Pushpalatha reviews an anthology of poems, Sillage, by Dr. Alok Kumar Ray, exclusively for Different Truths.
Name of the Book: Sillage
Genre: English Poetry
Author: Dr. Alok Kumar Ray
Dr. Alok Kumar Ray, an eminent bilingual poet, has recently published an anthology of his poems. In Sillage there is an awakening of the human soul, as the heart of every reader is going to be touched to the core.
Sillage seems to build a dreamy world with the help of the fecundity of his thoughts and the fertility of imagination.
Sillage seems to build a dreamy world with the help of the fecundity of his thoughts and the fertility of imagination. Indeed, it is nothing but the idealisation of our poet’s thoughts and expression. It is more an adulation of life in all its variety of hues.
As the son of the soil, he pays a tribute to our Motherland by putting forth all the love and devotion he has for her by reciting:
In your lap I breathed first Remaining under your shadow I will take my last breath I got an address due to you
The words, “you are the mother of all mothers/ I am indebted to you from many accounts in return I gave nothing”, are amazing.
The poet has the strong will to wait for the dawning of the day.
In the poem, Silver Lining, he wants the readers to observe the sky through very cloudy, a silver lining that brings out the optimistic nature of the poet. The poet has the strong will to wait for the dawning of the day.
Dr. Ray seems to be not very passionate in love for he seems to be reticent and in course of time he expresses love ultimately towards his fiancé though not at an early stage,
it is not possible to live without you.... i want to die keeping my head on your lap.
Love me in Toto is the confession made by the poet for his better half for he states that it is the love of her that rotates him which makes him feel as if he is an axis. The words, ‘you love me full not use me as a tool/ Love me from the cavern of your heart’, are indeed very marvellous to recite.
The veneration and love the poet has for his father is boundless for he feels secured under his wings.
The veneration and love the poet has for his father is boundless for he feels secured under his wings. In the verse on Dreams, Dr Ray wishes for the wings of imagination to get into ecstasy which can be possible based only on reason.
‘Love is not dumb, only the love run souls know its language’ is in fact true. He is Wordsworthian in the depiction of the beauty of Nature in his poem, Dwell in Woods. The chirping of the birds, the green foliage, the fauna’s frenzy, the moving of the wind, the cosy streams, the meditating hills and all such things of beauty have left a lasting impression upon the poet.
He advocates the principles of fraternity and cooperation to bring out harmony and a sense of wellbeing.
The poem, May be, is the best of all poems for it throws light upon the concept of being together despite differences in our opinions about religion. He advocates the principles of fraternity and cooperation to bring out harmony and a sense of wellbeing. Then he respects all the Muslims and Christians by finding joy in the celebration of Eid Mubarak and Christmas for the enlightenment of the body, soul, and mind. He glorifies our mother Earth by saying in the poem Mother Earth:
she is the supra mother that We are indebted from very birth till our end.
This poem reveals the insight of the poet to know how he can see into the life of things prevailing upon the Earth and the urgent need to take steps to prevent the global warming effect on it. The earnest plea made by him is to avoid the exploitation of her treasure.
The very idea of how being in hope, a human instinct means living and its absence is death. It shows the higher level of his cognitive power. The earnest prayer he writes on Abundance for getting wealth not for himself but for the needy shows how the poet wants to be a philanthropist to attend to the need of the ailing.
The poem, Life is a Road, shows who will succeed in life provided he follows rules and regulations properly. It is very practical to help people to know how to get along with life.
The Poetic Pangs is about the creation of poetry resulting from a poetic symphony.
The Poetic Pangs is about the creation of poetry resulting from poetic symphony. Like the mother, only the poet knows its genesis when he conceives the poems.
The conception of the poem about Honesty is superb. He is in pursuit of honesty and wanders almost all over the part of the earth but feels very disappointed to perceive it and so he calls it a misnomer. Towards the end of the poem, he insists on the need of cultivating it as a virtue for life, without it, life becomes meaningless.
The depiction of the scenario of summer, the poet brings out the seasonal change and its adverse effects on the people afflicted with illness due to heat.
The depiction of the scenario of summer, the poet brings out the seasonal change and its adverse effects on the people afflicted with illness due to heat.
The poem, When You came into My Life is about the better half that gives the real joy in living with his beloved wife without whom his life is found to be nowhere. Though our poet suffers from strife and impediments, the presence of his wife enables him to overcome all the hazards in life. To him she is more than a shooting star, sometimes resembling an elfin taking him into the world of bliss.
The poem on Autism shows the nature of our poet as a psychologist for he knows the drawbacks of such kids and advises how to nurture those children with love and encouragement.
Is Peace an Illusion, is a poem about the necessity of maintaining peace to get our ideals and tasks fulfilled.
Is Peace an Illusion, is a poem about the necessity of maintaining peace to get our ideals and tasks fulfilled. The need to bring about coordination and cooperation to establish a world based on peace, bliss and contentment is beautifully illustrated. The poem, Second Sex, is about the plight of a miserable girl subject to taboos of the worst kind. Despite the pitiable state, the girl, the poet describes, can lead her life with ease.
On reading the poem, Revisit of Childhood Days, the poet is fond of recalling the past childhood days. He wishes to revisit childhood days like the return of the monsoon. His longing for catching butterflies, making paper boats, swimming in the river, climbing on treetops bring out nostalgic memories. Above all, Dr Ray is unique in glorifying motherhood as unique for
Bearing pain and strain for carrying for nine months The foetus in the womb with utmost care.
The poem, I am Walking Away, shows him as an individualist for he likes to be straight forward.
The poem, I am Walking Away, shows him as an individualist for he likes to be straightforward. That is why he seems to be bold to state, “No place is there for compromise in my dictionary.” Further, he adds:
Life is a huge canvass to bring laurels if one deserts pride.
When Spring Comes in, is a poem about the reminiscences that come on the mind, of his lady love’s smile seen in blossoming of the flowers, the sweet voice being felt in the chirping of birds like cuckoo, the longing he has for being cuddled by her, the balmy air filling the atmosphere with sweet perfume, all such things remind him of his fiancé.
In Not That What You Mean by, shows the poet’s readiness to be of some use to others for he writes:
Because I am not that what you mean by I will be happy if someone is benefited by using me.
Maintaining social distance is at the present most unbearable for it shows the love he has for all human beings.
In the next poem, the poet is curious to know the cause for the blooming of the flowers. The eagerness to decipher the working of everything in the universe by the poet is palpable. Maintaining social distance is at the present most unbearable for it shows the love he has for all human beings.
Dr Ray points out the transitoriness of life being like a bubble, is like a mild advice delivered for maintaining our body and mind by taking only a little amount of nutrition with enough water, for insisting on the need to meditate and relax for the wellbeing of all. The poem, Imagination or Fancy, is about how imagination getting the Midas touch of fancy will make the poet highly proficient to bring about creation of a higher order of poetry.
At times the poet is philosophical for he believes only on the Omnipotent, as the last resort to help him to flow against the current of life.
At times the poet is philosophical for he believes only in the Omnipotent, as the last resort to help him to flow against the current of life. Life is a Mystery, shows his readiness to accept anything for granted and a wish for better tomorrow with a clear sense of the mind is to be found in all his poems.
He seems to be very practical in wishing to have a dream to render service to all:
My dream is to lead the life of an ordinary human amidst fellow beings.
Our addiction to mechanical gadgets makes him feel very sorry to write about all becoming slaves to accomplish the tasks. The search for inner peace enables him to see the uniqueness of the globe, making him feel the spark of humanity, with it, life being precious to attain the bliss in living. The poet wants to nurture the relationship with all the members of the family to find harmony in living upon the earth.
The poem Humility stresses the need to live for the sake of others, which alone, he states, elevates the godliness in us.
The poem Humility stresses the need to live for the sake of others, which alone, he states, elevates the godliness in us. Keep an Eye is an earnest request to God to see everything with His supra eyes and subdue the evil prevailing. As a poet of Nature, he enjoys the scenic beauty in the Autumn season. The poem Bossism brings out how the culture of yes boss, will be beneficial for the employees who need increment, progress, and the sanction of leave. As a moderator our poet admits employee-employer relationship is based on promoting the overall good of the organisation.
As a philosophical poet, he admits how beautiful life is supposed to be when one tries to perceive what is within, the sense of eternity of time and space. The search for moonlit night makes him long for the childhood days when he was delighted by the dazzling brightness of the moonshine.
The poem Tapoi teaches a lesson to women, who are merciless in treating their sisters-in-law in the absence of their husbands…
Animal Gossip shows the power of imagination of the poet about the wild animals’ longing happily for their own space, though kept at zoos. The poem Tapoi teaches a lesson to women, who are merciless in treating their sisters-in-law in the absence of their husbands and show how they get avenged at the end.
The poem, Baji Rout, shows the denial made by the young soldier to the British policemen for crossing the ferry and how he stands before all to face death to become a martyr in the native country:
He kindled the light of liberty enlightened others to follow martyrdom path with gaiety.
In all the poems, the readers can analyse the nature of the poet, the deep concern he has for inculcating noble values for the betterment of the humankind…
In all the poems, the readers can analyse the nature of the poet, the deep concern he has for inculcating noble values for the betterment of the humankind, the wish to establish a human society based on the sense of common brotherhood with no rooms for discrimination of haves and have-nots.
In some of the poems like My Love, My Soul, Lost Eden, Love and When You are Not, Dr Ray expresses the passionate love he has for the sweetheart in terms of utter simplicity. In all the love lyrics, he seems to be highly touched by the movement of the silent partner, the coy beauty, which leaves a lasting impression upon his mind. Though separated due to the necessity of occupational hazards for some period, he is very particular in revealing the reminiscences of the happy moments he had with her in all the romantic verses.
The devotion he has for mother and the country are not without commendation. Equally praiseworthy are the poems written on widowhood; the hymn composed on the Mother Durga will make all readers get enlightened. I am convinced that the anthology, Sillage, permeates with salubrious odour to the delight of all readers.
Cover photo from Internet and visuals by Different Truths
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