A Book Review -
Vihang Naik's "Making a Poem"
Mumbai, Allied Publishers
Pvt., 2004, pp 48 ISBN 81-7764-584-6
Rs. 230.
While judging the poetry
of Dr. O.P. Bhatnagar, Dr. S.C. Pandey, a well known critic of Indian
English Poetry, tries to put the scenario of Indian English Poetry in
English before us.
"Poetry, more particularly
poet independence Indian poetry, is yet to fix its root firmly in the
indigenous soil. Quite like Indian culture, it is a unity in diversity.
There is no single formula on code for writing poetry. Poets do not write
under a set banner. They are no more versifiers on imitations of their
elders. They respect the emblem of cross as much as
they respect swastika."1
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This
present collection of Vihang Naik consists twenty five
poems, which form a splinter group into five
sections, are you looking for that poet? The poet as a
young man, making a poem, a poem comes alive, and a poet.
It is interesting to note that each section keeps a tight
reign on five poems. And the last poem of every section
in the title of that
respective section.
Vihang Naik
is a poet - independence poet. He belong to the age of
new poetry which is characterized well by Prof. Satish
Kumar "The new poetry is remarkable for fecundity,
experimentation and the vivid presentation of contemporary
reality and situation. The traumatic political situation
which resulted in the partition of the country, the disintegration
of village community, problem of cultural, economic and
political values attracted the attention of writers and
poets during the period."2
Naik calls
into existence the committed relationship between the
poet and the poem. He scratches the surface that poet
rhymes about human being in woman and man. He is pertinent
to the meaning of poem like an endless sari of draupadi
in a reader's response.
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A poet and
the poem
A poet rhymes the woman
And the man. You.
(Woman and Man)
Vihang Naik tells about readers response
"Reading a book
Of poems may not be
That innocent. A guilt
Ties a knot to the throat."
(A Readers Response)
In the next section 'The poet as a young man' imagines the process
of poetry at the age of seventeen. "At seventeen you write
a poem
You've lost your Swarg, discover the nark."
In his poetry Vihang Naik puts on display the endless journey
of life towards moksha.. In the poet as a young man he brings out the
present circumstances regarding education and development of all aspects
of personality.
"Credited with
certificates
If education makes
Man to look at himself."
(The Poet A Young Man)
In the next section "Making A Poem', the poet calls it a matter of life.
"book with pencil marks.
Wounds and comments. A poem
You canceled at the end."
(A Matter of Life)
The poet, narrates about
'Making A Poem"
"To write a poem the pen
Has to slide making a line
Over a sheet. You see a
smoke uncoil. Words bare."
(Making A Poem)
Indeed he puts before the
public the poetic process in terms of his life. As a result the collection
becomes subject to the boundless curiosity to the new readers with its own
remarkable quality and personalized style. Regarding the poetic process.
'A Poem Comes Alive' this section contains such poems like 'The Pen',
Aquarium', A poem, winter pen, A
poem comes alive.
The
Ink
Blots
Image
After image
Where
A poem
Infects life
in the rib of words.
(A Poem Comes Alive)
In the last section of the
volume there are poems entitled 'Wanted, Making of a Poet, In Rains, The
Absent Poem, A Poet etc. The poet keeps alive his genuine compassion for
the poetic process in his mind. It resulted into that his feeling and
emotion fly into a temper portrait of the poet. This volume is rich
collection of strong and powerful emotion that costs light on the creative
process.
Vihang Naik has actual command of the poetic form to contribute his myriad
ideas and critical observations to life..
In metro polis
a poet
hunting
a butterfly
ends up
with a pen
a blotted
image
a poem.
(A Poet)
There are brilliant poetic
flashers and evocative images. In the end I can say that 'Making A Poem'
by Vihang Naik in delightful collection and a must read for everyone who
loves poetry through the price of this volume is higher.
References
1. 'Poetry of O.P. Bhatnagar : A Bird's Eye View' considerations, Ed.
Niranjan Mohanty, Orissa, Poetry Publication, 1985.
2. 'The New Poetry' : A Survey of Indian English Poetry. Dr. Satish Kumar,
2001 p 8
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Contributing Writer: Dr. Ram Sharma, Lecturer
in English,
dr.ram_sharma@yahoo.co.in
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