Whenever occasion came to go to poetry recitation or conferences at the national level, what I felt is that saving Hindi, Marathi, and Bengali poetry, Gujarati poetry is far ahead in its form, expression, novelty, tight diction, and aesthetic value. It’s not that Gjarati poetry deals not with the contemporary situations but it heads along with poetic criteria. It expresses finer sensibilities. Shouting slogans, anger, and delineation of contemporary issues isn’t nature of Gujarati poetry. Thus on one side the poetry seems to be more mature and filled with aesthetic sense; but if seen from the home ground it seems to be monotonous. The reason to say such a thing is that in our language there are many able and experimental poets who have aimed to bring nuances, extraordinary height, and trade on to different grounds. They remained successful too. When the mind bears this impression, Gujarati poet and poetry swells my heart.
In general consideration poetry means a song, gazal, verse and blank verse, poetic play or a folksong. In the broader perspectives, those cheap gazals have contributed much for bringing monotonous situations. Our trivial poets who are numerous lack experience and poetic creativity. When we hear about a new poet, naturally expectations rise for distinct experiences and voice. Songs and gazal are very popular current forms in Gujarati poetry. For some years it seems that their very sense has been changed. These two forms rather than achieving poetic heights became the matter of performances in various gatherings. And when such performances too are no more than a device of entertaining the audience, it’s indeed a challenge for a new poet to strive for poetry.
It was a time when publication of a collection was considered a big test of a poet. But now things have been easy for publication and moreover social media like Facebook stops not anyone’s expression. This made a heap of rubbish lyrical confessions. ‘Likes’ by the readers is measured as quality. The composition called as song hardly possesses any rhyme, rhythm, inter-rhyme or metrical awareness of the form. The form of song has still not come out from the influence of Ramesh Parekh, Anil Joshi and such other well-known poets. Feminine emotions and feelings, and gaudy writing of surficial love is considered a song. That song is a lyrical and finer expression is the chief mark of it, has been forgotten. None came with his own voice. Potential sensibilities, linguistic expression, and compositions have similar ways not making different marks. Everything has got mixed up. It’s not abnormal to pick up someone’s words, phrases or other such things and present as one’s own. The current poets are so much crazy after spirituality that in expressing these things a wide gap between their experience and poetic expression is seen clearly and true poetry stands miles away. Such an observation isn’t limited to songs but poetry in general as well.
Plenty are cheap and surficial gazals and are loose in form. Gazals after gazals you read and yet find not any word that touches you. The chorus is loud, hoarse, and void. Rhymes irregular and contrary. None feels any regret on violating metrical composition. Before a devoted poet’s creative word is noticed by a critic, a low poet adds many editions to his favour. Such ‘artists’ are also successful in earning money. At many times, without any good cause they go against linguistic and grammatical rules and tear the words istead of assessing creative potential. Many have moved ahead to win fame rather than gaining poetic illumination.
The blank verse poems miss rhythm within. Thoughts hardly mingle into feelings. As if we walk on leaving beside creative efforts of Labhshankar and such other poets. Some poems are like a piece of prose or an essay. The poet who hasn’t known the joy of practicing metrical rules, how can he understand the freedom of blank verse? During such a period, some sonnet collections have appeared, but they too have, except a few examples, remained only artificial compositions because of immaturity. Magazine editors too have turned liberal. Actually such errors should first of all be noticed by them but man’s a social animal! Their choice brings home this present scenario. Some anthologies too have appeared but they are done by those professors who themselves are neither a writer nor a critic and hence limiting them to their academic purposes. They show poet population. In short importance of grainless bajri ears grew rather grains. Add to this is the ‘play’ of various groups. Many big names haven’t even restrained themselves from such matters.
And yet how can we say that the decade didn’t see the poets, poems, and collections that are not to be credited? During the years 2011 to 2020 roughly five hundred collections might have been published. They are in mind but my purpose over here is to overview the poetic trend looking to achievements of some remarkable poets. Though an overview, whatever things are clear before me, it’s my duty to bring to your notice. Mind well I don’t have any intention to enlist poets, their collections or to appreciate poems.
In 2012, eleven collections of our great and grand poets who have graced poetry for decades were published by Image Publications. It can be seen that they have been published after their devotion and maturity to the form. ’86 May’ the collection of Niranjan Bhagat expresses the feelings of love either through dialogues or a man or a woman’s statement. As his doubts have turned into philosophy at many places narration is found. Mark his flight in this poem:
‘Beyond and across not of you but of this very world
Is my constant, tireless journey of life – difficult, unavoidable;
You had asked me, ‘O man, where shall you strive?’
I a man, let me tell you today, I shall wrap humanity to the sky.’ (p.36)
In his 22nd collection ‘In and Out’ Labhshankar Thaker writes ‘Blank page and a pen convince me of my ‘hand’. This expression immediately fails not to influences our mind. ‘As I am, so I play’ writes he. He constantly plays with the creative impulses. That way he brings in the issues of existence, problems of daily life, and alter ego. He is present here with his normal convention of asking questions:
‘Who set these steps?
So many?
As I climb up
Won’t I reach somewhere someday?
Thought not to climb up
Halt here.
After so many steps up
Where shall I reach?
If unknown of the purpose
Then
Why to climb up?
Don’t have a switch that stops me.
Lifting up vague consciousness
Ages and ages
Climbing up the steps.’ (p.7)
Moreover poems like ‘Gujarat, Won’t you Follow the Footprints of the Mahatma?’ is important as it shows poet’s rational dialogue that has various shades of meaning.
‘Senjal’ (2012) is Rajendra Shukla’s another important collection after ‘Gazalsamhita’. The poet is found here in songs, gazals, and blank verse. Remarkable thing is that he has tried to place the form of gazal beside our traditional poetic forms and that way he characterised Gujarati identity. Only he can think of using Sorthi couplets, Bhartuhari song, children stories and songs, invocation and gaiety Garba. While we generally use the word ‘Tell a gazal’ the poet didn’t restrict himself telling in that fashion only but took it to all narrative types. How can anyone be great without such efforts? Even after writing so many poems only he can say:
‘The word cartridge exploded, rose dust clouds;
Granites broke, out sprang Senjal water.’ (The Fourth title)
Chinu Modi made continuous experiments in his writings. In this publication series we get his collection ‘Gatibhas’ (2012). His poetry runs in six divisions of: blank verse, songs for self, songs for others, Duhas, Quartets, and gazals. The poet has a different mood who realised the essence of life is little. A Duha reflects his mental make up:
‘On the banks of Saryu Lord Rama, and on the Yamuna Lord Shyama
But on the banks of Sabarmati write this man’s name.
Chandrakant Sheth’s collection ‘Chidakashanaa Chandarna’ (2012) is merely poetic expansion of himself. It’s continuation of his poetic flow. He emphasised not the experiments but the real base of poetry. The same can be said for Madhav Ramanuj’s collection ‘Anhadanu Ekant’ (2012). Both these poets depended upon their own tools and didn’t change their arts.
Suresh Dalal says in ‘Be Stationni Vachche’ (2012), ‘There’s no life without pain, and no gain of poetry without feelings.’ The following lines mirror such tendencies:
‘When night fell yesterday, without sign He wrote a poem
And the dawn is like beginning of that sweet song
We have to sing lines undisturbed
And have to smoothly match rhymes with the focal line.’
The poems like ‘Vi/Chitra’, ‘Kavita Karu Chhu’, ‘Hindu Samaj’, ‘Tolashahi’, and ‘Bane Prashna’ in Panna Nayak’s collection ‘Gulmahorthi Daffodils’ (2012) render proofs that her poetry has constantly grown. Anil Joshi’s settlement abroad and his experiences of to and fro are reflected in ‘Panima Ganth Padi Gai’ (2012) with his known distinct style. He maintains Gujarati sensibilities in the USA too. But he couldn’t restrain repeating his earlier well known poems in this collection.
Jawahar Bakshi presented himself in ‘Parpotana Killa’ (2012) with ‘Piplika Akhyan’, ‘Tripad Kundal’, and gazals, quartets and Haikus. He too wrote Bhajan-gazal, Chappa-gazal, and garba-gazal and that way tried to find potentiality of gazal form development. Instead of routine cheap gazals, his experiments are marked over here. Hemen Shah comes with a gazal collection ‘Akhare Uklya Akshar Jo’ (2012). It has Duhas and other forms too but gazal has remained his territory. A couplet that’s key to get his gazals:
‘Straight to the nose was her house
But the street from the middle got turned.’
In this same fashion collection of eleven poetess came out in 2012. That makes one to think the year’s of poetry. They include ‘Shyam Pankhi Av Aav’ by Usha Upadhyay; ‘Adhi Vatta Tran’ by Mala Kapadiya; ‘Adith Akshar’ by Nayna Jani; ‘Antime’ by Panna Nayak; ‘Chhab Bharine’ by Manogya Desai; ‘Chhol Ane Chhalak’ by Dhiruben Patel; ‘Ek Sahiyaro Cup’ by Nalini Madgaonkar; ‘Janmaro’ by Esha Dadawala; ‘Jasoodna Phool’ by Nita Ramaiya; ‘Kandmool’ by Manisha Joshi; and ‘Nad Nirantar Jagvya Kare’ by Jaya Mehta. All of them have one or more collections to their credit. We have read them and heard at various gatherings. They expressed themselves in songs, gazals, and blank verse. I couldn’t find all collections because of the present situations so can’t talk about them but there are reasons to think that their work must have poetic worth.
Love, nature, agro-based simple life, love for rural life, and such other aspects are revealed in Raghuvir Chaudhary’s collection ’Dharadham’ (2014). The poet not only caters thoughts but also evokes feelings. His critical tendency isn’t seen here but universal vision, and sympathetic tunes for the humanity have deep marks.
Very important collection is ‘Bijrekha Halesa Vina Taratee Rahe’ (2013) by Jaydev Shukla. His blank verse mirrors environment, nature, and personal lyrical feelings, and finer sensibilities with artistic insight. This can become a subject of a study.
From Kamal Vora we get two collections. The first one is ‘Anekek’ (2012) that earned Sahitya Academy Award from Delhi in 2016 and the other is ‘Vruddhshatak’ (2015). The latter reflects psyche of old people, affection for the family, and sorrow of loneliness and these traits show a different dimension of his poetry. The poet didn’t take on hand bigger issues of the contemporary time as his chief interest lies in expressing the feelings of common men through changing forms of nature. He’s a poet of finer sensibilities hence the diction is different to others.
The poet-painter Gulam Mohammad Sheikh’s collection ‘Athava’ was published way back in 1974. The other one ‘Athava Ane’ (2012) includes his earlier poems too and hence we have all his poems in this latter one. Some of the remarkable poems are:’Veetelee Velaano Padachhayo’, ‘Bolta Sheekhataa Putrane’, and ‘Jesalmer’.
The collection name is ‘Shaheenu Teepu’ and the poet is Ramnik Someshwar. For over years he’s writing poems and doing translates too. Though in little quantity he writes his world of various sensibilities and linguistic expression are marked with difference. To reveal a mind he uses elements of nature and makes beginning of a poem and on its completion leaves a shape of those feelings into the readers mind. Some poems are also having contexts of Labhshankar Thakar.
‘Ardhshatakani Sahasyatra: Navo Padav ‘Mahabhoj’ (2019) is the collection by Sitanshu Yashchandra. It’s the distinct extension of his earlier work ‘Odisiyasnu Halesu’. It’s very interesting to find out how the poet looks at the changed present conditions. Social concerns and individual concerns indicated in the work are chief things to observe.
Generally known as a poet of songs Vinod Joshi takes a stride with ‘Sairandhri’ (2018) a tightly composed narrative poem in Duhas and quartets. The poet hatched it the mind for many years and the same is considered an important turn of Gujarati poetry. There’s a story in Viratparva of the Mahabharata regarding Sairandhri. The poet uses this myth. She is detached from herself. Her inner conflict has become the subject. A new woman comes before us. On the slippery grounds of songs and gazals this long poem is different in its composition, linguistic expressions, formal consideration, and characterisation. Say it’s a new facet of our poetry.
‘Constantly moving rivulet of Harish Minashru poetry is a high mark of the time. ‘Pankhipadarath’ (2011), ‘Shabadama Jinku Khas Khabra Padee’ (2011),’Soono Bhai Sadho’ (2011) ‘Banaras Dayari’ (2016) and ‘Nachiket Sutra’ (2017) reveal many dimensions of Gujarati poetry. I see the creativity of this poet as an explosion. Spirituality, matchless images, harmony with nature, worldly acceptance, and strange formation give the poet a higher position. Mark his words:
‘He is a true claimant of Infinite
One who remained at the word border infinite.’
Whatever can be done in Gujarati language same also can be done in poetry too – is the belief of Sanju Vala. And as if he’s providing its proof he presents a collection ‘Kavita Name Sanjeevanee’ (2014). The pieces are woven with spiritual traditions, linguistic turns, and personal traits. His is also very important contribution in shaping this new Gujarati gazal. When it would be time for demarcation of Gujarati gazal development his name would be happily noted. Here are a few couplets:
‘Slow but steady takes he steps – quite new ones
Dreamland in the eyes, the heart leaps
Capable were to open even the walls
Who the fingers locked?
Staying within and growing up deep desires
Eager to show many a horrible summer’ (p.9)
Mahendra Joshi brought two collections: ‘Itharana Samudra’ (2013) and ‘Koi Jage Chhe’ (2016). Save a few blank verse, gazal occupies the most place. The trio - Sanju Vala, Mahendra Joshi, and Lalit Trivedi from Rajkot have very good understanding of the form and always remain busy in the creative process. They pay attention to ‘right word at the right place’. Lalit Trived has two collections- ‘Biji Baju Hajee Me Joi Nathee’ (2013), and ‘Betho Chhu Tanakhala Par’ (2018). They aren’t influenced by each other and possess their own identity. They have devoted to the form, digested its tradition, and continued to make experiments. No space here to describe them at length and hence present their couplets.
‘Days and nights move and move in the mind
Sordid talks again and again pinching to the mind.
Severed from water not from moist
That way relation to water remained.’ Mahendra Joshi (Koi Jage Chhe. P.41)
‘O Gazal, eternal form of senses you are
You, the civilisation dwelt on the banks of Eternity!
O Gazal, your anklets echoing sweetness
If touches to pen, light descend from the sky.!’ –Lait Trivedi (Betho Chhu Tanakhala Par. P.31)
Rajesh Vyas ‘Miskin’ too is a devout of Gazal who gave many collections, including ‘E Ordo Judo Chhe’ (2013), ‘Paniyara Kya Gaya?’ (2015), ‘E Something Chhe’ (2016), and ‘Malela J Male Chhe’ (2017). The gazals have as much references of worldly life as of spirituality. His work is differentiated by creative poetic diction, rhymes, and meters. His work would bear no similarity to each other and hence it is the quality in him. Tradition and modernity both are blended well.
‘That’s the different room where the father coughs.
That’s too different room where the family members sit.
Each breath as if toils
Though the house same, different is the room! (E Ordo Judo Chhe’ p.1)
Bharat Vinzuda is a sweet surprise of the contemporary gazal. His devotion to this form is constant and coherent. In these ten years he gave five collections namely ‘Avavu Athva Javu’ (2013), ‘Lal Leelee Jambli’ (2015), ‘To Ane To J’ (2016), ‘Tara Karane’ (2018), and ‘Tame Kavita Chho’ (2019). An anthology ‘Bharatkam’ covering his all gazals has been published in 2020. Brevity and suggestion are his qualities. Love and its various forms that suit to gazal have become subjects. Sometimes social concerns too appear. He has the skill to use short and long metrical feet. One can’t pass through quickly from his work as the meaning from the center expands to the outermost circle. A few couplets from ‘Lal Leelee Jambli’:
‘On one side is day and on the other night
Somewhere in between the two stands my self.
What was it and how was it know only I
Citizens have but heard it only.
Removing you from my heart and place you in soul
It’s the matter to care this treasure of life.’ (p.37)
Harsh Brahmbhatt has three collections- ‘Khudney Kya Malyo Chhu?’ (2012), Aabh Doryu To Surya Ugyo’ (2015), and ‘Kodiyama Petavee Rat’ (2015) went through few reprints in a short span. He’s a bilingual – using Urdu and Gujarati. There are personal sorrows, social concern, and sometimes humour and has satirical vein. A poet constantly writing feeds literary activities as well. A few well known couplets:
‘If tears are over, it’s a troublesome matter,
If you know not it a troublesome matter.
You said ‘Amen’ and then why did you laugh?
If really you are blessed, a troublesome matter.
If remains hidden, He’s safe
If seen, a troublesome matter.’(‘Aabh Doryu To Ugyo Surya’ p.5)
America based Akash Thakkar takes on hands songs, gazals, and blank verse in his collection ‘Sachaveli Kshano’ (2019). Consciously he made efforts to differentiate himself from his predecessors and contemporary poets. He has modern sensibilities but he liked to mirror moods in his own poetic way. Longing for home and motherland, expectations and disappointment in love can be marked at many places.
Ravindra Parekh a genuine poet who didn’t spare any form to try to his hands, holds gazal as the primary thing. Two collections ‘Arasparasnu’ (2017), and ‘Mane Tu Joie Chhe Swas Mate’ (2017) have only and only gazals. He knows gazal intricacies very well. In the back drop of love he expressed personal sorrows. One finds suitable mood of gazal, its tone and troubles. Integrity to gazal has become his nature. Some couplets:
‘I walk ahead to meet you and you call me from back
Are you a beloved or God, tell me not?
Habituated of brightness so much
Burns the self, but puts out none.’
A very popular one and the King of gazal performances Khali Dhantejvi has two collections ‘Sogat’ (2012), and ‘Sarovar’(2018). His style is such that painful expressions blended with thoughts reach to common people in a common language. The mood that gazal prefers is set and reset very naturally. A couple of couplets:
‘Against my lamps even storms got tired
Lamps shone and wind’s over!
From the village field to city streets,
Wandered here and there and reached to this place!’ (Sarovar p.31)
Kishor Jikadara is a new poet and came up with ‘Pampan Vachche’ (2019) that shows he’s a mature one. Meters and expressions are clean. He tells things at his heart not directly but by picking up some natural element or by using some symbols. Because of this the expression gets weight and enriches the matter. Let me confess that he is a fresh voice far from cheap and monotonous performances at gatherings.
Three blank verse collections must be noted –‘Dhartina Vachan’ (2012) by Kanji Patel, ‘Vicharan’ (2019) by Bharat Nayak, and ‘Vahetu Tej’ (2019) by Geeta Naik. Kanji Patel gives way to universal elements instead of human sensibilities. It’s his nature to watch nature and sing of her. To understand his poems one has to mould his mind. Bharat Naik’s expression is different. First of all he imbibes nature in himself and then gives way to poetry. The diction is strange and suggestive. Ocean, mountain, desert, and forest descend in their base forms. He sometimes appears before us as a tribal or a citizen. Geeta Naik’s personality that is seen here is that of a cool and composed Indian woman, of rationale strife, of subtle life moments and human relations. Her poetic world is the world where she matched her tunes with the worldly ones. And that’s found in “Vahetu Tej’.
The poem ‘Suvarnmrug’ (2013) is having traits and trails of well-known works ‘Jatayu’ and ‘Bahuk’. The Ramayana based myth is familiar but it’s transformed into a poem by Rajesh Pandya. The poet used rhythm and diction of folksongs. He shows his sympathy not only to Rama, and Sita but also to the companionless deer. He, at the end of the poem, makes us feel that terrible pain.
‘From burning fire came out Sita
Descended flower-decked plane
Sita met her Rama
But that deer wildly wanders the forests’
In ‘Anitya’ (2014) Nitin Mehta expresses mixed and complex urban realism through symbols and images. His efforts and embarrassment have been found to melt down his identity and shaping newer one. Sometimes one feels that a critic within becomes heavy upon the poet. But any reader comes to know his strivings to place experiences into creativity.
After ‘Jalni Ankhe’ and ‘Jatismar’, Yagnesh Dave gives us ‘Gandhmanjusha’ (2015). The poet has no knowledge of meters but he could find his rhythm. Variety in subject matter is eye catching. Because of ecological study, he examines a thing or a problem with many angles and that has helped his poetry. References do come naturally. Poems ‘Varansi’, ‘Matrumudra’, ‘Ghar’, and ‘Mahaprasthan’ (a poetic play) show his progress.
A linguistic researcher and now a poet Ajay Saravaiya in ‘Aam Hovu’ (2018 ) makes dialogues with his self and tries to find out answers of ‘who to be with?, where to be?, when to be?’. His walks amongst feelings of love, darkness, grass, library, time, poets, and various facets of poetry. Raghuvir Cjaudhary writes, ‘Ajay’s poetry is so much new but not difficult to get it.’
‘Takora Maru Chhu Akashne’ (2011) is Yogesh Joshi’s blank verse collection. He uses symbols of nature to express his personal feelings but turns into impersonal ones. This is his marked quality. He fully equipped can write a long poem full of references as well as a very short one too. Some may feel the poems are having excessive load of feelings but the very thing is his identity. Let’s see a small poem ‘Jareek Modu Thayu’:
‘Which way to go?
In an effort
To lit a lamp
Got only a little late
And
All the roads
Put out.’
Jhalawad setting and local language flavour is brought in a blank verse collection ’Ghar Badalvanu Karan’ (2013) by Ramesh Acharya and it has turned artistic because of brevity and irony. There are some praiseworthy poems like ‘Ghar Badalavanu Karan’, ‘Shedho’, ‘Andharu Ane Prem’, and ‘Mara Padoshio’.
‘Seemade Ugelu Zadvu’ (2011) by Manilal H Patel has occasionally written poems mostly in blank verse. It includes poems like ‘U.S. Diary’, ‘Pitajeene: Char Sonnet’, ‘Taras Vishena Tran Sonnet’ and some metrical compositions. He is basically a poet who loves nature the most, and the poems reflect nature and human nature. In the end of a sonnet that is related to father he writes:
‘You passed away as if dew fell from lotus
Leaves fell that bedecked the chariot of generations
When I knew, heartbeats missed
Suddenly came death and offered loneliness
If any gets a chance of passing away like you
Offer me as a blessing: No more wish I anything! (p.87)
In the last few years of the decade some poetess have written actively. Instead of placing the personal problems as their own they tried to place them as impersonal ones in artistic manner.. Lesser would be such poets no doubt. Immediately the names that come before us are Parul Khakhar, Raksha Shukla, Radhika Patel, Bhargavi Pandya and Gopali Buch. Parul Khakhar writes mostly songs and gazals. Now she writes stories too but that’s a different thing. Her collection ‘Kalamne Dalkhee Footee’ (2018) consists seventy gazals. She knows gazal form and nature well and hence abides them. Without shedding womanish tears, she can express feministic sensibilities. Such a balance is found there. Three introductory couplets:
‘Lets me not sleep paper, pen, and words
Matchless poetic moments, lets me not sleep.
So sudden like a stranger dropped down myself
Grave’s mine, but the stone lets me not sleep.
A thousand times have I washed my self
Fragrance of those rosy touches lets me not sleep.’ (p.30)
Raksha Shukla’s collection ‘Aalle Le’ (2019) has songs, gazals, and blank verse. Songs occupies a bigger space. In the introduction of the book poet Anil Joshi notes,’Raksha’s language isn’t having any tactics to impress any. Neither she has any purpose to entertain. Language is controlled and so doesn’t become loud. Her poetry has no bearing of Feminism but there’s restless world of a woman. Here are two lines of a song beginning:
‘Amidst the palace of perplexity, drew the bed
Found I unknown to me wrapped in grief. (p. 3)
‘Hu Lagani’ (2017) is a blank verse collection of Radhika Patel. The chief aspect of it is that it’s away from influence of others. Whatever it is, though less or more, but it’s her own world. A woman’s psyche, feministic images and symbols are natural. Some poems have become verbal but bear fresh expression.
Bhargavi Pandya’s gazal collection is ‘Hovapanana Chayade’ (2020). Looking to her work it seems that she tries to give symbolic way to human complexity without any influences of gazal moods. For this she has her own language that imbibes any feeling simply and smoothly. Here are two couplets:
‘Touch to closed eyes and go away
In the morning wet I find the steps.
A neem branch touched the Yamuna
Spare the leaf, got bitter even shadows!’ (p.48)
A blank verse collection of Gopali Buch is ‘Beejne Zarukhethi’ (2020). If seen in terms of subject matters her range of feelings is wider. She can see her personal liking and disliking with many facets. Removing heaviness of experiences she is able to shape poetry. See, the beginning of a poem ‘Mukti’. This is also a way that a modern woman can express herself:
‘First of all she removed
The auspicious marriage-string at her neck
Wiped red mark from hair
Big red bindi on the forehead.
The anklet that reminded his every step
She removed and put aside.
She got up and went to bathe.
Husband’s touch she washed.
No issue at heart.
Nothing in a way had reached there.’ (p.84)
Save to these collections which have been dealt with there are several and if I try it’s impossible to complete the article. Naturally not possible. It’s also true that still some poets and their collections can be added to this list. They too can have creative impulses and remarkable poems. Even their names if I mention, the list would be incomplete. Hence I beg pardon as I avoid my greed of it. Some anthologies too have come out during this period.
Now let me focus on poetry of the decade. There’s a class of poets who are conscious of only poetic achievement and their concern is only poetry. There’s another class that honestly strives but they miss very things of the former class. Sometimes a good work makes way. The third one has numerous poets and they have lot of expectations but are interested in popularity and fame only. Such things are too be found anywhere in any language but we when talk about the best poetry, in comparison to other Indian languages, let me say that our poetry possesses a very high level and that’s the matter to boast.
*Note: lines of poems indicate meaning only not the meter of concerned poems.