K.V. Dominic's Winged Reason

K.V Dominic is an established name as a poet, critic, editor and short story writer. This poetry volume Winged Reason is his maiden venture to enter in the domain of Muse. He himself declares in the preface of the this poetry volume, ``Winged Reason is my maiden book of free verse consisting of thirty nine poems. It is the fruit of my five years of poetic voyage `(p.11)

Sri Aurobindo writes in his article entitled `The Essence Of Poetry`,

``Pleasure, certainly, we expect from poetry as from all art, but the external sensible and even the inner imaginative pleasure are only first elements, refined in order to meet the highest requirements of the intelligence, the imagination and the ear, they have to be still farther heightened and in their nature raised beyond even their own noblest levels``( p.2)

This is absolutely true about the gems of K.V.Dominic. The poet starts this volume with a tribute to his colleague Prof George Jason in the poem `In Memoriam: George Joson` who was drowned in the flood while returning to his home at 11 p.m on 14 May 2004. This poem reminds me of Wordsworth`s poem `We are Seven`.

Little children of Prof. Jason don`t know whether he is died or what death is? ``The most painful was the sight When your youngest kid, Not knowing what has happened Kissed your face Again and again And plucked flowers From your wreath`` ( p.17)

E.K. Nayanar has been a renowned Communist chief minister of Kerala who breathed his last on 15 May 2004. The next poem `Long Live E.K.Nayanar` shows poet`s deep love and gratitude for his the most lovable chief minister.

``Long live E.K.Nayanar! This mantra is being chanted By millions of your beloved people We are in a trance Since you bade us ` Good Bye` It is impossible to believe Our dearest CM is no more`` (p.19)

The next poem `A Blissful Voyage` shows poets odyssey towards the kingdom of Muse. This poem shows his utter humanism and this `One talent` which he has , he wants to use it for the sake of humanity. `` If I could fly like an angel Would plead all prophets To inspire and instill humanism In millions` communal minds I would meet Gandhi too Who is weeping at his shattered dreams ` (P.21)

In this poetry volume the poets wants to take and feel the sufferings of human beings. This is the quality which makes him a perfect human being and his poetry something different from others.In poems like ` A Nightmare and A Sheep`s Wail` the poet has tried to reach at every place and tried to feel the pangs of everyone. `` Tears streamed down my cheeks I could see nothing more Nor did I wish for it The siren sounded as usual To disturb my nightmare`` ( p.23)

In the poem `Ananda`s Lot` the poet has felt the pain of kidnapping of a little child Anand. Not only this he has diverted our attention to child beggars how they are being kidnapped or forced for begging by these so called white collared persons. Through his poem `Beauty`, the poet has pointed out that spiritual beauty is more important than physical beauty. We shouldn`t try to differentiate between beautiful and ugly because eceryone is the creation of God. `` No child is ugly to its mother Nothing can be ugly, for God created it Didn`t you feel the snake`s beauty When Lawrance sang in praise of it ? ( p.28)

Through his poems `Connubial Bliss and Cuckoo Singing` the poet has pointed out the importance of nature and birds. We have become so materialistic and preoccupied in self that we are not peeping out from our periphery what is going outside. How many species have disappeared. We have invented clocks inplace of our natural clock our cuckoo. ``Sweetest song in Nature Sweeter than any Man-made music Orpheus, Beethoven None before it Ku, ku, khu, khu, khhoo ( p.30)``

In the next poem Gayatri Solitude the poet has pointed out the problems of old age persons how they are deserted by their children in old age and in the poem `Tsunami Camps` the poet has expressed his deep concerns for those people who were badly affected by Tsunami and none is working for them. The poem Harvest Feast inspires us to work collectively, dignity of labour and our force on agriculture to drive away poverty. The next poem `Have and Have-nots` is poet`s manifesto to create the equality in the world. Everywhere capitalism is hovering and none is caring for the poor. ``Capitalism rules the day Have-nots numbers swell Shattered and smashed And their dreams Of health and happiness` (p.37)

The poet has felt the pain of a blind girl student named Helen in his poem `Helen and Her World`. Again the poet has expressed the agony of a mango tree in his poem `I am just a Mango Tree`. People have become so materialistic that they have almost forgotten the importance of nature. They are so preoccupied in the world that they little see in nature. For them mango tree is a selling commodity not a one which provides shade and fruits.

Woman is the noblest creation of universe. She is our mother, sister, beloved and daughter but what we are doing, we are killing girl child in the womb. The poem `International Women`s Day` raises this problem of foeticide.

We live in luxuries houses but we hate those who have constructed those houses .We have no respect for their labour. This is the point the poet has raised through his poem`Lal Salaam to Labour`.

Dowry is the cancer of our society. Several girls are being sacrificed for few rupees. Through the poem `Laxmi`s Plea`, the poet has forced us to think. ``Father died when I was ten Mother bed ridden with cancer A thatched house in five cents An elder sister married off My meagre salary two thousand `` (p.47)

In this poetry volume the poet has made us to feel and think. Like a great seer or philosher he has presented the philosophy in simple words but with much effect. K.V Dominic is not just a poet but a great human being who is feeling or seeing the life in every object of the universe.Such poems presents his Humanism as My Teenage Hobby, Nature`s Bounties, Old Age , Rahul`s World, Sleepless Nightsand Pleasure and Pains.

The poet is not just a poet but he is an environmentalist, a peace activist and a lover of mankind. Through his poems he is expressing his deep concern for concrete jungles, for inhuman race of materialism, for nature, for villages, for all living beings. He is feeling the pains of Rahul, Vrinda and all who are coming in his range of the focus of his visibility. He wants to take everybody`s pains and wants to change those into glittering happiness. Some of his poems presents deep philosophical truth like `What a Birth, Human Brain and Om etc. Realism is part and parcel of his poem like`Ammini`s Lament, Ammini`s Demise, In the name of God City versus Village and Cry of My Child`.

In this poetry volume the poet gives tribute to his teacher in the poem `Kaumudi Teacher is No More`. This poetry volume ends with the king of music and dance Michael Jackson in his poem `Michael Jackson, king of Kings`. Through this poem the poet wants to teach us that we have sing and dance the song of life inspite of all odds.

This maiden poetry volume is landmark in the domain of Indian English poetry for presenting such a humanism and bliss of spirituality and pure heart. After reading it perhaps I got the answer why he wrote his first poetry volume in the age of forty eight because he has been acquarising these gems of spiritual bliss till them and when there was or order of Him, he scribbed this poetry volume. I wish many more streams of Muse will flow from his mighty pen.

Works Cited
1.S.K. Desai and G.N .Devy : Critical Thought, An Anthology of 20th century Indian English Essays, Sterling Publishers, New Delhi,1987
2.K.V.Dominic: Winged Reason, Authorspress, New Delhi, 2010

16-Sep-2012

More by : Prof. Dr. Ram Sharma

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