'Panchtatva - the five elements' from 'Songs of Suicide' is an enchanting poem

Onkar Sharma's debut collection of poems 'Songs of Suicide' in the first glance looks intimidating and frightening. But when you go inside the pages, you discover rare thoughts and feelings woven in the fine threat of verse. 

Onkar Sharma on the Back Cover

Of all the poems in the collection, I love 'Panchtatva -the five elements' the most.  The poem has been structured to denote multiple stages of human thought and conscience. It has been notably divided into five sections that clearly symbolize the five elements, which make this life and the mother earth. The word 'panchatatva' comes from Sanskrit, where "panch" stands for five and "tatva" means elements. As per Hinduism or Sanatan belief, everything on Earth is composed of five basic elements or the "panchamahabhutas". These elements are:  Akash (Sky or Space), Vayu (Air), Jal (Water), Agni (Fire) and Prithvi (Earth). The subsections of the poem are also titles as per these elements.  Without one element, the life will not look like the way we see it. 

The poem deals with the tragic subject of suicide and brings to the fore three typical situations in which humans in the modern world commit suicide. The opening lines set the tone for the book and leave readers aghast:

he walked by the bridge-rail and mumbled.

he sobbed on his past mistakes and tumbled.

yet he held himself and stopped in the centre

to overlook at the eerie waves that did enter

in broad daylight through the discarded waste

and mired the abutments with stinking paste.

- Songs of Suicide, by Onkar Sharma (Buy Here)

Every line of this long poem is a treat that stirs you and transports you into the psyche of the person, who's standing on the wedge of the hill, on the bridge or under the ceiling fan.  

Onkar Sharma, who is the editor of LiteraryYard.com, deserves applause for treating the subject with master precision.