Kailash Vajpeyi a poet who fused tradition with modern

A recipient of prestigious awards like the Hindi Academy Award, Vyas Samman, S.S. Millennium Award, Human Care Trust Award and the World Hindi Literature Award, renowned Hindi poet, author and presenter Dr. Kailash Vajpeyi breathed his last on April 1 in New Delhi. He died of a cardiac arrest. He was 79. He is survived by a wife and daughter.

Born in Lucknow, the poet began his career as a journalist. He had a distinct muhazzab zuban and the storm brewing inside him was visible in his poems. For instance, in “Sankranta”, “Dehant se Hatkar” and “Teesra Andhera”, he minced no words while attacking the political system and accusing it of causing communal and social divide and hatred. He even went to the extent of criticising Jawaharlal Nehru in the poem “Rajdhani”. He called upon people to sing “Ä Naya Rashtrageet” through an eponymous poem that was banned later. All his similar rebellious creations took shape through the 1970s.

Famous poet Kedarnath Singh, writer/journalist Om Thanvi and Mr. Vajpeyi used to have regular meetings at the latter’s home.

Observes Mr. Thanvi, “I had always admired his sense of combining modernism with traditionalism. When after writing revolutionary poems, he started writing on mysticism, spirituality and tradition, the critics said he was taking a U turn. However, the truth is, he had a great capacity to combine the two; both in his works as well as style. He would always say that modernism and tradition have, and should always co-exist, they complement each other and not contradict. Neither of the two can exist in single.”

Mr. Vajpeyi was a regular face on Doordarshan. He would anchor kavi sammelans, mushairas and musical evenings. He was on the Hindi Advisory Committee member of Doordarshan.

A prayer meeting for him will be held at Gurdwara Dumduma Sahib, Nizamuddin East, today between 4 and 5 p.m.