Nishi Pulugurtha and Nabanita Sengupta
Spring has begun revealing its colours in Kolkata. The red, violet and yellow flowers here and there are a regular feature this time of the year. Along with the green they add the much-needed colour to a concrete cityscape. A few smiles to lighten up a mundane drive down city roads with all the traffic and dust. The evening spring breeze clearly felt and the full moon shining on amidst all the noise and din. As we sit down to write this Editorial for the 5th issue of the journal of the Intercultural Poetry and Performance Library Journal, Poetry at the Heart of the Nation, the colours of nature seem all over. There is a sadness and anger too, at the violence that one sees happening in the world we live in. The loss of human lives, of killings and destruction makes one wonder as to the depths to which humanity is falling to. This also makes us go back to poetry even more, for it is poetry that can speak uncomfortable truths and reach out to many.
This issue of the journal is a general one and contains original poems written in several styles, moods and forms. The contributors, from several parts of the country, bring in new perspectives, new ways of representation as they weave words, thoughts and images. There are several young voices as well experimenting with form and theme, trying to find ways of engaging with words and poetic form. Rudrajit Paul’s essay “Kamini Roy: The Trailblazer of Early Twentieth Century Bengal” focuses attention on a lesser-known poetic voice, Kamini Roy. This issue also has five book reviews of recent poetry books – Rajorshi Narayan Patranobis’s Checklist Anomaly reviewed by Sangeeta Banerjee, Paramita Mukherkee Mullick’s Cloud Nine reviewed by Sutanuka Ghosh Roy, Gopal Lahiri’s Crossing the Shoreline reviewed by Navamalati Neog Chakraborty, L. S. Rathore’s Eagle’s Coin reviewed by Nishi Pulugurtha and Malahsri Lal’s Mandalas of Time reviewed by Nabanita Sengupta. Reviews are significant both for the readers and the poet. While the readers get a glimpse into the contents, the poet gets an inkling regarding the reception of one’s work. The issue also has an interview of poet Lopamudra Banerjee by another bilingual poet, Gopa Bhattacherjee. The interview opens scope for conversation between two poets and brings out various nuances of each others’ works. Such fruitful interactions are imperative for a healthy creative space and as editors of this journal we are happy to include such endeavours.
IPPL poet members have been regularly responding to Sunday poetry prompts held in the members WhatsApp group on alternate Sundays not only by sharing poems but also by reacting and responding to poems as well. The critical discussions on poetry are an important aspect of understanding and appreciating poetry. While this issue has poems only in English, we would like to mention that IPPL poets write in several languages and we hope that in the future issue we will be able to showcase poetry in the several Indian languages as well.
This year is significant in the history of Indian poetry in English – being the centenary year of the doyen of English poetry, Nissim Ezekiel. It reminds us of the long route that Indian poetry in English has covered. Last year also saw demise of two pillars of Indian poetry in English in close succession – Jayanta Mahapatra and Gieve Patel. Though poets never die, they stay with us through their work, the loss of two such eminent poets has left the poet community in mourning. Yet it is only through more poetry that we can pay homage to these great poets who have paved the way for us. IPPL is a space that nurtures poetry. Interactions between poets across age, profession, experience and potential leads to the creation of a democratic space that values and nourishes literary talents. A close reading of the poems in this journal will reveal this perspective of the Intercultural Poetry and Performance Library to the readers. Giving space to budding poets alongside the established ones means allowing a voice to find its space. By doing this, we hope to do our bit of service to literature and in a small way carry forward the legacy of poetry that has a rich past in the country.