An evening with Haiku and Haibun

Mysore/Mysuru: Mysuru Book Clubs-2015 had organised a book launch at The Green Hotel in Jayalakshmipuram recently.

The book on Haibun titled ‘Jacarandas are a deep shade of blue’ was released by Kitty Mandana and the first copies were received by Dr. Pamela Sanath and Mysuru Book Clubs-2015  Founder-Chairperson Shubha Sanjay Urs.

Kitty Mandana ably engaged Prof. Nandini Manjrekar in a conversation about the book. Prof. Nandini Manjrekar, Dean, School of Education at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, introduced her late husband, Johannes Manjrekar’s autobiographical book with a collection of his haikus.

She explained how her husband referred to himself as “Mysuru Huduga’ because he spent his childhood in Mysuru and he always affectionately remembered the city and his days of growing up here.

This book, ‘Jacarandas are a deep shade of blue,’ compiled by Prof. Nandini Manjrekar exhibits what made Johannes Manjrekar one of the leading haibun (type of Haiku) practitioners.

She explained the Japanese tradition of Haiku poetry and its different forms. She also talked about her husband’s love for nature and photography. Nandini Manjrekar has included many photographs of her husband in this book.

The talk was attended by the Book Club members, other literary enthusiasts and also the siblings of late Manjrekar, who participated by reading selected parts of the book.

This was the first introduction of Haibun to the gathering.

Haibun is a prosimetric literary form that combines Haiku and prose. Though it originated in Japan,  it has captured  the global  literary world  and is an integral part of many literature forums.