VLADIMIR MAYAKOVASKY (1893-1930 ) AND MODERN KASHMIRI POET DINA NATH NAADIM ( 1916-1988 )
Poetry is closely
linked with music and sound. To fully understand poetry One needs to have some
knowledge of Music and sound effects as well. It equally applies to Musicians
who also need to understand feelings and the mood of the words that they are singing
. In a way Poetry and Music are closely interconnected . If Poetry has inherent
Music , music is poetry presented through sound effects .
In Modern kashmiri
poetry , Dina Nath Naadim has created enormous sound effects in his poems
.Using these patterns , he was consciously and continuously freeing kashmiri
poetry from its centuries old Bondage of Meter , Rhyme and generic monotony and
at the same time adding grace , Beauty and Artistic excitement to it .
Through word sounds ,
he made sustained attempts to infuse musical effects in kashmiri poetry . These
sound effects have imparted Inertia, Vitality , Flow, Movement and quite often
a strange internal Rhyme to his poetry .As a skilled craftsman , he has made
good use of what is known as consonance, Dissonance , Alliteration and
Onomatopoeia in Poetry .
This illustrious
accomplishment of sound effects by Naadim warrants a close scrutiny and for
this achievement , Naadim has possibly none as his rival in Modern kashmiri
poetry . Alas ! There has been no serious attempt to study the syntactical
patterns that Nadim devised in kashmiri Poetry . These patterns enhanced the
unmatched Diction in his Poetic work..
In his early poems
“Nov Son’th or New spring “, written in 1946 , he uses sound of Birds and
moving wind to create poetic resonance . Words like “Koo Koo “ of Koel and “
Hoo Hoo “ of the spring season’s light wind have been used in the opening lines
of the poem to create Poetic exhilaration and reverberation .Again in his poem "Quami Yakjehti" or " National Integration " Naadim uses bird sounds.
I quote:
" jaana-vaaruv mutcharav Ton'th .Piyoo Piyoo ya Tiriv Tiriv, Goo too too ya chiriv chiriv , Aalam Aalam sonthaai son' th"
" The birds open their beaks to sing Piyoo Piyoo or Tiriv Tiriv.They sing Goo goo goo or Chiriv Chiriv. Spring season comes to stay all over the world"
In his Poem” Dal Beath
Baeth” or “Along the Banks of Dal Lake” written in 1961 he again uses words
like “ shee shee “ to describe speeding breeze . Again he used words “ Tschee
Tschee “ to describe tossing waves arising from of waters of Dal Lake.
In his Poem Tamie doh
( That Day ) written in 1971. Naadim uses the ticking sound of a wall clock as
a forceful sound effect in his opening line .Then in his poem Chaer Katha (
Foolish talk ) , He uses the galloping of a horse as sound effect in the poem (
Tadaakh Ta Padaakh Tadaakh Ta Padaakh ), The breaking sound of wooden doors and
windows too has been conveyed in this poem written in ( Daarie Ta Burr Pheatt
Braen Braen Braen Braen ) .
The sound of water
laden clouds has been superbly described by him in his poem "Paan
Tchaadar" ( Water laden cloud ) " I quote ,
"Gurr Gurr Garaar
Gurr Garar Garar , Jhar Jhar Jharaar Jharaar Jharar , Tar Tar Taraar Tar Taraar
Tarar Sar Sar Saraar Sar Saraar Sarar "..
In his poem Maut (
Death ) , Naadim brings in melancholic sound effects . i quote ,
" Tak tak Taabun
tar Tam tar tar -- Shar Shaka Shaapun Shar Shum Shar Shar "
In his poem Qaumi
Yakjahti ( national Integration ) , Naadim uses sound of birds to create sound effects
in his verse. I quote
" Piyoo Piyoo Ya
Tiriv Tiriv,Goo Goo Ya Chiriv Chiriv "
In His poem Zalaer
zaal (Cob web ), Naadim uses sound words to convey his disenchantment . I quote
,
"Oh Oh Oh Oh, Oh
Oh Oh Oh , Oh Oh Soruyii gardi Gubaara .".
INFLUENCE OF
MAYAKOVASKY ON NADIM'S POETRY
In his Poem “Shuhul
Kull “ Nadim uses the magic of word sound exactly the way Russian Poet
Mayakovsky was famous for . Repetitive usage of a single word to carry forward
a sentiment forcefully. “Barag Barag” , “ Laenjein Laenjein “ Vathar Vathar “.
Again the contrast technique of Mayakovasky is clearly visible in this poem.
Naadim uses contrasts together to put impact . “ Prein Ta Chheit ( Shining
bright and dull )“, “Zug Ta Shaam Rang ( White and black ) “ “ Yetiek Faraeing
( Residents and outsiders ) “. Nadim also favours usage of similes that form a
hallmark of Mayakovsky’s poetry. Mayakovasky was known for pushing comparisons
and similes to breaking point in his poems. And it is now quite clear that
Naadim had read enough of Mayakovasky . Like Mayakovasky , Some poems of Naadim
are meant to be read aloud for the sound words that create a rhythm of a drum
beat or a march cadence. This style is used in poetry to create Auditory images
. And Like Mayakovasky, Naadim has also excelled in this task . The influence
of Mayakovasky’s poems “Our March” and “Call To Account” is visible on Naadim’s
poem a “Naara e Shabaab and “Naara e Inquilab’ . To substantiate my point , i quote some lines from Naadim's poem "Jangbaaz Khabardaar" or " Beware O war monger " ..
" Thahar Laeni bronh ma pakh, fasaad fitana keanna Hyaath, Ya bum ta gun machine Hyaath _Hiroshima ya chhuyi na yath karakh tche Lurpaar vuchh, Grezaan chhu Aabshaar vuchh ,nishaat shaalmaar vuchh, wattan yi myon chhuyi bedaar navbahaar vaar vuchh, iraada vustvaar vuchh, Tulav tyongal ta naar vuchh."
" Stop, Don't cross your limits. Don't come here to fight , create troubles and for settling scores. Don't come with your bombs, guns and weaponry. This is not Hiroshima that you can raise to dust.Look, our water falls are roaring. our nishat and shalimaar gardens are awake. Awake lies this beloved land of mine .Look how beautiful is our new spring season over here and our rock like determination. Stop else we can also arise with flames and fire .."
For Naadim , Many a critics may
consider it as a result of turbulent happenings in subcontinent as the poems
were written around 1947. But I am focusing on the overall impact of the throw
of word sounds . These word sounds are certainly a Mayakovasky influence on
Naadim.
EXPANDING THIS WRITE
UP…. ………………………………
( Autar Mota )
PS
This write up appeared on my Facebook Page sometime back. Noted scholar Dr Shashi Shekhar Toshakhani in his comments to my face book post wrote as under ,
" Autar Mota' Ji's post
is a highly appreciative attempt to stimulate discussion on the need for a
reappraisal of Dina Nath Naadim's poetry at both ideological and structural
levels. Despite having passed away
nearly three decades back, Naadim continues to be the most important modern
Kashmiri poet. The comparison with Mayakovsky is important as well as relevant
as both the poets display remarkable similarities so far as characteristic
peculiarities of their poetry are concerned. They also have much in common in
their approach to the questions of the function of poetry and the role of a
poet. I too had made a reference to Mayakovsky's influence on Naadim in my Book “Kashmiri Sahitya ka Itihas “ , published
way back in 1985. What enhances the value of Autar Mota Ji's write-up is the
details he has given, including the translations of some of Mayakovsky's
representative poems and his photographs. Both Myakovsky and Dina Nath Naadim
were passionately committed to the ideology of Marxism and sought to free their
poetry from the hold of centuries-old conventions, stereotypes, and
stylizations inherited from traditional verse to give expression to their new
thoughts. Regarding poetry and political action as inclusive they produced what
can be described as a heady mix of poetry and politics. It was this that made
their poetic readings draw tumultuous ovation from the crowds who thronged to
listen to them. Nadim, like Mayakovsky, verbalized his thoughts through a new
language and a new idiom. His innovatory experimentation was not merely of a
technical nature but indicative of a new way of looking at the contemporary
human situation. His choice of free verse as a medium of expression was a basic
requirement for answering the challenges of the shift in sensibility which he
himself had brought about in Kashmiri poetry. This proved to be a turning point
in the history of Kashmiri poetry. In Hindi, Nirala was the first to write in
free verse as far back as 1923, to be followed by Sumitra Nandan Pant . In
fact, this was an important characteristic of avant-garde poetry throughout the
world in the early decades of the twentieth century. In Kashmiri, poetry had
always been directed more at the listener than at the reader. Naadim's use of
blank verse created a bridge that connected the two. Autar Mota Ji has also
pointed to the musical effects created by Naadim in his poems by employing
alliteration, consonance, internal rhyme and other poetic devices. In fact,
these devices, particularly internal rhyme, have throughout been the main
characteristics of Kashmiri lyrical poetry. What distinguishes Naadim is that
he brought into play the inner music and acoustic values of Kashmiri words,
which combined with his imaginative use of images taken from the day-to-day
life of the common folk, created a tremendous effect on the minds of the
people. While doing so, Naadim stretched the strengths and potentialities of
the Kashmiri language to their farthest limits. His strength as a poet lay in
the "unexpected dynamics of words and rhythms", to use the words of
the noted Malayalam poet K. Sachidanandan.”
CHINAR SHADE by
Autarmota is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at
http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.
