Isi hawa Mein Apni Bhi Do Chaar Sans Hai

The reality of Ashtabhuja Shuklas poetry is the reality of that corner of Indian society that is under the markets gaze, yet remains free from the curse of becoming a commodity. Ashtabhuja Shuklas poetry is the poetry of the courage of this survivor, of standing firmly with the truths and realities of their survival. This courage of Ashtabhujas is not that of poets caught up in the academic noise of thought, ideology, or debate. It is the courage of a poet who, while actually farmingpoems like Hatha Maarna, that is, participating in the production processwrites poems of a personal, lived understanding of life. Not only does he write, but through his intervention, he bridges the ever-widening distance between poetry and the field, making them interdependent. While remaining unconcerned with the pervasive middle-classism in his poetry, he also makes the claim that only those who can write in the field can write on paper. I cant write well on paper, so I was writing in the field, hitting the paper. The self-acceptance of writing well in the field and poorly on paper is possible only in a poet who values farming more than writing poetry, that is, who is willing to become a farmer of poetry. The numerous declarations scattered throughout his poems, such as, I write poems that never return to the poet, do not appear conceited or unbelievable. Todays criticism should consider the challenge hidden in these poems, pointing to the need to examine the relationship between poet and poetry. There is not a trace of middle-class despair and self-doubt in Ashtabhujas poetry. There is a determination to find a way through the constraints of resources and an indomitable courage to embark on dark journeys, relying on the light of a spark. Ashtabhujas poetry explores the human being whose share of the sky is too small, yet who wants to create his own constellation within that small sky. In his poem, an eleventh-grade student rides her bicycle so fast that time lags behind her, and upon reaching the 12th kilometer, she has to wait for the time left behind at the 11th. This collection of Ashtabhujas poetry provides the next stage of maturity in his poetic sensibility. Every reader who yearns for the return of unrestrained language, unabashed frankness, and self-confidence in poetry will want to read this collection of Ashtabhuja again and again. Kapil Dev