☛ The Creative Section of April issue (Vol. 6, No. 2) will be out on or before 25 May, 2025.
☛ Colleges/Universities may contact us for publication of their conference/seminar papers at creativeflightjournal@gmail.com

Sagar Mal Gupta's Tapestry of Emotions Pitted against the World of Reality

 


Sagar Mal Gupta's Tapestry of Emotions Pitted against the World of Reality

 

Dr. Manas Bakshi

Poet

West Bengal, India

 

Abstract: Sagar Mal Gupta, an Indo- English poet who, in his words, has started writing late is now quite in prominence by virtue of appearing frequently in printed and E-journals of repute. Besides his strong academic background and expertise in teaching profession, his vast experience of having been abroad for a long time seems to have opened up new vistas of a poetic world which is flashing through one after another publication. And the latest one is Tapestry of Emotions. There are as many as 139 poems spreading over 226 pages covering a wide range of poetic outpourings on myriad subjects. But emotion plays a dominant role all along.

 

Keywords: Indo- English poet, Sagar Mal Gupta, Tapestry of Emotion

 

Sagar Mal Gupta, an Indo- English poet who, in his words, has started writing late is now quite in prominence by virtue of appearing frequently in printed and E-journals of repute. Besides his strong academic background and expertise in teaching profession, his vast experience of having been abroad for a long time seems to have opened up new vistas of a poetic world which is flashing through one after another publication. And the latest one is Tapestry of Emotions.

 

There are as many as 139 poems spreading over 226 pages covering a wide range of poetic outpourings on myriad subjects. But emotion plays a dominant role all along. In fact, I am in a quandary how to begin with.  In his foreword, P C K Prem -- a very good friend of mine as Sagar Mal himself -- writes “The poet in Gupta guides the reader to familiar and identified regions of life, existence and joy where the whole lot appears close to heart but still a man ignores.”

 

A poet as an observer, conversant with the recent developments in science and technology, has to keep track of what is going around apart from being influenced by the beauty of nature. Guptaji is well aware of such an aspect that has created a stir in recent times, and that is but Artificial Intelligence. Its impact is being felt today in every walk of life -- from AI girl friend to "AI doctor, AI engineer, AI lawyer, AI poet, AI novelist" -- all are there; and the poet exalts, salutes this new Avatar divine,

       

Which is as omniscient as God

And as risky as a knife

 

Interestingly also, while highlighting the issue of scientific development, Guptaji has deftly dealt with the successful Lunar Mission -- Chandra Yaan 3 ( p136) , the role played by the former president of India -- the late APJ Abdul Kalam and, of course, ISRO ; he recalls : 

 

A historic occasion

When lander Vikram,

Bedecked with Indian Tiranga

Embraced very cautiously,

        slowly and lovingly

The surface of the moon

As if it carried Bharat Maa's

Rakshasutra to tie on the wrist

Of Chanda Mama.

 

There are enough materials in Tapestry of Emotions which Guptaji has explored as far as reality and its manifestation are concerned in more ways than one. Let us delineate on some other aspects of which comes first Empowerment of Women (P. 75). Before coming to the poem under the title, it is imperative to mention that the image of woman normally projected before us has the legacy of Goddess like Durga, Kali, Santoshi and the like; and empowerment we speak about has attained new dimensions in keeping with the present socio-economic context. Woman is no more confined to household works only; she is marching ahead along with the male and is accomplished as ' the fountainhead of multitasking .../playing  the role of mother and wife / at the same time'. Guptaji further observes:

 

She breathes life's poetry

Transcending all strife

An embodiment of

Aspirations and ambitions

Touching the heights

Of vibrant life.

 

But, ironically, there is something appalling which cannot escape the eyes of a poet who, conscious of the 'fire of violence' and 'abominable crimes' haunting Manipur in the recent times, has to be vocal about the unspeakable moral degradation in our society. It is glaringly evident in three poems -- Manipur Violence 1, 2 and Manipur: In the Aftermath of Violence. How to condemn the “rape of naked women?” How to stop the “devil of homicide” and “punish the perpetrators of the shameful act?” The poet laments:

 

A rape is not only a torture of the body

But the wounds of agony keep

tormenting her throughout her life.

 

This is what brings into focus the frangible reality about empowerment of woman. From the gruesome rape and murder of Nirbhaya in Delhi to the recent one of Abhaya in Kolkata, the brutal incidents have stirred up human conscience over the world. But the question remains when will justice be meted out to the suffering family with exemplary action taken against the criminals / rapists?

 

Guptaji is equally concerned about the blows inflicted on Nature. What happens when there is Murder of a Tree? “The tree is dying a slow death./ Some leaves have wilted, / others are slowly wilting". The agonised vibrations of the dying tree reach the nearby trees -- hardly reach the human beings. Again, random depletion of nature has cast an adverse effect on the world of birds and insects. Which is why, in the poem Where Have the Swallows Gone, the poet is struck emotionally:

 

No melodious trill to wake us at dawn

No feathered friend to perch upon,

A sense of abandonment remains to cling

With swallows' farewell, a heart takes wing

 

There are two other poems on this theme -- Climate Change and Earthquake in Turky and Syria which prognosticate the disaster or calamity the ensuing days are threatened with.

 

Next on the current political scenario. There are three poems -- Politics and Business, Today's Politicians and Election Manifesto. The poet's opinion on the so called politicians seems scathing but  not without reason since " Politicians have become great retailers / selling their wares with great fanfare". Different from the pedlar's wares, these are meant for "Perpetuating the reign" and are ready to "If necessary/ Divide and rule/ Befool voters / By the bombardment of / Blockbuster ads" (p 84).

 

It is more than a business normally we are acquainted with that some politicians make promises galore, take advantage of TV and social media to "Break the spine of the opposition". The poet cautions us not to be the victim of the stratagem of those businessmen- like- politicians because --

Some politicians have not any ideology or vision 

And wish to stick to power for generations.

With no commitment to the nation,

More interested in their own development,

And less in the country's. (p 150).

 

Surpassing all these themes, there is a vital one related to the divine power or grace. It is distinct when the poet looks at life from a different angle which abounds with spiritual feelings. To substantiate his thoughts, some mythological doctrines have also been considered. He has faith in Hinduism which affirms the indestructibility of soul after death, and Guptaji puts it poetically: "Mortality of the body, soul's lasting existence / Infinite spirit, transcending time and space" (p 153). He is inly sure that an idol of God or a temple can be destroyed but He is omnipresent, and that is why, as an Eternal Religion –

 

Sanatan Dharma has existed for years,

And will exist forever .

Because it teaches love, compassion,

Homogeneity and sympathy for all.

 

Guptaji has also a philosophical bend of mind despite his practical approach to life. His bonding with the beauty of city life manifest in the poems on parks --be it Amrita Park or Ahilya Park -- is as significant as his attachment with his own students (p 65) and his own teachers (p 68). Similarly, he is adept in dwelling on the famous festivals like Raksha Bandhan or Ram Mahotsav along with the folk culture of Rajasthan beaming with Ramdevra Fair or Tejaji Fair. The splendour of the forts of Rajasthan retaining the glory of the fighters of Rajasthan and the artistic beauty of the land comes alive in his poetry.

 

The way all roads lead to Rome, Guptaji's poetry has Different Ways of seeing life, experiencing its beauty and banality from a close distance “As life's tapestry weaves stories anew”. And that is because he always seeks Truth of Life (p. 97) and gives a clarion call:

 

Learn, dear one, to embrace life's honest truth

In the ebb and flow, the eternal dance

where death begets birth, and birth follows death,

A symphony of existence, circumstance.

 

   

Work Cited

 

Gupta, Sagar Mal. Tapestry of Emotions. Yking Books, 2024.