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Waves As Art
Manoj Sheeri
Arjan Dev Majboor is a name which has its own place in the
literary circles of the state. His selected Kashmiri poems translated into
English by Arvind Gigoo has entered the world of poetry books.
There are about twenty four poems in the collection titled Waves.
The longest poem is titled To the Swan which appears at the end of
the collection, and the shortest is the fifth poem titled Fossil (45
words only). This symbolizes the small and high tides of an ocean called the
poet's mind.
The collection has been artistically complied. The
compilation itself is a story of man from childhood till death when like a swan
his soul soars high to get amalgamated in the supreme soul.
A child is born, he is directed by a bronze hand, he is
amazed at the topsy-turvy situations of the world, he plays with ‘snowman'
with ‘fossil', draws ‘paintings' of creation, talks to the star, imagines
the coming millennium, like a 'fowl' he visits ‘the city', dines with a hungry
man, and laments with a ‘lover', listens to 'chiselled words' and meditates on
‘the secret'. But he finds a jungle of ‘wilderness', a ‘funeral' of
creation. His mind ponders. Is it ‘a juggler's trick', how to judge it, what
are the signs? Meanwhile, ‘the dance is on'. Maybe one is rootless in this
prison. So let me fly and soar high like a ‘swan' to reach the supreme, he
feels.
Waves is the product of a thirsty soul to do some
soul searching.
Translation of poetic expression is not an easy cup of tea.
To find an appropriate word, phrase, sentence or thought in one language for a
word, phrase, sentence or thought of another language is job of high academic
caliber. Mere scholarship does not pay here. You need a vision to visualize
words of both the languages in all the shades on the screen of your mind. It is
easy to say, but very difficult to do.
Translations are aimed at reaching people of the other
language. At the same time people of one language many not be knowing such
about the writers or poets of other languages. So a brief note about the poet of
author becomes necessary. A foreword adds more information and an enclosed
analysis of the book for an average reader. This is missing in Waves.
The collection has been printed and published by Arjan Dev
Majboor himself with drawings and cover design by Vijay Zutshi. Collection is
dedicated to Dina Nath Nadim.
The book is of a high literary taste, but an average reader
will have to keep a dictionary nearby, to understand u-hat the poet wants
to tell and translator to communicate.
Spending time with Waves can fetch some thoughts for an
inquisitive mind for each moment is a dance of the mountains. . .where time
laughs a laugh . . ..where colour gives out fragrance . . ..'. I recommend the
book to all lovers of poetry.
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