On Priyatameshu

Poetry attracts me for its abstraction and the beauty (of life) it holds within. Particularly, modern poetry is the calling one. For, it has existentialism  reflecting the mirage people run behind and isolation they suffer in. Love that had  been the plum in the poetry of bygone days is being seen through the recent paradigm in modern poetry. Love is being seen from realism - a manifestation of humanly longing .  Odia modern poetry has been very successful bringing in both realism and spiritualism into love, that's visible in works of poets  of eminence. They are many. And truly, for me it's hard to name all the poets and their works here mostly for my ignorance in this subject. But, like any Odia and a  lover of  poetry, my favourite has been Sri Radha of Ramakanta Ratha. I keep hearing its recitations very often. But, I am not going to talk about it here. I will talk about a work that also poften attracts me. At intervals, I pick up this book from my shelf again and again to read and discover the contours of LOVE.

The book is ..............

"PRIYATAMESHU"
Sharindhree Sahoo 
Sagarika Prakashani, Balasore.
First edition 2008.

Let me quote few from the first two poems of the book:

(Odia written in English alphabets)

MuN ta KouKale AsatarKa Nathili !

TiKe AnaMana Hoigali ta
TaMe ChoRei Nela
Mo HrudaYaTaKu
Ete SanTarPanaRE ?
Ete ChhaTaKaRe?

Sei Ta ThiLa MoRA SashataMa Sambala!
....

Second poem "Dui" the first stanza

MuN BhaLa BhaBe JaniChhi
BhoGa PaiN NuHen;
BahaBa PaiN Ee jibana.

the last stanza of the same poem

Ebe Niaa
MuN Arpi Deuchii Mo NijaKu
Mote AbiBhajya KariDia
AbiBhaKta karidia, MiseiDia taMa
SwedaRe, raktaRe
LuHaRe o AtMaRe
TruPtiRe abang MoKhyARe.

The poetess has deftly carved out the contours of love
 starting from realism. It's certainly hypocrisy not to admit the trace
of lust at the begin when lovers meet. The curves have
meaning to human body. The call is beyond ; loosing
hearts to each other is always like that. The self is lost and
two become one.

The last stanza "Ebe Nia
MuN Arpi Deuchii Mo NijaKu"

beautifully brings in transcendental love from realism
to spiritualism. The poetess Smt. Sahoo has been marvelous
in lifting love from sweats (Sweda)  to mokshya the Nirvana.  The lust
has been transformed to longing of life .. . the salvation!

The weaving of Odia words (Sabda binyas ) in the stanza gives an electric
effect. Smt. Sahoo has been extremely successful in making  her poems
 both sensuous, sensitive as well as spiritual !

I congratulate her. And urge the poetry lovers to catch hold of this
book. I promise you, you will enjoy it ...
 the transcendental LOVE.

 Hrushikesha Mohanty
9th September 2012