hindi book review
A promising poet
Reviewed by Randeep Wadehra

Baarish ki Boondein 
by Manoj Dhiman.
Sahitya Silsila Prakashan.
Pages 111. Rs 150.

HINDI poetry is blessed with rich traditions, enjoying a variety of forms. The emphasis was on metre and, not infrequently, rhymes. However, thought was most important, and it required exceptional talent to weave metaphor, message and metre into a work of cadence. Over a period of time, form became more important than content. Following the western tradition Hindi poets too began to experiment with new forms wherein though or message became more important than form. This gave prominence to mukt-kavya or free verse. So, if you have got something original or profound to express it became comparatively easy.

Dhiman has dealt with several themes in this collection. In Beemar Mansikta, he correlates hypocrisy and (veiled) conservatism with the rising numbers of deras, godmen and religious institutions. However, his messages confuse the reader, e.g. in Roti ki Parikrama it is not clear whether he condemns roti as a sign of evil or, as he states in the last couples of lines, a trigger for progress. Personally, I liked Chaukhat wherein the poet agonises over boundaries between the personal and the public getting blurred, facilitating invasion of one’s privacy. Indeed Dhiman swings between the ordinary and the promising.

Hope he works on his craft more diligently and creates more profound works.





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