Yellow Leaves Falling- Selected Poems

About the Author Bijay Kishore Sundar Ray was born in 1949 and belongs to Bhubaneswar. He joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1972 and held important positions in the undivided Madhya. Pradesh. When the state was bifurcated in November, 2000, Mr. Ray was allocated Chhattisgarh cadre, The burdens of administration never affected his love for literature. His first volume of English Poetry "Dream Songs and Shadows" revealed his longing for love, beauty and relationships. Later he wrote "Romance of the Recluse" reaffirming his faith in poetry's strength to discover the undiscovered self. He wrote his first novel "The Revolutionary" while handling the challenging assignment of Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Chhattisgarh against the backdrop of growing Naxalite violence. His close encounters with the left-Wing Extremism prompted him to write a poetry collection, "Terror Must Die".

Mr. Ray wrote two collections of short stories "The Platform Man" and "The Stranger" that reflected his search for love and encounters with despair.

According to Ray, a single-minded devotion to literature is liberating experience. His love for poetry has risen to new heights in the two poetry collections "Meaning of a Midnight" and "Yellow Leaves Are Falling" Mr. Ray Lives in Raipur (Chhattisgarh) where he intends to pursue his literary activities.

Preface My love for English poetry remains unabated. After writing my first collection "Dream Songs and Shadows", there had been no looking back. Subsequent collections such as "Romance of the Recluse" and "Terror Must Die", formed an integral part of my poetry-writing drive. While "Romance of the Recluse" was manifestation of love, relationship and existence, "Terror Must Die" was a bold proclamation against terror and violence.

My poetry collection "Yellow Leaves Are Falling" relates to loneliness, love and a search for existence. I am at a loss to deny the fact that some of my poems do relate to my personal experiences.

My friends, well-wishers and close relatives have always inspired me to write poetry. Whatever I write, shadows of my late wife Sanghmitra fall over my writings. My elder brother Ajay and sister-inlaw Suprabha had been very supportive to me. My close family friends Dhananjay and Uma have always inspired me to write more and more. I owe a heavy debt to them. My two daughters Sunanda and Urvashi happen to be a part of my creative world with their constant encouragements. "Your poetry must shake the world" they tell me.

**Contents and Sample Pages**