Friday, September 5, 2025

Special Thanks: Hainka

 



Dear Melissa,

 
I express my gratitude to you and your esteemed colleague–editors, Colleen, Selam, Willow,  Robbie, and Yvette, for featuring in Tanka Tuesday Poetry Challenge “Hainka”, 5/13/2025. I happened to see on the internet a couple of days ago. I am thrilled to read the response, the aesthetic composition of hainka
, and comments from a wide section of readers. I feel humbled. My gratitude to all poets, readers.
 

Please consider adding the new Poetry Form, hainka, to your blog.
 
Since March 2016, I have been thinking about a new concept of writing a combination of ‘haiku and tanka’ (hainka). I coined the genre "HAINKA" on March 21, 2016, and documented this new genre in my diary. Later, in 2020, I wrote a detailed essay about HAINKA, which was appreciated by Jim Kacin. He is kind enough to archive it in the Digital Library, The Haiku Foundation. Later, ‘Writer’s Digest’ published the article in 2020.
 
Hainka is a fusion of haiku and tanka in such a way that the fragment of the haiku will be the pivot line (kakekatoba) of the following tanka. The “Hainka” portrays a broader coherency of the images, keeping in view the aspect of ‘link and shift’ within the framework of the combined poem (s/l/s/s/l/s/l/l). It can be composed either by the poet himself or in collaboration.
 
Many of my hainka are published in Akita Haikuist Network, translated into Japanese by Hidenori Hiruta. Some are translated into Arabic. Recently, Alan Summers featured one hainka in Pan Haiku Review, 2024.
 
I introduced a new genre, “ Braided Haiku,”  and the essay is featured in Frogpond.  Micro-Haiga (One-word Haiga) is published in the Haiku Galleries, The Haiku Foundation. A couple of research papers on haiku will be published this year in Presence, Juxtapositions, and other journals.
 
I have written a long essay on tanka prose (unpublished). I would be grateful if you could publish this as it is or in an abridged form in your Tanka Tuesday Blog.
Please take care 
Warm regards
Pravat
 
Brief-Bio:
Pravat Kumar Padhy obtained his Master of Science and a Ph.D from Indian Institute of Technology, ISM Dhanbad. He is a mainstream poet and a writer of Japanese short forms of poetry. His poem “How Beautiful” is included in the undergraduate curriculum at the university level. He introduced new forms of poetry: Hainka: a fusion of haiku and tanka, One-word Micro-Haiga, and Braided Haiku. He served as a panel judge of “The Haiku Foundation’s Touchstone Awards for Individual Poems” and is on the editorial board of Under the Basho.
 
He resides in Bhubaneswar, India, writes papers on ‘Cosmic Science and Planetary Geology’, and listens to classical music and songs.

 

 

 


 

 

Special Thanks

May 25, 2025

Learning Syllabic Forms

3 minutes

braided haiku, hainka, Pravat Kumar Padhy

It’s always a pleasure to hear from the poets who create the syllabic forms we enjoy using at Tanka Tuesday. A couple of weeks ago, Melissa discovered the hainka form and used it in our challenge, which can be found here.

She received a lovely message from the creator of this form. I’ve shared the message below:

Dear Melissa,
 
I express my gratitude to you and your esteemed colleague–editors, Colleen, Selam, Willow,  Robbie, and Yvette, for featuring in Tanka Tuesday Poetry Challenge “Hainka”, 5/13/2025. I happened to see on the internet a couple of days ago. I am thrilled to read the response, the aesthetic composition of haink, and comments from a wide section of readers. I feel humbled. My gratitude to all poets, readers.
 
Please consider adding the new Poetry Form, 
hainka, to your blog.
 
Since March 2016, I have been thinking about a new concept of writing a combination of ‘haiku and tanka’ (hainka). I coined the genre “HAINKA” on March 21, 2016, and documented this new genre in my diary. Later, in 2020, I wrote a detailed essay about HAINKA, which was appreciated by Jim Kacin. He is kind enough to archive it in the Digital Library, The Haiku Foundation. Later, ‘Writer’s Digest’ published the article in 2020.
 
Hainka is a fusion of haiku and tanka in such a way that the fragment of the haiku will be the pivot line (
kakekatoba) of the following tanka. The “Hainka” portrays a broader coherency of the images, keeping in view the aspect of ‘link and shift’ within the framework of the combined poem (s/l/s/s/l/s/l/l). It can be composed either by the poet himself or in collaboration.
 
Many of my hainka are published in Akita Haikuist Network, translated into Japanese by Hidenori Hiruta. Some are translated into Arabic. Recently, Alan Summers featured one hainka in Pan Haiku Review, 2024.
 
I introduced a new genre, “ Braided Haiku,”  and the essay is featured in 
Frogpond.  Micro-Haiga (One-word Haiga) is published in the Haiku Galleries, The Haiku Foundation. A couple of research papers on haiku will be published this year inPresence, Juxtapositions, and other journals.
 
I have written a long essay on tanka prose (unpublished). I would be grateful if you could publish this as it is or in an abridged form in your Tanka Tuesday Blog.
Please take care. 
Warm regards,
Pravat
 
Brief-Bio:
Pravat Kumar Padhy obtained his Master of Science and a Ph.D from Indian Institute of Technology, ISM Dhanbad. He is a mainstream poet and a writer of Japanese short forms of poetry. His poem “How Beautiful” is included in the undergraduate curriculum at the university level. He introduced new forms of poetry: 
Hainka: a fusion of haiku and tanka, One-word Micro-Haiga, and Braided Haiku. He served as a panel judge of “The Haiku Foundation’s Touchstone Awards for Individual Poems” and is on the editorial board of Under the Basho.
 
He resides in Bhubaneswar, India, writes papers on ‘Cosmic Science and Planetary Geology’, and listens to classical music and songs.

I don’t know if Pravat has a blog, but it was lovely to hear from him. I will add the hainka to our forms as soon as I can.

 

~Colleen~

25.5.2025

 

28 responses to “Special Thanks”

1.     

Jules

May 25, 2025 at 2:52 pm

I created …a few years ago… Issho ni kaita retrans which translates to ‘Letters we wrote together’ which combines (in various and or multiple combinations) a haiku (or short verse) and 17 syllable American Sentence(s). I have only published this on my own blog though. :)

I’ve also created and named other combinations of short forms…. I’d have to look them up though. :D

Nice article.

Liked by 1 person

Reply

1.     

Colleen Chesebro

May 25, 2025 at 2:54 pm

You should create a list of the forms you created and how to write them. When I have time, I’ll add them to TT. 

Liked by 1 person

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1.     

Jules

May 25, 2025 at 11:14 pm

Oh, Thank you. 

Liked by 1 person

Reply

2.     

Annette Rochelle Aben

May 25, 2025 at 3:22 pm

This is quite an honor, for everyone involved. Well done!!

Liked by 1 person

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1.     

Colleen Chesebro

May 26, 2025 at 10:31 am

Thanks, Sis. I agree. Melissa linked to the creator so that’s how he knew we were using his form. 

Liked by 1 person

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3.     

merrildsmith

May 25, 2025 at 3:40 pm

It’s lovely that the creator of the form saw the prompt and responded so graciously.

Liked by 1 person

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1.     

Colleen Chesebro

May 26, 2025 at 10:30 am

It was such an interesting form. I’m glad we heard from the poet who created the hainka. It gives another dimension to consider when we create our own poems.

Liked by 1 person

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4.     

willowdot21

May 25, 2025 at 5:59 pm

What a lovely email.. It’s great to know we have been spreading the news and broadening out horizons. Also what an honoutb on hear from the creator of this form of poetry. Thank you for sharing Melissa 

Liked by 1 person

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1.     

Colleen Chesebro

May 26, 2025 at 10:33 am

Thanks, Willow. It’s so nice to hear from the poet himself. 

Like

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5.     

Sadje

May 25, 2025 at 7:24 pm

Very cool to receive this acknowledgment.

Liked by 1 person

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1.     

Colleen Chesebro

May 26, 2025 at 10:33 am

I thought so too! It’s really nice to have so many creative poets in our community. 

Liked by 1 person

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1.     

Sadje

May 26, 2025 at 10:53 am

Very true. There are a few very stellar people writing here.

Liked by 1 person

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1.     

Colleen Chesebro

May 26, 2025 at 10:56 am

I like how everyone makes these connections through syllabic poetry. I never would have thought this would happen. It fills my heart with joy. 

Liked by 1 person

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1.     

Sadje

May 26, 2025 at 10:58 am

Very true my dear friend. I think with poetry it is easier to touch each other’s hearts.

Liked by 1 person

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1.     

Colleen Chesebro

May 26, 2025 at 11:05 am

Yes, I think you’re right, Sadje. It’s a real connection! 

Liked by 1 person

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1.     

Sadje

May 26, 2025 at 11:08 am

Like

Reply

6.     

robbiesinspiration

May 26, 2025 at 12:45 am

A lovely message, Colleen

Liked by 1 person

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1.     

Colleen Chesebro

May 26, 2025 at 10:34 am

Thanks, Robbie. I agree. It’s so nice to hear from the poet who created this form. 

Liked by 1 person

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7.     

yvettemcalleiro

May 26, 2025 at 7:00 am

What a delight it must have been for the creator of the poem to see how much we enjoyed using it! I’m so happy he not only discovered your blog but also reached out to share his appreciation for it. Very cool!

Yvette M Calleiro :-)

http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com

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1.     

Colleen Chesebro

May 26, 2025 at 10:36 am

I feel a thrill of poetic joy every time someone creates a poem with the double ennead. I can imagine how good this felt to Pravat. 

Liked by 1 person

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8.     

Eugi

May 26, 2025 at 7:07 am

How lovely to receive such a gracious response from the creator. Well done to all involved. I’m going to add Hainka to my poetry forms page.

Liked by 1 person

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1.     

Colleen Chesebro

May 26, 2025 at 10:37 am

It’s a great form and I liked the interplay between the first and third lines in the haiku and the tanka. Thanks so much, Eugi. 

Liked by 1 person

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1.     

Eugi

May 26, 2025 at 2:11 pm

It is a fun form to work with, Colleen, and you’re welcome. I added it to my poetry guide page. 

Liked by 1 person

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1.     

Colleen Chesebro

May 26, 2025 at 2:21 pm

Fabulous! 

Liked by 1 person

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9.     

memadtwo

May 26, 2025 at 10:45 am

So wonderful to see your work resonate back. It lifts the spirit. (K)

Liked by 1 person

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1.     

Colleen Chesebro

May 26, 2025 at 10:48 am

It does! I’m sure Pravat was thrilled to see us use his form.

Liked by 1 person

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10.

Terri Webster Schrandt

May 28, 2025 at 12:42 pm

That is really amazing, Colleen! That must have been special for him to see that. Also amazing to witness more poetic forms still being crafted. 

Liked by 1 person

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1.     

Colleen Chesebro

May 28, 2025 at 1:19 pm

It’s a great feeling to see people use the poetry forms you create. I’m sure he was thrilled.

Liked by 1 person

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Thank you, Colleen, for your kind words. I feel humbled for the wonderful response from the esteemed readers of Tanka Tuesday. I am indebted to all. I introduced another new form, Braded Haiku. Jacob D. Salzer, Managing  Editor ‘Frogpond’ appreciated the innovation and published the article “Braided Haiku: Shaping Meandering Thoughts” in the issue 47:2, Spring/Summer 2024.

https://www.hsa-haiku.org/frogpond/2024-issue47-2/braidedhaiku-Frogpond-47-2.pdf

Richard Gilbert, editor Heliosparrow   liked the new form of haiku and featured two poems in the prestigious journal in May 2024. It was also appreciated by Timothy Green, editor, Rattle.

 

Warm regards

Pravat Kumar Padhy, Ph.D

http://pkpadhy.blogspot.com

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