Friday, October 28, 2016
Jai Sairam!
I was trying to recollect as to how and why I happened to like and appreciate poetry and poets.
Well, it goes far back right down to early childhood days, when I could see some renowned personalities that included great poets of the day visiting my Grandfather quite often.
Although I did not understand whatever they spoke or discussed, it certainly made me realise that my grandfather was very much respected by them, who himself happened to be a well.known poet and esteemed critique too.
I was fortunate to witness the way they rendered their poems (sometimes as lyrics), and also some prose formats that would make him nod in appreciation or make him pass some corrective remarks. Perhaps that was just a beginning for me to get introduced to literature as such and poetry in particular!
I was equally fortunate during my school days, while a teacher by name Choudhari sir would ‘teach’ us Marathi poems from a wonderful poetry book named ‘Maharashtra Rasavanti’.
He would be enthralled while teaching us those, virtually getting immersed in the sweetness therein! I still remember a couple of those that were indeed difficult to understand at that early age; but he would recite those in such a way that we could grasp those through his gestures and intonations. That makes me realise at this point of time as to how important it is to learn the art of effectively presenting a poem.
During later years in school and college I could listen to some eminent poets rendering their compositions either in Maharashtra Sahitya Sabha or college ‘Gatherings’.
I was just entering into adolescence and so romantic ones were naturally favoured. However, some with deeper philosophy and more meaningful emotional ‘touch’ became dear to my heart!
Still later I came across some extra-ordinary poets whom I shall always remain indebted to and the one to be especially mentioned would be Prof. N. Kasturi, ‘Anil’, Mangesh Padgaonkar, Vasant Bapat, Vinda Karandikar. Grace, Dilip Purushottam Chitre, G.D.Madgulkar and the likes. Moreover, great Indian Saints Kabir, Tulsi, Purandhardas, Meerabai and so on. Besides, Atal Behari Bajpai, Makhanlal Chaturvedi as Hindi poets were my favourites. I was also fond of Western poets in Robert Frost, William Wordsworth, Tennyson, Keats, Byron etc.
Nevertheless, the great celestial song Srimad Bhagwad Geeta and the beautiful commentary on the same by Dnyaneshwar Maharaj – namely the “Dnyaneshwari” happens to be the very best one I have been fortunate enough to lay my hands, eyes, ears and heart upon !!!
London 24 January 2015. Vasant Panchami.
I was trying to recollect as to how and why I happened to like and appreciate poetry and poets.
Well, it goes far back right down to early childhood days, when I could see some renowned personalities that included great poets of the day visiting my Grandfather quite often.
Although I did not understand whatever they spoke or discussed, it certainly made me realise that my grandfather was very much respected by them, who himself happened to be a well.known poet and esteemed critique too.
I was fortunate to witness the way they rendered their poems (sometimes as lyrics), and also some prose formats that would make him nod in appreciation or make him pass some corrective remarks. Perhaps that was just a beginning for me to get introduced to literature as such and poetry in particular!
I was equally fortunate during my school days, while a teacher by name Choudhari sir would ‘teach’ us Marathi poems from a wonderful poetry book named ‘Maharashtra Rasavanti’.
He would be enthralled while teaching us those, virtually getting immersed in the sweetness therein! I still remember a couple of those that were indeed difficult to understand at that early age; but he would recite those in such a way that we could grasp those through his gestures and intonations. That makes me realise at this point of time as to how important it is to learn the art of effectively presenting a poem.
During later years in school and college I could listen to some eminent poets rendering their compositions either in Maharashtra Sahitya Sabha or college ‘Gatherings’.
I was just entering into adolescence and so romantic ones were naturally favoured. However, some with deeper philosophy and more meaningful emotional ‘touch’ became dear to my heart!
Still later I came across some extra-ordinary poets whom I shall always remain indebted to and the one to be especially mentioned would be Prof. N. Kasturi, ‘Anil’, Mangesh Padgaonkar, Vasant Bapat, Vinda Karandikar. Grace, Dilip Purushottam Chitre, G.D.Madgulkar and the likes. Moreover, great Indian Saints Kabir, Tulsi, Purandhardas, Meerabai and so on. Besides, Atal Behari Bajpai, Makhanlal Chaturvedi as Hindi poets were my favourites. I was also fond of Western poets in Robert Frost, William Wordsworth, Tennyson, Keats, Byron etc.
Nevertheless, the great celestial song Srimad Bhagwad Geeta and the beautiful commentary on the same by Dnyaneshwar Maharaj – namely the “Dnyaneshwari” happens to be the very best one I have been fortunate enough to lay my hands, eyes, ears and heart upon !!!
London 24 January 2015. Vasant Panchami.
