“Streams of Consciousness,” was first published in 2012, as an anthology that spanned a period of almost 50 years of writing spread over multiple countries. These poems, an expression of personal sentiment, deal with an array of emotions – love, wonderment, angst, anger, resignation, frivolity, candor, spirituality, and finally the search for eternal bliss.

Readers have requested more poems in the same vein – a continuum of sorts. Thus, this second edition with an added chapter of new poems, with a foreword by poet and freelance writer, Devika Syal.

Being one of the first Asian Indian poets to be published in East Africa, Syal was widely written about. The late Professor Bahadur Tejani commented, “Syal has the spiritual courage to enter the dreadful labyrinth of African past… His precise versification hits the reader like a tank salvo…” Noted African writer, Taban Lo Liyong, commented that Syal’s work is, “…full of fire and passion and poetry and philosophy…awake to the ripples of long ago and shores of past and passing.”

African Quilt, which had its first printing under the aegis of Dog Ear Publishing in 2012, and which was published for the East African Educational scene in 2015 by the East African Educational Publishers Ltd., has now been released for the international market by Goldtouch Press.

The book is a collection of ten stories that explore the vast canvas of the Asian-Indian experience in Kenya through the 20th century. The authors, Harshi Syal Gill and Parvin D. Syal, penned five stories each, drawing on personal experience and letting their imagination wander over the landscape of the country of their birth. The stories have a panopoly of humor, pathos, injustice, political exploitation, and wonderment in an age of innocence, and self-discovery.

The characters, whose lives are subtly, but often dramatically, affected by their surroundings and the political climate in a changing country, are ordinary in their origins, but rise to the pinnacles of personal triumph, and leave a mark on society.

While much has been written about Buddha and His philosophy, a dramatic representation of His life is relatively scarce. A one-man show, Buddha – A Fantastic Journey; a musical opera – The Life of Gautam Buddha, are probably rare examples of any attempts to depict Buddha’s life on stage. There is a mediocre You-Tube dramatization for film, but the recent dramatization of His life for TV, produced by B.K. Modi, is perhaps the most in-depth representation of His life and teachings on film.

When God Minus: The Light of Asia was first written by Harshi Syal Gill and Parvin D. Syal, more than 30 years ago, specifically for production in Kenya, numerous challenges were faced by the producers, not the least of which was objection by some Buddhist monks that it would be sacrilegious for a human being to portray the ‘part’ of Buddha. Despite most challenges, however, being overcome, the play never made it to the stage at the time. At present, a ‘dream team’ is being set up as part of the Asian African Heritage Trust to revive the play’s maiden production.

The poems in this collection have been written over a span of several decades. The journey of the poet’s life are reflected, like shifting images, through expressions of love and passion, of longing and loss, of hope and despair, of spiritual realization and peace. The poems delve deep into her soul as she seeks outwards and inwards for her self and the vitalizing force within her that gives her life equilibrium and meaning.

Many poems are spontaneous responses to the simple things that surround us – things that are largely unnoticed except by a poet, in whose realm poetic sentiments are evoked and expressed. Such responses are best captured by the haikus between each of the collection’s seven parts.

The dreams of Los Angeles, the calm of London, the anonymity of Las Vegas – these are things Devika Syal noticed from a young age and grasped on to, even though she couldn’t yet understand them. Now join an older, more seasoned Devika on her journey as she uses these cities as a foundation to build her own home and create a visual landscape of emotion and color.

Los Angeles unfolds like a diary, while London becomes a nostalgic battleground of longing and words unsaid. Meanwhile, Las Vegas emerges as a new world and an oasis within a desert destined to create quiet among crowds and serenity among bright lights and loud electric slot machines.

There is more than meets the eyes within these three big and famous cities. The only difference is between those who participate and those who choose to look. Triple L is the debut poetry collection by Devika Syal.

This anthology of poetry comprises poems which were composed in different countries over a span of almost fifty years. The poems, though an expression of personal emotion and sentiment, are also a commentary on the various periods and places the poet has experienced.

The anthology, divided into five sections, follows the allegorical origin of streams – Fountain- head as streams of normal consciousness – and course through Cataracts, being streams of abnormal consciousness; Eddies as streams of unconsciousness; Forks being streams of mystical consciousness, and finally, Deltas as streams of sublime consciousness, when the river merges into the ocean.

2020 shall be known as the year that was truncated by the COVID 19 virus, and the devastating effect it had globally. It was also the time of lockdowns and curfews. It was during a three-week period of confinement at home due to a lockdown that this collection of poetry One Zero Eight was conceived and written. The poet drew on his life’s experiences to pen 108 poems, which are a commentary on the events, places and personalities that influenced and etched a lasting impression on the poet.

This collection is an allegory – it uses the metaphysical and quantum-physical aspects of the numbers One Zero Eight. The interpretation is: One for Ego and creation; Zero for the void of death and regeneration; and Eight for infinity.

This collection is a travelogue – it recounts the different places the poet has traveled through in Africa, India, South-East Asia, Europe, and North America.