Killer who became a poet on death row captivates India:
Doctor Johnson once said "when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully". He has been proved right in the state of Tamil Nadu, where the shadow of the noose has brought forth an acclaimed book of poetry written from death row by a convicted murderer.
India is a land that values its writers, but its newest poet is a little more recherche than most. Ten years ago, V Radhakrishnan was convicted of murdering a man ina courthouse. But while he has been on death row, he has been earning acclaim as a poet.
Not only have several literary figures hailed Radhakrishnan's volume- one said he was moved to tears - but some are backing his plea for a presidential pardon on the sole grounds that he is an accomplished writer. [...]
Also:
Anthology of poems from man in death row:
A man facing the gallows in a murder case has released an anthology of poems penned during his life behind bars in the Salem Central Jail in Tamil Nadu.
The anthology titled Sirai Muthukkal 3450 (Pearls from Prison) contains his poems on various national and international issues like the Iraq war and persons like US President George Bush and LTTE supremo Prabhakaran.
A man facing the gallows? The shadow of the noose?
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on Saturday, September 25, 2004 at 10:44 AM.
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