *first gods blessings, parents full support in whatever i wanted to achieve and my inner strength that says keep on giving try to everything new u come across daily*

A Journey of Milestones And so this NaPoWriMo gave me new prompts

Not only publication but till now on one

each

of

day

which

made

me

write

and

try

on

my

platform

Shahanshah

every prompt and I made it ,I wrote everyday

Awards

and my writing skills got more powerful...rightly

participated

said " daily practice makes a man perfect"

@_purposeoflife_by_ankita

Lockdown due to corona was surely a curse

@shahanshah.virtual.awards For Awards

2020 was surely the worst some lost there job

@shahanshah_publications

/business

for

and

blessing in disguise* many online competitions

Author

on

and

almost

all

nature

is

coz to

*as

I

I

took

mentioned

accept

new

in

year.

(Founder)

published as a Co Author , Compiler and

place

was

a

@_anthologies_by_ankita to get yourself

taking

loss

within

have

their

started

some

awardees

studies *but for me this lockdown was also a

insta

and

300+

Virtual

part

earlier

challenges

in my

@paw_photography_art_writing @_ankita_encourage_talent

for

paid and unpaid contests and magazine

and

improve myself with every new oppurtunity* I won

some

and

I

lost

some

of

these

online

competitions ,the reason behind competitions which I lost was *competitions were judged on basis

of

likes

and

comments

(engagement

basis) which was not write way to judge real talent*

and

this

came

as

Recent Achievements

an

*another

1)Meritorious Star of Year 2022 2)Winner of Prestigious Bankim Chandra Chatterjee Kala Saman , A Convocation

oppurtunity and a step towards success* And

surely

after

this

I

decided

to

start

Award

and

found my own community where i can get a chance to *reward the real talent the one who deserve to win for their talent and not for their likes*

this

gave

rise

to

my

*_ankita_encourage_talent expending

it

with

diffrent

own

community

on

Instagram

state

pages

to

provide internship only to females,the mission

3) Rabindranath Tagore International Prize of art and Literature 4)Some handful of what she has achieved in last one year and many more can be witnessed at her insta profile _purposeoflife_by_ankita, are as follows -Top 10 position in International Poetry Competition -2nd position in Hindi Debate School level

was simple women empowerment behind this female internship*

-2nd position in Hindi Nukkad Natak Zonals at district level

Then I started co authoring anthologies in June,

-1st Division (third position in Diploma of

here also i wanted to *grow to next level* I

Travel and Tourism management) in college

wanted

-Co authored and Compiled 10+ anthologies

to

have

name

on

cover

instead

of

limiting to be inside and then *I compiled my

-Won many online writing and photography

first

contests Campus Ambassador At IMUN

book

on

3rd

august

"rakshabandhan:

anokha bandhan* I started compiling nd co authoring many anthologies and till date i have

-Special Jury and sponsor at The Great podium -Face of The Great Podium

compiled and co authored 10+ anthologies *I mentioned n That my nature is competitive and

-Ground volunteer at raindrops foundation -Trophies and certificates at Sindhi Bal Utsav

was not to stick at one level but to grow and

in field of group dance,group song and

grow

group stage show/play

to

the

highest*

and

then

this

journey

gave rise of new oppurtunity for me *I started my own publication shahanshah_publications* and today 15+ are compiling under me

PHOSPHENES| 11

ANKITA BHATIA Awards/Titles till date : -Young Entrepreneur of Year 2020 award -Rabindranath Tagore International Prize of Literature and Art -Real hero in field of entrepreneur and author for year 2021 -BE the change awards by OMG book of records -Spectrum sahitya awards -Conquer the colleen: Young Achiever -Inspiring Women awards -Ms discipline award and student of year award at school level -TGP (The Great Podium) Glint awardee -India Prime top 100 rising author and entrepreneur award -I am Atma Nirbhar -Ms TGP(The Great Podium) Congenial

Magazine and Media Features: -Four times featured at Taare Zameen Par National magazine -Featured at Classico Opine international Magazine by Kenya Times -Featured at Merged Array magazine -Featured at Elysian Magazine -Featured in Mt Kenya Times Newspaper -Media feature by Fox interviewer -Twice audio interviews published on Spotify by The Great Podium -Cover story of success knocker Magazine Other Achievments : -Volunteer At Raindrops Foundation -Interview as Jury and Awardee on Spotify -Two live interviews on instagram as awardee and guest.

PHOSPHENES| 12

Artist of the Month

About the Artist Mantasha Shaikh is a young aspiring artist hailing from Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh. She was the runner up of International Art Competition organized

by Elite Book Awards Annual Carnival of Art and Literature 2021

PHOSPHENES| 13

COVER STORY

EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT! The man behind Woke Seed

GLOBAL SENSATIONAL AUTHOR

Karon Gaines

Ka'ron Gaines is an International literary star, world record holder and creator of the popular term "Woke Seed" who hails from Ypsilanti, Mi, USA . A man with diverse talents, Gaines is an acclaimed rapper who goes by the name MrOneGod and a distinguished actor taking the name Ka'Ron "MrOneGod" Gaines. He owns the clothing brand One God Clothing and publishing company One God Publishing.

PHOSPHENES| 15

PHOSPHENES MAGAZINE

" WOKE SEED THAT SOLD IN OVER 40 COUNTRIES." - Ka'Ron Gaines

The author is father to 6 biological children ( Promise , Destinee, Ma'Kayla, Ka'Ron Jr, Demitrius, and Kash) and 4 step children ( Skyann, Jeahya, Elianna, Trey).

Mr Gaines gained widespread popularity in the literary world with the release of his ground-breaking book - Woke Seed that sold in over 40 countries. Danna Love illustrated Woke Seed and also helped with editing, formatting and making the story a lot simpler for a child to read. She has her book "Hello Miss Leah" on Amazon which is available for purchase. She also has her clothing brand Danna Love Fashion in stores and online.

She is a rising model too.

Ka'Ron Gaines talks about his interesting journey in conversation with PHOSPHENES:

PHOSPHENES| 16

I set a world record by publishing and releasing 6 books on the same day partnered with my brothers Abhishek Kapoor of Digital Golgappa and Durlav Sarkar of Inkzoid Foundation. My two brothers inspire me so much I wrote a book about them called "My Brothers I Haven't Met Yet".

I'm the first person on the planet to put woke and seed next to each other, and then creating a definition for it. "A conscious being that spreads enlightenment to others for them to enlighten themselves" something I'm most proud about.

I'm releasing a music project this year called "OG" with a lot of tracks featuring my brother Donnie "Brand Nu" Ellison aka The Vocal Sensation.

We also have a Child Of Christ Tour we started after I created the children's book Child Of Christ. At our tour I read the book to the church, give a motivational speech to the youth, and then Brand Nu finishes with a gospel song. You can book us at Onegodpublishing.com or onegodpublishing@gmail.com

PHOSPHENES| 17

This summer I'm starting back up my programs for the youth Grades Is Money School Tour and Our Community Cleanup Crew. Both programs educate our youth on accountibility in school and in their neighborhoods. I'm so excited for this because Covid really slowed down the movement the past couple of years. Being an Ex Commissioner I feel while not holding a current seat you still have obligations.

" I have now stepped into the executive side of the literary world by publishing my first global international book with my company One God Publishing."

This summer I'm starting back up my programs for the youth Grades Is Money School Tour and Our Community Cleanup Crew. Both programs educate our youth on accountability in school and in their neighborhoods. I'm so excited for this because COVID really slowed down the movement the past couple of years. Being an Ex Commissioner I feel while not holding a current seat you still have obligations.

I have now stepped into the executive side of the literary world by publishing my first global international book with my company One God Publishing. I partnered with the queen Elizabeth Akinniyi out of Lagos, Nigeria with her amazing book "Intangible Hearts Forever" (A Father's Love). This book is so cinematic it could definitely use a film created based on it and it's storyline. A man's wife dies at childbirth. His daughter gets older then kidnapped while having being rebellion toward her father.

The limits he crosses just to get her back is amazing. You can purchase this book on Amazon, Google Books, and many other platforms worldwide. This book will definitely be a award winning and best seller

PHOSPHENES| 18

GOAT DRIP CLOTHING

BY THE GAINES BOYS

My final project I am overly excited about is my son's new clothing brand Goat Drip Clothing. You can follow them on all social media platforms @Goatdripclothing. Seeing them create has given us a new foundation to bond more and stronger. I am so proud of Ka'Ron Gaines Jr, Demitrius Gaines, and Kash Gaines aka "The Gaines Boys".

Goat Drip stands for G oals O pportunities A ffirmations T rendsetting D iversity R oyalty I nspiration P ersistance

PHOSPHENES| 19

Poetry Corner

Depression, Desperation -ByTarshvi Ayana Trivedi I draw a slender line between depression and desperation.

I've been curing depression with ease while still unsure of desperation.

It has been showing like freckle on my fragile impersonation I never hide.

I live parallel to surging and disintegrating hues of sustaining, positioning amidst destruction.

I resemble into a fixture of canvas kept in the corner of a storing room with other undesired scraps, painted with strokes of grime, trying to be a masterpiece amongst the dreck.

I adore myself for a while, minding away tactics.

I shrug down the pattern, returning to the glare of desperation, blankness, waiting for the grime to paint me again, later.

PHOSPHENES| 21

Tarshvi is an engineer in becoming. She has been a writer since she was 10. She is fond of reading and writes to be lost and later, found in her poetries.

Let Me Sink -ByFatima Amin I will sink.

I'll come to life, down, among the plankton I will move my senses there.

The shell will be my home I will travel the waves and get to know the world on the move, constantly, I won't think about the sky.

The bottom of your ships will become my clouds, I'll follow you on your travels.

I will be your shadow in the oceans.

Dolphins, whales and all creatures, down, they will carry me and will not betray me.

And when the storms come, I'll be down.

Stay up, above, and live Don't look for me, and don't ask too much.

I'm happy here, for the first time.

PHOSPHENES| 22

Unheard Musings author, Fatima Amin writes sweet, fun, and soothing poetries.

Her tales are motivating and fearless.

Fatima Amin, a 19 y/o hijabi author from Aligarh is a National Best Selling Author of the year 2020.

Life -By Rameswari Mishra

Celebrate every tiny moment of happiness, They will blossom into abundance.

Face every fear, with courage, They will free your soul with a lot of power.

A Software Engineer in profession and poetess by Live every now, heart. Inner Engineered, yogi Because there is no tomorrow. and isha volunteer. An active Love every spec of life around, volunteer of conscious planet as an EarthBuddy and Bhumitra.

You won’t have anything to hold negativity for.

You are the magic of creation, Treat yourself like you are a king/queen.

You don’t need anyone's approval, You have everything to become what you need to serve the world.

Your true purpose of life is not to make anyone Happy or to hold on to anything.

You are here to grow into the "YOU" , Who doesn't know how to stop ever...

Who doesn't need approval from the outside world to decide how to feel inside.

Who doesn't need a certificate from the outside world to do what you meant to do.

Who is a flow of energy, love and care for no reason...

Because that's what you really are, irrespective of where you are. irrespective of how you are...

You are not a gender specific, You are not a religion specific, You are not any opinion of heroic, You are just a spec of "CONSCIOUS" life...

In love with every being.

Be open to embrace life and it's magic, Being a student forever...

PHOSPHENES| 23

The Loyal Friend -By Elizabeth Akinniyi Now and then, at a certain time, we all get to meet someone who makes us become the better version of ourselves.

When they step into the scene of our lives, we don’t Elizabeth akinniyi is a passionate poet understand at first why they have to be in our lives. and writer who lives in Lagos Nigeria. she is a Pranic healer, life coach, and Cos their presence brings a shift that is unprepared writer, she loves writing as it gives her the chance to express herself as a voice for. to teach, motivate, educate and inspire her readers.

They are the ambassador of light shining brightly against the vices and obstacles that darken our path.

I know a friend who will give his money to feed the poor, he will give to his friends cheerfully without asking in return.

I envy the zeal with which he put a smile on people’s faces and when they give him thanks for all he’s done.

He shrugs it away like it’s no big deal.

I never understood why he had to go hungry to feed someone starving?

Why did he never want to take credit for his generosity?

After fidgeting for so long on why, he’s so generous, Then, I asked him why does he do what he does?

He smiled happily and said, life is not only about you, but what you do for others that add meaning to their lives.

Life is all about giving and taking. As you give, you receive.

There’s so much joy you get in within when you see that smile.

Having all the money in the world does not guarantee your happiness, but what makes you happy is sharing what you have with others. sometimes, it’s not about you but others…

Learn to lend a helping hand in any way you can and you see your worldchanging.

PHOSPHENES| 24

The Loyal Friend -By Elizabeth Akinniyi

Those words hit my heart like a fiery dagger, piercing every inch of my heart.

For days, my mind keeps echoing his words like a repeated playing tape.

I toss back and forth in my bed for days, wondering what he meant and How do I do it?

But today, time has taught me that the path of service starts within you.

To change the world, change yourself first…

You can’t be a light to others when your path is covered with darkness.

We all have to discover who we are before we can bring a change in this life That’s called purpose. That’s how I found purpose with my friend’s generosity.

We all get to meet someone who brings us to what we want to be or brings the best out of us….

When you meet someone who brings you to purpose, please love them like the air you breathe.

PHOSPHENES| 25

Stranger to enemy -By Dhayaalini Gunasaigaran First, we were strangers Then I become your best friend I started to destroy your immune system Killing people is my hobby I love to play with your feelings, baby Sometimes I triggered you with hallucination You were flying in imagination I knew that you will die with me Also, you can't survive without me Death is waiting for you I will travel with you until your last breath - I'm your lovely drug

PHOSPHENES| 26

Dhayaalini Gunasaigaran is from Malaysia and pursuing diploma in nursing. She has been writing poem for 4 years since she was 17 years old. She has composed many short poems and long poems on her Instagram page @dhayaalinidhayaa.

Untitled -ByP.Kavshika (Bargavi) Do you know how many times I controlled my anger and outbursts my emotions in paper with pen instead of pulling the trigger against this stupid superstitious society?

You Make me to nod at every awful and disgusting circumstances without asking my consent .

Don’t you have any conscience?

You are Bucket of crime in the fame of culture!

Proving yourself every time to the brought up parents is one of the toughest deeds for every children.

It might lose their confidence in trusting themselves .

Threatening the child in the name of parenthood makes the adulthood more miserable.

Both Paternity and Maternity needs more and more Maturity than being stuffing the strict do’s and don’t’s .

The Term ,”Marriage “ is the paid partnership business between two families and the interesting fact is where the two innocent victims mess up with each other day and night and its mandatory to share their privacy whom you don’t even know except their Income and Astrological background.

The biggest scam and shame is its Parents permitted prostitution inorder to built the nest and breed their legal heir. The saddest part is there is no habit of asking consent whether they are happy from both bride and groom How gigantic may be the gibberish love ? Can change the cleverest crown into crazy clown . Yup! It’s capable to Call off your pride !

PHOSPHENES| 27

If not Bharthi,then there is no Bargavi She is Madurai resident. She is a third year student of Commerce. "Virtue that is the seed of imagination is found in poetry"."Let your tale be the only talk of the world""Destruct the dictionary rule your words""Nor every failure is curse Not every success is blessPure bliss is not giving up""Educate your pen to pen more interesting adventures let the articles speak about your upcoming achievements"

Untitled -ByP.Kavshika (Bargavi) Choosing over kindness eventhough constantly being humiliated by our closed ones for the sake of p created Bondness never gonna be showcast your Unconditional love, unlearn that The Self you learnt The Already Gained Self you lost From the Same Person in Same Situation can make you feel dump from losing Interest in getting along with you . The blame is upon you for letting others taking your self sufficient freedom

PHOSPHENES| 28

The Essence of Womanhood -BySumana Acherjee Mukherjee At first glance, you might think she’s an ordinary woman, but you couldn’t be more wrong.

There’s no such thing as an “ordinary woman”- only what you choose to see.

Beautifully complex and wonderfully chaotic, a woman can capture your heart, thrill your spirit and enchant your mind..

But that’s just the beginning.

You think she’s just a lady with simple needsBecause you haven’t really looked past her eyes..

Into her soul.

You haven’t plunged into the depths of her desires, hidden where few will see them…until you dig deeper.

Reveal the secrets that she buries behind her walls..

And you’ll begin to finally see her truth, you’ll start to uncover the depths of her soul….

The wonderfully undeniable but sometimes enigmatic scent of her inner beauty that will intoxicate you as you unravel her mystery.

The flesh yields so little of her essence, That, until you delve deeper, You won’t begin to understand the wonder of a woman that she is underneath it all.

She has layers that unfold as the delicate rose..peel them away to reveal the wonder of all that she is.

But make no mistake, she’s the toughest version of delicate.

She doesn’t settle for leftovers and expects your very best.

She won’t compete for your attention and she’ll never be “just an option.”

She puts up walls not to keep others out, But to see who cares enough to tear them down.

Her beauty truly just starts in the mirror..

PHOSPHENES| 29

Sumana Acherjee Mukherjee is an award winning poet and author from Kolkata. She is a Post Graduate in English who started out her career in the most noble profession being a teacher. But somewhere deep in her heart her love for writing always kept her one step ahead to give her words a mouth. She established herself as a published author with her two books Life Through My Eyes and The Moment of Joy

The Essence of Womanhood -BySumana Acherjee Mukherjee Each level you uncover reveals another layer of profundity that lies untouched and unloved.

Find her passions and you’ll discover her heart.

Touch her heart and you’ll see the gateway to her spirit.

Inspire her imagination, make love to her mind and penetrate her soul.

Do those things, Venture where the other men before never cared to explore or made the effort – Appreciate, respect and try to understand her.

And you’ll find a beauty unlike any you’ve ever known.

That’s when I suggest this: Never let her forget she’s loved.

Never let her forget she’s beautiful.

Never let her forget she’s special.

Most of all?

Never let her go.

You’ll be glad you didn’t.

Beyond the glitz and glamor, Bad hair days and wondrous chaos, She’s a splendid mystery waiting to be unraveled.

You’ll spend the rest of your life realizing why I say..

The real beauty of a woman is truly endless

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BOOK BOOK

RECOMMENDATIONS RECOMMENDATIONS

EIC-Pragya Gogoi's handpicked books to add to your list this year.

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

The Kite Runner

By Khaled Hosseini The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, caught in the tragic sweep of history, The Kite Runner transports readers to Afghanistan at a tense and crucial moment of change and destruction.

A powerful story of friendship, it is also about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies.

Since its publication in 2003 Kite Runner has become a beloved, one-of-a-kind classic of contemporary literature, touching millions of readers, and launching the career of one of America's most treasured writers.

Read less

The Last Gift

By Abdulrazak Gurnah From the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature, an astounding meditation on family, self and the meaning of home.

Abbas has never told anyone about his past-before he was a sailor on the high seas, before he met his wife Maryam outside a drugstore in Exeter, before they settled into a quiet life with their children, Jamal and Hanna.

Now, at the age of sixty-three, he suffers a collapse that renders him unable to speak about things he thought he would one day have to.

Jamal and Hanna have grown up and gone out into the world. They were both born in England but cannot shake a sense of apartness. Hanna calls herself Anna now, and has just moved to a new city to be near her boyfriend. She feels the relationship is headed somewhere serious, but the words have not yet been spoken out loud. Jamal, the listener of the family, moves into a student house and is captivated by a young woman with dark blue eyes and her own complex story to tell. Abbas's illness forces both children home, to the dark silences of their father and the fretful capability of their mother, Maryam, who has never thought to find herself-until now.

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BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

Anxious People

By Fredrick Backman Looking at real estate isn’t usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can’t fix their own marriage. There’s a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can’t seem to agree on anything. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment’s only bathroom, and you’ve got the worst group of hostages in the world. Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets, and passions that are ready to boil over. None of them is entirely who they appear to be. And all of them—the bank robber included—desperately crave some sort of rescue. As the authorities and the media surround the premises, these reluctant allies will reveal surprising truths about themselves and set in motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next.

Where the Crawdads Sing

By Delia Owens For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the socalled Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life—until the unthinkable happens.

Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder.

Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

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PHOSPHENES

A GLIMPSE OF

EBA x NaPoWriMo'22 “What is a poet? An unhappy person who conceals profound anguish in his heart but whose lips are so formed that as sighs and cries pass over them, they sound like beautiful music."

- Soren Kierkegaard The month of April holds a significant place in the lives of all the writers, especially poets who love challenging themselves with a variety of prompts and themes to weave beautiful poems. April is globally celebrated as the National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo) across the writing communities where the poets write one poem everyday throughout the whole month. Initially started in 2003 by US based poet Maureen Thorson as a personal writing goal for her blog, it soon garnered popularity among the poets and writers in various corners of the world. Over the years, manifold communities/websites/literary forums and pages have adopted variegated ways of conducting NaPoWriMo for poets with a plethora of interesting and thought provoking, creative writing prompts and other ideas.

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Elite Book Awards- a popular digital literary platform promoting talents in the art and literature field hosted their debut NaPoWriMo poetry contest this year in a unique way with their media partner and India’s most trusted digital media agency Digital Golgappa. In an attempt to let the poets explore their creativity and celebrate poetry, Team EBA gave them the liberty of choosing not just 30 prompts for 30 days but a list of 70 prompts that they could experiment with and choose from in order to write their pieces within the stipulated time frame of 1 month. As a tribute to legendary writer and poet Virginia Woolf, The Virginia Woolf Memorial Poetry Prize 2022 was constituted by EBA to honour the Best Poet of the Month.

PHOSPHENES

A GLIMPSE OF

EBA x NaPoWriMo'22 Kolkata based writer and poet Lagnajita Paul became the proud recipient of this year’s Virginia Woolf Memorial Poetry Prize 2022 and was honoured with the title of “Best Poet of the Month”. Poets Niyoshi Parekh from Mumbai and

Rank 7- Indira Guha Patra and Shishira Srinivasa Rank 8- Dr Aswin Shaji and Piyali Mitra Rank 9- Samata Dey Bose and Abinaya K Rank 10- Fahad Khalique and Ajola Ganesan

Debarati Sen from Kolkata were declared as the first and second runner ups of the contest respectively whose results were declared on 8 th May. The event that was conducted on an international level had 110 valid participants in total with majority of participants from India and a handful of participants from Africa, United States of America, Pakistan and United Arab Emirates.

Additionally, 6 Honourable Mention titles were awarded to Elizabeth Akinniyi, Sumana Acherjee Mukherjee, Ayana Mukherjee, Yashi Lath, Sunayana Kayastha and Angarika.

The team will soon be publishing an anthology of the Top 50 poems of this year’s NaPoWriMo in association with their publishing partner Digital Golgappa that will be available online on Amazon and few other channels.

The top 10 rank holders in the contest were as under: Rank 1- Lagnajita Paul Rank 2- Niyoshi Parekh Rank 3- Debarati Sen Rank 4- Dr Romila Chitturi and Ali Ashhar Rank 5- Rumman Amatul and Nikita Motwani Rank 6- Indrani Chowdhury and Sangeeta Kumari

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“Art is the only serious thing in the world.

And the artist is the only person who is never serious.”

—Oscar Wilde

PHOSPHENES An international magazine of art and literature

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