THEME OF BIRTH AND DEATH IN THE POETRY OF SUMIT TALUKDAR

Shaleen Kumar Singh The philosophical musings ofprominent ones in the Modern Indo-Anglian Poets.
Sumit Talukdar are based on two major themes ofAccording to her, “The full answer to the problem
birth and death that have been the source ofof existence lies in the achievement of interpersonal
motivation to Indo Anglian poets of the Modern Era. Sriunion in love on one hand and the apprehension of the
Aurobindo says, “Poetry is the rhythmic voice ofessential alones of death on the other.” She adds
life, but it is one of the inner and not one of the surfaceand says, “No author can write about life and ignore
voice and the more of this inner truth of his functionits end. Due to this juxtaposition of love and death in
the poet brings out in his work, the greater is hislife, they are ever present in literature.”3 The poetry
creation, while it does not seam to mater essentially orSumit Talukdar reminds us of our ultimate end of life
not at the first whether his method is professedlybut it does’nt picture us as something terrible or
subjective or objective, his ostensible power that of apainful rather it is welcomed as some loving guest are
more outward or a more in word spirit or whether it isbore with mildly and gently. The poet says: “I want
the individual or the group sail or the soul of nature orto wear your death Like a nuptial garland next to my
mankind or the eternal and universal spirit in themheart, Your moon-lit face – A total eclipse.”
whose beauty and living readily find expression in his(WSW 10) The poem ‘Death’ portrays the
word.”1 The poetry of Sumit Talukdar is his deepupcoming of death at the door and her indifferent
meditations that emerge from the remembrance ofbehaviour to man’s oblations and ovations. In our
the things or objects that are formally obliterated andHindu scriptures, death is not taken as something to
ignored by human mind. Due to the feeling of nomadicmourn or afraid of rather it is soul that is immortal not
stirring of poetic fire, Talukdar seems to scrutinize thethe body that is mortal; Man changes his clothes at the
whole environment and mix the emotions and humanpoint of death. As Bhagvat Gita the says: Okklkfl
touch; he puts these short verses before us to maketh.kkZfu ;Fkk fogk;] Ukokf.k x`âfr ujksMijkf.kA rFkk
us feel with same agony and intensity with his two“kjhjkf.k fogk; th.kkZ & U;I;kfu la;fr uokfu nsghA4
remarkable collections Words Silent Words andLike a person discarding worn-out clothes and putting
Poems Pleasant and Poems Unpleasant. He ison new clothes, the embodied self discards the
journalist by profession who looks closely the socialworn-out body, and enters a new body. The poem
disharmony and traumas, his poetry breaths the fumeproves that the poet has pragmatic applications of
of social awareness and consciousness. Neverthelesswelcoming the death which is based on the
the poetry of Talukdar has a strong touch offundamental truth that man is not his body but
spirituality, philosophy and metaphysical meditation.something else which uses the body as its temporary
There are two inexhaustible themes that run into theand temporal habitation. It also mirrors that the poet
poetry of Talukdar that are social consciousness andhas prepared fully for death. It happens only when a
philosophy of life and death. There irresistible andman treats both life and death equally. “Death
dominant themes so much overpower the poetry ofis”, Laurence J. Bendit says, “No morbid
Talukdar that his poetry which is sometime pleasantmemento mori with its common menacing implication,
and sometimes unpleasant, evoke as vocal ‘Wordsbut it arises when one’s philosophy is such that it
from silent word.’ His journalistic eyes discern theincludes both life and death as equal and
wrongs happenings here and there in the society andcomplementary, neither existing in the larger pattern of
the silent eyes gazing them, all of a sudden becamelife without other, any more than do light and
vocal in the form of silent works: “Words, silentshade.”5 The word used for poet’s own self
words to say something So long were theylike an anesthetic patient points out the indifference of
suppressed In a coffin of yellow pages. Now Time tothe poet towards death. Though his heart is fearful
arise again, Sitting before you, face to face.”and the night is dark’, yet the poet ‘takes up the
(WSW 24) His poem ‘An Orphan’s Cry’lamp’ and ‘opens his gate’ and bows to him
gives bent to painful note of an orphan, who takes(death) with folded hands, with eyes full of tears. But
birth accidentally and remains unfostered andomnipotence of death is portrayed as: “At last
unfondled. The truth evincing the indifference of thespread my ragged scary Over the floor, but he
people becomes macabre and pathetic: “When Idoesn’t lie down Only smily and looks at his
was born, nobody celebrates it, Like they had no time,wrist-watch. Time is up, he warns me with low
Were busy to cleanse their bodies And secretaccent.”(WSW, 20) In the poem ‘Our Birth’,
parts.” (WSW 5) Another picture of modern modesthe poet puts horrible image of death and its haunting
is portrayed as follows: “Raped and murderedinstinct since birth: “Our birth is dying cry, death
Dishevelled hair Blood-smeared lips, Other women arehaunts life, No hope, no certainty, foggy more,
busy In par lour and saloon In party and bedroom.”Poisonous dews fall from the polluted sky, Mothers
(PPSU 8) When the poet muses over the reasons ofbehave like step-mothers Happy with fashions and
such critical mishaps he finds none but man responsiblehealth Never forget to take contraceptive pills at
for all this: “Man has made breads And bullets of anight.” (WSW, 7) On the other hand, the poet
gun too, He has created beauty. But restores it over aparadoxically opens another gate of light when he
bomb of ugliness.” (WSW 15) The poet believessays: “Look the sun still rises in the East The eternal
that these uncontrollable wrongs can be controlledlight whose smile kindles the universe, Desert laughs,
through the strong faith and indomitable will power.flowers bloom, birds dance in glee, Peaceful everything,
“Let came your Kali, Chandi or Durga The feministembryonic- Happy with our powerful silence.”
warriors with terrible weapons And cut my throat, but(WSW, 9) The former part of the poem exemplifies
from each drop Of blood, must be born immortalthe apathetic attitude of man towards death. It can be
faith.” (PPSU 9) The stoicism of the poet who hascompared to O.P. Bhatnagar’s poem ‘Man is
renounced all worldly pleasures, assumes a silentLived.” “The Man Whose dear one dies Is
composer when he says: “Desolation has taughtbereaved. Others keep sun in a bag And distribute
me like a saint To be dumb and quiet, Unnoticed togrief’s Dipped in moon water.” 6 The
every earthly attraction Charming, sensuous but fake,phenomenon of death is not as powerful as life so a
Kamsutra-model-like hallucination, Like golden musk-anman should be rewarded and should be given proper
eternal thirst.” (WSW 14)due during life. The poem ‘A Posthumous’ hints
Like everyone, he tries to elevate his pains andthe fate of a poet who is rewarded after life: “The
sufferings: “Nobody is here to hear me. Theaudience is curious-who is this guy? A happy ghost on
wounded soul Cries out the whole night. What is Thean unhappy poet in deep? They clap with big hands
real sound of pain? Sweet, noisy or Like Bhajans ofthe honourable minister Confers a shawl and
Meera? …………………………. Everybody hascertificate to my photo graph.” (PPSU 14)
some own pains, mine too I try to console myBut the personal assertion of the poet is that the soul
wounded soul Exchanging hearts with a Barbie doll.”of the man is immortal. For the poet says: “After
(PPSU 12)death still I exist, Look hence there grows grass,
The warp and woof of his pain is nothing but disparityflowers smile, Wind blows.” (PPSU 2)
and disappointment of human heart. The poemThere are a thousand other portals after death to be
‘The Twin of Us’ shows poet’s pain ofunfolded by the poet. Death, being an inevitable reality
communalism, castism and wrongful division ofin life, has been pondered over by innumerable critics,
boundaries. In the poem ‘The wall’ hepoets, authors and writers. Sumit Talukdar like Plato
symbolically narrates the division of two nations:and Aristotle finds it as an essential stage to reach
“The wall divides as like a & step-mother It is bornGod, but several glimpses of Indian philosophy can also
from our jealousy our hostility, In the mom birds comebe seen in the poetry of Sumit Talukdar. To sum up, it
and sit On it, but instead of singing only pass stool, Andwe may concluded with the comment of Manoranjan
fly away like deadly missiles at once.” (PPSU 15)Das, “Sumit Talukdar, the glowing poet of India
Sumit Talukdar knows the job of a true poet who iswriting in English, has the real ability to refresh the
the mouth-piece of social wrongs as well as asurrounding through mobility where consciousness, time
generator of feelings of values and love. In the currentand philosophy are extended.”7 His poetry is replete
era Dr. Rosemary C. Wilkinson’s comment is worthwith deep philosophy and social consciences and
mentioning, “If we poets/writers/painters/musiciansleaves a deep impact on the minds of readers. The
composers remain silent to all this will be responsiblefuture of Sumit Talukdar’s poetry is glowing and
for no change entering Third millennium and cause thebright because the themes and content of his poetry is
very stones to cry out, or will we work to change theuniversal as well as philosophical undoubtedly, he will
world-it takes only a few of us to do so.”2 Plato ifcarve a distinct niche in the domain of English poetry.
we recall, would have banished poets from his idealReferences:- 1 Sri Aurovindo, ‘The breath of
Republic because poetry was not in his viewGreater Life’, The Future Poetry. Pondicherry,
conducive to the shaping of good citizens. Thus, in thisSabda Pub. 2000. p- 243 2 Dr. Rosemary Wilkinson,
way, the poetry of Sumit Talukdar stops our‘Spheres of Influence in Literature’ Poet. Vol. 40.
madly-running human race to think, rethink and actNov. 1999. p- 62 3 Prof. P.S. Kasture, ‘The fact of
accordingly. THE PHILOSOPHY OF DEATH ALife: The Concept of Love and Death in
number of Sumit Talkudar’s poems areContemporary Indo-Anglian Poetry’, Chap. Vi, Love
philosophical and have ineffable expression. Theand Death in Indian Poetry in English. Ed. S.N.A.Rizvi,
imagery and symbolic statements of the poetDelhi: Doaba House, Ist Ed. 1989. p- 51 4 The Bhagwat
bespeaks of his metaphysical meditations andGita, Ed. Prof. P.Lal [2:22] Calcutta: Writers Workshop.
experiences. One can easily listen to the echoes of2004. p- 48 5 Laurence J.Bendite ‘Preparing to
eternity in many of his remarkable poems. ‘TheDie’ The Mirror of Life and Death. Adyar: The
Puzzle’, ‘After Death’, ‘Language of theTheosophical Pub. House, 1965. pp- 186-187 6
senses’, ‘Our Birth’, ‘An Eclipse’ andO.P.Bhatnagar, ‘A Stylistic Analysis of O.P.
‘Death’ are some poems that deal with theBhatnagar’s ‘Man is Lived’, By Prof.
philosophy of ‘Life’ and ‘Death’. InG.D.Barche. Indian English Writing. Ed. Prof. R.K. Singh
Indo-Anglian Poetry the theme of death is the mostNew Delhi: Bahri Pub.. 1987. p- 126 7 Manoranjan
dominant factor that can be smelt in the poetry ofDas’, ‘Consciousness, Time and Philosophy in
almost every renowned poet. Dr. P.S.KastureSumit Talukdar’s Poetry’ Indian Book Chronicle.
considers the themes of Love and Death as the mostFeb. 2005. Ed. B.Hooja.