Shrikant Verma had written “Magadh” back in 1984, a book
considered one of the central figures of the Nai Kavita movement. It
consisted poems that were written in that year and in 1979. It was a
time when Verma was actively and intimately associated with the
Congress Party. He was their spokesperson and as manager of Indira
Gnadhi's campaign in the 1980 election that brought her back to power
circles. He has also been a Rajya Sabha MP in 1976.
The reason we are talking about Verma is his book “Magadh” which is in news. It has recently been translated into English by Rahul Soni. Many consider Verma as an observer of its drift. As poet and literary critic K. Satchidanandan once wrote about him: “There certainly was a man in him who enjoyed the glamour power gave him, but the poet withing went on laughing at and being embarrassed by the hollowness of it all, the banality, the ultimate lie.”
The reason we are talking about Verma is his book “Magadh” which is in news. It has recently been translated into English by Rahul Soni. Many consider Verma as an observer of its drift. As poet and literary critic K. Satchidanandan once wrote about him: “There certainly was a man in him who enjoyed the glamour power gave him, but the poet withing went on laughing at and being embarrassed by the hollowness of it all, the banality, the ultimate lie.”
Now “Magadh” is available in bilingual edition—Hindi and
English. According to the Hindu, “the poems allude to the
historical and mythical cities of yore — Magadh, Hastinapur,
Ujjaini, Kosala, Takshashila, Nalanda — which are either not
reachable or no longer recognisable. The places here fulfil an
allegorical function, indicating present-day civilisational decay.”
The collection records the tone in some of the poems which seem as
if clear confessions by the poet such as “A Year of Poems”.
Comments
Post a Comment