Normalising ties between Bahrain and Israel has led to a prize book of poetry finally being delivered to the participant of an international competition ... two years after she was acclaimed for her literary prowess.
The ‘forgotten’ gift popped through distinguished writer Rohini Sunderam’s Juffair letterbox much to her surprise on August 3.
“To my everlasting pleasure and delight I received the book! A fitting and lasting tribute to the positive power of friendship,” said Ms Sunderam.
The book of poems she received
“When I saw the envelope I immediately knew what it was. I’m delighted. I think postal communications are still magical. There is a sense of personal connection.”
The book titled A Second Decade of Poems from Voices Israel produced by a poetry group called Voices Israel arrived in an envelope inscribed in Hebrew.
The Hebrew letting on the package
It was awarded as a prize for her participation in the Poetry Super Highway annual international competition in 2019.
Susan Olsburgh, one of the sponsors, and the then-president of the group had been in contact with Ms Sunderam through email for the past two years trying to get the prize book to her.
Most of the time there was no direct postal service between Bahrain and Israel.
The UAE and Bahrain normalised ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords brokered by then-US President Donald Trump.
Sudan and Morocco have since also moved to establish ties with Israel. Relations between Bahrain and Israel are undergoing co-operation in economic, environmental and technical fields.
On hearing the news, Ms Olsburgh contacted Ms Sunderam again asking if she would still be interested in receiving her prize.
After a few more exchanges it was posted to Bahrain. In turn, Ms Sunderam plans to send one of her own publications, Five Lives One Day in Bahrain to Ms Olsburgh.
Ms Sunderam, a Canadian of Indian origin, has long standing connections with Bahrain.
The semi-retired advertising copywriter has lived in Bahrain for a cumulative 27 years and is currently ‘rediscovering the joys of writing both prose and poetry’.
Her stunning submission in 2019, called First Catch, highlights a day during a fishing holiday in Kullu Valley on the banks of the Beas river in India.
“The river runs between Manali and Largi and is famous for its majestic hills covered with forest,” Ms Sunderam explained. “Back in the early 1960s the Kullu Valley was relatively undiscovered and, as far as I recall, there weren’t any suitable hotels, so we camped in tents higher up the hill and walked down to the river every day in order to fish.”
An excerpt of the prized poem reads:
‘Our first catch of the day was all of six inches long
And it was mine.
Palpitating gills and wide eyes.
We put it in a bucket of Beas water to keep it fresh
Later, mama fried it along with the others we caught
Right there on the riverside in a pan on the primus stove
Everyone had a bit of my trout
The best fish I ever tasted, salted with success.’
As well as Five Lives One Day in Bahrain, Ms Sunderam has published several books of poems and prose, including Desert Flower (under the name Zohra Saeed) and Corpoetry, a collection of verse satirising corporate life, and her latest publication Twelve Roses For Love.
She is the former president of the Bahrain Writers’ Circle, and a big advocate for literary arts on the island.
Bahrain remains committed to the Arab Peace Initiative and the two-state solution leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and that the historic step taken by Bahrain aims to bring the region closer to achieving a just and comprehensive peace.
amal@gdn.com.bh
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