Niranjan Mohanty: A Poet of Indian Sensibility by Madhvi Nikam

Madhavi Nikam
NirNiranjan Mohanty: A Poet of Indian Sensibilityhanty: A Poet of Indian Sensibility
Niranjan Mohanty occupies a pivotal position in the contempo-rary Indian poetry in English. He is a leading Indo-English poet today. Belonging to the teaching fraternity, he began writing poems in 1972. He was professor of English at Visva Bharati, Shantiniketan, when the cruel hands of death snatched him away from this world in July 2008. Mohanty has to his credit eight anthologies of poems. His first book of poetry, Silencing the Words (1977), was published by United Publishers, Calcutta. His second collection was released after a gap of almost ten years. His collections, Oh This Bloody Game! (1988), and Prayers to Lord Jagannath (1994) got wide acclaim. Life Lines (1999), On Touching You and other Poems (1999), Krishna (2003) are some of his other collections. His seventh and eighth collections are: Tiger and Other Poems, and A House of Rains (2008). Mohanty, a poet of great honors with his down-to-earth attitude towards life, died on 28th July 2008. A poet of devotion for his work and fathomless love for poetry makes him unique. A true humanitarian who wrote poems with in-depth meanings and various shades of life. He was a poet of passion and emotions with a difference.
Mohanty's latest collection of poems, A House of Rains, was released a little before his death. The poem, entitled 'A House of Rains', deals with the mood of nostalgia. The poet is aware that "there is no such house anywhere." The realization is expressed in the very first line of the poem. Practically the house may not be there, but it is deeply rooted in the mind and memory of the poet. The childhood memory of the days spent in the house haunts him. The house which is nowhere breathes and whispers in the childhood memories of the poet. It is alive in his thoughts which he carries with him wherever he goes. The sweet memories are like 'one-time toys', used and forgotten, kept aside for the next or future generation.
There is no such house anywhere.
Yet it breathes and whispers,
Like rains, like my one-time toys,
Paper boats, once thrown
To the water-clogged drains,
Like my movement into darkness.
The quality of preserving things and memories is evident in these lines. The poet remembers the paper boats he played as a kind which blocked drains. The drains have limitations; they are not like unending oceans. The house seems to be an inseparable part of the poet's life. It is like his movement into darkness. Darkness here signifies ignorance, doubtful steps into future. The house is like the poet's identity, being separated from it like losing his identity for him.
The poet has become emotionally so attached with the house of rain that every drop reminds him of his own self, his existence. In the absence of rain, he can recollect the sound of rain drops falling all night and entering every pore of his body. He remembers all the sweet and sour incidents, his near and dear ones, his past and his present existence. Rain helps him sprout; grow the childhood memories which have greater impact on his life. The rains help him not only believe in his existence but also make him exist. His existence is an outcome of his journey from the past to the present and vice-versa.
In the absence of the yellow bird which is the messenger of love and spring, he tries to measure the days of his existence. Rainbow here signifies the various shades of life like love, hate, joy, sorrow, birth, death, etc. in the absence of temple bells, the faces and voices of dear ones, the poet goes back to the rain house where he can measure the force of his blood. The poet is speaking about the emotions, passions, feelings that never dry up with the time. Time is a solution for grief but it is also necessary for the blooming of happiness. Rains flood the rivers and emotions flood an individual's life with the memories of his past days.
I know not why, often, in the absence
Of the yellow-bird or rainbow, echoes
Of temple bells, the faces or voices dear,
I come back to this house merely to measure
The force of my blood's flow into the river
That never dries up.
Mohanty uses very apt symbols and natural imagery to convey his feelings. Rain is a symbol of rebirth, renewal and joy. It helps the poet to exist not only as an individual but as a human being full of passion. The rain though physically absent is present in the mind and memory of the poet. The poem moves from childhood memories of paper boats, toys to the youth which is symbolized by the rainbow, yellow bird and temple bells. The poet's phrase, "blood's flow into the river", signifies his eternal feelings about his childhood and his dear ones without whom he lacks his existence.
Mohanty's other creation, 'The Leaking House', begins with the description of the house which clearly signifies the economic condition of the house. The poverty stricken house is very well portrayed by him. The 'thin-tinned roof' suggests that due to poverty the roof has not been changed though it is leaking. The ancestral house leaks during rainy season with the debts and problems it is carrying. The debt, the ancestors had taken, is not repaid and thus with the burden the house leaks and bends. Generations together have to work to undo the situation. 'Leaking' also suggests that the creditors do not spare a moment to mend the broken roof as they come to collect the debt and installments again and again. Without these people and without the patter on the roof, the house stoops to silence. If people don't come asking for their money the house misses the chaos and the noise that is created with their presence. Without the people the house is less than itself. Without problems, hurdles and misfortunes the house is reduced to a mere silent room: "Making us believe / That without rains / The house is less than itself."
The poet wishes that there should be some miracle and peace should return. He waits for a sudden shower, a quick lightening which would bring drastic change in his life. The flash of lightning would disappear but would be followed by a thunderbolt doing no harm to anyone. May be he wishes so. So that people realize the uncertainty of life. The materialistic pleasures though tempting and awe-inspiring are useless. The real joy lies in helping others and that is what the leaking house does. It keeps its arks wide open and welcomes everything that comes the way. In monsoon, the house welcomes every drop with wide open arms. The existing economic and social condition alone has given it identity of a different house. Leaking also signifies the problems, the tribulations the house faces. The poet is so used to the leaking sound that silence makes him restless and sleepless. The sound has become a part of the routine.
Without listening
To the sound of leaking,
My eyes won't let me sleep. Even without rains,
The house leaks, and thus leaking
Excites other voices which pierce through me.
The house actually leaks without rains. The poverty stricken family always has to adjust itself in dry and clumsy place. The leaking house unites them, brings them together, makes them more adjustable and develops the sense of belonging. The various ancestral voices are present in the memories of the poet which pierce through him. With the poverty stricken life, debt and grief, the poet realizes that he is not alone. There are others for whom he has to think, care and survive. 'The Leaking House' reminds one of Ramanujan's poem, 'Obituary', where the son is under the constant burden of the debt taken by the father. The loans, unmarried sisters, bed wetting grandsons increase the burden. Mohanty's poem moves from the thin tinned roof to the optimistic note that "I am not alone", which conveys dual meaning that there are many others like him and that he has many companions like memories and burden left by the ancestors. The poem beautifully ends on the optimistic note: "I am not alone."
Mohanty deals not only with the past memories but also with the ultimate truth of death. His poem, 'Creation', is sensitive, touchy and more realistic. Who buries or cremates whom is not important. The loss is more profound and pricklier. It hurts the near and dear ones and humbles the opponents. The situation at the cremation ground is vividly portrayed by the poet. Crying leaves the eyes swollen and puffed up. The eyes itch with the smile of the wet woods used for cremation. There are sighs, sobs and silences filling the cremation ground. The poet creates a typical gloomy atmosphere by the use of his words. The landscape of absences expands with the dear ones passing away. The thoughts and memories of the dead fade away with time. The absences and thoughts are two different things. They are like oil on water which cannot be mixed, nor separated.
The act itself hurts and humbles.
Eyes itch and burn, islanding hearts
Amid waters of sighs, sobs and silences.
Like a dark territory, the landscape of absences
Expands, as though oil on water.
The poet criticizes the sham and show-off at the cremation ground. He is aware of the words and their silences. The relatives show how close they were to the dead one and in the process they hold twisted facial expression for long time than usual. The clear and vivid memories, their fickle relationship and the false play of their emotions all get destroyed. The poet bitterly criticized the false emotional show off. He shows the helplessness to fathom the deception prevalent at the cremation ground. The poet has successfully brought out the scene at the cremation ground. The grave and tensed atmosphere is beautifully created by the poet/ the words like "hurts," "eyes itch," "islanding hearts," "sighs," "sobs," "silence," "dark territory," and "absences" convey the idea of death.
Mohanty's another poem, 'Gold', deals with the realm of knowledge. An individual becomes rich with experience, knowledge, and his deeds. Lack of self-confidence disturbs and distraughts the poet's thought of being the owner of the realm of knowledge. The thought gets defrauded, cheated because of futility. The poet directly hints at plagiarism as well. He emphasizes that he cannot claim any territory his own except the page on which he has created his own work of art. It is forever going to belong to him and be a part of his creation. He says if he heaps 'gold' on 'gold' no one will envy it because it will not be original. When no one will claim it then it will be his. The real joy of an artist lies in real, original creation. Plagiarism corrupts his territory and fractures his ownership. The poet wishes to create his identity but regrets that his workmanship grows and grays in the absence of other gold. Without comparison the real worth and sublimity of the work cannot be known. The poet has very aptly put his ideas about real gold—knowledge and creation.
Thus Mohanty's poems evince his subtle mastery in the field of poetry. His use of symbols, imagery, diction, themes reflect his emotional and practical wisdom. His consummate artistry as a poet can be seen in his work. He beautifully communicates his emotional and social concerns. The sensitive and thought provoking themes are handled with intense care. Plagiarism, a corruption in the field of literature, the uncertainty of life and nostalgia for the past days is carefully dealt with by him. He has created an exquisite picture of life today. He has successfully created a niche for himself amongst the most contemporary poets. His poetry is packed with visual power, concreteness, emotional and social aspects. The true poetic genius and the talent of the poet is seen in his poems. The sensitive new collection of poems is appealing and extraordinary. Influence of Mahapatra's poems can be seen and sensed in his poems. Mohanty has added two more collections of poems to his successful poetic career. These anthologies carry him to new heights. He is, no doubt, essentially an Indian in his sensibility and thoughts.
References:
Kushal, K.B. & Prakash Joshi. Spark. Navi Mumbai: DAV Publication, 2008.
Mohanty, Niranjan. A House of Rains. Kolkata: Cambridge India, Jan. 2008. (All verses quoted in the text are from this book.)