21st Century Critical Thought - Volume 3

 

I am delighted to be interviewed by the Grand sire of  Indian  Literature Dr Jernail Singh Anand for the insightful  publication "21st century critical thought". It has been included in volume 3 with the subtitle-  A dialogue with post modern voices.  

1 .JSA:  Poets have a long tradition of being rebels. Is it that governments and society look upon them, less as prophets and more as saboteurs? 

 RM: Well, not all poets can be held rebels nor can all governments be termed as opposed to hearing contrary voices. However, it is true that most poets echo the thoughts and feelings of the circumstances around them. To that extent, when times are peaceful and in a state of abundance, poems on romantic love, admiration, beauty of nature etc can be expected to bloom.

When there is unrest, disharmony or oppression in society, poems would reflect a desire for  just and harmonious ways of living. Of course, each poet has a natural inclination for writing what appeals to him or her.

As an example  of my take on the differences in the responses of Governments, I would like to draw attention to the fact that our first Prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, when made fun of about his Government’s omissions and commissions  in the cartoons of  the Shankar’s weekly, used to appreciate the humour and congratulate the editor Mr Shankar.

2. JSA:  Why is the poet suspect in the eyes of the state?

RM:  I would like to reiterate what I said in answer to the first question- not all governments treat poets as suspects.

Yet, the fact that poets have a tendency to tell the truth as it is, can be uncomfortable to a dictatorial government. It fears that the poetic thoughts may be caught by many more people leading to increasing dissenting voices.

 
3 JSA:   Every state gives Awards to poets and litterateurs. Are these awards given to only those who do not wag their tongue?

RM: It is clear from this question that not all poets are rebels or prophets. In fact many with poetic abilities may like to use it to praise the government in power. Those who do this  and the ones who write on neutral subjects are likely to be preferred  by governments over dissenting voices when it comes to bestowing awards.

Yet, there will always be the courageous poets with spine who do not care for recognition or refuse to toe to the whim of those in power. Here, I am reminded of an instance involving the eighteenth century  Malayalam satirist poet,  Kunjan Nambiar.

The king invited poets, showed them a temple pole (Deepa Stampam) and asked them to write poetry on it. The best poems would win big cash prizes.  Translated in English, Nambiar wrote” Deepa stampam is a big wonder. I also should get my money.”

4. JSA:  Do you think poetry is inspired? Or is it sheer hard work and training?  

RM:  I would like to believe that poetry is inspired. If it is a just a lot of hard work, it is bound to show up as just that. Remove inspiration and what remains can be called anything but ‘poetry’. In fact all work done from a place of inspiration becomes poetry!

5. JSA:   I often see a hundred training shops for wrestlers, welders, turners, and stenos, and even to teach arts and painting, but not one for Poets and Poetry.  Why?

RM:   There has always been this desire of man to replicate success and science has been quite helpful in this regard. In respect of art also some knowledge can be helpful. Yet as we discussed earlier, art is all about inspiration. Too much focus on the ‘How’ of poetry tends to kill it. Perhaps this is the reason there are hardly any school to teach writing poetry.  

6. JSA:   Great scientists who made innovations and built up business empires were great dreamers. Why are poets dismissed as dreamers and good for nothing?

RM: Nobody is dismissed as “Good for nothing” if they are successful. For the successful scientists that we know, there may have been thousands who experimented and failed. To their friends, family and acquaintances, they may have been mere “dreamers”.

It is the same with poets. Successful poets like Wordsworth, Keats  or our own Kabir or Amrita Pritam  are revered and not held mere dreamers. The learning here is that it is great to ‘dream’. It is the first step to achieving great things, whether innovations or insights through poetry!

7. JSA:   Dreams are often found to be in conflict with reality. Don't you think dreams lend romance to a life which is dreary? And poetry is an embodiment of that romance?

RM:  Now that is a leading question.  But then, being a poet I cannot agree with you more! Ordinary folks have a life to live. They have responsibilities of feeding their families, to plan for future of their children. Why even the rich folks have to focus on building their businesses across states and countries. No wonder, they feel that there is no time to dream - “Let us focus on the essentials”.  

Yet as pointed out in your question, the routine, dreary, repetitive nature of day to day life is pepped up by the romance that poetry offers. Many are yet to notice it and if and when they do, I am sure they would happily embrace it- read poetry and enjoy what it has to offer, even if not writing it.

8. JSA:   Will you accept people (read poets) who appear similar in look, but aliens in outlook?

RM:  To my mind a ‘real’ poet would love to listen to different voices and viewpoints. When we get to know more about those whom we have never known, we realize that they are not “Alien” any more. 

Yes, I would love to know the culture, viewpoints, priorities and yearnings of various groups of people. I am blessed to be born in a country that has citizens with so many diverse geographical and cultural backgrounds.  With Zoom and poet groups on face book, we are now connecting and interacting with the thoughts of poets across the globe. 

9. JSA:  The workaday life of an ordinary person and dream a day life of a poet: which one you prefer?

RM:  By now it would be clear that it is the latter I would prefer. However, quite a bit of the material for poetry itself, is offered by day to day life. I do not see myself exclusively as a ‘dreamer’. I would like to connect the dream to day to day life as well. While I enjoy sailing along with wonderful enchanting dreams that some fellow poets are capable of  conjuring, my own writing is more about gaining insights about our daily life and how we can live it better. I am also drawn towards spiritual poetry and tend to dabble with it myself, now and then. 

10. JSA:  How you look upon this world? Poets' mainstay is love. But world believes in a thousand things other than love

RM:  People tend to think “Busy as we are, when we don’t have enough time to devote to/ for loving our immediate family, how can we pay attention to concepts such as “universal love”?

However, in the East, we have been told since ages that we are all connected. Poverty or distress in any corner of the world affects the well being of people anywhere else- that the world is a big universal family. The new age movement in the West is also in line with these thoughts.

While seemingly a lot of hate is being spread these days, more and more people all over the world are beginning to recognize the power of love. Therefore the role of poets, the bards of love is bound to increase in the coming years.

I cannot end this discussion without admiring your profound, probing and insightful questions Jernail Singh Anandji. Only an experienced, wise and noble soul such as you could have asked them!  It was a privilege and pleasure engaging in this conversation with you!