Dr. Amitabh Mitra wrote a Semi-Autobiographical Collection of prose poems and charcoal drawings back in 2015, titled, "Stranger Than a Sun", writing his experiences in the trauma sector North East India, Kingdom of Bhutan, Niger, Zimbabwe and South Africa. If you are interested in in his book, it can be found on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-than-Sun-Amitabh-Mitra/dp/0620552964/
Amitabh Mitra was influenced by William Dalrymple's book on Delhi, City of Djinns, his charcoal sketching is titled, "Gwalior Memories.' Also included below, on page 43 of his book, "Stranger Than a Sun", his poem of Old Delhi. On page 44, another poem from "Stranger Than a Sun", also included.
Dr. Amitabh Mitra recently wrote 'The Crossing', a poem in regards to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, he has given ILA permission to feature.
THE CROSSING
I remember giving cricket kits
to children of the white desert
the chieftain's wrinkled face use to lit up
after all, we are in Chaman
'Allah's garden'
sometimes even I went
just to see children play
Spin Boldak
is the white desert
where there are no more children
the whiteness has turned grey
a sun was shot down
Afghans holding to these
pieces
cross on to Chaman
where today there is no sun, too
hope is only a dying sun
cricket bats trampled
broken
a child cries
© 2021
Below, a poem on the Panjshir Valley: PANJSHIR far beyond far beyond the Hindu kush craggy corridors to many heavens where a sun never sets fearing a takeover by dragons of the night Panjshir Valley in stark verdant green beckons such indifferent dreams such radical belief a sniper bullet from its many caves keeps a legacy open to its rushing rivers to its unchanging horizons to eternal freedom © 2021
Dr. Amitabh Mitra is a trauma surgeon at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital in Eastern Cape, South Africa. He is also a poet, artist and publisher. As a widely published poet in web and print, he has held many exhibitions of his poetry art. 'A Slow Train to Gwalior' is a CD of his ten most popular love poems recited against a background of Indian and African traditional music. You can read more about Dr. Amitabh Mitra on his website: Amitabh Mitra