The Chitrakoot School of Liberal Arts at Shoolini University hosted the launch of Felix Culpa, an anthology of poems co-authored by Dr Hemant Kumar Sharma, Satyaki Mukherjee, and Aayush Sharma. The event brought together students, faculty, and lovers of literature to celebrate a work that explored beauty, imperfection, and the quiet strength found in human vulnerability.
The anthology was edited and illustrated by Dr Sharma, whose pen drawings added depth and subtlety to the poems. The cover featured Gustave Doré’s renowned engraving from Paradise Lost, setting a reflective tone for the collection. The title Felix Culpa, meaning “fortunate fault”, captured the essence of the book, a journey through the fragile and transformative spaces where loss, doubt, and self-discovery intertwined.
Speaking about the creation of the anthology, Dr Sharma said that some thoughts “can only be shared with a piece of paper”. He shared that the book emerged naturally from discussions on art and meaning with his students and now co-authors, Satyaki and Aayush. “I wanted them to be more than closet writers… as I was for much of my life. I wanted them to bring their words to light,” he remarked.
Prof Purnima Bali, Head of the Chitrakoot School of Liberal Arts, praised the anthology for its honesty and emotional clarity. She described Felix Culpa as “a reminder that literature continues to hold the power to awaken imagination and sustain our shared humanity”. She commended the authors for blending intellectual depth with heartfelt expression, a quality that gave the work its sincerity and strength.
Reflecting on his writing journey, Satyaki Mukherjee, whose poetry had appeared in international journals, said that writing remained an act of staying true to oneself. “Follow your art and never betray it,” he shared. Aayush Sharma, a physics major who fondly called himself “a poet after dark”, added, “When I wasn’t decoding the cosmos, I was trying to make sense of the human one.”
The anthology Felix Culpa has now been added to the Yogananda Library at Shoolini University, awaiting readers who continue to believe in the power of words to console, challenge, and illuminate.
December 10, 2026
