Ramdarash Mishra’s Poetic Journey: A Passage through Common Men’s Lived Realities
Description
Across the road, acacia stood stoutly/ With its long thorns / When I returned home / No acacia remained in my memory / But somewhere on the way / Some veiled flower was smiling with its smell / That seems to have walked with me / And the journey has been filled with fragrance. (“Safar,” Rat Sapne Men, p. 11)
Each year, one of the best literary works in an Indian language is awarded the K.K. Birla Foundation Saraswati Samman. This prestigious 31st honour of the year 2021 was given to senior Hindi language litterateur Ramdarash Mishra (b. 1924) for his poetry collection Main To Yahan Hoon (2015). The honour of the poet’s work is a matter of pride not only for the Hindi world but also for the entire gamut of Indian literature. Despite being proficient in many genres like the novel, the short story, diaries, memoirs, criticism, autobiography, etc., Mishra considers himself a poet first. His poetry is characterized by the courage to narrate common men’s lives in totality in his poems with a positive view, and while accepting the reality of darkness in night, he is able to see the dreams that are redolent in it. He communicates the complexities of his time with lucidity through his literature, and this is the reason that Ramdarash Mishra is considered one of the pioneers of modern Hindi literature. In the present turbulent materialistic era, the honesty, ingenuity and truth with which he has been associated continuously with creativity in almost every genre of literature for a long time is full of inspiration not only for the budding young litterateurs but also for future generations.
Ramdarash Mishra has more than thirty-three poetry collections. These include Path ke Geet (1951), Barang-benam Chitthiyaan (1962), Pak Gai hai Dhoop (1969), Kandhe Par Suraj (1977), Din Ek Nadi Ban Gaya (1974), Mere Priya Geet (1985), Bazar ko Nikale hai Log (1986), Juloos Kahan Ja Raha Hai (1989), Aag Kuchh Nahi Bolti (1992), Shabd Sethu (1994), Barish men Bhigate Bachche (1996), Hansi Honth par Aankhe Nam Hain (1997), Aise Men Jab Kabhi (1999), Aam Ke Patte (2004), Tu Hi Bate Ai Zindagi (2005), Hawaan Saath Hain (2008), Kabhi Kabhi in Dinon (2010), Dhoop ke Tukade (2012), Aag ki Hansi (2012), Lamhen Bolte Hain (2014), Aur Ek Din (2014), Main Toh Yahan Hoon (2015), Raat Sapne Mein (2017), Sapna Sada Palta Raha (2017), Door Ghar Nahin Huva (2019), etc. He has penned fifteen novels. Of these are Pani ke Prachir (1969), Jal Tootata Hua (1969), Aadim Rag (1970), Sukhata Hua Talab (1972), Bich ka Samay (1976), Bina Darwaje ka Maquan (1981), Bis Baras (1996), Apane Log (2006) , Bachpan Bhaskar Ka (2010), Ek Bachpan Yah Bhi (2017), Ek Tha Kalakar (2018), etc. He has also written several short story collections as well as in other genres like reviews, essays, travelogues, diaries, autobiography, criticism, a memoir, etc. His equal authority over all these literary genres reflects his sincere and most dedicated commitment to his time and society. Despite being popular among his readers in so many genres, he says that he has his “first and existing love for poem”. In this regard, it is a fact that India’s prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 2015 was given to his collection of poems titled Aag Ki Hansi (The Laughing Flames and Other Poems). In 2011, he received the Vyasa Award for his poetry collection Aam Ke Patte (2004). His contribution to Hindi poetry is recognized and awarded at various levels by different acclaimed literary organizations.
In the long list of poetic collections mentioned above, his first poetry collection is Path Ke Geet which was published in 1951, but his journey in the field of Hindi poetry began around 1940. His first poem “Chanda” was published in the January 1941 issue of the literary magazine Saryu Paarin. It is also noticeable about Ramdarash Mishra’s long poetic journey that he did not stick to any specific ideology or discourse. He chose a poetic journey that constantly remained in touch with common men’s lived realities with his simplicity and honesty. In other words, his creativity has not been a victim of any particular provocative debate or theoretical prejudice; it has been flowing like a free river.
During an interview aired from Akashvani Delhi on January 22, 2014 in a programme named Sahityiki (conversation with Arun Kumar Paswan titled “Mai Chalta Gaya, Chalta Gaya”) he said:
I started my literary journey with poetry and continued with the same. Changes were welcomed by me from time to time. Fresh themes and expressions continued to be part of my poems. And today when I am in this situation [old age] that I cannot do [write] a lot, that is, I cannot write novels, I cannot write lengthy short stories, I still write poetry. All sorts of poetry…. My poetry also exists in short stories, essays, etc. Poetry interferes wherever needed. In many novels, short stories or essays, where inner truth has to be depicted, natural beauty has to be described, poetry emerges there. And the expressions made through the poem, the language of the poem, the symbols used in the poem appear there. So, I understand that my preferred genre is poetry. (Samvad Yatra, p. 138)
As Hindi poetry progresses over time, so does Mishra's poetry. It is full of originality, freshness and vividness. This is one of the basic reasons that his poetic works are devoid of repetitions from his first collection till now. In other words, there is no apathy found in his poetry that may be found in poetry by many others. In the introduction of his book titled Ramdarash Mishra ki Kavya Yatra, Smita Mishra writes that Mishra’s first collection is Path ke Geet written during 1946 to 1951 under the poetic influence of Chhayavaada Yug. After 1950, a period of Nayi Kavita begins, and in another collection of poems, Barang-benam Chitthiyaan (1962), he appears to be moving towards new kinds of Hindi poems with a progressive view. In 1969, his third collection titled Pak Gai Hai Dhoop from the Bharatiya Janpitha was published. If the post-sixties period is considered a time of disenchantment, the expression of pain caused by the breakdown of values in his collection of 1969 can be clearly felt. Kandhe par Suraj, published in 1977, appears full of positive tendencies, including hope and faith, hurting at the ugliness of the Emergency (pp. 5-7).
In Path ke Geet written under the influence of Chhayavaada, most of the poems are characterized by imaginativeness, perception, a spirit of freedom, etc. With these characteristics, the collection includes several songs such as “Chal Raha Hoon,” “Abhay Jeevan,” “Raat ki Papihari,” “Unki Aakhen,” “Faguni Raat,” “Pavasgeet,” “Man Duba Sannate Mein,” “Jaade Men,” “Sarason ka Van,” “Pakshi,” “Fagun Aaya,” “Meri Rah Na Bandhon,” “Tanha Bhinsare Hain,” “Jindagi ki Raah Par,” etc. These lines that personify nature from this collection are noteworthy:
Tesus [Flame of the Forest] are blazing inside its branches / The world is blazing due to its red color / Bees are kissing the juice / Lost in the cheeks of flowers. (p. 95)
However, some poems in the same collection also express notes of social consciousness. For example:
In the sacrificial ritual of the dream, offering flowers of lives / In the worship of the stone, sacrificing human being / Robbing the respect by the silver hands / Confining the thirst due to the naked starving lust. (p. 59)
Barang-benam Chitthiyaan published after Path ke Geet is considered by critics to be the second phase in the evolution of Mishra's poetry. Most of the poems are full of freshness in this collection. Along with being a progressive and experimentalist, the way in which the poem has the distinction of presenting different values from a thematic perspective can be experienced in many poems of the collection. “Barang-benam Chitthiyaan,” “Band Kar Lo Dwar,” “Shaam,” “Ninv ke Patthar,” “Daudane Lagaa Pani Jhar-jhar,” “Dehati Teeson,” “Nishan,” “Vida,” “Bhatak Raha Khanabadosh,” etc. are some remarkable poems. One of the poems titled “Nishan” can be read mainly from this viewpoint that human beings try their best to protect and preserve their sensibilities even in the midst of very materialistic achievements. The poet says:
Yes, this house has risen / Three-four storeys / the cement has dried up and hardened / But that day / Just in fun / In the wet cement / You put your soft feet / Its mark is as it is. (p. 50)
By the beginning of the 70s, Barang-benam Chitthiyaan was published, and another collection of poems titled Pak Gai Dhoop was released by the end of the decade. Both collections came during the Nayi Kavita period, and both provided a new direction to the poet’s creativity. During that period, he was also influenced by Marxist philosophy. In this regard, he writes:
I had embraced Marxist philosophy when I joined the Nayi Kavita movement. Experiences gained from my village and society had received a concrete view…. I was writing poems which contained Marxist vision. At this juncture, I would like to clarify two things in this regard. One is that I adopted Marxist philosophy as an insight rather than as a ritual, so Marxism did not dominate my poems…. Secondly I did not allow myself to be imprisoned in the world of customs and rituals set by so called Marxist critics and poets, keeping myself open to many other realities and experiences of the individual and society. (‘Meri Kavya-yatra,’ p. 7)
There is no doubt that Mishra’s poems are free from isms or fanatical political beliefs. There are more than twenty poetry collections published after his major first three collections which determine the direction of his poetic journey. All these poems are the result of his sincere concerns experienced during his time. In his poetry, both free verse and lyrical compositions are found. In his later collections there is an abundance of free verse poetry which is probably necessary for the poet to harmonize today's reality with poetry.
When an era of ghazals began under the influence of Dushyant, Mishra, who had written Hindi ghazals in the past, published seven ghazal collections. These are Bazar ko Nikale hain Log, Hansi Onth par Aankhen Nam Hain, Tu Hee Bata Ai Zinadagi, Havayen Saath Hain, 51Ghazalen, Sapana Sada Palta Raha, and Door Ghar Nahin Hua. It is worth mentioning here that among the many famous ghazals of the poet, one written in 1985 became very popular:
I have built this house gradually, / My dream-wings opened gradually. / Without throwing anyone away, or picking myself up, / Spent life’s journey gradually. / By leaping where you arrived, / I also reached there but gradually. / The mountains had no challenge, / Kept lifting the head with grace gradually. / I fell somewhere so, cried in solitude, / Pain healed the wound gradually. (Bazar ko Nikale Hain Log, p. 54)
In this ghazal, human qualities like liveliness and graceful actions are threaded so well in the couplets that every reader or listener finds himself attached to these lines. The world of his ghazals is full of human values and emotions. These compositions have an amazing ability to vibrate with naturalism, far removed from unnecessary flowery language. The above mentioned ghazal has appeared in other poetry collections too due to its popularity. Recently in 2019, a major line of this ghazal, “banaya hai maine ye ghar dhire-dhire,” has been taken by the Hindi critic Om Nischal as the title of his edited collection of selected ghazals of Mishra. In the words of Naresh Shandilya, “the Hindi ghazals of Mishra do not only amaze his readers, but they vibrate within them too (p. 23).” Just to follow the definition of ghazal, he does not like to write ghazals. He has progressed in the field of ghazals only on the basis of simplicity and freedom settled in his original nature.
As a result of his constant involvement with the composition of ghazals, the latest ghazal-collection titled Sapna Sada Palata Raha was published in 2017. In its introduction, he talks about the thematic variations of his ghazals:
My ghazals have the thematic variations. These are on love, nature, city, village, home, family, many references to personal life-journey, images of social life, faces of political, social and religious anomalies, deep affection for common life, and the artifices of the lives of those who are taken as so called elite. (p. 7)
After going through his work, we find that he cannot simply be labeled as a writer of mere ghazals that speak against the system or because they appear simply as being post-modern. Ramdarsh Mishra's ghazals may be a good example when we wish to see how different colours of common men’s lives emerge in Hindi ghazals. How optimistic do we feel in our normal public life? On this, he has said in his latest collection:
There were many pricks of reality in his feet
But there was a dream in his eyes forever. (p. 8)
As we know, in modern Hindi literature there is a rich tradition of long poems to express the complex realities of modern times. Ramdarsh Mishra is also a part of that tradition. Many of his poetry collections have long poems. Among those poems, “Manaaen kya Diwali Hum,” “Par Vidrohi Kab Sunta Hai” (Path ke Geet); “Aatmhatya se Pahale” (Barang-benam Chitthiyaan); “Samay Devata,” “Fir Vahi Log” (Pak Gai Hai Dhoop); “Saakshaatkaar” (Kandhe Par Suraj), etc. are some remarkable ones. While having a discussion on the creative process of the long poem, Narendra Mohan, an eminent critic, prominently gives example of Mishra's “Fir Vahi Log” in his book titled Lambi Kavita ke Aar-par (2015). He writes there:
“Fir Vahi Log” is an attempt to capture hidden satirical elements in different situations, and also to capture and reveal its discrepancy. The important line (refrain) of this poem is: “Then the same people are going through this road.” This is the opening line of the poem and concluding line too. The periphery of other expressions, thoughts and descriptions is considered around this refrain. Appropriate pictures of the discrepancy have emerged by the tense combination of people and the road: Since when this road is a witness / That no man has passed through it / Only the procession has passed … Yes, today the procession is again / Here the same people are involved / Those who were in another procession yesterday. Through this kind of outline, the descriptions have also become meaningful. (p. 30)
The poet himself, while talking about the writing process of long poems, writes that short poems can be based on immediate experience or sensation, but in long poems, the stream of thoughts plays a very important role. Such poems are born not of “mere recollection of experience, but of contemplation or thought.” Questions raised in the poem, a series of imagery, life-vision, and multidimensional life-experience all together form an unconfined portrait in a long poem (“Meri Kavya-yatra,” p. 10).
His other long poems, especially “Samay Devta” and “Saakshaatkaar” have also been popular among critics. In these poems, there is no artificial imagery which is generally employed by a poet to extract the reality of life and society. But, images, symbols, etc. have emerged as a natural medium to present the bitter truth associated with society, country, time and environment with creativity and liveliness. “Samay Devta” is one of his representative long poems. In this long poem, “nameplate hanging like a cracked sole of a shoe,” “with a burning cigarette stuck in the bare feet,” “cracking of glass due to heat of breath,” “a gasp of light,” “growing hunger like rainy plants,” “crying night by climbing the roofs,” “peeping empty directions from forests,” “fake mobs,” “sleeping tired streets,” etc. are some of the prominent examples of images used in order to represent social reality. A collection of all his long poems titled Ramdarsha Mishra’s Long Poems (2019) has been edited by Ved Mitra Shukla.
In the year 2015, a collection of his 140 selected short poems named Apna Rasta (ed. Savita Mishra) was also published. It presents all those poems which can be characterized by “conciseness, totality, concentration as well as contemplation and unique exploration of language.” These short poems are “at least symbolic, dense, and far-fetched by images and symbols. They have a distinct flare that identifies the vertex of the poem and identifies reality at a subtle level” (p. 9-10).
One of his poetry collections entitled The Laughing Flames and Other Poems (Aag ki Hansi) is still in the limelight, especially among litterateurs and readers. It is translated by Umesh Kumar into English. This collection of 53 poems, published in 2012, contains a short poem titled “The Laughing Flames” in which the common man’s favour has been poised in poetry with great interest, targeting the egoism prevalent among the so-called elite. In the poem, there are aristocrats and so-called big people who say that the fire of the hearth ignited by common men is the main reason behind the problems of the country. So, the poet favours the common men and says:
I can’t be befooled, for I know / The fire of the hearth produces only / The hot and blazing rotis / ... ... And slowly and gradually / Transcend into man’s laughter / But your laughter is not the same / Look into your mirror gentleman / There you will see – how gently and slowly / A different fire is making an appearance / Through your calm and sober laughter / And how slowly and gradually it is engulfing / All the directions into its lap / By turning itself into a mighty-fire / And full credit to your mystery / For people still think - / That the hearth unleashed the fire / Your mystery is beautiful, O mysterious! (p. 01)
In this poetic collection, there are some lyrical songs. Among those, “Jasmine” (“Harsingar”) and “How Good it Feels” (“Kitna Achchha Lagta Hai”) are able to revive that lyricism for which the poet has been very popular in his early literary career. While on one hand the image of a prominent lyricist of Hindi literature is refreshed in the reader's mind, there are other poems fully capable of communicating with the reader with ease even about the most intricate reality of modern life. In this regard, “Stone Gods” (“Devta”), “Our Earth” (“Dharti”), “Against the Darkness” (“Andhere ke Virudh”), “I Get no Letters Now” (“Ab Nahin Aati Chitthiyan”), “Global Village” (“Vishwagram”), “The Sunshine (“Dhoop”), “The Whole Country has Become Your Village Now” (“Poora Desh Tumhara Ganv Ho Gaya”), “The Flower” (“Phool”), “And then One Day” (“Aur Ek Din”), “The Money Laughs” (“Paisa Hansta Hai”), “You Graze in Our Fields” (“Khet Charte Hain”), etc. are some notable poems. In “Against the Darkness,” he emphasizes the importance of just one constructive thought, better than many negative thoughts and discourses of present-day politicians or other such people:
Aligning with different groups / They continued shouting against the darkness / … They too fell in the same darkness / Seated among them now – the darkness /…But HE continued to walk through in silence / Carrying a mashaal as his companion / He wasn’t alone now / However small, a light was with him / And with every ray of this light / The darkness was trembling. (p. 28)
Similarly, in another short poem “Stone Gods,” condition of a modern man, who cannot understand the importance of himself and the people associated with him due to the religious rituals, pomp, etc. in today's society, is well presented in style of the poet Kabir. At the same time, the greatness of the human being is also explained:
The stone-gods were sleeping / In ever illuminating colourful stone-houses / Their devotees continue to break their heads / On the stone-gods / For the sake of wishes they nurtured / Witnessing all this, I returned home in emptiness / But as I entered in my kitchen / The grater-stone cried - / “Where have you been? / I am here. Waiting for you …” (p. 26)
In the same collection, some poems such as “Diary,” “Here Comes the Kawaar” (“Fir Aa Gya Kawaar”), “The Traffic Signal” (“Chauraha”),” “Hanuman,” etc. have autobiographical elements. But at the same time, these poems do not ignore the universality and omnipresence of emotions, thoughts and experiences.
In 2017, another collection of Ramdarsh Mishra’s latest poems was published. It is Rat Sapne Men. This collection is the result of a poet’s experience of his long poetic journey which enables him to realize how time blossoms in the lap of the present and future. The very idea at the center of this collection is how even if there are negative situations like night or darkness, the life of man is able to awaken dreams of positivity. But, no doubt, like his earlier collections, this collection should also be read for poems that look at life with totality rather than focusing on any one aspect of life. In this collection of 66 poems, there are also some influential short poems.
In this latest collection, one can experience the journey of the poet from his individual self to his self that exists in a social situation. These poems are like a picture of many colours associated with life on a large canvas made from the brush of human sensibilities. Many poems outline the importance of poetry itself, including “Rat Sapne Men,” “Kavita Bolane Lagati Hai,” “Din,” “Kavita ke Sang,” “Tanhai,” “Badal Kavi Hai,” “Kavita Main utar Aate Hai,” and “Bahut Jaruri Hai.” In the titular poem “Rat Sapne Mein”, the poet considers the poem an important factor behind positive changes in society, the world and life. He says:
He said to me in a loud voice / “Why do you write poetry against me?” / A voice emerged / “Don’t be afraid, fight with him / We are with you”/ In a moment, lot of people stood up / And came to fight against him / He collapsed / The head of the crowd said / “They do not die due to poetry / They have to be killed in a group” / I said – “Yes, but / It was caused by poetry only!” (p. 74–75)
On the question of poetry, a poem titled “Kavita Bolane Lagati Hai” talks about itself:
When I keep speaking / The poem remains silent / When I am silent / The poem starts speaking. (p. 29)
There are poems on poets, the process of creation, and also on criticism in literature, including “Musakarata Hai,” “Cycle aur Havai Jahaj,” “Kitaben Rah Jayengi,” and “Tu Mujhe Janta Hai.” This latest collection draws a reader to poems based on small objects related to human life and to the author's own life, especially the experiences of old age. When a poetic perspective is found on the often unseen objects of everyday use, an inspiring life-vision is revealed. In this regard, “Torch,” “Mobile,” “Takiya,” “Kainchi,” “Khat,” “Parda,” “Pustaken,” “Divar,” “Rah,” “Sidhi,” etc. are some significant poems. The poem, titled “Pillow”, expresses a lot about the self-respecting tendency of man through new and fresh metaphors:
Whatever the position of body may be / Must keep the head up / Don't know, sleep at night / In what forms retains the body / But the pillow / keeps head high with care / Thank you pillow. (p. 64)
There are also some poems which are able to preserve the experiences and visions of the poet’s surroundings from a particular state of old age. These are “Diwali ki Rat,” “Aaj,” “Vriddhaashram,” “Khel,” “Haalchaal,” “Jab Main Yahan se Jaunga,” “Aana-jana Chhod Diya,” “Unhone Kaha,” “Gali Men Cricket,” “Sharab,” “Apna-apna Budhapa,” “Bazar Ghar Men,” etc. All these poems connect with common life and surroundings to create a special interest towards the collection. Due to the contemporary realities in the centre of these poems, new and fresh themes appear before the reader.
Ramdarsh Mishra, who has become synonymous with spontaneity in contemporary literature, has the common man’s sensibilities at the core of his work. Earned from the people and filled with the spirit of devotion to the people, his representative poems can also be read in Main To Yahan Hoon. In this context, if we discuss the title-poem from the collection “Main To Yahan Hoon,” we find that the poet identifies God and spirituality within the common man’s life itself. His God is absorbed in the world and nature. Defying orthodoxy, he says in this poem:
When he came out of the temple bored, he saw / Flowers were blooming all around / Birds were chirping / The wind was bathing in fragrance / And on the skin of living and non-living / Was writing a tale of feeling … /It seemed / As a voice echoed all around / “Hey, I am here, here I am, here I am.” (p. 67)
To conclude, his poetic ability to observe and absorb his time and his surroundings with an innocent sense makes his entire poetic creation a reader’s favourite. At the age of 98 years, Ramdarsh Mishra is still associated with the art of communicating realities of life with ease through his poetry. Full of diversity, freshness, liveliness, every collection of his poems has proved a milestone in his long literary journey.
References:
Mishra, Ramdarash, Apna Rasta, Ed. Savita Mishra, New Delhi: Swaraj Publications, 2015. Print.
... Bazar ko Nikale Hain Log, New Delhi: Vikas Papers, 1986. Print.
... Bairang-Bainam Chitthiyan, Ahmedabad: Aastha Publications, 1962. Print.
... Din Ek Nadi Ban Gaya, Delhi: National Publishing House, 1974. Print.
... Hansi Onth par Aankhen Nam Hain, Delhi: Parmeshwari Publications, 1997. Print.
… Mai to Yahan Hun, Delhi: Indraprastha Prakashan, 2015. Print.
... ‘Meri Kavya-yatra,’ Us bachche ki Talash Men, New Delhi: Naman Prakashan, 2007. Print.
… Raat Sapane Men, Delhi: Indraprastha Prakashan, 2017. Print.
... Sapana Sada Palta Raha, Delhi: Indraprastha Prakashan, 2017. Print.
... The Laughing Flames and Other Poems, Trans. Umesh Kumar, New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi, 2021. Print.
Mishra, Smita, Ramdarsha Mishra ki Kavya-yatra, New Delhi: Naman Publications, 2011. Print.
Narendra Mohan, Lambi Kavita ke Aar-par, Kanpur: Quality Books Publishers, 2015. Print.
Radhi, Harishankar (ed.), Samvad-yatra: Ramdarsha Mishra ke Saakshaatkaar, Kanpur: Aman Publications, 2017. Print.
Shandilya, Naresh, ‘Chamtkrit Nahi Spandit Karti hain: Dr. Ramdarsha ki Ghazalen,’ Sahitya Yatra, Year 2, Issue 6, July – September 2015, p. 23–26. Print.