National Anthem and Other Poems

'A poetry of open sensuality with no holds barred is what characterizes the work of R Raj Rao. As in his previous volumes, Rao explores the homosexual world with a sense of droll humour, biting irony and startling frankness, a scatology tempered by form and structure. From 'Gay Hind' to 'gay abandon', from encounters in local trains to a visit to a ribald Rio de Janeiro, the poet extends the frontiers of gay literature in India. An extra bonus is a series of deftly written poems set off by his admiration for and his eventual meeting with his namesake, the novelist Raja Rao in Austin in the US.'

-Manohar Shetty