Gleanings

About the Book

This is a collection of verses, and some have been taken from an earlier collection, also called Gleanings, first published in Calcutta in 1993. There are several about the Christian experience, titled according to the calendar of the church’s year. Then there are a few about the experience of nonduality. Some tell a story. Some are for fun. They are all about life or observations on life. “Intimations of Joy” points toward the nature of real spiritual life for which we are born and a vision of what that might be like. Whatever is reflected in any particular poem, the underlying philosophy is that life has meaning and how we live it is very important. In the end, we realize that we are pilgrims who are making our way back through many obstacles to a paradise whose nature is spontaneity and joyfulness.

About the Author

Jennifer Hashmi was born in Bradford in 1938. She was educated in Bingley Grammar School and trained as a speech therapist in Leicester School of Speech Therapy. After practicing as a speech therapist in Yorkshire for three years she completed a two-year theology course at College of Ascension, Birmingham. In 1964 she sailed to India and lived in Delhi for forty-one years. Until 1976 she served in the Church of North India as Parish Worker, initially for St. James Church in old Delhi, and later in the parish of Ajmer in Rajasthan. She was also during part of this time manager of a holiday home in Shimla. In 1977 she married Salman Hashmi who was principal of Zakir Husain College, University of Delhi. They had a son and a daughter. In 2004 her husband passed away so at the end of 2005 Mrs Hashmi returned to Britain with her daughter. She now lives in London with her daughter, son-in-law, and small grandson.