The present Anthology contains thirty critical papers and one interview
dealing with the poems of Toru Dutt, Sarojini Naidu, Nissim Ezekiel, Kamala
Das, A.K.Ramanujan, K.N.Daruwala, R.Parthasarthy , Jayant Mahapatra, Chitra
Divakaruni, Sanjukta Dasgupta, Mamta Kalia, Eunice de Souza, Agha Shahid
Ali, D.C. Chambial, Syed Ameeruddin,
Rajbanshi, lmtiaz Dharker, Dr. A.P. J Abdul Kalam and Dr. A. Padmanaban, Chitra
Banerjee Divakaruni, Shiv K. Kumar,
Vikram Seth and a few others, names both
familiar and unfamiliar, writings both explored and unexplored, and in all
fairness these papers reflect the perceptions, preferences, prejudices and
evaluations of the respective scholars. A proper reading of these critical
presentations makes this amply clear that the topics are quite diverse and
comprehensive and the manner in which they have been considered brings out the
authors’ point of view with dexterity and conviction. It is indeed highly
pertinent to discuss contemporary Indo-English Poetry in terms of Ethics and
Identity, for this kind of approach does bring out new areas of thought and
exploration.
The problem of ‘identity’ in relation to the Indian writing in English
has been debated upon for quite a long time now, and yet all this debate leaves
something palpably wanting, for the concept of identity takes us straightway to
our understanding of Indian Sensibility and of Indianness in Indo-English
literature. It is true that this problem springs basically from the use of the
so-called ‘alien’ language that is English, in Indian Literature. However, the
matter is not as simple as it looks. We may dismiss the flippant charge that
English is an ‘alien’ language by stating with due firmness that the erstwhile
Colonial or Imperial language is by now one of the accepted Indian languages.
Nevertheless, we have to probe deeper and discover the implications of Indian
sensibility or Indianness as it finds expression in Indian writing in English.
‘identity’ ‘sensibility’ and ‘Indianness’ are very subtle ,elusive and
comprehensive terms, for they partake
not merely of the vehicle of expression
but also of Ethnicity and community, culture, religion, philosophy,
history , sociology and anthropology. It is in the light of these vast- ranging
disciplines that we may at best try to understand and explain the connotative
value of these terms, concepts or ideas. Along with the Indian identity and
ethos reflected in Indo-English poetry,
few scholars responded to theme of identity crisis, alienation,
rootlessness, existential longing of poets and so on. Such papers are also considered
in present anthology.
The term ‘ethics’, as we find it in the title of the book, does have its
own significance and meaningfulness. A casual or perfunctory approach to the
problem of ethics would not serve our purpose. In a changed and changing world
and society, ethics, like tradition, can never remain a static proposition, and
naturally so it has to undergo suitable modifications or transformations from
time to time. Once again, at this point we come to a continuum of historicity
with alterations. What was ethical earlier is not so in the contemporary times
and likewise what was unethical in the past has come to acquire new dimensions
and perspectives. In the present age of globalization which may be defined also
as a living manifestation of East-West encounter, ethical values and standards
cannot and should not remain fixed. In the world of literature, whether in
Indian writing in English or in regional literatures, these problems are bound
to have their necessary impact on the literary creation of our authors, be they
poets, novelists, playwrights, or the tellers of short stories. Contemporary
Indo-English poetry, luckily enough, is a living and vibrant phenomenon, and an
equally living and dynamic assessment of this particular kind of literary
creation has been tried to be made in the papers collected, with due and
prolonged consideration, in the present anthology.
Present book covers several writers and involves several minds. It is our
firm and ardent belief that the readers of this book will enjoy and benefit
from these essays, and the book itself will prove to be a substantial
contribution to the study of contemporary Indian Poetry in English.
