NEW FEATURE: The Poetry of Naunihal Singh Layal

EDITOR’S NOTE: In 1974 when I was in New Delhi a best friend and mentor of mine was Gian Singh, an editor of The Hindustan Times Evening News. He told me about his uncle who he felt was a little eccentric, Naunihal Singh Layal, who had self-published a few volumes of poetry. Some of it was quirky. I met his uncle who gave me a book.

I cherished that book. And today, as I among others feel the crush of the recession, I found the book I had lost so many years ago. I had it with me in a box sitting in my condo in San Diego for many years. The pages are fallling out. And this private poet, is most likely forgotten.

So as a special TMV project I’m going to put his poems here on TMV. Some long, Some short. And this way — on the Internet — he will never be forgotten.

The book he published was Varieties of Thoughts & Tastes – published in 1964 in New Delhi.

Let Us Love and Live

Let us love and live,
Forget hate and hit,
Give up, quarrel and kill,
Let us love and live.

Let us prosper and thrive,
Strengthen and unite,
By doing good and right,
Spreading love and light.

Let us, take and give
What is, good to give
Give, for sake of give
Let us love and live.

Let us work and earn,
Let us spend to learn
For good cause, spend
Make it your trend
To work, earn and give
Let us love and live.

Protect the unprotected,
Shelter, the unsheltered
Clothe the naked
with shirt or jacket,
Feed the hungry,
Quench, the thirsty
Are the means to give
Let us love and live.