Ram Krishna Singh, born, brought up and educated in Varanasi, is a university professor whose main fields of interest consist of Indian English Writing, especially poetry, and English for Specific Purposes, especially for science and technology. He has been teaching English language skills to UG and PG students of earth and mineral sciences and technology for over three decades and has published 35 books including 13 collections of poems. The River Returns (2006) is his major book of Haiku and Tanka poems while Sense and Silence: Collected Poems (2010) incorporates all his published collections so far.

Though Singh has been writing short lyrical poems for over three decades he could find his rhythm in miniature poems only recently. He does not adhere to the 5-7-5 syllables, nor does he make any difference between haiku and senryu. “I just practice haiku in different beats (3-5-3: 4-6-4: 5-7-5) or free- form haiku, and when possible expand its lyrical content to a tanka in five lines without restricting myself to 5-7-5-7-7 rhythm,” says he in the prefatory note to The River Returns.

“It is also possible to elevate the quotidian experiences to the level of poetry, using the medium of haiku and tanka, provided one seeks to be visual or sensuous, or expresses natural concrete action or object, or experiences from ones whole being, and does not ‘fake’ poetic feelings or render fictitious or imaginative experiences,” adds R.K.Singh.

Widely anthologised and translated into many languages, the poet chairs the Dept of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad- 826004, India. web:

http://rksingh.blogspot.com