Name : Dr. Manisha Patil
Designation : Asst. Professor (English)
Poetry of Self Revelation: Appreciation of Manish Kumar Mishra’s Poems
What is poetry?
Nothing but words.
But not just words.
Special words with special meanings.
Special because both words and meanings are loaded with emotions and personal experiences.
That’s why poetry is different from prose.
It touches the heart and overwhelms the intellect.
It makes one feel somebody else’s experience as one’s own.
It creates the bridges of understanding and transcends the valleys of incomprehension.
It generates empathy and thereby unites the people across all the artificial divisions of civilization.
The above rumination is the spontaneous product of accidental reading of the poem Aatmiyata i.e. Affinity by the poet called Manish Kumar Mishra.
It may seem strange to head
But it’s true that I speak
If you like to mislead
I’ll be your willing target meek.
The poem goes on to list how all the concepts like friendship, enmity, gain, loss, virtue, sin, salvation, eternity, religion & society, state & nation are just the swindles of language. However, the deadliest deceit is nothing but the trap of affinity. Most often people are deceived by those who claim affection for them. According to the poet, the only solutions to such betrayals are the power of forgiveness & the practice of conscience. He has experienced the strength of these means before & now is ready to experience it once again. The opportunity that is offered to him to judge himself on the scale of affinity, makes him welcome those who might hoax him in the name of affection.
In his next poem, the poet describes the intensity of his affection for his beloved using the scale of stars. He says,
I have heard that
When someone remembers somebody
A star falls from the sky.
But now I don’t believe it at all,
Because if it had been true
Then by now all the stars would have fallen on earth,
As I have remembered you at least this much!
The uniqueness of these poems lies in the integrity of expression, implication & the underlying passion. The poet does not write mere words. As he himself says,
When I write to you
I write to preserve,
Tasting each word
To you, I serve.
His each & every expression is poignant. It states less but suggests more. Its ardour lends order to disorder such as,
The way, there is worship in a temple,
There are waves in an ocean,
There is vision in an eye,
There is fragrance in a blossom,
There is warmth in a body,
There is intoxication in a wine,
And there is home in a house…
Why, are you there, in my every breath?
A poet’s personality (for that matter like any other person), lies at the intersection of inner forces & the outer forces. The inner forces comprise of one’s own emotions, thinking, beliefs, longings & philosophy of life. The outer forces consist of socio-economic-political system in which one lives. Generally, outer forces are considered to be more important than the inner forces. While discussing the creation of any artist, invariably his/her cultural milieu is used as a backdrop against which the drama of artistic creation unfolds. Such a historical method, deemed to be objective, is preferred to the subjectivity of an individual. However, seldom does such objectivity do justice to an individual genius. The layers of complexity which arise due to the interaction of one’s inner forces and outer forces cannot be captured in simplistic historic accounts. The poet says,
History cannot do justice to me,
Because I have buried under
(Gog knows, how many layers)
My own side & truth as well…
Art on the other hand focuses on the inner forces of an individual which drives him/her to challenge the oppressive outer forces & in turn change them. In the words of the poet,
I wish the words of my poems
Should become useful
To voice the protest against oppression
I wish the words of my poems
Should become useful
To sharpen the weapons against domination
Such an expression is the hallmark of not only a poetic genius but also the trustworthy human heart which dares to care. Can any other words explain the self-revealed truth?
*****
Designation : Asst. Professor (English)
Poetry of Self Revelation: Appreciation of Manish Kumar Mishra’s Poems
What is poetry?
Nothing but words.
But not just words.
Special words with special meanings.
Special because both words and meanings are loaded with emotions and personal experiences.
That’s why poetry is different from prose.
It touches the heart and overwhelms the intellect.
It makes one feel somebody else’s experience as one’s own.
It creates the bridges of understanding and transcends the valleys of incomprehension.
It generates empathy and thereby unites the people across all the artificial divisions of civilization.
The above rumination is the spontaneous product of accidental reading of the poem Aatmiyata i.e. Affinity by the poet called Manish Kumar Mishra.
It may seem strange to head
But it’s true that I speak
If you like to mislead
I’ll be your willing target meek.
The poem goes on to list how all the concepts like friendship, enmity, gain, loss, virtue, sin, salvation, eternity, religion & society, state & nation are just the swindles of language. However, the deadliest deceit is nothing but the trap of affinity. Most often people are deceived by those who claim affection for them. According to the poet, the only solutions to such betrayals are the power of forgiveness & the practice of conscience. He has experienced the strength of these means before & now is ready to experience it once again. The opportunity that is offered to him to judge himself on the scale of affinity, makes him welcome those who might hoax him in the name of affection.
In his next poem, the poet describes the intensity of his affection for his beloved using the scale of stars. He says,
I have heard that
When someone remembers somebody
A star falls from the sky.
But now I don’t believe it at all,
Because if it had been true
Then by now all the stars would have fallen on earth,
As I have remembered you at least this much!
The uniqueness of these poems lies in the integrity of expression, implication & the underlying passion. The poet does not write mere words. As he himself says,
When I write to you
I write to preserve,
Tasting each word
To you, I serve.
His each & every expression is poignant. It states less but suggests more. Its ardour lends order to disorder such as,
The way, there is worship in a temple,
There are waves in an ocean,
There is vision in an eye,
There is fragrance in a blossom,
There is warmth in a body,
There is intoxication in a wine,
And there is home in a house…
Why, are you there, in my every breath?
A poet’s personality (for that matter like any other person), lies at the intersection of inner forces & the outer forces. The inner forces comprise of one’s own emotions, thinking, beliefs, longings & philosophy of life. The outer forces consist of socio-economic-political system in which one lives. Generally, outer forces are considered to be more important than the inner forces. While discussing the creation of any artist, invariably his/her cultural milieu is used as a backdrop against which the drama of artistic creation unfolds. Such a historical method, deemed to be objective, is preferred to the subjectivity of an individual. However, seldom does such objectivity do justice to an individual genius. The layers of complexity which arise due to the interaction of one’s inner forces and outer forces cannot be captured in simplistic historic accounts. The poet says,
History cannot do justice to me,
Because I have buried under
(Gog knows, how many layers)
My own side & truth as well…
Art on the other hand focuses on the inner forces of an individual which drives him/her to challenge the oppressive outer forces & in turn change them. In the words of the poet,
I wish the words of my poems
Should become useful
To voice the protest against oppression
I wish the words of my poems
Should become useful
To sharpen the weapons against domination
Such an expression is the hallmark of not only a poetic genius but also the trustworthy human heart which dares to care. Can any other words explain the self-revealed truth?
*****
