Poet and novelist Vinod Kumar Shukla is the latest recipient of the prestigious Jnanpith award. He has previously been honoured with numerous accolades, including the International Nabokov Award and the Sahitya Akademi Award.
The first award Shukla received was the Raza Award in 1983, which he had requested not to be given in a personal letter he had written to me earlier. This award was presented to him for donating all the proceeds from the sale of his artworks in Bhopal to the Madhya Pradesh Kala Parishad to establish a Fine Arts and Hindi Youth Poetry program.
Shukla wrote his debut novel ‘Naukar ki Kameez‘ under the Muktibodh Fellowship of the Madhya Pradesh government, while his first poetry collection ‘Lagbhag Jai Hind‘ was published in our ‘Pahchaan’ series.
Shukla continues the tradition of a rare stream of poet-novelists in Hindi, including figures such as Prasad, Agyeya, Naresh Mehta, and Shrikant Verma. He stands out as a master craftsman within the broader movement that emerged in the twentieth century, which celebrates and honours the common man and everyday life.
This poet, who juxtaposes the cosmic with the mundane, when he talks of Mangal, or Mars, and his neighbour Mangalu in the same breath, primarily focuses on themes of home and family, portraying not the idyllic village or the bustling metropolis, but rather the small town where the ordinary and the extraordinary coexist. The events of this setting are perpetual and on-going.
The title of one of his poetry collections, “Sab Kuch Hona Bacha Rahega (Everything will remain),” encapsulates this notion. At times, it may appear that not everything can be preserved, yet Shukla’s poetry represents a sincere effort to safeguard all that must remain.
Shukla embodies the essence of a storyteller and a bard of heroism in an era dominated by loud and discordant figures. His approach is characterized by a gentle, measured tone, as he weaves both poetry and prose that reflect the daily lives of small-town inhabitants.
The portrayal of the ordinary individual is central to his work, who, despite their anonymity, understands the importance of co-existence. In a unique manner, Shukla focuses on contemporary life, devoid of mythic resonance or historical memory. Perhaps it would be more fitting to label him as postmodern rather than modern.
He recognizes the importance of one’s origins, promoting a preference for simplicity over excess. One of his poems suggests that by embracing a modest lifestyle and engaging with a limited number of individuals, one can find contentment within their surroundings.
In a society where a crowd is often equated with the masses, he writes that separating the masses from a crowd leaves one singular being. ‘Had I joined the masses, we would have become two. The two of us would then rally on the road, talk of both joys and sorrows raising slogans amid the noise of the crowd.’
He also conveys a deep sense of interconnectedness, asserting that he is not solitary; rather, he embodies the collective spirit of those around him. He writes, ‘Do not seek me out, as I have merged with the essence of everyone. Such a convergence has left me wondering, if I will ever be found again. You will find someone else, if not me.’
He acknowledges the struggles faced by the tribal communities in Chhattisgarh. He writes, ‘An adivasi is not an adivasi on every path he traverses/ He does not pause beneath a tree along the path, nor does he, fatigued, rest under another tree. An Adivasi expelled from the forest is no longer an Adivasi even for the trees.’ He depicts his own aging saying, ‘My pace has slowed so much that even a tiny house feels too big; if we were close by, we would seek one another within its confines and reunite there.’
In the essay I composed nearly fifty years ago on Shukla, which remains as the first critical analysis of his work in Hindi, I focused on his poetry revolving around the mundane, exploring its poetic and metaphorical dimensions alongside the disillusionment of everyday life. These themes remain vibrant and have evolved within his poetry over the subsequent four decades. His subjects now transcend both Chhattisgarh and the broader universe.
At the heart of Vinod Kumar Shukla’s work lies the theme of preservation. He holds a steadfast belief that “Everything will remain,” but demonstrates a deep commitment to preserving what must remain. His poem, aptly titled “Mujhe bachana hai (I have to save),” powerfully conveys this message.
In today’s harsh and challenging environment, the essential role of poetry may be to defend truth, integrity, and the diminishing warmth of humanity, or at the very least, to earnestly strive to express these values. Shukla articulates this sense of urgency with poignant clarity: “I have to save/one by one/my beloved world/the evil people have an eye/to destroy it.”
Attachment and detachment represent opposing emotions in life, yet they can coexist harmoniously in poetry, as exemplified in Shukla’s work. His writing often employs a straightforward, unembellished language that may initially appear detached.
However, the careful arrangement of his words reveals a profound connection to the world around him. The poet constructs a realm filled with seemingly trivial and overlooked details, embodying a softness and vulnerability. He possesses a keen awareness of the world’s complexities and ironies, all of which find a place within the expansive landscape of his sensibility.
Within this intricate tapestry, he discovers elements worthy of preservation, suggesting that the essence of poetry lies in the act of saving. This preservation extends beyond mere objects to encompass everyday occurrences, such as the sound of a knock on a closed door, culminating in a realisation that when he opens that door, he encounters his own identity and address within the poem.
One might easily perceive this poet as someone intent on encompassing and preserving all aspects of life within his home. His dwelling serves as both a physical space and a poetic entity, its breadth so extensive that it can accommodate everything, allowing for both individual existence and collective harmony.
Some of his notable poems include: ‘Yeh mera paitrik ghar hai (This is my ancestral home)’, ‘Pehle hum ek hi ghar mein rehte they (Earlier, we used to inhabit the same house)’, ‘Mera pata shuru se nahin badla (My address has not changed since the beginning)’, ‘Chahta hoon pados mein poora ghar rehne lage (I want the whole house to live in the neighbourhood)’, and ‘Gaind ka ghar, mera ghar (The house of the ball, my house’.
All of us have experienced the loss of our homes in one way or the other. Vinod Kumar Shukla’s poetry embodies a homecoming, guiding us home again. In such cruel times when countless people are zealously displaced, poetry serves as a vital reminder of our shared humanity, inspiring us to embrace our imperfect lives and encouraging us to find our way back home. Shukla exists within the realm of poetry, where we can connect with him and recognise our own humanity. All it takes is a willingness to engage with the world of poetry.
Ashok Vajpeyi is a well-known Hindi poet-critic and art lover.
Originally published in Hindi, this piece was translated by Nausheen.
