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Nirmaldasan's 'A Quiver Of
Arrows' By Fanny Nathaniel (fanz08@gmail.com) -- This review appeared in the August 2007 issue of the Journalism Online newsletter -- "These are they who understand, Reach out a hand from their calm attitude To lay a finger upon the wound that bleeds And stay for a moment the heart's solitude" -- A.L. Rowse To review Nirmaldasan's
work is a daunting task. Most of the poems in this compilation are deceptively
light-hearted and race through your brain at breakneck speed only to pull you
up short with lines like this, "The
moon is full, the night is calm. The cesspool mirrors
the starry skies" (The Cul-de-sac) where he juxtaposes nature's wealth
and mankind's deprivation. The whole scene enacted
here is so typical of the degeneration that is evident everywhere that it does
not shock any more. This calm acceptance is what shocks you. The same goes for
'Urban Tragedy', "The boy was alive When taken to
hospital But declared
'brought dead'" Nothing is shocking or
brutal. It is an everyday occurrence. The newspapers are full of blood and
gore. The incident described in the poem does not impress. It is commonplace. But, the poem does. It brings with it a faint longing for
something long lost at the altar of urbanization: Innocence. Most people go through life
accepting whatever comes their way. In 'Tennyson's Flower: A Glosa', the poet strives to understand the delicate balance
of spirituality, nature, and his own frail existence. "Yes, I will think and try my best To know why man has built a wall. But I think God, Nature and Man Form a tight-knit human and divine clan" He takes you through his own
doubts, and fears, and inadequacies, which are the doubts, and fears, and
inadequacies of all the poets -- nay thinkers of this world. A note of wistfulness
pervades 'A Quiver of Arrows'. Something which reflects the poet's frustration
at what could be but isn't. 'Sound and Light -
A Diamante' sweeps you up into a
frenzy with the beat pounding in your head which builds to a crescendo and at
its peak, breaks into brilliant colours. Everything
stills and recedes into eternal peace. 'To Mr. K.S.
Subramanian' makes you want to rush to the bookstore to pick up Mr.
Subramanian's book. A book that provokes
the poet to rave "Your book, your book must be bought And read by all with single mind. And those who read will surely find Why society is mired in nought." Must be
bought! The poem just reiterates the poet's fervent
prayer calling for a moment of thought. 'To Prof. S. Shankar'
is along the same lines and has the same effect of wanting you to pick up the
book: "Thoughts striving in a deadwood world; Thoughts inscribed on a flag unfurled. Remaking the hearts of men In a Utopia unborn." The poet's anger at the
world's current obsession with superficial beauty, and the trappings of luxury,
flows out a tad too viciously in 'A New World', but the last stanza justifies
his judgmental stance: "Quit this House of Shame! Seize the earth, the skies, Water, air and light
Come, fashion a new world..." Divine help is sought in 'An
Ode to Bhairavi', 'A Hymn to Bhairavi',
and 'Shakuni', which creates a longing for the peace that
accompanies the harmony of "
God, Nature, and Man". The other poems: 'Sleeping Neta', 'A Sonnet to my Sister', 'To Vijay Nambisan', 'To Prof. G. Viswananthan',
'An Anthem for Renouveau', and 'The Rose of The poet has continued to
evolve and mature over the years with his belief system palpably intact. This, then, definitely is not one of those
poets who "
would rove For some years and die unknown and unruth" but will have his wish granted: "O would that I would my remaining years In Truth spend and return to whence I came!" (A Sonnet To My
Sister). "If these things might be I should perchance see Some comfort in the world's experience, Content in sense, My spirit cease from intellectual agony". -- A.L. Rowse -- 'A Quiver Of Arrows' was web-published in May 2007 and may be read at
http://www.angelfire.com/nd/nirmaldasan/qoa.html --
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