Keshav Malik (5 November 1924 – 11 June 2014) is remembered as one of those poets of Indian English poetry who are primarily art critics, and it is art which they are concerned with and so is the case with this poet under our discussion rather than poetry primarily as the poet sees it all with an artist’s vision. Even he is in poetry he is as for art’s sake as it is art which motivates him as well as gives an impetus to him. An arts critic, a curator, he is a poet too. Art had been his special love and appetite and as for to study it he went to foreign and had been engaged with the leading newspapers in India. A recipient of Padma Shri for literature in 1991 and a fellow of Lalit Kala Akademi in 2004, he was also the editor of Thought, a literary journal which he edited to vent his creative urge and to publish and brought out collections of poems from time to time.

To read the poem is to be reminded of many images and pictures and to relate to the story of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the kirtana and the ananda. The picture of the medieval age saint-singer going with his team and bhaktas is really a scene flashing over the mind’s plane and he toured India, spread Vaishnavism and the Vaishnavites too took out our space. Ahead of time, he taught a lesson in love, tried to unite India raked by medievalism, caste, creed, sect and foreign invasion. He tried to fight it back the crisis overtaking us, placing us in a dormant state of consciousness.

The poem may be a motif of the Chaitanya spirit, a dancer dancing, a singer singing, a musician playing lost in kirtana, Hari-naam. Hare Rama Hare Krishna is but a rendition of that type. But here it is a Krishnite rendition of Radha and Krishna. An incarnation, avatar of Vishnu, Krishna, Sri Chaitanya represents a blessed state of consciousness. If the heart is innocent, pure, why to fear it?  If God dwells within the heart, who is then to fear?

How was the team of Chaitanya? How were the joyous singers, musicians and dancers of his team singing, dancing and playing music wherever went they? The light glowed in the east.

How were the steps, the rhythmic footfalls? How did they pass through?

How the devotional and divine rhythm-makers, music-makers of ours, the beats men of ours! It was but Divine Ananda which but overtook him. It was ecstasy overwhelming him, Divine Ecstasy.

The kirtanias, kirtana-doers, so rapt and lost in Krishna consciousness drumming, beating, singing, dancing and playing and going in Ananda, Delight is the thing of deliberation which the poet refers to. In the galleries we keep the replicas of the Krishnite singers and musicians, we keep the emblems of Sri Chaitanya and his co-singers.

The lost mood of devotion, the heart dwelling far, the lips taking the name of and the soul praying, singing hymns, is stupendous to envisage. How do they swirl, the ragtag devotees, beating the rhythms and so full of folk tunes! The figures have turned mythical, symbolical. They have passed out of sight, but imagery still holds true, dances before our eyes’ imaginary figures. Still now outside the homes the murals and frescoes of his can be found. Even on the panels and the pillars of the terracotta temples the images can be found in the form of the devotional folks praying, singing and dancing.

The poet says that we do not understand what it is, how the company, who the faces in the crowd! Is the dance wild or gay? What is it? How the impetus? What it the inspiration behind the figures swaying and swirling and going? How the Ananda? How the bonhomie, the camaraderie? The folks singing, dancing and beating and going on the unknown ways and the beats taking them to.

How the swing and swirl of Chaitanya! How the pitch of the kirtana! How the dancing feet! The body is trembling, and he lost in Krishna-naam, Krishna Consciousness. So great was a heart, so filled with devotion and love.

The flung arms so spontaneous, lost mood, legs pirouetting, how the scene and the posture doing the rounds! 

The rising and falling pitch, devotion taking over, the mind rising and lost in the rhythmic incantation, how to describe it?

As Kathak takes over, dance beats and calculated moves, gaits restrained and in movement, so his dance filled with thrills and drumming. Something it seems to be swirling the waves. The ripples seem to be rising and shells rolling over and the ankle bells lulling.

Is it a Chaitanya dancing
on the sands of that eastern strand?,
a figure surely it is, in swirl,
prancing before its mate—
the responsive sea.

See how those arms are flung!---
legs  pirouetting.
Is the dance wild or gay?

Step on step –such rhythm--
and Chaitanya is in a Kathak whirl,
is there a drummer behind in the waves?
the rising ripples and rolling shells
sounding like ankle bells.

His whole being trembling, and something is afoot--
with what lightness he carries his weight!

Yea, those steadily mounting heart-beats
to the music of the breakers set,
as great a heart’s
not to be met.

And Chaitanya is oblivious,
his world like a swinging pendulum---
the firmament agape.

Such is the trance, ecstasy of Divine Joy overtaking him and the team in such a way that Chaitanya gets oblivious of existence and momentum and the world seems to be a swinging pendulum with the firmament standing agape.