D.C. Chambial,  An Indo-Anglian poet /critic dearly loved and avidly read is no more. Alas ! a sad news. It came from his workplace and home-town Maranda-H.P. on 20th November 2024. He took his last breath at a hospital in Chandigarh from where  he was brought to Maranda for final obsequies by members of his bereaved family. The final farewell to the departed soul was profoundly a grief-stricken occasion attended by many top-class guests held at - Chambial Niwas - on the last week of November- 2024, but I missed it inopportunely.

It was indeed a solemn occasion of profound grief and sadness in which the legacy that is the faith, ethics and core values of Chambial were seen speaking to/about the departed soul’s innate, simplicity, unassuming and down-to-earth comportment. The pleasantries of homely joys seemed co-mingled with the woes, wails, moans and mourning amidst the hymns executing/ accomplishing all de rigueur ritualistic funeral rites instituting a serene, subdued wraith like otherworldly ambiance of gloom, despondency and doom. The family members, their kith and kins with other participants were seen working together for paying owed obedience/compliance and obligations to a man who besides being a father, husband and grandfather immensely helped to enrich the treasure of Indo-Anglian poetry.

Indian English Poetry was almost sinking-“Gyrating Hawks and Sinking Roads ”(1996) when Chambial took boldly the Cross as a savior to save the humanity from the clutches of unjust/inhuman atrocities. And his POETCRIT (1988-2025)-a biannual journal played an imperative role as though it was a barge to sail across international frontiers and to establish the rule of law and justice.

I remember, the brief conversation with Chambial that I had regarding my two poems he opted for selection in the January-2025 issue of Poetcrit just a couple of weeks before the festivities of Deepawali were over. I became conscious then as I perceived the familiar voice seemly feeble/anemic and lackluster-- a definite mark of physical vulnerability. Later when Deepawali festivities were at their peak I shared, as usual, Greetings with him but no response came. I was in a fix, in quandary. Meanwhile a message from his elder son Avaneesh Chambial came telling all about D.C. Chambial’s departure to heavenly abode. It was very sad and shocking news that left me almost inconsolable. Anyhow, by recalling some verses from The Bhagwad Gita, at that moment, I consoled myself unconditionally.

Death-- as our well-known ex-bureaucrat PCK Prem quips -“ ……. was it so close that day the moment I opened eyes on Wednesday morning on November 20,2024. I learnt that…..D.C. Chambial—a bilingual poet and editor, a critic and a translator-- was no more….I watch members of the family somberly with elegance doing sundry duties during the rituals.”{1} It indeed was a moment of living through death—darkness, sadness, gloominess, despair and dejection for one and all—those who were close to him there and those who were near in the vicinity and those who were far—far away in national/international borough savoring unprecedented growth of Indian English Poetry. D.C. Chambial—a poet and a vibrant voice from hills, dales, vales, clouds, flowers and birds of Himachal Pradesh, whose accepted wisdom of death—“The Theme of Death and Suffering in The Poetry of Krishna Srinivas, Shiv K. Kumar and O.P. Bhatnagar (1993) had already invited a wide range of poets, critics, fellow citizens and common readers for a thoughtful analysis and research. Besides, death-theme has extensively been explored by the poet in many of his poems {2} such as -“Dust To Man”(13), “Beautiful Beyond”(14), “On My Death”(21),” “A Friendly Guest”(122), “A Wish ”(135-36), Jungle Of Hyenas”(150), “Dark Dawn”(119-20), “Dance Of Death”(130), “Wounded Soul”(112), “A Cry Of Heart”(136), “Bone Debris”(135) and “Tickling Scorpions”(137). Perhaps ,Death was Chambial’s genuine pastime and probe into existentialism that led him to more elevated, soul-filling tenets of the Upanishadic wisdom where all gross comes to naught from the fire of knowledge and only the subtle essence rises to merge into infinity.

In toto, the above-mentioned poems exhibit an optimistic vision of life-death cycle. Like the law of inertia life also is an affirmation of Energy, therefore, it dissipates only to change its shape .Death is sure/certain for one who is born-- for biological birth death is an inevitability. As such Chambial who has had a distinguished voice, a testament of work and a powerful insight into existing conditions of human soul/verve unexpectedly left many of his colleagues and collaborators in the lurch-- in a state almost flustered and tizzy by his sad departure to heavenly abode from this terra-firma. I am too a solitary soul among them wandering in search of Truth.

It was the year 1985 the then poet D.C. Chambial and I had a first meeting at the breakfast table on the first day of three-day Conference at Simla held by the Department of Language and Culture: Himachal Pradesh. He spoke to me in the capacity of a Guest Editor of POETRY—biannual magazine brought out by Niranjan Mohanty of Aska-Orissa. It was a special issue on the Poetry of Himachal Pradesh in which Mohanty has asked Chambial to spare space for two of my poems from Nainital now in Uttarakhand, those appeared in this issue along with the poets of Himanchal edited by Chambial. After that there was considerable silence nearly for one and a half decade.

My first collection of poems “I Am a Sea ” was published in 1995 by Skylark Publications-Aligarh(UP). Skylark –edited and published by Baldev Mirza was a quarterly magazine of international character dedicated mainly to world poetry. Providence had it that in one issue of Skylark I fortuitously came across a page at the end of which was printed a petite note regarding Poetcrit. I promptly picked up the address and wrote to Chambial about the forgotten days--pat came the reply and next year-2004 onward he enrolled me as a regular reader and contributor to Poetcrit. Each issue afterwards gave place either to my poems or critical articles.

I remember it was a time rather long in the past when spirits were perceptive and in jolly-good construct -- Chambial asked me for an article and Bibliography on Raja Rao, it was because, as Chambial knew, Raja Rao was my dearly loved novelist, the center of my research. I did it promptly and it appeared under Writer’s column of Poetcrit. Meanwhile he apprised me that he has done an article on my first collection of poems-“I Am a Sea ”(1995) that later appeared in a prestigious journal from Moradabad-U.P. I was pleased to see that it was an exhaustive and comprehensive critique on deciphering poetry in Chambial’s own exclusive brand that later used to appear as a regular column –CRITIQUE - in Contemporary vibes-a quarterly journal in English from Chandigarh. Kudos to Chambial and his brainchild Poetcrit.

A thematic-study of Chambial’s poetry provides details of uncomplicated solemn countenance--of poetic/ noetic, intuitive and intellectual attributes of his creative process. The simplicity of design, the device of using metaphors, imagery and allusions further reveal an easy and effortless flow of spontaneous feelings reverberating through hills and dales of the Himalayan variety hauling him at once contiguous with the mellow fruitfulness of romantics such as—Wordsworth, Shelley and Keats. Here lies the delight of Chambial’s poetry that the avid readers can easily share and savor. Social evil seen in the loss of moral/ ethical values, rampant immorality, dishonesty, corruption, inequity and injustice circumnavigating in/across social circles is another theme utilized by the poet either to show dissent or disapproval of /against existing systems /norms or to remonstrate. How exquisite he is in depicting pervasive putrefaction—“We are denizens/of such an age which breeds/corruption like flies”(110). Essentially known as the poet of suffering humanity meant for his human pursuits under the fender-bender of materialism, mechanization mammonism, scientific, technological and industrial expansion Chambial cannot help but express/articulate his feelings- “To satiate inner urge/a super-scientist/in a superb lab/designed a superman/fired life!/ Good God !/Super-scylla ran out/ Devouring/ Devastating… …/ Stupefied lay /Helpless/Before invention.”(76). At another place the poet laments the loss- “Virtue crouches in a corner/for sheer fear of being/ butchered. The foxes rule/the roost. Beauty, truth and /goodness face the law.”(111). Being a mirror of contemporary society Chambial’s poetry realistically delineate his reformative zeal through images such as –Man is a cog in the machine(5) and Man is lost.(133).

Thus, for the concerning poet poetry is not a weapon to fight but a proposition for reform/ reorganization .The gradual growth of his poetry from- “Broken Images ”(1983) to “Song Of Light And Other Poems”(2020) altogether offer contemporary human dilemma interpreted variously at varying levels by a poet who as an individual appears to his readers sometimes a devout Yogi at others an Altruist--sensitive, simple, unassuming and benign. Whoever or Whatever he might have been — a mystic, a shaman, an optimist, an idealist or a classicist his motto behind the creation/criticism and editorial expertise put emphasis on making man a better human and the world a better world. He seems meticulously relaxed and self-satisfied in playing / discharging his role/duty as a poet. His demeanor being stoic and steadfast had a deep faith in the teachings of the Bhagwad Gita that galvanized his personal lifegoals besides enlightening many others of his clan/posse. In other words, the immense power of the Bhagwad Gita immensely shaped Chambial’s literary career as well as his own individual lookouts. While the Upanishadic wisdom provide him philosophy for thoughts ,hymns to chant in praise of eternal truths and a distinct poetic sensibility marinated into mythology ,religion, metaphysics, psychology, science and technology--out of which roll up duly fried musical-modules called Poetry additionally flavoured in rare elegance of emotional utterance . Concurrently ,his Poetry as criticism of social life has a well-defined lyrical quality which is akin to incantatory power of the Mantras used to materialize the object or to ward off imminent evil by the Vedic seers. He hence with his poetic volumes and creative oeuvres stands apart from his contemporary peers and shines brighter in light, sounds more authentic, down-to-earth in serving mankind rotting in sham-pseudo and hypocritical falsehood. By many of his critics as well as followers he has been brought at par with his spirited predecessors such as—O.P. Bhatnagar, I.K. Sharma, T. Vasudeva Reddy, I.H. Rizvi and R.K.Singh.

Indeed, poetry for Chambial, as it was to Jayant Mahapatra, the very pant and breath of everyday life. Both belonged to post-modern epoch of Indian English Poetry. Mahapatra the elder took his last breath on 27th August 2023 in a hospital at Cuttack and Chambial the younger on 19th November 2024 at Chandigarh : leaving behind a legacy of poetry that has contemporaneous as well as universal value for all enthusiasts/lovers of English poetry both in India and abroad .Both were in search of truth and struggled hard to reach at the point of absolute totality—the finality of truth. It proved finite and both collapsed in quest of infinity : the ad infinitum. Alas! a sad demise, departure and disappearance of bright optimistic spark twinkling in/across literary firmament—an irreparable loss to literary world indeed as well.

Truth pertaining to time and eternity frequently makes inroads in poems which were composed in the later part of his life’s voyage and appeared under the title-“Song of Sonority and Hope” (2018). It is a combination of two in one-The Hour of Antipathy (2014) and The River of Happiness (2017) .It validates his creative process--his poetic theory by clarifying dream-memory convening and the salience of his literary objective. The poems are ripe concatenations, free in rhythm, tempo and pace so as to present images clearly and concentrated-- stunning and mystifying. Nature communicates with men and speaks language of motherly love. Swift-breeze, icy chill, snow-clad mountains, tall Deodars and pine trees compose images worth adoring because man is helpless before the marvelous charisma nature enacts.

Life projected against the backdrop of nature multiplies and tickles in both the good and evil symbolized by angels/satans alike in the vast world humans inhabit. Taking analogy from Philip Larkin the poet laments for the loss of truth and righteousness--for the felonious acts of times. He condemns rulers and bureaucrats for unethical conspiracies they hatch to hoodwink the people. From high podiums they preach honesty and morality but in reality, even the temples of God appear defiled ,degraded ,despoiled and debased. What a queer times ! avers the poet. Divine love has been usurped by money and the mammon so the man—“man has grown fangs to bite man/”(59). The present disillusionment in the sequence of time portrays a dismal picture of the future coming ahead. However, the hope sustains life—divinity from within intersects the calamities and primal chaos and the poet looks back to long past, and discovers the universe unified into the whole created by the mutual strength of harmony, balance and accord—“Deathless is the light/That shines beyond the end/Where all tides/Of all the oceans rest and cease”(49). In consecution the poet develops the same theme in -“Song of Light and Other Poems”(2020). This full-blown set of poems examines the crisis-ridden, violence-prone social-structure against the backdrop of nature. Nature, in all its contrary aspects sublime and crude, rude and polished, mundane and exotic, physical and spiritual fascination. Some poems delineate the paradox of man-woman relationship/the empowerment of women which enchants more often than not. Finally, the poet transcends the material world of fleeting realities and fathoms into the everlasting joy ---the ad infinitum. Death comes equally to all sans discrimination. Thomas Gray notifies in his elegy- “The path of glory lead to grave”.{3} Be a pauper or a king death for all is the same phenomenon. Therefore, all should lead life scrupulously practicing sacred moral values, keeping scriptural sacraments in view as per one’s faith to liberate one from the lure of Maya—from the swamp of birth/death cycle. Alas! adieu to the poet a knower/practitioner of his own axiology, ontology epistemology and specific individual methodology.

Notes And References

1. Prem, PCK “The End of A Memorable Poetic Journey: A Tribute To D.C. Chambial”-I J M L,edited/published by K.V.Dominic: Authorspress: New Delhi— Vol.15,No,1,January-2025. PP.162-66.
2. Chambial D.C. “Collected Poems” Poetcrit Publications :Maranda(HP)-2004.All subsequent poems with page numbers are cited within parenthesis from this edition only.
3. Richards George Gray Thomas “An Elegy Written in A Country Churchyard”- London: R. Dodsley In Pall Mall-1751:Retrieved-2015.