Dr Sudipta reviews Prof Harihar Mishra’s book, War Sky and Other Poems – exclusively for Different Truths.

Prof Harihar Mishra, as a phenomenal author of Odia literature, upholds the myth and heritage of Lord Jagannath through all his poems. His poems transcend beyond the common man’s imagination towards a mystic beauty. 

Through experimenting with myriads of imagery, metaphor, and different poetic devices, he stands as an epic bard of Odisha. With a Wordsworthian touch, he paints magical hues to his creations. The genius of his works differentiates him from his contemporary writers because of his unique sense and sensibility and his deep-rooted traditional values. He possesses the eyes of a visionary which is reflected clearly in his poem “War Sky”(2022).

 The translation volume “War Sky and Other Poems” is an exceptionally elegant work of our prolific writer Harihar Mishra that showcases his extraordinary contribution to world literature. This grand edition is itself a magical amalgamation of the translated works of literary luminaries of contemporary Indian literature.

 The poem ” War Sky” is translated from ” Yudhar Aakash ” by Professor Dr. Chittaranjan Mishra which is based on the apprehension and tension between Russia and  Ukraine amidst the ongoing war. “War Sky” is one of the classic creations of our poet Harihar Mishra that embraces the entire humanity. The passion-tormented soul of our poet is deeply hurt by witnessing the sufferings of the citizens of the war-ravaged nations.

In ” War Sky”, he writes,” war always does not mean a panoply of superpowers…” Allusions heavily weigh the poem to our Hindu mythology. Our poet has employed words like Kalki, Linga, Damru, and Rudra Veena to allude to the glory of our rich Hindu civilization. This poem circles around the despair of the Indian students who were struck during the war.

Not only the distress of the migrants but also the tyranny of absolute rulers find a place in this poem. The fearless voice of our poet trails like a never-ending stream throughout the poem. He penetrates the real sorrow of the citizens of both nations in a highly sensitive tone. The atrocities of the second world war that fed the vultures for years are going to be repeated by the power of the hungry nations. Through his third eye, our poet can speculate about the upcoming catastrophe that will swallow the entire world. One can revisit the fragments of Second Coming and Waste Land created by Yeats and Eliot, respectively of the twenty-first century in the verses of “War Sky”

In the concluding lines, our poet has acknowledged the fragility of life and the self-destructive character of humans that will ultimately drive us toward the end of this civilization. This collection also encompasses the most mesmerizing poetry of this century, like ” Dearest”, which articulates the passionate longing of the protagonist to reunite with his beloved. The void haunts the lover, again and again, to reflect on the childhood memories, and he sits on the banks of the lonely rivers and becomes nostalgic by reminiscing about her enchanting voice.

The last poem,’ Boating on a Water,’ is an intensely deep poem that resembles the nature poems of the seventeen century. The entire poem is fraught with personification, metaphor, and various poetic devices. However, this poem is drenched in a fervour to mingle with the extraterrestrial vastness beyond this material world. This poem subtly moves to glorify the magic of divine creation. Like the navigator, our bodies continue to move towards the unconscious from the conscious actions. Like a magician, our supreme power cunningly governs the unseen laws of the universe like the tools of machinery. With the dawn of the rising Sun, the man performs his mundane chores in the course of this trivial life to merge with the infinite one day. Our poet rather invoked the intense saga of immortality in the concluding lines so profoundly to derive aesthetic pleasure. He scribbles,” The infinite like an infant is at play with toy materials …”

“War Sky and Other Poems” contains one of the most brilliant poems of Harihar Mishra, ‘ A Divine Discontent ‘ that beholds the unknown desires of our poet to delve deep into the infinite creation of divine energy. Our artist is queer to crave the reasons behind the rustling of the wind, and even he wants to measure the immeasurable. The cycle of the water even transforms the tears into an elixir of our life. Such unknown phenomena deeply move him. He marvels at the wonders of such a phenomenal occurrence. He desires to bask in the glory of the divine creations by only offering his heartfelt gratitude to the Almighty. This poem is brilliantly designed to symbolically express our poet’s curiosity to unravel the sublime beauty of this Universe. His next poem, ” Sorrow of Poems” is a peculiar piece of his genius that grabs the attention of the readers from beginning to end because of its irony.

The poet is at war with his faith and reason. Thus, he refuses to attend to his heart and suggests his loath spirit to wander around the seabeach or console his singeing beloved. This poem is painted with vivid, concrete images like, ‘ Chittou’, Rakhi, which heightens the mood of the poem. The restless poet mocks the future of a mere poem that could neither transform the mutilated past into a beautiful present nor reduce the agony of the bereaved family members of a martyr.

The poem Stone Idols of Konark majestically stands out for portraying the hidden quest of unknown artists to merge the concrete with the abstract, like love and beauty. Throughout the poem, the writer records the mystery behind this artistic edifice that glorifies our history. ‘Lie’ is another short but beautifully crafted poem by Harihar Mishra that proudly flaunts its grace and elegance. The breathless sky mourns the seclusion. The solitary evening sans stars casts a sense of void everywhere. Suddenly, an earthen lamp glows to embrace a smiling star in the blue sky.

With forty wondrously wonderful poems decoded for the next generation of poets, this volume will, for sure, display an exceptional direction for all. In a nutshell, this volume trails like a mellifluous brook to quench the unquenchable thirst of the readers toward infinity. Posterity will surely remember this masterpiece as a text of sublime inspiration and an awe-inspiring composition.

Book cover sourced by the reviewer

Dr. Sudipta Mishra

Dr Sudipta Mishra is an Indian author and poet. She is an erudite scholar of English language literature in the Puri District of Odisha. She is a source of inspiration for the young generation of this country. Her free verse in romantic and melancholic poems is appreciated around the world. She has penned more than a hundred articles.

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