View source for A Stanza of Sunlight on the Banks of Brahmaputra

{{Short description|Book by Arnab Jan Deka}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox book | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Novels or Wikipedia:WikiProject_Books -->
| name         = A Stanza of Sunlight on the Banks of Brahmaputra
| title_orig   = Brahmaputrar Parot Ephanki Rhode (Assamese)
| image        = 
| caption = 
| authors       = Arnab Jan Deka and Tess Joyce
| country      = [[United Kingdom]], [[India]]
| language     = [[English language|English]] & [[Assamese language|Assamese]]
| genre        = [[British Literature]], [[Assamese Literature]]
| publisher    = Philling Books (UK), Spectrum Publications (India)
| release_date = 31 July 2009
| media_type   = Print ([[Paperback]]),
| pages        = 97
| isbn         = 978-81-83440-20-2
}}
'''''A Stanza of Sunlight on the Banks of Brahmaputra''''' is the first collaborative Indo-British bilingual book of poetry in English and Assamese, under the joint authorship of novelist, short-story writer, columnist and poet Arnab Jan Deka and poet, blogger and novelist Tess Joyce.<ref name="Utpal Barpujari">{{cite news|last1=Herald|first1=Deccan|title=Young Briton Takes up the Cause of Ol' Man River|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/29856/young-briton-takes-up-cause.html|accessdate=6 October 2015|date=11 Oct 2009}}</ref> The book received international recognition from publications in both England and India.<ref name="NELive">{{cite web |last1=Ghosh |first1=Arnab |title=Top 5 Contemporary Writers from Assam |url=http://www.nelive.in/assam/entertainment/top-5-contemporary-writers-assam |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131145548/http://www.nelive.in/assam/entertainment/top-5-contemporary-writers-assam |archive-date=31 January 2016 |accessdate=3 February 2016 |website=nelive.in |publisher=NE Live }}</ref><ref name="The Book Review">{{cite journal|last1=Kalyani|first1=N.|title=Poetry for Rhyme and Reason|journal=The Book Review|date=April 2014|volume=XXXVIII|issue=4|url=http://www.thebookreviewindia.org/author/arnab-jan-deka/2957.html|accessdate=6 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626110401/http://www.thebookreviewindia.org/author/arnab-jan-deka/2957.html|archive-date=2015-06-26|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Rashmi Sarmah">{{cite news |last1=India |first1=The Times of |date=10 Aug 2009 |title=Joyce kin on a mission to save Brahmaputra |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/joyce-relative-on-save-brahmaputra-mission/articleshow/4874511.cms |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626125529/http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib%3ALowLevelEntityToPrint_TOINEW&Type=text%2Fhtml&Locale=english-skin-custom&Path=TOIM%2F2009%2F08%2F10&ID=Ar01204 |archive-date=26 June 2015 |accessdate=6 October 2015}}</ref> This book was first published in 2009, in both the UK and India, by Philling Books (UK) and Spectrum Publications (India).<ref name="Biblio Books">{{cite web|title=A Stanza of Sunlight on the Banks of Brahmaputra|url=http://www.biblio.com/9788183440240|publisher=Spectrum Publication and Biblio Books|first1=Arnab Jan|last1=Deka|first2=Tess |last2=Joyce|accessdate=6 October 2015}}</ref>

==Background==
''A Stanza of Sunlight'' is a collaboration between [[James Joyce]] descendant Tess Joyce<ref name="Rashmi Sarmah" /> and well-known Indian poet Arnab Jan Deka. The book contains some poems composed in 2009 by British poet, environmentalist and novelist Tess Joyce together with some of the early poems of Arnab Jan Deka composed during his days as a student. Later the author's literary biography was incorporated in the End Century Edition of the Academy's publication ''Who's Who of Indian Writers 1999''.<ref name="Sahitya Academy">{{cite book|last1=Academy|first1=Sahitya|title=Who's Who of Indian Writers 1999 End Century Edition|date=1999|publisher=Sahitya Academy, Government of India|location=New Delhi|isbn=81-260-0873-3|page=304|edition=End Century Edition 1999|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QA1V7sICaIwC&q=bhabananda+deka&pg=PA304|accessdate=6 October 2015|ref=Sahitya Academy}}</ref>

The book's campaign focused on raising awareness of the ecological issues faced by the river, including pollution, floods and erosion, endangered species such as river dolphins, waste and pollution, and the planned construction of national and international dams on and around the river.<ref name="The Assam Tribune">{{cite news |last1=Tribune |first1=The Assam |date=27 Dec 2014 |title=Poetry by the Banks |url=http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/showpage.asp?id=dec2714%2C11%2C1083%2C162%2C330%2C1995 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402183644/http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/showpage.asp?id=dec2714%2C11%2C1083%2C162%2C330%2C1995 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |accessdate=6 October 2015 |publisher=Assam Tribune Private Limited |volume=76 |issue=352 |ref=Arindam Barooah}}</ref>

== Poetry ==
The book contains 24 poems by Deka and 21 poems by Joyce.<ref name="The Book Review" /> Joyce's poems are translated into Assamese by Deka, while Deka's poems have been translated into English by Joyce.<ref name="Rashmi Sarmah" />

Both poets' themes in the book revolve around the banks of the river Brahmaputra. The poems contain both scenic, evocative, and spiritual contents, and also highlights the environmental fragility of the river and its surrounding flora and fauna. Many of the poems are set in Assam, but several are set in other locations in India such as Delhi, Meghalaya, and Noida.<ref name="The Book Review" /><ref name="The Assam Tribune" />

==Critical reception==
Arindam Barooh wrote a review in ''[[The Assam Tribune]]'' that read "the mystical yet riveting Brahmaputra has always been the most liked metaphor in major literary works of several writers and poets, but, Arnab Deka’s and Tess Joyce’s poems have something unique to say to arouse readers’ inquisitive senses." Also noting that "the Poems are simple to read and easy to comprehend. Each of the poems is different from one another. Be its content, style of narration and imaginative aspect but, it connects and goes with the same motif."<ref name="The Assam Tribune" />

==Preservation at London Poetry Library==
The London Poetry Library, which collects and preserves books of poetry of high literary value, has preserved ''A Stanza of Sunlight on the Banks of Brahmaputra'' in its library in London.<ref name="Poetry Library, London">{{cite web|last1=London|first1=Poetry Library|title=Poetry Library News : Items added to the Poetry Library collection in November 2009|date=1 December 2009|url=http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/news/library/?id=573|website=poetrylibrary.org.uk|publisher=Poetry Library, London|accessdate=6 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924074946/http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/news/library/?id=573|archive-date=2015-09-24|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}
*http://www.deccanherald.com/content/29856/young-briton-takes-up-cause.html
*https://web.archive.org/web/20150626110401/http://www.thebookreviewindia.org/author/arnab-jan-deka/2957.html
*https://web.archive.org/web/20160304094310/http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib%3ALowLevelEntityToPrint_TOINEW&Type=text%2Fhtml&Locale=english-skin-custom&Path=TOIM%2F2009%2F08%2F10&ID=Ar01204
*http://www.biblio.com/9788183440240
*books.google.co.uk/books?id=QA1V7sICaIwC&pg=PA304&lpg=PA305&dq=bhabananda+deka&source=bl&ots=i-ma90ROIf&sig=fKygeEp5AZz_tpKaQbPyKDk0hBs&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Gfh7VKnJNsHo8AX2oIII&ved=0CE8Q6AEwCTha#v=onepage&q=bhabananda%20deka&f=false
*http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/showpage.asp?id=dec2714%2C11%2C1083%2C162%2C330%2C1995 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402183644/http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/showpage.asp?id=dec2714%2C11%2C1083%2C162%2C330%2C1995 |date=2 April 2015 }}
*http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/news/library/?id=573

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanza of Sunlight}}
[[Category:Assamese literature]]
[[Category:Indian poetry collections]]
[[Category:Poetry anthologies]]
[[Category:2009 poetry books]]