Savi makes a poetic comeback with Ashram
Amrita Chaudhry
Ludhiana, July 15: A WELL-KNOWN publisher, painter and poet, Swaranjit Savi, makes his comeback to the world of poetry after almost a decade-long hiatus with his book Ashram. It did not take that long to write the poems, says Savi, as it took to compile the book. The writer of much-talked about and controversial books Dehi Naad and Kameshwari, Savi began his foray into the world of poetry in 1987 with Avagya and followed it up in 1990 with another book, Dard Piyarer Hon Da. Both books, according to the writer, concentrated on Punjab in those times, and then in 1994, came Dehi Naad, in 1998, Kala Hashiya Te Suha Gulab with Desire and Kameshwari published in 1999. After this a long silence followed, which was broken by Ashram in 2005.
‘‘My earlier collections of books dwelt on one subject but then soon I saw myself responding to a lot many things around me. This gave birth to so many poems. I wrote on nature, death and many other things. So for Ashram, I spent two years trying to design it and compile it in such a way that the poems which are written on so many different thing can reflect myself,’’ says Savi as he explains his book. The book will be released on July 17.
Talking about his poetry, Savi, especially like that of Dehi Naad and Kameshwari, which created a lot of furore in Punjabi poetic circles, says, ‘‘I knew that these books will create a controversy for these books dealt with celeberation of sex which is a taboo in our society. See we all can discuss sex in group, shred it down to the minutest detail but can never write about it, especially in first person. These books attracted sharp criticism but equal acclaim too. Some called it a shoddy piece of porn while others called it art. For me, these poems were a confession, but then we all are scared of making confessions. Yet these books gave way to a new genre in Punjabi poetry and many are now copying it.’’ Kameshwari, which is a long poem, was staged also.
No comments:
Post a Comment