Hillol Ray, D.Litt., Ph.D. (Honoris Causa), Poet, Author, Song Writer, Translator, and Multilinguist, is a Civil – Structural – Environmental Engineer with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Dallas, Texas. Born and raised in a suburb of Kolkata, India, he received letters of personal compliments for his innovative thoughts and poems from the U.S. former President Bill Clinton, the U.S. former Vice President and Nobel Peace Laureate Al Gore, Jr., the U.S. former EPA Administrator Ms. Lisa P. Jackson, former Indian Ambassador S.S. Ray in Washington, D.C., from Madame Francine Cousteau, President of the Cousteau Society, Inc. in Paris, France (and wife of world-renowned Oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau), and Mother Teresa of Kolkata, India. His impressive professional and literary successes stem from his deep love and deication for man and his environment.
Dr. Ray is often invited as a guest poet or keynote speaker. at various cultural organizations, institutions, universities and libraries. He has been interviewed in several radio and television stations. In USA and abroad.
Guest Interviewer, WGTW-TV 48 Program: 48 Update, April 22, 2004, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
As an apostle of a sustainable world leading to the improvement of human rights, peace, tolerance and environmental awareness, Hillol has vested his lifelong work, financial resources and creative writings by establishing the Hillol Ray Foundation for Human Rights (HR FF HR). Hillol Ray Foundation for Peace and Environment (HR FF P and E) and Diamond Think Tank, USA.
Doctor of Humanity Hillol Ray January 2023
In 2006, he received the NFIA (National Federation of Indian American Association) Award in Liberal and Fine Arts from Long Beach, California, USA. His biography has appeared in “500 Leaders of Science”, “International Directory of Distinguished Leadership” – both published by the American Biographical Institute (ABI) in North Carolina, U.S.A. and in many other biographical books, including the International Biographical Centre (IBC) from Cambridge, United Kingdom. Nationally and internationally interviewed, his works have appeared in magazines, web sites, and anthologies around the world. In February 2018, he was presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by the Marquis Who’s Who of New Jersey, U.S.A. He is listed in Who’s Who in Asian-Americans, Marquis Who’s in America, Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, and Who’s Who in the World. In June 2022, Dr. Ray was presented with “World Ambassador of Culture and Peace” by the IFCH of Kingdom of Morocco.
Dear Dr.Hillol Ray!
I greet you with respect and love. You have a truly successful and outstanding professional and artistic career behind you. Please introduce yourself to the readers! When did you start writing?
Good Morning and heartiest greetings from Garland, Texas, USA.
I am humbled and my heartfelt thanks to you Ms. Ilona Lakatos for your kindness and arrangement to conduct this interviewtoday all the way from Hungary. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity you have offered me out of your busy schedule to share my thoughts and get acquainted with the global readers. As a part of my introduction, let me share a glimpse of my background, formative years in my birth place India, and later on leading my life on adopted land, America,
My father passed away when I was only five years old, in Habra, West Bengal, India. Myself with my mother and two younger brothers moved into the family of my maternal grandparents. Upon finishing my High School, I went to study Civil Engineering with a National Scholarship at IIEST, Shibpur, Howrah, India.
When I was a young man just out of Engineering College and eager to move on with my own life, on a whim, I applied for an Immigrant Visa (Green Card) to continue my graduate studies in Environmental Engineeing in America. I received the National Science Foundation (NSF) fel lowshipship and Green Card within nine months. On March 21, 1975, I boarded on an Air India flight from Kolkata, and landed in New York (March 23) with three dollars in my pocket and a small brief case half full. As a remote village boy, upon landing in New York, I shuddered at every decision I made at the JFK Airport. After a brief stint in Philadelphia, I moved to Fargo on September 2, 1975 for Graduate Studies at North Dakota State University (NDSU),
At Fargo, I continued my tradition of poetry writing that began at an earlyage when I was six years old. Beside the completion of my graduate studies with a goal towards achieving my economic freedom, I designed my life’s road map that I wanted to be a good man, make friends globallytheough profession and poetryas my faithful listeners and readers, and entertain them with my rhyming poems from time to time.
As stated earlier, I started writing, especially the poems with rhymes from the age of six. My mother, Mrs. Angur Lata Ray (a Poetess), taught me alphabets, calligraphy by hand, and the rhyming words, when I was only two years old. She instilled the concepts of rhymes and hymns as I was growing up and my poems are a good reflection of them. My handwritten calligraphy developed into a fine art under her strict control and guidance. Bengali (mother tongue), English, Sanskrit and Hindi handwriting of mine appear like prints, as if done on a type writer or a wordprocessor. Often I hear such complimenrs from the global readers that the inner meanings of my poems spun with rhyming words have captuted them at all ages!!
Dr. Hillol Ray’s Sanskrit Handwriting
What were the decisive experiences in your home country that determined your career choice and your poetic activity? What successes have you had? Which was your favorite and why?
My family background laid the foundation to fabricate the decisive experiences in my home countryIndia. My paternal grandfather (Civil Engineer), father (Poet), mother (Poetess) loomed an environment of engineering, cocooned with the silence of silent rhymes of poetry. My mind was neatly choreographed in their affection, adoration, and direction. Maternal grandfather (medical doctor) elevated my young mind to the next level when I was growing up under his family ( along with my mother and two younger brothers). He guided me in the areas of English literature, vocabulary, and homeopathic medicine.
Encouragements from grandparents, parents and teachrts followed by their allowing me with my freedom of career choice, brought in miraculous success from my childhood. As I recall, my participation in the Rural Talent Search Competition (RTSC) at Habra (my birth place) with my life’s first poem Uncle Moon (Chaand Maamaa in Bengali) brought me the glory of First Place in 1955. Since then, I continued to participate in school debates, art/poetry competition and recognized as the first place winner. The PDF/JPG documents of all these awards and certificates from 1955 to 2023 for each consexutive year are viewable on the link below:
https://www.bwesner.wixsite.com/hillolraypoetry
In an effort to answer your question: Which award/accolade was your favorite and why? , I like to say with a mixed emotion: The personal gift from Mother Teresa of Missionaries of Charity, Kolkata. I feel fortunate to have worked with Mother Teresa, hand in hand, face to face. when I was an undergraduate Civil Engineering student in Kolkata.Her letter with a personal gift arrived at my residence „Milestone: in Garland, Texas, USA in September 1997. A treacure and my family heirloom now!!
The title of one of his poems is: From My House to White House
How did you get to America?
During the pre-final year of undergraduate study in Civil Engineerong at IIEST, Shibpur, India, I designed a crossword puzzle on Road Engineering, and it appeared in the January 1071 issue of Science Repoerer magazine published by CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research), Rafi Marg, India. The crossword puzzle drew attention from universities in USA, Australia, United Kingdom, and Africa. I began to apply for admission in Graduate schools offering scholarship/fellowship to conduct analytical research as well. Upon review of all the offers and research opportunities, I decided to come to America with NSF fellowship. Along the same time, the U.S. Department of Labor approved my immigrant via application (DSL 869 form), and I arrived in New York on March 23, 1975.
From My House to White House
Today’s political landscape is more complex
Than that of the past-
And is causing inevitable contradictions
To hoist flags flown at half mast!
There is abundant evidence of differences
Between left and right wing views-
While political arena acquires momentum
With own colors and hues!
In an age of diminishing ideology,
The new generations will simply get-
A better idea on their political footing,>
And deal with a political mate!
Ground-breaking work has been done
To lay a foundation on this field-
While foreign policies lack continuity,
And create tremors on defense shield!
Measurement of attitude becomes hypnotic,
As we get closer to election time-
To persuade reformers in a simplistic way
With own conservative chime!
Dalliance with political waves will soar
Via information superhighway-
Under the shadow of hard work and pressure,
Followed by expectation sway!
Surreal experiences along the paths
Will reach an incredible high-
But reality will haunt us quietly
Until we sigh a deep sigh!
Attainment of fame and fortune
Moves gears of each individual brain-
And plans continue to evolve or grow,
Like water swirling down the drain!
I am not an exception. or the skeptic
To this universal rule-
‘Cause with echoes of political music,
I love to dance or ride the bull!
Fear and invigoration keep on pushing me
From my house to White House-
While the world waits in silence
To ask: ‘Am I a chicken or a mouse’??
17-Oct-2004
He is often invited as a guest poet or keynote speaker. On these occasions, what is the primary message you tell the listeners?
A poetic life, I have often said, is a continuing life of endurance, bathed in shyness and deeper thoughts or sense of humor in human nature, icluding one’s own. My involvement on the ground floor of poetry writing began atthe age of five with the demise of my poet father and it continues eversinc till today. Upon my arrival in America, I got the opportunities to visit several nations as a guest poet and keynote speaker at the international technical conferences. In each place I met someone (writer/poet), or saw something that caused my mind/heart and deepen my understanding of the universal concerns of peace and war into the epicenter of human rights.
Upon completion pf my graduate studies in Environmental Engineering at NDSU, I always knew that environment and poetry in America will matter.to me to the rest of the world. My travels anf communications taught me how the rest of the world matters to America. Listening to what people in other countries are saying, and trying to understand how they perceive their place in the global map is essential to the future of peace and national securityat home and abroad. With this in mind, I have portrayrd my voices through the poems. Voices of people in every corner of the world want the same thing as we do in America: freedom from hunger, disease, and freedom of speech,
Being born in India, and later on adapting in America, I have devoted my thoughts and feelings/emotions in my poems.that the people and places are so important and what I learned from them is often the basri of of what I am today!
His poem Earth Day became an overnight sensation. It has been presented at festivals in the United States and abroad, exhibited by the Dallas Museum of Art, and published worldwide. What do you think it was that gripped the readers so much while reading the poem?
As you all know that Earth Day was initiated in America bythe U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970, and now it’s an annual event, celebrated worldwide.. On the occasion of Silver Jubilee, I composed my Earth Day poem in 1995. Instantly it became an overnight sensation . It has beenrecited, posted andpublished worldwide. The aspects of pollution prevention, recycling/recovery, are embedded in my Earth Day poem that have gripped the readers and listeners while I recited the poem for the first time in America and abroad.
I am happy to share that it brought me letters and personal compliments from dignitaries around the world. Bythe way, it has already been translated into German, French, Spanish, Italian, Bengali and many other major languages since 1995.
Earth Day
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We are all puppets to cheer on this Earth,
While joy and sorrow always come since our birth
Daylights follow dusk towards the gloomy nights,
And bring us such a joy to renew our sights
Fresh air and clean water nourish our souls,
Without them, we suffer, and pay the heavy tolls
To put a stop to these tolls, EPA was formed
Over two decades ago, and brains were stormed
For protection of nature, EPA took the vow
To offer simple tips, let me tell ’em now
Banning pesticides and lead in gasoline
Made the giant move to make nature clean
Recycling became a daily household chore
To reduce costs and protect the seashore
Reduction of emissions created the flow
Of cleaner air, and polluters took a blow
Dumping of sewage into lakes and streams
Was banned to prevent leery public screams
Pollution of water became a salient issue
To protect human health and aquatic tissue
The situation has changed over twenty-five years,
And laws are in place to remove our fears
Now an annual event hangs around us
To recognize Earth Day without any fuss
So let’s all sing Save the Earth songs,
And do things right to hear loud gongs
Now, always think “Earth Is In Your Hands”,
Here at home or in foreign lands
So let us follow these few simple roles,
To avoid the agonies of all future souls
Conserve the water as much as you can,
While you are bathing or washing the van
Recycle and prevent pollution at the source,
While care should be motivation and the hidden force
Plant the trees in open private space,
To create the shade and cool your face
Try the carpool with a friend, or share a ride –
To control the air and emission ebb tide
Dispose of pesticides in a real safe manner,
And label before you bury ’em under a banner
Organize all efforts to discard the waste,
EPA may be called to quench any quest
Invite friends to attend the Earth Day Acts,
And define each role to convey all facts
Reward the guys for a job well done
To share the benefits and all the fun
Well, now you really know what you have to do –
And celebrate “Earth Day” without further woo.
31-Dec-1969
On the occasion of the 51st anniversary of Earth Day, April 22, 2021.
Earth Day Words by Hillol Ray Music & Vocals by BriaN WesneR
In addition to writing poetry, what kind of literary and publishing activities do you do?
It all depends on the time/day, and the mood I am in. Engineering articles related to environmental pollution/solution, Global Warming, Climate Change, crossword puzzle, Translation/Transliteration, „Hillologue” – like Monologue, Dialogue, ,words for inclusion in dictionary such as H-Ray Vision, Hillolsphere, Hillolian Constellation and many more….
What books have been published and where can readers get them?
-Wings of Times (Book o Dnglish Poens)
-Metamorphic Portrait (English translation of a Bengali Novel by Seema Banerjee-Ray) Will be released soon
-Voice of Love (English Poems, Creative Media, Kolkata, India ; Out of Print
-Darkest Hour to Ivory Tower (Autobiography in Bengali), The Cafe Table, Kolkata, India; http://www.thecafwrable,org
In conclusion, I would like to ask what was the saddest and happiest moment of your life?
On the Csmpus of University of Life, my life has endured the saddest and happiest moment like everyone else.
My saddest moment: I was not able to visit my mother when she passed away peacefuly in her sleep on February 6, 2021 in Kolkata, India. Due to Covid-19 pandemic, the flights were not available from Dallas, Texas to Kolkata.
Happiest moment: In 1997, when the letters of perdonal compliments from Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Jr., and Mother Teresa arrived in my residential mailbox, my joy knew no bounds!!
Thank you very much for the conversation. I wish you good luck and blessed days.
You are welcome Ms. Ilona Lakatos. It wa pleaure in talking to you. Have a nice evening!!
Interview conducted by: Ilona Lakatos, CPS Founder and Manager/ Hungary
ILONA ART HUNGARY 