CONNECTING CULTURES THROUGH POETRY

Adieu to
the Dawn!
Meena Chopra

‫ﺻﺒﺢ ﮐﺎ ﺳﻮرج ﺍب‬

‫ﻣﻴﺮﺍ ﻧﮩﻴﮟ ﮨﮯ‬
‫ﻣﻴﻨﺎﭼﻮ ﭘﮍﺍ‬

सबु ह का सरूज अब
मरेा नहीं है
Collection of Poems in Hindi

मीना चोपड़ा “The glimpses of the setting sun from my

childhood nostalgically dissolve in the
abundantly spread hues of the setting sun
on the skyline of this beautiful country,
Canada, to which I now belong and this
‫ﻧﻈﻤﻴﮟ‬ creates a new sunshine within. This
sunshine melts in me and flows out
in the form of verses. Distances fade;
my past becomes one with my present.
The rising sun of the East starts blending
into the setting sun of the West. The
directions merge into each other
fading into the moments beyond.”
किवता संकलन
-Meena Chopra

Multilingual poetry books

with drawings by the author.

Brampton Library celebrates the opening of the South Asian Heritage Month with
Poet, Artist & Educator Meena Chopra's
visit & special reading from her newly released multilingual poetry books.
Sunday, May 2, 2010 Time: 2:00pm - 4:00pm, South Fletcher’s Library, 500 Ray Lawson Blvd. Brampton ON, L6Y 5B3

Coming to Canada from her native India, artist and poet Meena Chopra’s intense search has taken
her far beyond boundaries in finding her new identity.
All are invited to enjoy the readings from Meena's newly published multilingual poetry books.1) subah kaa
suuraj ab mera nahin hai. (Adieu to the Dawn in Hindi, Urdu & Roman Script) 2) Ignited Lines. 2nd Edition
(English) The work is transliterated into Roman script by Hindi poet & writer Suman Ghai and transliterated
into Urdu script by Urdu poetess & writer Nasim Syed. Reading would be in English, Hindi & Urdu. Signed
books by the author will be available. Some of Meena's art would also be showcased during the event.

Hosted by Brampton Library , Canada To be launched in India in middle of July 2010*

RSVP: meenachopra17@gmail.com, Cell:905 819 8142, at India International Centre New Delhi sponsored
www.meenasartworld.blogspot.com by ‘Akshsaram’. (*Date to be announced)

Supported by: Hindi Writers’ Guild, CROSS CURRENTS Indo Canadian International Arts, StarBuzz
Learna Heartland Mississauga (Education Centre), South Asian Press Club, Aksharam(India)
 ” -Dr, Kailash Vajpeyi(India)

“Painting and poems go very well together. There is vitality in the forms, colours and the
words chosen by Meena Chopra. Here is a charming feast of lyricism in paintings and poems.”
-Dr. L.M. Singhvi

-Tejendra Sharma(England)

“A characteristic of her style is that physical sensations beautifully blend with abstract thought.
Yearning for fulfillment is attended upon by consciousness of fragmentation.” -Dr. Shalini Sikka,
The Quest, (India) 1996.
“She unveils shimmering facets of love, possession, mind and self with sensitivity.
She is delicate but strong, gentle yet sharp, vulnerable yet proud. Self-actualization
is more a matter of routine than effort; it is the moment beyond the ones of self
knowledge that she wants to live up to, and become, not a mererhapsody in search of
life but a rhapsody in search of the deeper self. In this sense she is her own Sun…”
-Gautam Siddharth, The Pioneer, (India) 28.9.1996
“The embryonic bond that she shares with nature forms is the keynote of her work. Words
freeze the impalpable fears, finding their refuge in the womb of earth”.
- First City Delhi, (India) 1999

” -Nasim Syed (Canada)

“As well known in art circles for her painting as her poetry – she often combines the two –
Chopra’s work focuses on the natural and abstractly emotional, showcasing a humanistic
philosophy she also applies to her personal life”.- J.P. Antonacci Mar 01, 2010,
Mississauga News
Meena Chopra Artist, Poet and a Community Person
An artist and poet, Meena has held several exhibitions nationally and internationally. She represented India
internationally on many occasions including SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation)
Artists Meet, New Delhi in 2002 She also represented Canada at the 7th International Hindi Utsav in December
2008 for NRI Literature in New Delhi, India. Apart from being a visual artist she has also curated various
art exhibitions.
She writes poetry in both English and Hindi. Her book of verse titled `IGNITED LINES', was released in London U.K. in 1996. Apart from various literary journals, magazines her
poems have been translated & published in some prestigious German literary magazines as well. Meenareceived Honorable Mention for her poetry from Mississauga Library Systems.
Meena has been the Secretary of Poetry Club of India and has been holding many volunteer positions in business and art organizations in the past. She has been on the judging
committee of various debates, beauty contests, Art competitions etc.
She was running an advertising agency in India before she immigrated to Canada about five years ago. She is the co-founder of a not for profit organization, CROSS CURRENTS Indo
Canadian International Arts with a mission of embracing diverse cultures and origins and bringing them on a common platform through art. The organization has had several successful
art events which includes a Canadian Visual Arts Exhibition held in India featuring Canadian artists & an international art festival BEYOND BOUNDARIES sponsored by the Ministry of
Citizenship & Immigration She is also the publisher of 'StarBuzz' an Entertainment and Lifestyle News Weekly which is published from GTA in Canada & also runs an after school
learning centre by the name of ‘LEARNA ’. She is an Artist-Educator from The Royal Conservatory School (The RCM) Ontario Canada.

From the book launch 28th Feb.20 10 - Hindi Poet connects Cultures - J.P. Antonacci March 01, 2010, Mississauga News.
....Chopra showcased poetry and paintings that reflect her Indian heritage and Canadian experience, in an approach
Indian Consul M.P. Singh called “unselfconsciously multicultural.” Mississauga-Brampton South MP, Navdeep Bains
acknowledged how anxious everyone, himself included, was to watch Canada take on the United States, but noted that
the presence of so many writers, artists and well-wishers from the Hindi community and beyond was a sign of support
for the cross-cultural connections Chopra advocates.“I consider Meena not only a poet and an artist, but a bridge-
builder,” said Bains of Chopra, “She does not recognize any borders – her experiences are universal,” agreed Suman
K. Ghai, a longtime friend and co-founder of the Hindi Writers Guild.
Contact: meenachopra17@gmail.com, Cell:905 819 8142, www.meenasartworld.blogspot.com