Global Ginsberg

Dry as it is thorough, Ramachandra Guha’s India After Gandhi cites the following poem inspired by India’s humiliating 1962 border war with China. Ginsberg was on the first leg of his two-years’ dharma bumming around the subcontinent; yoking headlines into sturdy geo-political patterns of resistance and decolonization, it’s a great reminder—if anyone needed any—how far his head (and other members) extended past the ashram. Go Allen:

The Fights 1962:

U.S. vs Russia in General/China vs Formosa over possession/India vs China over border territory/India vs Pakistan over possession Kashmir—Religious/India vs Portugal over possession Goa/India vs Nagas over Independence/Egypt vs Israel over possession of territory and Religion/ E. Germany vs W. Germany sovereignty/Cuba vs U.S.A.—Ideas/N. Korea vs. So. Korea—Sovereignty/Indonesia vs Holland—Territory/France vs Algeria—Territory/Negroes vs whites—U.S./Katanga vs Leopoldville/Russian Stalinists vs Russian Kruschevists/Peru A.P.R.A. vs Peru Mili- Tary/Argentine Military versus Argentine Bourgeois/Navajo Peyotists vs Navajo Tribal Council—Tribal/W. Irian?/Kurds vs Iraq/Negro vs Whites—So. Africa—Race/U.S. Senegal vs Red Mali—Territory/Ghana vs Togo—Territory/Ruanda Watusi vs Ruanda Bahutu—Tribe power/Kenya Kadu vs Kenya Kana—Tribe power/Somail vs Aethopia, Kenya, French Somali/Tibet Lamas vs. Chinese Tibetan secularists/India vs. E. Pak—Assam Bengal over Border & Tripura/Algeria vs Morocco over
Sahara.