Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Article on R.K.Singh's Haiku Sequence

HAIKU SEQUENCE: ITS CONCEPT AND APPLICATION IN R.K.SINGH

Dr. Rajni Singh
Assistant Professor
Indian School of Mines University
Dhanbad-826004

Today Japanese poetry has transcended the barriers of regions and augmented as a vivid poetic form. It is being translated, imitated and even integrated into different cultures. Many poets writing regular poems at one time or another have experimented with haiku or haiku-related genres. Perhaps, it would not be wrong to say that the present time witnesses the flowering of English- language haiku worldwide with some Indian poets as active contributors, namely Mujib Yar Jung , Angelee Deodhar, K.Ramesh, Kala Ramesh, R.K.Singh, Mohd. Fakhruddin, D.H.Kabadi, I.H.Rizvi, Narayana Rao, Maria Netto, Urmila Kaul, Radhey Shyam, D.C. Chambial, Kanwar Dinesh Singh and others. One notices more and more poets have been exploring haiku and haiku related arts such as haibun and linked verse forms.
R.K.Singh began his poetic career with writing long poems followed by short verses-- haiku and tanka—and further went on to experiment with haiku and tanka sequences. Singh’s Every Stone Drop Pebble (jointly with Catherine Mair and Patricia Prime,1999) and Peddling Dreams (in English and Italian trilogy, Pacem in Terris,2003) and more recently The River Returns (2006) are the three volumes of haiku and tanka that confirm his dominating presence in English language haiku scene. Singh’s haiku and tanka have appeared in journals such as Lynx, Simply Haiku, Mainichi Daily News,Modern English Tanka, The Asahi Shimbun, Ko-, The Tanka Journal, Ginyu, Haiku Spirit, Presence, Winterspin, Mirror, At Last, Moonset, Frogpond, Tinywords etc. and his reputation as a haikuist continues to grow. Probably, the shift in poetic form, from long poems to haiku and tanka, must have happened to the poet naturally because even in his long poems the poet “articulates his feelings and thoughts in measured syllables, eschewing unnecessary flamboyance of language or flights of fancy.” It is this poetic talent which makes R.K.Singh a prolific writer of haiku and tanka. Singh’s recent dabbling at haiku sequences as published in Lynx (vol. XIX: 2, vol.XXII:1, vol.XX:3, Vol.XVIII:3, etc) is worth considering.
An analysis of R.K.Singh’s haiku sequences calls for a short survey of the Japanese linked verse. The practice of writing haiku/tanka sequences in Japanese poetry is not very old. However, renga is the oldest form of linked verse in Japanese poetry. It is a linked elegance, in which 3-line stanza of 5-7-5 on are linked to a two line 7-7 on, usually written by two or more persons. Another poetic form, tanka, too, has a similar stanza pattern but differs from renga as it does not involve poets linking verses with each other. Talking about the difficulties early Japanese poets had in writing long poems, due to the characteristics of the Japanese language, Donald Keene writes, “Japanese lacks stress accents and rhyming is too easy to keep the rhymes interesting in a long poem.” This could have been one of the reasons for confining even the long poems to short forms (tanka). Responding to the desire to say more than can be said in 17 or 31 syllables, the modern Japanese poets began writing sequences.
One can find varied ways of composing haiku and tanka sequences. The most popular or common way of sequencing is by compiling and rearranging the haiku and tanka pieces that revolve around a common subject. This style of sequencing may not involve poets linking verses with each other. On the other hand, the linking could be the work of two poets with each poet alternating the links or even with ten different poets to address more complex and narrative issues. Thus the sequence may either emphasize one theme or can have a more kaleidoscopic approach by shifting the focus.
Commenting on the style of sequencing tanka pieces , Werner Reichhold in his scholarly essay, “Some Developments in the House of Tanka”, remarks: “…after writing…many different tanka…,(the poet) can put(them) together, partly adapted, building a larger poem.”(Lynx vol.XIV: No.2)This is equally applicable to haiku. Sanford Goldstein’s valued criterion for sequence also is worth mentioning here. According to Goldstein the sequence must have a beginning, middle and end in order to bring about a new overall cohesion and attentiveness. Thus the discussions on what constitutes a haiku sequence, have actually paved a way for the practicing haikuists to venture into a newer realm of creativity.
Many of R.K.Singh’s regular poems contain the haiku or tanka structure in separate stanzas but linked to make a complete poem. Now he composes his ‘sequences’ by gathering and threading the haiku pieces thematically.
A haiku sequence for analysis is “At War…”:
Night bombing
leaves the garden
white as death

Vultures waiting
for the left overs
of the sacrifice

Whiteness of the moon
and rocks howl with the wind…
fear in the veins

In the ruins
searching her photo:
evening

Standing behind
the window bars observes
darkness in shapes

Awaits his son’s
phone call from the border:
dogs and cats wail

A dead voice
calling up at dawn:
drowsy eyes

Alone
on her bed rings
the cell phone

Unmoved by the wind
he sits on a rock wearing
peace of the lake

The three dots of the ellipsis in the title set the mood by stretching out the weird and pathetic war scene. We are allowed to imagine all the things we associate with war. The first haiku in the sequence-
Night bombing
leaves the garden
white as death

gives a harrowing picture of a nuclear war. The lines instantly bring before us a trail of the major wars that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, the attacks of September 11 and the subsequent “war on terror”, and /or bombing in Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq, Sudan, Congo, Croatia, Bosnia, Jammu and Kashmir etc. but the omission of article, whether definite or indefinite dismisses all the possibilities of associating the haiku with any specific war. In an attempt to make it generic, the last two lines are made more explicit. The lines ‘leaves the garden/white as death’, with all immediacy escalate the horror of a war. The kigo ‘garden’ indicates late spring or early summer. The word ‘garden’ is a symbol of happiness. But the night bombing plays havoc on the garden by leaving it ‘white’. The change in colour from green to white indicates the change in state. The colour ‘white’ is suggestive of the intense ‘smoke’ which results from ‘bombing’.
Further, the line ‘Night bombing’ can be well equated with a “night mare”. For a survivor or a witness, the overnight transformation of ‘the garden’ into a crematorium ground is like living in a hell. To some, the site of the ruined cities and shattered homes may be a heart-rending site but some may even remain unaffected. Like in the next haiku the place becomes a banquet hall for the vultures to dine on the wounded and dismembered bodies. The poet conjures up an omen of war and death through ‘vultures’.
The third link of the sequence if read separately again is ominous in tone. The last line ‘fear in the veins’ is an open-ended line. It is left to the reader to link/ relate it with his own inhibitions. But when the same haiku is studied in relation with the previous one the ‘fear’ becomes well-defined. Here lies the strength of three- liners. Each three- liner appears as an inseparable part of the whole and yet a complete unit in it.
Another marked trait of Singh’s poetry is obscurity in simplicity. The following haiku are loaded with layers of meanings. One can go on peeling off the layers for the exact/ accurate meaning but may not come to a single complete meaning:
In the ruins
searching her photo:
evening

Standing behind
the window bars observes
darkness in shapes

Awaits his son’s
phone call from the border;
dogs and cats wail

A dead voice
calling up at dawn:
drowsy eyes

Alone
on her bed rings
the cell phone

All these verses contribute an eerily peaceful picture of after war. The image in the last line of each haiku is a morbid image. If associated with war, the above verses reflect tremendous upheaval- outer as well as inner, unrest, acute nervous fears followed by disillusionment, utter hopelessness and intense isolation. Thus the mood of melancholy that is achieved via solitude is powerfully visual in the last five haiku.
‘Winter’ is a loosely linked haiku sequence. But the verses have the sensory depth, often visual and auditory vividness of the genre:
Wintry winds
bangs the window tonight
my thoughts agitate

Midnight--
absent whispers
from her room

The sun shines
on the winter blooms:
our first rose

Morning sun
in the dewy lawn
blue roses

Meeting again
the fragrance of night queen
in our bedroom

Naphthalene smell
oozes from the sweater--
fourth December

Noisy parrots
returning to the tree:
sun set early

Each haiku of the sequence is terse, dynamic and complete poetry and focuses the momentness of a moment: “what is happening” at a particular moment with all its freshness and truth. For the poet Nature becomes a tool to probe into human nature. The depiction of the inner turmoil through the turbulent winds in the first haiku is remarkable.
Singh’s haiku is notable for rich and resilient images. The succinctness, objectiveness, concreteness, directness and simplicity of his short verses captivate the reader’s heart and mind. His haiku can be broadly divided into three categories- ‘Nature haiku’ (deeply rooted in Nature and has a kigo), ‘Human haiku’ (referring to some aspects of human nature physical or psychological, and thus have references to the natural world and no season words) and ‘human plus nature haiku’ or ‘hybrid haiku’ (contents of which are natural as well as human world and often includes kigo). The poet meticulously weaves the links of the sequences. In each sequence the pieces are hooked thematically or grouped together to the title or chosen subject. There is no or little chronological pattern or relatedness between the poems, yet, they easily go together in forming a pattern. As each haiku is complete in itself and stands on its own, the sequence has inherent flexibility structure. The absence of the period at the haiku is meant to leave the haiku open-ended for an echoing extension.
Writing poetry is not just the practice of a technique it is something more than that. In Cid Corman’s words, “it is life… and if one worked at one’s life, the poem would come of its own.” And in Basho’s words, “To make a poem about the pine, study the pine, Become the pine.” Singh’s poetry is never a churned out machine work, it emerges right from his soul. His haiku have the lucid gleam of the morning dew and liquid clearness of the limpid stream that runs glittering in open sunshine. His sequences are remarkable for their clarity, chiseled beauty and inevitable afflatus.


References:
1. Catherine Mair, Patricia Prime, R.K.Singh. Every Stone Drop Pebble , New Delhi: Bahri Publications, 1999.
2. Charles Trumbell, “The American Haiku Movement Part I: Haiku in English,” Modern Haiku Vol. 36.3 Autumn 2005.
3. I.K.Sharma, “Introduction” New Indian English Poetry: An Alternative Voice, Edited by I.K. Sharma, Jaipur: Book Enclave, 2004, p.11.
4. John Marton, “The Way of Poetry: Part I of II- for Jeremy Seligson” in Moonset, The Newspaper, vol3. Issue2. Autumn/ winter 2007 Oregon: New York USA, p.16
5. R.K.Singh. Book Review. Deuce: Haiku Poems (New Delhi: K.K. Publishers and Distributors, 2001) in Indian Book Chronicle, Vol.28, No.4 April 2003, p.5.
6. R.S.Tiwary “ “Secret of the First Menstrual Flow”:R.K.Singh’s Commitment to Fleshly Reality”’ New Indian English Poetry: An Alternative Voice, Edited by I.K. Sharma, Jaipur: Book Enclave, 2004, p.89.
7. Werner Reichhold, “Some Developments in the House of Tanka” in Lynx Vol.XIV: No.2
8. http:// www.haiku-hia.com
9. http:// www.tinywords.com
10. http://www.ahapoetry.com/ahalynx/
11. http://indiasaijikiworlkhaiku.blogspot.com/2006/07/r-k-singh.html

Published in Maulana Azad Journal of the English Language and Literature (MAJELL), Vol. 1, No.1 March, 2009, pp.80-88.

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Article on R K Singh's Haiku & Tanka

THE MAGNETISM OF THE MEASURED SYLLABES: R.K.SINGH’S HAIKU AND TANKA SEQUENCES

Dr. Rajni Singh
Assistant Professor
Indian School of Mines University
Dhanbad-826004


Today Japanese poetry has transcended the barriers of regions and augmented as a vivid poetic form. It is being translated, imitated and even integrated into different cultures. Many poets writing regular poems at one time or another have experimented with haiku or haiku-related genres. Perhaps, it would not be wrong to say that the present time witnesses the flowering of English- language haiku worldwide with some Indian poets as active contributors, namely Mujib Yar Jung , Angelee Deodhar, K.Ramesh, Kala Ramesh, R.K.Singh, Mohd. Farhruddin, D.H.Kabadi, I.H.Rizvi, Narayana Rao, Maria Netto, Urmila Kaul, Radhey Shyam, D.C. Chambial, Kanwar Dinesh Singh and others. One notices more and more poets have been exploring haiku and haiku related arts such as haibun and linked verse forms.
R.K.Singh is one such Indian English haikuist who began his poetic career with writing long poems followed by short verses-- haiku and tanka—and further went on to experiment with haiku and tanka sequences. Singh’s Every Stone Drop Pebble (jointly with Catherine Mair and Patricia Prime,1999) and Peddling Dreams (in English and Italian trilogy, Pacem in Terris,2003) and more recently The River Returns (a tanka and haiku collection,2006) are the three volumes of haiku and tanka that confirm Singh’s dominating presence in English language haiku scene. Singh’s haiku and tanka have appeared in such prestigious journals as Lynx, Simply Haiku, Maimichi Daily News,Modern English Tanka, The Asahi Shimbun, Ko-, The Tanka Journal, Ginyu, Haiku Spirit, Presence, Winterspin, Mirror, At Last, Moonset, Frogpond, Tinywords etc. and his reputation as a haikuist continues to grow. Probably, the shift in poetic form, from long poems to haiku and tanka, must have happened to the poet naturally because even in his long poems the poet “articulates his feelings and thoughts in measured syllables, eschewing unnecessary flamboyance of language or flights of fancy.” It is this poetic talent which makes R.K.Singh a prolific writer of haiku and tanka. Singh’s recent dabbling at haiku sequences is another feather in his cap. The poet takes delight in haiku and tanka sequences and has composed quite a number of sequences, some of which have appeared in India Saijiki (July 2006) and Lynx (vol. XIX: 2, vol.XXII:1, vol.XX:3, Vol.XVIII:3, etc).
Singh composes his sequences by gathering and threading the haiku pieces thematically. In fact, the poet adopts the same style of composition for his longer poems as well. I.K. Sharma, too, has pointed out this distinct feature of R.K. Singh’s poetry in his “Introduction” to New Indian English Poetry: An Alternative Voice: “His art of making poem is not to make a poem but to make beads for a poem, which he later on would string together.”
Singh’s haiku sequence “Love-making” is threaded with eight haiku pieces. It is a sensual vignette about the beauty and freedom in a single moment of intimacy between lovers:

Love making
he melts into her
time stands still


Love making

the sound of orgasm:

Lao Tzu

[ “ A great sound is audible , and a great image is formless,” said Lao Tzu.]


Making love
she tastes the salt upon
his shoulder


Candling in vein
leaves marks of teeth on her neck
utters holiness

Unclothing
the white night:
lips meeting lips

Writes with strands of
watery hair on her bare back
a love haiku

After the tumble
buried between the sheets
left over passion

She departs
leaving behind her clothes
over mine

The sequence captures the essence of physical contact. Each string appears a delicate bundle of joy and captures within it an emotion and a moment of utmost bliss. The carnal yearnings of the lovers are presented in such a way that they exhilarate all the senses. The poet focuses one moment in time and that time seems suspended leaving the reader to only imagine the before and after.
The next haiku sequence, ‘Winter’, is a loosely liked haiku sequence. But the verses have the sensory depth, often visual and auditory vividness of the genre:

Wintry winds
bangs the window tonight
my thoughts agitate

Midnight--
absent whispers
from her room

The sun shines
on the winter blooms:
our first rose

Morning sun
in the dewy lawn
blue roses

Meeting again
the fragrance of night queen
in our bedroom

Naphthalene smell
oozes from the sweater--
fourth December

Noisy parrots
returning to the tree:
sun set early

Each haiku of the sequence is terse, dynamic and complete poetry and focuses the ‘momentness’ of a moment: “what is happening” at a particular moment with all its freshness and truth. For the poet Nature becomes a tool to probe into human nature. The depiction of the inner turmoil through the turbulent winds in the first haiku is remarkable.
Singh’s haiku is notable for rich and resilient images. The succinctness, objectiveness, concreteness, directness and simplicity of his short verses captivate the reader’s heart and mind.
Like the haiku sequences, singh’s tanka sequences, too, hold the interest of the reader throughout, moving along smoothly. Tanka traditionally embodies the delights and tragedies of love. Singh’s tanka retain most of the traditional elements such as the syllabic pattern of 5-7-5-7-7, kake kotoba, i.e., pivot words, engo, i.e., puns and seasonal or cultural allusions. The following tanka sequence bespeaks love:

Love

His message to meet
at moonrise among flowers
sparkles a secret
on her smiling face passion
glows with charming fervor

She is no moon yet
she drifts like the moon takes care
of him from the sky--
meets him for a short, waxing
leaves him for a long, waning

Before going to bed
she looks too sad to have
any sweet dream:
the lonely lamp glints no love
and no star peeps through the curtains

Yearning to meet him
she turns a silk-worm spinning
love- silk in cold night--
stands in a shade melting tears
like a candle , drop by drop

Stains of dried dewy
tears on the eyelids tell of
the load on her mind:
clothed in spring the willow twigs
reveal the changed relation

‘Love: Tanka Sequence’ is a string of five tanka which envisages the joys and pangs in separation and union. In the first tanka the beloved’s yearning to meet her lover is expressed covertly. The immediacy with which the bereaved soul transforms into a passionate flower is again striking.
The next tanka starts with a straight declarative statement ‘she is no moon’. The antithetical statement is quick enough to capture the attention of the reader and to behold her/him.
The tanka is entwined in rhythmical pattern- ‘drifts’, ‘meets’, ‘leaves’, ‘short’, ‘long’, ‘waxing’, and ‘waning’. The passionately stumbling movement of the damsel which is compared with the waxing and waning of the moon has a ‘clicking’ effect.
The next three tanka, resonate a deep melancholic strain. They weave the story of a wronged forlorn woman who cannot endure the pangs of separation and betrayal. The tragedies of love are well reflected in the following lines: ‘… the lonely lamp glints no love/and no star peeps through the curtain’; ‘…she turns a silk-worm spinning/love-silk in cold night--/stands in a shade melting tears/ like a candle , drop by drop’; ‘…clothed in spring the willow twigs/reveal the changed relation’. The poet presents the paradoxes of human relationship in a mature manner. He skillfully constructs the emotional dynamics of the lovers. The cry of the agonized soul reverberates beyond the lines.
The tanka sequence is a good sequence as each poem is fitted in its exact place with a beginning, middle and end. Each poem holds a precise place in the sequence and yet stands alone as a unitary, aesthetic whole-- a complete poem. The haiku pieces function as pieces of a collage and play a vital role in moving the story forward. It is through the exact positioning of the verses that each poem gains meaning from its connection to the poem preceding and following it. The sequence is also remarkable for its economy of words in delineating the feelings of the beloved. Every word counts for maximum impact and import as the poet takes utmost care to give full weight and measure to each sparsely worded reflection.
Writing poetry is not just the practice of a technique it is something more than that. In Cid Corman’s words, “it is life… and if one worked at one’s life, the poem would come of its own.” And in Basho’s words, “To make a poem about the pine, study the pine, Become the pine.” Singh’s poetry is never a churned out machine work, it emerges right from his soul. His haiku and tanka have the lucid gleam of the morning dew and liquid clearness of the limpid stream that runs glittering in open sunshine. His sequences are remarkable for their clarity, chiseled beauty and inevitable afflatus.

References:
1. Catherine Mair, Patricia Prime, R.K.Singh. Every Stone Drop Pebble , New Delhi: Bahri Publications, 1999.
2. Charles Trumbell, “The American Haiku Movement Part I: Haiku in English,” Modern Haiku Vol. 36.3 Autumn 2005.
3. I.K.Sharma, “Introduction” New Indian English Poetry: An Alternative Voice, Edited by I.K. Sharma, Jaipur: Book Enclave, 2004, p.11.
4. John Marton, “The Way of Poetry: Part I of II- for Jeremy Seligson” in Moonset, The Newspaper, vol3. Issue2. Autumn/ winter 2007 Oregon: New York USA, p.16
5. R.K.Singh. Book Review. Deuce: Haiku Poems (New Delhi: K.K. Publishers and Distributors, 2001) in Indian Book Chronicle, Vol.28, No.4 April 2003, p.5.
6. R.S.Tiwary “ “Secret of the First Menstrual Flow”:R.K.Singh’s Commitment to Fleshly Reality”’ New Indian English Poetry: An Alternative Voice, Edited by I.K. Sharma, Jaipur: Book Enclave, 2004, p.89.
7. Werner Reichhold, “Some Developments in the House of Tanka” in Lynx Vol.XIV: No.2
8. http:// www.haiku-hia.com
9. http:// www.tinywords.com
10. http://www.ahapoetry.com/ahalynx/
11. http://indiasaijikiworlkhaiku.blogspot.com/2006/07/r-k-singh.html

Published in Research , Vol. 8, No.2, Autumn 2008, pp.109-116.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

The Other Voices International Project Volume 40


The Other Voices International Project
has published some of my poems in Volume 40.

The Other Voices International Project is a cyber-anthology that erases the boundaries of nations, ethnicities, religions, cultures, and age to bring you some of the world's best poetry. No poetry or art is used in this project unless permission has been granted by the artist or his/her estate.

Participation in Other Voices is by invitation only.

Other Voices is listed in the journal section of the World Poetry Directory of UNESCO.

http://www.othervoicespoetry.org/vol40/index.html

http://www.othervoicespoetry.org/vol40/singh/index.html



________________________________________________________________________________________

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Thursday, March 19, 2009

Eric writes...

I read about the first half of your collection, & was so discouraged, I had to stop.

That's no reflection on your technique, nor on your integrity.

You must realize that most literature for the last 100 years or more, especially poetry in English, from whatever part of the world, is mainly pathetic--I mean the authors are sharing their despair. I try not to write such, & to read only as much of it as is necessary to remember the situation. For instance, I don't read the brilliant work of Kafka, after reading a lot of it in my youth. No matter how brilliant it is, it contributes to my inclination to give up, which I can't afford to do.

I seek out work which, at the same time, is honest, which is rare, & somehow strengthening, inspiring, which is rarer still. In poetry, I'm a big fan of a lot of the work of Walt Whitman & Lao Tzu, tho sometimes I think Whitman self-indulgent & facile & Lao Tzu irresponsible. Likewise, I'm a fan of Nietzsche, the German philosopher, tho I think he's terribly, dangerously wrong about a lot. For years, I had a wonderful, brief poem on my door, by Tagore (who, of course, had the advantage of being born wealthy--still, I'll take wisdom & courage where I can get it--even born-rich people can be better than just complacently clever). I'm fond of the little stories of the Sufis, collected & probably some fabricated by Idries Shah.

Sometimes, in the past, you have grappled very honestly, as one individual, with living under the rule of corrupt government. I have appreciated that work, as I face the same situation. Often, that's my subject, too.

I have a rule, that I try to enforce, tho, of course, rarely can: I'll listen to any complaint, exactly once. If the same person makes the same complaint again, I'm sorry, I can't afford to listen. I have read a lot of poet's work--one or two poems, then quit. Can we do something, together, to change the situation for the better? If not, excuse me, I must attempt to survive, to thrive, to make my own contribution to others similarly struggling. I don't need to be convinced how terrible life can be & usually is, & I doubt anyone on Earth has less respect for the so-called leaders of society or, for that matter, for the way most have adapted to being ruled.

When I write, I try not to make the same complaint once, & not, merely, to articulate the complaint, even once--there must be, minimally, a fresh &/or more profound understanding in each poem, or story, or essay, or whatever sort of articulation I'm putting forth. Better yet, some strategy or at least tactic enunciated or at least implied--at the very least, some ability to survive the terrible situation described, & some, at least, minimal hope of finding or, more likely, creating a better situation.

Most American, Indian, British English poetry, most poetry in general, I find, is mainly complaining. Sometimes the complaints are fresh & profound, & contribute to my ability to struggle more successfully--tho rarely. Most are just weak people imitating other weak people, wanting attention & praise for being clever, while making it more difficult for me to carry on & triumph over adversity & maybe help others do likewise.

I hope you understand that I am not belittling you. You have proven yourself, in the past, so talented & kind, that I am concentrating this much, to communicate with you.

In my own work, presently more than ever, I am struggling to surmount great obstacles in the current situation, as well as in the situation out of which I arose, & in the midst of which I put myself together as best I was able, & find I must always be amending, as I learn more about the world & about myself, & face unexpected urgent or protracted necessities. I struggle to face the situation & myself, in my work, honestly, but honesty is not enough--to deliver a package of words & images & ideas to whatever audience finds my work, something truly useful to them. Who can afford to fail? I can't, you can't, my audience can't, your audience can't--no matter how terrible or insane the situation we encounter. That's the situation, & our necessity is to succeed--tho not by other people's usually dishonest standards--anyway--no?

Be well. Don't hesitate to send me your work, or thoughts, whenever you think it's something I might appreciate, & which you wish to share with me. You're an intelligent & caring person. I'm interested in what you do.

Love, strength, & skies -

Eric

Monday, March 16, 2009

Poet-in-Residence writes ...

Sunday, 15 March 2009
R K Singh and The Bloodaxe Book of Contemporary Indian Poets
Here's the Bloodaxe catalogue blurb for this Jeet Thayil edited anthology launched in September 2008. For reasons which will soon become obvious it comes complete with Poet-in-Residence bold italic type.
- Jeet Thayil's definitive selection covers 55 years of Indian poetry in English. It is the first anthology to represent not just the major poets of the last half-century - the canonical writers who have dominated Indian poetry and publishing since the 1950s - but also different kinds of poetry written by an extraordinary range of younger poets living in many different countries as well as India. It is a ground-breaking global anthology of over 70 poets writing in a common language responding to shared traditions, different cultures and contrasting lives in the changing modern world.

One Indian poet not included in this ground-breaking global anthology is an Indian poet actually living and breathing in India. He is Professor Ram Krishna Singh. So what are Singh's credentials? And why does Poet-in-Residence bemoan the fact that R K Singh is not included in this definitive collection of Indian poetry?

Singh is a university professor who has authored over 150 academic articles and written 36 books including 11 books of poems. His poems, written in English, have appeared in some 140 publications and have been translated into nearly 20 languages. Dr Singh's recent works include English Language Teaching: Some Aspects Recollected, Teaching English for Specific Purposes: An Evolving Experience, and English: Grammar and Composition. In addition he has been actively involved with national and international journals. He is Professor of English & Head of the Department of Humanities & Social Sciences at the Indian School of Mines in Dhanbad.

This man is clearly a candidate for inclusion in any book claiming to represent the major poets of India one would have thought. So what's the reason that R K Singh is conspicuously absent from Jeet Thayil's Bloodaxe book? Perhaps Singh's poetry is not good enough? Well, let's take a look at it. His latest book is Sexless Solitude and Other Poems.

What do the critics and reviewers say about R K Singh's Sexless Solitude and Other Poems? Here's a small selection of their quotable quotes:
An essential work speaking out for love, sensuality and the meaning of life (Patricia Prime)
A daring experimenter (Dr Y S Rajan)
Attacks worn-out traditions and corruption (Dr Stephen Gill)
I almost drool in anticpation of reading his work (Lena Reppert)
A collection written with honest intentions and insight that would sit well amongst one's favoured treasures (Francisco Toscano)
The poet uses the technique of the internal monologue and other sensational devices to arouse the jaded consciousness of contemporary man (Rajni Singh)
The poet lifts the so-called unclean words of the street and gives them a new dignity. In the history of Indian English poetry, I guess, it has been attempted for the first time on such a scale (I K Sharma)

Perhaps Poet-in-Residence is wrong. It could be. Perhaps these critics and reviewers are wrong. It could be. Perhaps Bloodaxe and Jeet Thayil are right. It could be. Or they could be wrong.

Here you may now read a couple of R K Singh's 99 poems from his new book and judge for yourselves. First up, there's the title poem SEXLESS SOLITUDE. It's followed here by the poem CONCLUSION which in R K Singh's book is on the facing page. With R K Singh we needn't bother to hunt through the book for a good or passable poem. We can open at any page and we'll find the gems there -

SEXLESS SOLITUDE

I don't seek the stone bowl
Buddha used while here:
she dwells on moonbeams

I can see her smiling
with wind-chiselled breast
in sexless solitude

her light is not priced
but gifted to enlighten
the silver-linings

CONCLUSION

I wish I could clean the cobwebs of legends
that veil the vision, moralizing future
with doubtful glories urge us to move backward:

echoes of the dead reverberate; no use
setting the alarm to go off 2010

stashed away in empty slogans life's seconds
periodically exhumed is a travesty
of obsolescence of the sun ever clouded

Gateway of India or Delhi's Circus
suffer midnight lust with rites of consummation
like the conclusion of a tragic poem

From: http://poet-in-residence.blogspot.com/2009/03/r-k-singh-and-bloodaxe-book-of.html

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