Prof Asim Ranjan Parhi’s tour de force collection of poetry, “Of Sons and Fathers”, is where the poet aspires to reserve a place in the cano
of Indian writings in English. Written allegorically, the poems have meanings beyond what meet the eye. Going through the poems is deeply refreshing like sips of cold water in an unbearably hot and humid summer day. They are invigorating like “sleep after toil”, to borrow a phrase from Edmund Spenser. Poetry being the most artful form of the written word, it moors the thought of a poet. Needless to say, one’s thoughts are shaped by copious readings that are deep and engrossing, besides other eclectic influences. Poetry is an act of intimacy. What is personal and deeply felt, a poet attempts to transform it into language, as an irreducible art.
Writing poems may be a poet’s way of being alone. Being alone is not an escape from this worldly life, but an evolution, a kind of liberation like that of the prostitute Pingala (one among the twenty four gurus of Abadhuta in the Srimad Bhagwat Gita), who discovers the presence of God in herself after waiting fruitlessly for a young but rich client for the whole night. Most of the poems ‘Of Sons and Fathers’ echo the privateness of the poet. But since writing poetry is a conviction, the poet’s experiences are not his alone, but in a way, a metaphor for all. Turning personal into universal, contemporaneous into timeless is a distinguishing quality of the poet under discussion that sets him apart from a dime a dozen.
‘Of Sons and Fathers’ is essentially about the archetypal relationship between a father and a son. It is a complex, yet subtle relationship. Needless to say, it is an inviolable bond and as old as time. Pointing at this relationship, noted Sri Lankan writer Daya Dissanayake in his foreword of the book has said: “The entire collection is about fathers
and sons through the ages – Past, Present and Future”. Renowned Professor of English Supriya Choudhury’s perceptive remark about the book is: “…it is an epic written in the lyric mode…” Prof Parhi’s poems are not far removed from reality; they are “out of cheers and tears.” The poet’s love and longings for his son make his poetry passionate. His son is his “Only love amidst chaos and life’s noisy thoughts.”
As the poet’s experience is the traumatised relationship of the human self, he keeps The Mahabharat at the centre to explain his emotional turmoil. To articulate his feelings, the poet has not directed his attention entirely to the West, even though he is trained in English literature. Rather, he has tried to be “himself”, an Indian self wherein Indian culture takes precedence. He takes us to the great epic The Mahabharat and some of the western classics so that we meet Karna, Durjyodhan, Krishna, Pandavas, Kauravas, Hastina, Sita, Draupadi, Kunti, Hamlet and Henchard. He has consciously used Indian words like Madalashi, Mrutunjaya, Sthitaprajna, Adharma…, so that the trait of Indianness becomes prominent. Reading his poems brings ecstasy that permeates one’s entire being.
The poet’s troubled mental state has been mirrored through the traumatic life of Karna whose identity has been questioned time and again. In a caste based hierarchical social structure, his unknown parentage deprives him of his identity. Needless to say, Kunti abandons him and he is left in the lurch to face the high scaled rough weather of a caste- ridden, malevolent society for his low birth Kunti’s selfish intention has been exposed, the stereotype merging with the mother figure has been boldly questioned by the poet. The poet’s love for nature and preservation of its fauna is urged in some poems.
The poet, as a path breaker in ideas, and as someone who has the nerve to question the society, raises his voice against the practice of animal sacrifice to perpetuate worshipping gods and goddesses that are lies. He urges all to desist from worshipping carnivore gods and turn to be vegetarians.
The worth of a poem doesn’t lie in its paraphrasable content, but in the rich ideas it holds, besides its structure. Invariably, it is the ideas that stir and stimulate the reader’s minds. In Ars Poetica, Archibald Macleish offers a weighty definition about poetry that appears contextually relevant. He said: “A poem shouldn’t mean, but be”. With such a stiff criterion, impurities in poetry will be filtered and sheep will be separated from the goats. But the poems under discussion live up to the very essence of Macleish’s definition of poetry. Besides, these poems stand apart for use of the short yet nuanced vocabulary catering to the brevity that makes the poet stand in good stead. Moreover, the poet also has the deftness to express himself with epigrammatic brevity. Absence is love’s fathomless vigour / Fathers are punctuation marks / Triumph is just a relative state... illustrate the point. There are also lines in the collection that aspire to be epigrammatic. For example: Karnas of the world are never children / Sons of the earth are perennially defathered / I have settled with defeats great / Depression is no frustration: One is poetry, other, arithmetic.
Depression is temporary and instead of becoming corrosive it is creative for the poet. His hope has not turned dim as he takes heart that nothing lasts forever and winter turns to spring. Man is not born to concede defeat. Contextually, Maya Angelou’s words appear relevant, as she said: “We may encounter many defeats, but must not be defeated.”
Father is the person whom the poet’s imagination has returned to time and again than anyone else. There is a vastness of mind contained within the fragile frame of the body called father. He stands for vitality— a life force, an energy. He is not just a physical entity; he is a point of view of a great consciousness. He is a mixture of ancient wisdom and current knowledge. A father is “forever young to take up action”. Unlike a mother who is always like a busy bee for her children and family, “mother never gets old”, to use Amrita Pritam’s words, a father is born old. Even if, his “chariot fallen” and he has to face “brahmastra” and “pashupata”, he moves ahead undaunted, because of his “stubborn and burning zeal.”
A father is possessive of his son and in him, “the whole earth and sky look bright” (Of Sons and Fathers). But he “can’t stand his (son’s) morose eyes”. More than physical, father is a psychological construct, even perhaps a spiritual one.
The poems in the collection are cathartic, exhilarating and fresh. As one finishes reading these poems, they offer a meaningful moment in a hectic world. Readers also feel connected to the words and to each other. The poems are elegant because of their simplicity. They are free from the conceits and pedantic show-off which otherwise could have been ridiculed for spoiling the poetic ethos. The skill with which the poet has shown his ability to embrace and transform his personal situation into powerful verse, that too in a language that touches the heart of the readers, evokes a depth of emotion which lingers long after the poems are read.
(Reviewer: Dr Biswal is a former Associate Professor of English. Poet: Prof Asim Ranjan Parhi is HoD, PG Department of English, Utkal University, Vani Vihar).