Haiku position within the verse, it may briefly cut the stream of thought, suggesting a parallel between the preceding and following phrases, or it may provide a dignified ending, concluding the verse with a heightened sense of closure. The fundamental aesthetic quality of both hokku and haiku is that it is internally sufficient, independent of context, and will bear consideration as a complete work. The "kireji" lends the verse structural support, allowing it to stand as an independent poem. The use of "kireji" distinguishes haiku and hokku from second and subsequent verses of renku; which may employ semantic and syntactic disjuncture,
Haiku Japanese masters and American and Canadian contemporary haiku authors. The former president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, is a "haijin" (, haiku poets) and known as "Haiku Herman." He published a book of haiku in April 2010. In the early 20th century, Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore composed haiku in Bengali. He also translated some from Japanese. In Gujarati, Jhinabhai Desai 'Sneharashmi' popularized haiku and remained a popular haiku writer. In February 2008, the World Haiku Festival was held in Bangalore, gathering "haijin" from all over India and Bangladesh, as well as from Europe and the United States. In