Bijayata Pradhan
Kaansbhada by Pranay Shankar is the fragmentary anthology of six parts, viz, i) ‘Hatyara’, ii) ‘Kukuldhuk ko Ghar’, iii) ‘Raap’, iv) ‘Tisitha’, v) ‘Torch ko focus ma Bhram’, and vi) ‘Katush ko Thuta’. The title book Kaansbhada reflects the deep respect for tradition, spirituality, and cultural heritage of Nepali community. It is considered auspicious and pure and is a long- standing custom in Nepali households, passed down through generations. Similarly, the poems in the anthology are lucid and transparent. The poet pours his very heart into poetry. He is largely subjective and autobiographical and reveals his personal vexations and predicaments.
The poems explore the poet’s own lives, emotions, and experiences from his living in his work. Honesty and vulnerability are often found in his poems as they share innermost thoughts, feelings and secrets, often using first-person narration. The poetry shares the poet’s emotional power, conveying his inner turmoil, struggles and passions. The poetry prioritises the individual’s experiences and emotions over broader social or political themes. The poet has confronted his own flaws, fears, and weaknesses treating a sense of authenticity and connection with the reader. He has often used imagery, symbolism and stream- of- consciousness techniques to convey complex emotions and ideas mirroring the natural flow of thoughts and feelings.
“Kaatey maile, chhapakkai uslai
Ahile ma khukuri bata taph taph
Ragat chuhawdai ubhi rahechu
Hatyara! Eklai…”
Shankar as a confessional poet can serve as a means of personal healing, self-discovery or emotional release.
His style of poetry is prosaic in nature which often blends the rhythm of verse with the straightforwardness of prose. They typically avoid elaborate metre and rhyme schemes, opting instead for clear, direct language and narrative style. This approach allows the poem to focus more on storytelling or conveying ideas in a conversational manner, making complex emotions and experiences more accessible and relatable. By breaking down traditional poetic barriers, these poems create a bridge between the intimacy of prose and the evocative power of poetry.
“..tapai haru ko milyo?”
“Kaa milnu ?”
“Haina ni! Hernosh na, hamro paani kaatera
ta tinarle po taanecha
Hijo Asti aayera yaaha!..”
Shankar has been applauded for his subtle, restrained and well-crafted diction, dealing with common and mundane themes in a manner that manifests both cognitive profundity, as well as an unsentimental, realistic sensibility, that has been influential on the course of succeeding modern Nepali poetry. The major themes of his poems are, love, personal integration, the contemporary Nepaliness scene, modern rural-urban life, violation and spiritual values. Pranay Shankar, who writes in free verse, irregular stanza pattern, uses the colloquial tone and he wants to explore the uncertainties and the intricacies of life. The poetic people like Shankar forge a passion for details, and are curious about the world and line to be in the knowing of interesting facts. They are very cultured, enlighten those around them and keep their brains thirsty for more.
The poet Pranay is the Colombus of exploring new styles. He is different from the traditional style and has been able to draw a sketch of poetry in an unconventional style with a new ideology. One must salute his courage in the sense he took the risk of cultivating poetry in a style different from the contemporary style of poetry writing. He has taken a raspy, raw, tight and rich style addressing the issues of the society, and thus it is found the taste of Nepali poetry soaring in the sky.
A close study of his poems reveals a collage consciousness of painting. Although the aesthetic feeling of his poetry is subjective, it is found that it reaches a crossroads and becomes objective. One can feel the beauty in his poetry only from the depth of the upper space of aesthetism. Due to his narrative style, it seems as if he is gossiping in the poem and the readers are touched by the aesthetic feeling of the poem hence feels joy inwardly. The main attraction of his poetry is intellectual awareness that opposes the tyranny in many dimensions and the others are definitely getting influenced by the algorithms of social networks.
The strongest aspect of Pranay’s poetry is the dominance of folk consciousness and essence. His poems vividly capture the public spirit and awareness, colored with a rebellious consciousness. Therefore, it can be said that rebellion takes precedence over modesty in his work.
The poetry evolves as per the demand and flux of time and every writer has his own style of writing poetry. It has its own taste. Some of the poems of Pranay seem unnecessarily long than desired, but they may have been as long as the plot of the poem demanded. It really takes a lot of patience to read a long narrative poem. Moreover, studying poetry in depth is also thought to be a part of mediation.
The poet Pranay has helped shape the anti-heroic voice in modern poetry, emphasizing the everyday, the ordinary and the vulnerable. He has often used ordinary voices and perspectives. There is a frequent usage of sarcasm and an irony to subvert traditional heroic expectations. His tone is obviously prosaic, use of everyday language avoiding elevated or ornate styles. He has focused on mundane experiences and themes. He has acknowledged his own limitations, flaws and shortcomings.
To conclude, Pranay Shankar is one of the finest poets in modern Nepali writing. The device of direct address made to the readers, has been effectively employed by the poet. He has deliberately destroyed the poetic illusion and prepared the platform as a message giving social reality. Moreover, here, the device of direct communication of the poet with the readers, does not aim to distract the readers from the main track, rather it forces them to the predicament of the poems. Thus, both technically and thematically Kaansbhada is fully justified.
(Reviewer Pradhan hails from Kurseong, Darjeeling.)
