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If anything this century has taught us that by rationalism, consumerism, individualism and the likes, we have become addictive and corrupt. Dr. Pompeyo Carlos Andrade in his foreward on the book "Poems for the Third Millennium" by Hillol Ray.

Mystical Threshold bounces with the Change of Millennium

The ‘Rhyme Wizard’ Hillol Ray meticulously presents one hundred and twelve poems in his recent anthology entitled "Poems for the Third Millennium". It reveals the significance of economics, religion, education, human dignity, and a pollution free environment. The poems in this book harmoniously transcend the cavalcade of emotional issues that have boggled the poet’s mind over many decades and thus seasoned him to conduct subtle analysis based on the historical perspective intertwined with the technological advancement. Realizing the impacts of hidden meanings buried in these beautiful poems, Dr. Pompeyo Carlos Andrade, Professor of Neuroscience and Anthropology from Guayaquil, Ecuador, in his foreword to this book observes that "if we want to become real human, we must renew the old emotions of the past. If anything this century has taught us that by rationalism, consumerism, individualism and the likes, we have become addictive and corrupt. It is evident that addictions to power, to chemical stuffs, to greed and manipulation are bringing mankind to its self destruction." From the very onset, the readers of this book get the chilling mesmerization of poet’s intricate balancing of imagination and crude reality with which he weaves the thoughts in these poems. It is visible particularly in the poem entitled ‘Province of the Women’, the poet declares: "The sweetest dreams of mine today softly whisper in my ears and tell me all about the new millennium dawn/ When the women will govern to carry the men through the enlightened path and use them as their only pawn." Indeed, empowering women in their province will bring positive assurance to promote the gender equality in the next millennium. By the way, Professor Andrade has already translated this book into Spanish and he continues to use these poems as a text material for his classes.

Hillol's poems demonstrate that he is not only a "Poet of Ecology", but also a "Poet of Neuroscience"; and by virtue of his visionary expressions, his poems are treasureable and definitely saturate the readers hearts with emotion, followed by the decision making about the priorities of life. At times, the poet (and also an Environmental Engineer by profession) had vehemently expressed his inner mind and taken the liberty of saying: "It is the fact that life has never been a bed of clover, and I am sure, it will never be) But the deception of rights, irrespective of rich and poor, God doesn’t prefer to see" (Mountain of Hope).

As a "Poet of Ecology", Hillol Ray literally suffers mankind and its follies. The fruit of his thoughts on this aspect delivered two poems, "Earth Day" and "Global Warming" which had made him an "overnight" sensation. This also brought in personal compliments from the U.S. President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Jr., and many other public figures around the world. To pay tribute to a "true friend" of the environment, he composed "Father of the Silent World (In memory of Jacques-Yves Cousteau) and received personal appreciation from Madame Francine Cousteau, President of the Cousteau Society, Inc. in Paris, France. On another occasion, he expressed his reverence by wishing a happy 87th birthday to Mother Teresa and her lifelong services to the "poorest of the poor". Two days prior to her death, Mother Teresa replied with her blessings to the poet from Calcutta, India.

In Dr. Andrade words: "Old poets were considered to be Quasi-divine. It is about time that we hear the intuitive voice of the poet that creates joy and suffering this vision that can carry us to the Promised Land... The message should come across and it should help us to create the communities of love - the big tribe of mankind. It is a very appropriate time to listen to Hillol’s prophetic and didactic poems for the third millennium."

Among the other poems, "Prisoner of Hope" clearly paints the poet’s deeper feelings with a profound thought and anticipation of human endeavors. The poem somewhere reads: "Still, I am nothing but a tiny walking shadow now, beneath the human trees on our global map/ Where my mighty hands are tied with strings of thoughts, bemused by a daring pen on my lap/ At times, I feel like thunder; but sometimes, I like to set sail on dark clouds or in torrential rain/ And swiftly wash away the polluted globe with human minds drenched with nagging pain." Two other poems "Ethnic Cleansing (In memory of ‘madness’ in Kosovo, Yugoslavia) and "The Turning Point (In memory of the ashes of Hiroshima and Nagasaki) explore the wilderness of human minds of the twentieth century.

Finally, it’s very true that the book "Poems for the Third Millennium" is a distillation of certain facets of human interest commingled with old relationship of tribal and family love, followed by heroism and altruism. Professor Andrade concludes by saying: "Poems of Hillol Ray are so interesting and beautiful, because they have the beauty of harmonic systems coming to balance our mind with emotional words wrapped in beautiful verses. The aroma of his poems is based on this connection of emotions and rationality, the subjects on which real art is made."

Available from: Milestone, 2723 Riviera Court, Garland, TX 75040, U.S.A. Pages: 144; Size 8.5 x 11.5". Price: $20.00 (plus postage/shipping)

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