Remembering Jayanta Mahapatra

By K.V. Raghupathi

I’ll begin this brief essay by reflecting on my time in university. There was no paper on Indian writing in English when I was a student at Sri Venkateswara University in Tirupati studying for my master’s degree in English literature between 1977 and 1979. Many English departments were adamant about sticking with a colonial attitude and emphasizing teaching British literature. The teachers (professors), many of whom had returned from abroad, primarily from the UK with highly sought-after PhDs, propagated this notion and fervently supported British literature. They maintained the same colonial perspective and made English departments more English-centric (British) than what is apparent today with more democratisation in the curriculum. Many of these teachers with UK training had a prejudicial perspective on Indian writing in English.

Because it was still in its infancy, these professors with UK training did not support it. The literature that had blossomed in the UK was widely believed to represent what was meant by English literature at the time. They didn’t think much of other English literature works. Within this hostile setting, Professors MK Naik, CD Narasimaiah, and KR Srinivasa Iyengar worked arduously to develop Indian Writing in English (IWE) as a subject and make it an integral part of English departments at all universities. They fervently argued for the cause of Indian writing in English through their writing and publication of several articles and speeches. K.R. Srinivasa Iyengar’s seminal work Indian Writing in English (1984) and M.K. Naik’s Dimensions of Indian English Literature (1984), Indian English Literature: 1980-2000: A Critical Survey (1982), and Studies in Indian English Literature (1987) have strengthened the case for writings in English in India. They were all successful in having IWE included in the study of English literature. Many English departments in the universities didn’t start providing IWE as a course or even as a component of the curriculum until the 1980s. The new group of professors, which included the aforementioned three professors along with Professor P. Lal, who supported IWE, had replaced many earlier professors who had a limited perspective on it. It eventually evolved into an autonomous course over time.

In this light, I’d want to think back on a comparable experience I had in 2011, when I joined the Central University of Tamil Nadu in Thiruvarur as a regular faculty. At that time, a paper on IWE was not offered as part of the MA in English Literature. I had a terrible experience when I asked how the students could graduate from the university with a degree without having studied IWE. I claimed that such a degree lacked credence. In one of the Board of Studies meetings, I passionately argued in favour of it and won approval. The result was that it was transformed into an independent course, integrating with the core curriculum. I taught this subject, which included poems by Jayanta, until my departure from the institution in 2019.

Lal did a fantastic job advancing Indian writing in English. In Kolkata, he founded a publishing house called Writers Workshop, where he encouraged a number of new budding poets to write their works in English and submit them for publication. In his book History of Indian English Literature, M.K. Naik notes that only P. Lal published the first books of contemporary Indian poets who achieved success in Indian and international English poetry. It was true. All of the poets that Lal published under the Writers Workshop imprint became well-known figures around the globe. It was thought that any poet who was published by the Writers Workshop would become well-known in their field. Of them was Jayanta.

As a Post-graduate student, I read and studied only three Indian English poets—Nissim Ezekiel, A.K. Ramanujan, and Kamala Das as well as two novelists, R.K. Narayan, and Mulkraj Ananad. These were all part of the Commonwealth Literature (now New Literatures) paper, which covered the full range of post-colonial texts. This was my first introduction to Indian writers who wrote in English. For reasons best known to the group responsible for formulating the syllabus, Jayanta Mahapatra was excluded from the curriculum. I had no knowledge of Jayanta and had never read any of his poetry. I didn’t read two of his widely anthologized poems, “Indian Summer” and “Hunger,” which are recognized as classics in contemporary Indian English literature, until after I had finished my post-graduation. This served as my initial exposure to Jayanta’s poems.

I was fascinated by his writing after reading these two poems, especially because of the two components of imagery and elegant diction. I looked through other collections of his poems. By chance, I discovered a venerable anthology called Ten Twentieth Century Indian Poets, which was chosen and edited by R. Parthasarathy and published by OUP. At the time, this was the sole anthology on the market, and all universities required students to consult it when discussing Indian poets who wrote in English though other anthologies followed later such as, Indian Poetry in English (1993), edited by Makarand Paranjape, The Oxford Anthology of Modern Indian Poetry (1994) edited by Vinay Dharwadker and A.K. Ramanujan, and Twenty-five Indian Poets in English (1995), edited by K.S. Ramamurti. The poets who were included in the anthology were acknowledged as having achieved popularity and recognition on a global scale. It was a canon-like text for reference. It contained “A Missing Person”, “The Whorehouse in a Calcutta Street”, and “Indian Summer” from Mahapatra’s collection, A Rain of Rites, and “The Logic”, “Grass”, and “Lost” from other anthologies. I eventually had to look for his poetry collections after this reading. Luckily, my hands fell upon his two collections: Svayamvara and Other Poems (1971), Calcutta: Writers Workshop and Relationship (1980), New York: Greenfield Review Press. I read them avidly.

At that point in time, I read Jayanta purely for enjoyment. I wasn’t really taking his poetry very seriously. I never tried to review any of his poetry books or to write an article about his poetry. Despite this, I still thought highly of him, but I never had the chance to visit Cuttack and meet him in person since I was too busy attending to my academic obligations and immersed in my career. The most wonderful news was that I had been chosen for the 2014 Rock Pebbles National Award for Creativity, instituted by the Rock Pebbles Trust, which would be presented to me in Bhubaneswar by the legendary poet Jayanta Mahapatra. I realised that my dream was actually coming true.

He was already 85 in 2014. I arrived at the location considerably earlier in order to see this poet in his physical appearance. I had heard of him and read about him in books up to that point. Now I could actually communicate with him and see him in person. I was watching him approach from where I was standing by the venue’s entrance. He arrived at the location at precisely half past ten, joined by a couple of event organisers. Despite his aged appearance, he was nimble and exuded the assurance that, due to his asthma, he would live for a few more years despite whatever happened. I did not hear any gasps as he was moving. He was hospitalised, but he managed to survive the coronavirus. The ten years that passed between then and August 27, 2023 were a tremendous adventure in his life as a writer in general and as a poet in particular. He was engaged throughout the proceedings and talked for fifteen minutes, albeit a little erratically. Even so, I could understand what he was saying. A poet with a scientific background could sound like an English professor. He had a thorough understanding of Indian poetry, and he spoke with authenticity and assurance. He was distinct from the other poets since he was not a poet from the Bombay school. Over time, he was able to distinguish himself from his peers by developing a serene, peaceful poetic voice of his own.

He acted in this manner, and I was so moved by him that I asked for his blessings at the conclusion. He generously bestowed his blessings upon me, and I was so overjoyed that I continue to treasure them for the rest of my life. I always mentioned his name whenever the topic of Indian poetry in English came up in conversation and discussion. Even though he was a poet par excellence and the recipient of numerous national and international honours, he was such a modest being that he never showed any arrogance or pride. I observed this humility in him, and I had the impression that he could communicate it not just with words but also with his actions. He was so worn out at the end of the event from travelling from his home in Cuttack to Bhubaneswar. Despite my intention, I did not continue talking to him after realising the circumstances. I recognised him, and I felt so happy that I received the award and the honour from his hands. This was sufficient for me, I reasoned. I could learn the rest by reading his poetry! I must express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Udayanath Majhi, editor of the journal, for including me in the celebration and giving me the chance to meet the great poet by conferring me with the Rock Pebbles award and honour, a wish that had been gnawing at the back of my mind for a very long time and was finally realised.

IN MEMORIAM
(A Tribute to Jayanta Mahapatra)

With the muse
who had been
with you over sixty years,
you abruptly 
walked away surreptitiously
leaving the memory behind.
 
You have permanently
migrated to a distant land,
reconciling; 
moved to another world…
leaving behind 
your distinct footprints 
unerasable in your poetry, forever.

Though you were not of the Bombay School
you carved a niche 
distinguishing yourself from your peers 
by creating a serene, meditative lyrical voice
in the world of poetry
‘after a mountain of rejection slips’.

You might be
not present in the form
yet,
I feel 
your poetry
cracks and cackles with vibrant vivid imagery;
a torchbearer for the aspiring…

You have departed for 
Heavenly abode
but somehow as a poet
is always a poet forever
you proved, otherwise
glistening in the firmament 
as an early-morning and evening star
silencing grumbling dark clouds;
and, you still peep out
of a poem 
in the book
of my living room
to ensure
that everything is fine
with Indian poetry in English
in your absence, eternally.

K.V. Raghupathi, A former academic, poet, short story writer, novelist, critic, and book reviewer, has so far published thirteen collections of poetry, two short story collections, and two novels, and edited eight critical works and is widely published and anthologised both in online and print journals. He currently lives in Tirupati. He can be reached at drkvraghupathi9@gmail.com 

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