DELAREYVILLE, SOUTH AFRICA
25 MAY 2013
The last weekend of the month is a 'mela' in South Africa.Towns and cities come to life early in the morning,despite the cold conditions in the morning.The reason is:the common people rely on their salaries,grants
or pensions,and towards the end of the month,it's difficult to make ends meet.That's why people feel rejuvenated and euphoric at month-end.
Autumn is in full swing,with some trees at random displaying golden
leaves,ready to fall even when a gentle wind blows.It's a beautiful
sight when there's a gentle wind,sending hundreds of golden leaves to
a soft landing on the ground.Every season has its own beauty.There's a
variety of the neem tree,which some people trim like an umbrella,and it
assumes pure golden colour during autumn,and it looks like a kuda used in
our perunnals.
I'm inundated with poems by Sony Karackal and Anoop Varghese P.
Unfortunately I haven't done justice to their poems recently,due to
the pressure of school work.I'm still thinking about 'Vidarum mumbe'
which is a major work of Anoop Varghese P.I'm like an aircraft,circling
the airport,waiting for clearance to land,because there's no space on
the runway.But I can't run away from my responsibilities.I decided to
study Anoop's short poem 'Ninte Mizhineeril' as an interim relief.
Anoop has presented this poem with great humility,doubting whether this
can be called a poem.The length of a poem is not a yardstick to measure
its quality.Wordsworth's "Daffodils' is a short poem,but it's read even
today due to its undiminishing relevance.Kunjunni's poems are very short,
but they contain some food for thought.So there's no doubt that 'ninte
Mizhineeril' is a poem.
This poem depicts the deep-rooted compassion of the speaker.He is a kind
person who shares the grief of others,one who offers a helping hand to
those fellow-human beings who are rejected,traumatised,abandoned and uncared for.When I read the first two lines,images of those who have
embodied compassion and love,such as Fr,Damien,Mother Theresa,Kaippan-
plackkal Achan etc flash through my mind,not forgetting the anonymous
who offer a helping,soothing hand,to the sick,the hurt,the homeless,the
abandoned.
Ninte mizhineerthulliyil theliyunnu
Vishadattinte nizhal roopangal
mattullavante kanneeril,aa manushyante dukhangale thirichariyan
kazhunna,daiveekamaya nanmaykkanu manushyatham ennu parayunnathu.The
suffering person in this poem has a long history of suffering behind
him.'dukhagarthangalileykku' enna phrasel ellam adangiyittundu.
peedanathinte karamullukal aazhnnirangiya
chora kiniyunna murippadukal
These lines evoke immense pain in the heart of the reader.The choice
of words like 'karamullukal' is highly effective,even piercing our hearts.
parathunnu vakkukalkkayi uyarunnatho gadgadam mathram
The above lines depict the utter helplessness of the speaker.He is so
much overwhelmed by emotions that he can't articulate words of comfort.
The speaker longs to liberate the suffering person from his pitiable
situation,but he feels helpless.He admits that he is too weak to carry
the cross alone.
Sakthiyillenikku athavanu mathrame kazhiyu
The 'avan' is Jesus Christ.In this line,the speaker emphasizes his deep
faith in God,and expresses his optimism that God's help is at hand.
The pain felt in the first 7 lines ease with the soothing,optimistic
concluding lines:
Kanneeroppi kayyil japamanikalumayi ninte chare
Kathirikkam njanum avante varavinayi
These lines are a a balm to hurt minds. There's light at the end of the the tunnel of human suffering.The poet concludes with high expectations
for Christ's coming to save mankind.The poem is short,but inspiring,
rejuvenating.A step forward for Anoop Varghese P.
.
Thank you dear Sir for the sudden review! You have read my mind! Keep going!
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