Kalpna Rajput is the poet, translator, reviewer, editor and co-author of several books. She is the Assistant Editor of literary e-zine www.creativesapling.com. Her poems, articles and papers have appeared in different journals of India and abroad. She has edited several books on poetry and criticism. Her recent book Remapping The Female Map: Jhumpa Lahiri and Manju Kapur is published from Yking Publications Jaipur.
Book Information: R. K. Bhushan: Poetic Vision & Critical Sensibility, Edited by Shaleen Kumar Singh, New Delhi: Alison Books, 2013; ISBN: 978-81-926576-3-9; 154 pages.
The present anthology, R. K. Bhushan: Poetic Vision & Critical Sensibility by Shaleen Kumar Singh, is another tag of success on the poetic career of R. K. Bhushan. Critical papers and articles including reviews and interview with the poet are also included in the book. The anthology is fore-worded by Dr. Tejinder Kaur, Professor of English & Director, DDE, Punjab University, Patiyala and has fourteen articles by critics from India and across and one excellent interview with the poet. The passion of this ‘new poetic voice’ for writing poetry is well scrutinized in this maiden anthology, which has the tints of humanism, optimism, faith, love, peace and all that make life a melody. Dr Tejinde Kaur writes about his sensibilities as ‘Raghukul Bhushan’s voice is very forceful, unique, confident, disturbed and lamenting yet inspiring and optimistic in this chaotic postmodern era where he senses topsy-turvydom of humanitarian values everywhere…The range of his concerns is so vast and varied and the passion and emotions of his thoughts and experiences are so sincere and intense that one cannot help oneself emphasizing with these.’(iii) Shaleen begins his preface from the time he met the poet, enjoyed and thought to analyze his poetry not only from his own standpoint but also from the points of view of other critics.
The first article of Sudhir K. Arora, ‘R K Bhushan’s Muse: An Evaluation’, moves ahead in the anthology and picks out the different aspects of Bhushan’s poetry that make his art a masterpiece. The critic finds the impact of Wordsworth in poet’s rendition of nature. He also finds his poetry suffused with much philosophical outpourings of Shakespeare and Emily Dickenson, and along with that the grace of Lord Sai is timeless. He also explores the poetic devices used by Bhushan. His love for figures of speech is also an exemplary one.
The second article of Sandhya Saxena, ‘A Rethorical Autopsy on Civilization: A Critique on R K Bhushan’s Poetry,’ also finds him a harbinger of civilization whose ‘ being an academician can be invariably felt all through his poetic domain which reverberates with the echoes from British giants like Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Keats and Eliot’ (12). She picks out the remnants of social, moral and spiritual values alive in Bhushan’s poetry out of the debris of ‘ruins of love, learning and relations’. To her, Bhushan is a visionary who does not get disheartened by grim realities of life but ‘visualizes the horrible consequences of violence, wars and famine’ and artificial progress.
The article ‘The Changing Horizon: The Poetry of R K Bhushan’ by Patrecia Prime analyses Bhushan’s past and present journey demarcating several changing aspects of the nation and its culture. Her treatment of Bhushan’s real world and word is marvelous, and her distraction from the trendy writing makes her article more impressive. The editor’s article, ‘R K Bhushan: The Poet As Critic,’ is written on the critical sensibility in the poet which centers on the poet’s maiden critical work, The Diversions and distraction in Literature and declares him the ‘critic of first water’. He finds the marks of Hindu philosophy of Panini’s Asthadhyayi, Patanjali’s Mahabhashya, and Bharta’s Natyashastra in his literary activities. All the concepts of his criticism are given ample lines in this article.
L. L. Yogi and Kshamta Chaudhay’s paper, ‘R K Bhushan’s Poetry as Autopsy of Modern Civilization’, highlights the poet’s vision on the contemporary human civilization and his deep concern for Greek and Indian mythology. The paper also analyses Bhushan’s poetry from the stylistics angle and is concluded with the suggestion to ‘resist the temptation of indulging in too much rhyme and alliteration’ (76). The article ‘R. K. Bhushan: A Peerless Poet’ by T. S. Chandra Mouli considers Bhushan a poet delineating different hues of life, carrying the solid faith in the self and the Supreme self.
The rest of the articles are based on a particular theme of his poetry. Aita Saxena, beginning from Karl Marx, finds social consciousness in Bhushan’s poetry with mingling of both social and political imbalance. A. K. Mishra seeks love and devotion in Bhushan’s poetry, concentrating on the poems on Lord Sai and declares him the ‘poet of the heart and critic of the dilemma of the troubled mind and of the emptiness within’ (104). Alka Agarwal’s article, ‘ Melodies of the Broken Reed: A Celebration of Morality’, which focuses on Bhushan’s third poetry collection, is a ‘ celebration of morality’ as an essential path to the ‘abode of Muses’ (106), to gain success in later life. The next article, by Kalpna Rajput, relates is poetry as advice for his quest for self in a gradual process of consciousness as a soul. Melodies of the Broken Reed is again analyzed by Jaba Kusum Singh as a tool to attain heavenly bliss and Lord Sai as the ‘only solace from human traumas and deterioration’ (136). T. S. Anand’s ‘Quest for love: R. K. Bhushan’s Sentinels of The Soul,’ finds ‘romantic sensibility’ in his poetry is magnified more when the poet presents the agony and terminations of life.
Dr Mohit K Ray’s letter to Bhushan is more like a small write-up focusing on his poetic craftsmanship. Dr. Ramakundu’s views on Rustling Leaves applaud it as offering the readers the ‘ever renewing freshness of a tree’. The interview of the researcher Miss Anita Rani in the end of the anthology gives a full view of Bhushan’s poetic career and its specialties from the poet’s own standpoint. He gives a detailed story of his childhood and the political and social milieu of that time. His answers on English Language teaching scenario are fully practical as the current distraction in this field are better criticized by him when he says, “reading habits are almost dead and these precious jewels of the teaching profession living in academic penury, screw up their way with clutter and chaos. This is a very sorry mess which has done and is doing an incalculable damage to our future” (152).
The anthology is worth appreciating for its analytical value which envelops various types of analysis like thematic, suggestive, and linguistic. Also, the interview at the end of the anthology can be seen as a self-assessment of the poet. The editor deserves high accolades for editing and selection of papers. The fusion of classical writers and Bhushan is exquisite and mark the anthology as a selective one in assessing the poet’s work. The jacket of the book is handsomely done by Mr. A. S. Khan, the publisher. I hope the reading of the book will certainly offer a new delight to readers and scholars everywhere.
