When the sun went down,
the elegant white peacock
crossed the land it had once known,
as though restoring words to their purity.
— ‘The Poet’s Death’;
(Jayanta Mahapatra)
Mahapatra could not have had himself in mind when he wrote this poem. However, these lines perhaps best describe him, both as poet and human being. He was, after all, a soul as gentle and rare as a white peacock, whose imagination restored words to their purity.
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The literary world will always remember Mahapatra as a highly accomplished bilingual poet who took Indian English poetry to the world stage. But he was also an essayist and short story writer. More important, he was a tender and generous man, whose voice was as soothing as a little brook.
To me, he will always be a gracious human being, who said he liked my poetry, when he really didn’t have to. Often, people we admire disappoint us in real life. But here was a poet I’d admired, showing me excellence needn’t be limited to one’s craft. And I’m certain everyone who knew him will agree.
What must a poem do?
I met Mahapatra at the 2018 Bengaluru Poetry Festival. Despite being one of the most feted poets of India, there he was sitting in a corner, quiet as a breeze. His large eyes sparkled and smiled at people stopping to talk to him. He spoke to them with a genuine curiosity, as if he’d known them.
During the festival, he spoke about poetry and poets: a preoccupation he has explored in great depth through his poetry. He asked questions that have stayed with me and have gone on to influence my own work.
Who is a poet? Who am I? What must a poem do? Where am I going? These are the questions a poet must ask, he said. He also added, with striking humility, that he hadn’t found answers to any of those questions himself.
Mahapatra certainly has answered who a poet is — or must be. An individual whose words inspire and enlighten, and at the same time, whose modesty shines through at all times.
Mahapatra was the first Indian poet to win the Sahitya Akademi Award for English poetry. This prolific poet has published over 40 volumes of poetry.
Besides mentoring several poets and corresponding with many, he also helped found the Chandrabhaga: A Magazine of Indian Writing.
He wrote in ‘A Self-Portrait’:
…For years I tried hard
to be some kind of hero, but failed,
or there would have been something
to say.
Mahapatra may have considered himself to be a failed hero, but to me, he is someone who shows me what I need to do with my life and poetry.
Someday the world
will be worth the poem I write.
(‘Ten Years, Past 9/11’)
If the world is to be measured against the poetry Mahapatra leaves behind, it is certainly priceless. We are lucky to be living in it.
The poet, novelist, translator and communications professional is the author of C: A Novel and Nine, a collection of poems.
