WHERE DO PEOTEY AND LITERATURE COME FROM?

WHERE DO PEOTEY AND LITERATURE COME FROM?

15-SEP-ENG 1

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

SASARAM---------------------------On the auspicious occasion of Hindi Diwas, Sunil Kumar Rohtas—a poet, litterateur, and the district coordinator of 'Kashi Kavya Sangam' in Rohtas—extends his greetings to all fellow citizens. He notes that in Indian culture, the 'Word' is revered as *Brahma* (the Supreme Reality) because it never harbors thoughts that are evil, inauspicious, crude, wrong, or impure. This is precisely why all mantras, *shlokas*, prayers, *aartis*, acts of worship, and blessings in our culture are composed in verse—that is, in the form of poetry. The truth is that emotions form the soul not just of poetry but of literature itself, and poetry offers the most beautiful expression of these emotions.

The foundation of poetic writing—or indeed literature in general, and poetry in particular—lies in the fertile soil of anguish, empathy, deep feeling, and emotional resonance. Without these elements, the creation of poetry would be impossible. The renowned poet and writer Sumitranandan Pant acknowledged this beautifully in the following lines:

Delving deeper, one can study the lives of luminaries such as Vedavyasa, Valmiki, Kalidasa, Surdas, Kabir, Tulsidas, Chandrakunwar Barthwal, Mahadevi Varma, and Gopal Das 'Neeraj'. Mahadevi Varma was a principal, and Neeraj was a professor; while they did not suffer from material poverty, their lives were marked by a profound sense of anguish. Had this anguish not existed, they could not have penned such magnificent, profound, and deeply moving works. The deeper the anguish, empathy, and emotional resonance, the more evocative and beautiful the resulting creation becomes. This can only be truly felt when poetry is heard not merely with the ears, but with the heart.

Poetry is the most beautiful form of expressing human emotions. That is why it is said:

"Poetry is the imagination that elevates thought to the vastness of the cosmos; poetry is the creation that imbues the universe with the sacred resonance of 'Om';

Poetry is *Shakuntalam*, poetry is *Mangalam* (auspiciousness), and poetry is *Satyam Shivam Sundaram* (Truth, Goodness, and Beauty)."

If words and language constitute the soil of literature, then poetry stands upon it like a magnificent edifice. Indeed, without poetry, literature would be virtually lifeless. When the churning of deep contemplation and introspection reaches its peak, poetry emerges—pure and beautiful—much like a sweet, sacred spring flowing from a mountain.

Writing poetry has become so easy these days that it pours out of printing presses indiscriminately, as if it required no thought or understanding at all. Poetry cannot be written while reclining on a bed of flowers or sitting comfortably in an armchair. If crafting poetry were truly that simple, it would have become the slave or concubine of the wealthy and the affluent; all the great texts and poems would belong solely to them today. People often say, "Write a poem about this" or "Write a poem about that." But one might ask: if the emotions do not arise naturally, the poem becomes nothing more than a mechanical arrangement of words. How can one write a beautiful composition about the monsoon—about the gathering clouds, the gentle patter of rain, or the touch of the monsoon breeze—without actually witnessing the beauty of the swirling clouds or feeling the rain and the wind?

Someone once asked Harivansh Rai Bachchan how *Madhushala* came into being—how the idea took root in his mind. He recounted a long train journey he was taking with friends. They were passing the time laughing, talking, and joking as evening fell. Suddenly, someone suggested bringing out a bottle of wine. As the drinking and socializing began, everyone started sharing the sorrows, joys, pain, happiness, and emotional depths of their lives. It was these very emotions that moved me so deeply that *Madhushala* began to take shape right there, as I sat in that seat.

I experience similar moments myself; when I attend events, emotions well up within me, and I recite poems that spontaneously blossom from that feeling. Ultimately, poetry is born of emotion.

It is surprising today to see that while one finds no trace of deep emotion, empathy, sensitivity, or tenderness in people's thoughts, feelings, or personalities, poetry still seems to emerge from them. The purpose of poetry is not merely to elicit applause, but to touch the heart. No matter how Mika or Honey Singh sing, the words simply pass through the ears and vanish; however, when Lata Mangeshkar sang, the tenderness, touch, sensitivity, and emotional depth of her voice bestowed immortality upon the words. When poets like Neeraj, Ramnath Awasthi, or Bharat Bhushan recite their work, a pin-drop silence descends, for the words and melodies are not merely entering the ears—they are sinking deep into the heart. Premchand, too, said that he did not fabricate his stories, novels, or articles; he drew them from the rural environment around him. This is the ultimate truth of literature.