Three Poems by R P Singh

R. P. Singh

And so wafts a theme

And so wafts a  theme

in mud sometimes, 

and across the clouds so.

So springs a thought 

in winter, spring and snow.

Saw letters taking shape 

when seldom any escape; 

in midnights, at dawns, 

bright daybreak, and yes 

over the yawning afternoons.

Letters move so fast, 

smiling, winking lot, 

letters resist to move, 

stuck in whacky groove.

Letters in efforts, letters stuck.

Letters turn the shape...

Yes, for themes there 

effortlessly no escape.

Themes smile, get agile,

letters mark their wand.

And so wafts a theme;

In thoughts of land 

in thoughts of barn, 

in thoughts of traps

how thoughts see yarns! 

So wafts a theme;

in muddy streets;

dreams that bring

for a fairy retreat -

so soulful life's treat! 

Letters whisper so often 

in the maker's ears,

and they pinch, if out of gear.

Letters charge the self, 

letters, and control.

And so wafts the  themes, 

Life goes on...

***

Million hunches for a dream

Million hunches for a dream

I so often plan, 

though in thought it entails 

just a shaky yarn!

No responses float ever, 

yes quite  eager shows want, 

And  menacing affluence 

when a drop in want.

I sang for supper, waited there, 

Many yearnings loom a far,

as dragon flies they approach,

YET not a single water drop.

***

Bird awake

Bird awake the long night through,

no injustice they ever thought, 

who knows owl's petty eyeballs 

shrieking through the petals of dark.

Birds in quivering flake to see 

thoughts so freaking and umpteen

some vermin come, flies come 

offering a rally for a relook, to see.

Ghostly vermin sings a song, 

so many plundering to entail,

flies in new shapes appear 

hoodwink owl's image to clear.

*** 

---

Setu, January 2023

काव्य: रवीन्द्र प्रताप सिंह

रवीन्द्र प्रताप सिंह

1. कृतिकार

एक है कृतिकार कोई मनचला सा क्षितिज पर 

यूँ ही वह कुछ नये कलेवर देकर चित्र उकेरे,

अगले पल ही, अरे अचानक आहिस्ता वह उन्हें मिटाये, 

उसकी कृति है, कार्यक्षेत्र है, जैसा चाहे वह कर दे,

उसकी शैली और कल्पना,जैसा चाहे रंग ले। 

क्या कृतियों का, भाव,कल्पना सब रहते मन में,

मन की सत्ता से रोपित हर रंग यहाँ जीवन के। 

चलो खोजते और देखते - कृति कैसी, कृतिकार कहाँ 

प्रकट कर रहा जीवन दर्शन, या है कोई व्यथा कथा!

नयी दृष्टियों के हैं रूपक, नवोन्मेष में रंग नये। 

इसीलिए तो प्रकृति आज शांत भाव से उसे सुने। 

***

2. मानक

क्या रोचक है, नीरस क्या,कहीं गढ़े देखे मानक,

मानक स्वयं मनः स्थिति से स्वयं माप लेते हर गति। 

लगती सम्मोहक सदा दूर ध्वनि,कैसी भी कर्कश हो यह,

और पास को मोहक लय भी अक्सर लगती है नीरस। 

बँटी हुयी अधिकांश दृष्टियाँ,जाने क्यों खाँचों में 

किसी घोषणा को समझें वे पहले समझें उद्घोषक। 

कर्कशता बनती मृदुल गान, जब होता है स्नेह पटल 

अवरुद्ध शब्द भी जाने कैसे बहने लगते हैं अविरल। 

नव नूतन किसलय प्रतिदिन कुछ नये संदेशे लाते 

रहता है प्रच्छन्न, अगोचर अभिव्यक्ति सृजन आते।

***

---

सेतु, दिसम्बर 2022

काव्य: रवीन्द्र प्रताप सिंह

रवीन्द्र प्रताप सिंह

1. बौराई नदी

एक बौराई नदी 

ले रही जीवन सोख 

तटों पर लसकर बसी कुछ बस्तियाँ 

और भोले से, न जाने सोच क्या 

पाँखियों से रहे आते लोग। 

बस्तियाँ बसती बिखरती 

फूस तिनकों से मचलते 

और वह चलती मचलकर 

घनी धारा

प्राण कितने सोख। 

***

2. सकुचाई नदी

वही सकुचाई नदी 

जानते हो, कल धूप थी कुछ तेज़ 

सूख कर या नीतिगत 

शांत लेटी,

चमकता शांत अमृत नीर 

जीवन भरा लावण्य,

चांदनी का तटों पर फैलाव,

एक सकुचाई नदी 

या लक्ष्य पर है दृष्टि। 

***

3. नीति

नीति का आख्यान भी 

और शक्ति से भी जुडी 

क्यों नहीं कुछ देर तक 

कोई भला कुछ मौन!

शक्ति है उस पार 

भले मेरु रज्जु में नहीं हो शक्ति 

किन्तु है आलम्ब,

क्या करोगे दोस्त! 

***

4. लेप का सौंदर्यशास्त्र

और फिर लेप का सौंदर्य,

वाक् पटुता कह लीजिये।

***

5. चेष्टा

शक्ति की चेष्टाओं में कहाँ उत्तर 

मनन ही है अस्त्र 

आरोह भी है दिख रहा। 

***

---

सेतु, जनवरी 2022

Three Poems by R P Singh

R. P. Singh

Yet none to hear

A precious word in sun and rain 

for years, stoic to pain…

Yes, it harks 

to the fathoms of virtues empanelled 

and for the system stale.

 

Some feelings squirm 

Yet none to hear .

Unseen calls and moves 

unknown feelings yet to come 

but the word now grows 

just mushrooms , 

nothing else.

***

A shining morning after hailstorm

And the buzzer is on 

a shining morning after hailstorm .

Life changes its familiar course 

meanings yet there to decode. 

Frequent puzzles 

and emotions encased,

 thoughts in inflammation 

still on …

Surface sees the wounds not known,

communication yet to start .

Let thought take its course 

Its flashes clear over there,

unheard across the shore. 

***

No words to plead

Inflammation on feelings 

no words to plead ,

sordid customs still on 

yet the feelings absent .

Desires urged the long night through ,

the sighs as dew surround ,

bud yet stoic ,

 morning sullen a moist 

and the lights abstain to go .

I am not me , not I myself ,

Says the carrier in lowly mood ,

No words come, 

a long mood…

No words came 

a long wait 

and the feelings in 

The sender doomed .

Diary again turns the page .

***

---

Setu October 2021

काव्य: रवीन्द्र प्रताप सिंह

रवीन्द्र प्रताप सिंह

फिर उगेंगे

फिर उगेंगे 

मेह के तृण हैं 

लाख काटो, रोज़!

इन्हें संस्कृति की विरासत 

मिल चुकी है।  प्रेम की है भीति 

चारों ओर। 

नहीं सोयेगा, सुनो तुम लोग 

पहरेदार,

भाववश है प्रेम के आबद्ध,

आबद्ध है हाँ भाव 

नहीं होगा ह्रास। 

***

मौन

कभी नारों की ध्वनि बन 

चीखता है मौन, 

कभी खुद को कर प्रताड़ित 

मार देता मौन,

कभी दर्शन की कड़ी बन 

चेतना सक्रिय कराता मौन,

कभी सुख दुःख की अधिकता 

संजो लेता मौन। 

एक अपनी अलग संस्कृति 

कभी उलझी सी कहानी

कभी विह्वल प्रेम का फैलाव बनकर 

समय में संस्कृति पिरोता मौन। 

***

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सेतु, दिसम्बर 2020

रवीन्द्र प्रताप सिंह R. P. Singh

रवीन्द्र प्रताप सिंह लखनऊ विश्वविद्यालय में अंग्रेजी के प्रोफेसर हैं।  वे  अंग्रेजी और हिंदी लेखन में  समान रूप से सक्रिय हैं। फ़्ली मार्केट एंड अदर प्लेज़ (2014), इकोलॉग (2014), व्हेन ब्रांचो फ्लाईज़ (2014), शेक्सपियर की सात रातें (2015), अंतर्द्वंद (2016), चौदह फरवरी (2019), चैन कहाँ अब नैन हमारे (2018) उनके प्रसिद्ध नाटक हैं, बंजारन द म्यूज (2008), क्लाउड  मून एंड अ लिटल गर्ल (2017), पथिक और प्रवाह (2016), नीली आँखों वाली लड़की (2017), एडवेंचर्स ऑफ़ फनी एंड बना (2018), द वर्ल्ड ऑव मावी (2020), टू वायलेट फ्लावर्स (2020) उनके काव्य का प्रतिनिधित्व करते हैं।  उनके लेखन एवं शिक्षण हेतु उन्हें स्वामी विवेकानंद यूथ अवार्ड लाइफ टाइम अचीवमेंट, शिक्षक श्री सम्मान, मोहन राकेश पुरस्कार, भारतेन्दु हरिश्चंद्र पुरस्कार एस एम सिन्हा स्मृति अवार्ड जैसे चौदह  पुरस्कार प्राप्त हैं। वे देश विदेश की विभिन्न पत्र पत्रिकाओं के लिए नियमित लेखन करते हैं।

R P Singh (Dr Ravindra Pratap Singh) is a Professor of English at the Department of English and Modern European Languages, University of Lucknow. His academic writings on diverse subjects of literature, culture, art and India Studies are published from publications like Oxford University Press, Sage, Springer, Blackwell, Macmillan, ABC Clio, Warsaw University Press, ME Sharp Incorporation USA, LPP Publishing Columbia, to name a few. As a creative writer in English and Hindi, his plays; Flea Market and other Plays (2014), Ecologue (2014), When Brancho Flies (2014), Shakespeare ki Saat Ratein (2015), Antardwand (2016), Chaudah Farvari(2019), Chain Kahan ab Nain Hamare (2018) have received critical acclaim and wide popularity. Banjaran : The Muse (2008),Cloud, Moon and a Little Girl (2017), Pathik and Pravah (2016) Neeli Aankhon Wali Ladki (2017), Adventures of Funny and Bana (2018), The World of Mavie(2020), Two Violet Flowers(2020) Project Penultimate (2021) represent his poetry. A frequently anthologized poet in approximately 20 prestigious anthologies, he has published more than 500 poems and popular articles in newspapers and magazines. He is the recipient of 20 awards for his creative writing, innovations in teaching, and commendable contribution in Higher Education.

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लेखकवृंद

Poems by R. P. Singh

R. P. Singh

1. Squalor it sustains

Longing gives way 

yet crimson comes the charm, 

anxiety sobs smitten in bed, 

valour so drifts apart.

Squalor it sustains,

so the ambitions…

envy with jealousy in fullest of the fun.

The wounds, there, flicker 

yet no ointment’s demand.

May you have enjoyed the taste 

painted lips just putting the stamp

the liquid throbbing up to the brim,

And the discourses on.

***

2. Ali Zaidi no more!

Ali Zaidi is no more.

From Victoria street 

to Petersburg,

his thoughts complain 

across the shore,

Ali Zaidi is no more!

A connoisseur of some warmer lot 

a sickle estranged to cut itself 

Ali Zaidi is no more...

He fought future,yet termed buffoon,

explained Banaras and Agha Meer,

Ali Zaidi is no more …

Success sees mirage to some 

success, yet sustains on run.

For some it flows apart 

slipping and saddling the counterpart.

The question is no more! 

Boozing brackets have made a cross 

protested word has felt like crossed,

contents too, perhaps no more 

Ali Zaidi, no more.

Tremors, tortures, 

some hidden under pass, 

explained he Nazneens with sighs of Kimam,

a jocund philosopher 

so termed a buffoon, 

saga smothered his existence so soon!

***

3. This raining Sun

And so the stones of thought

this wet street 

the sprawling park.

This raining Sun and charming charm 

petals yet to yawn.

Falls clock tower, 

raining streets to pebble,

yea, they bring some lazy songs 

shadowed along.

Red stones, new red stones 

and Asifi Imambara enclosed 

petals, charms and songs 

AND tales, and days,

they reel along.

***

4. The ten Biswa land

He grew

Yes, he grew 

like the grey so hair,

the skull finding 

convulsions of move, 

he so grew from rustic to sod.

The ten Biswa land 

brought several wheels, 

and yes something more 

but for Kanhai, peace is lost 

and the Addas too.

***

5. Saddling fortune

He couldn’t afford more morsels 

to sentiments 

and to raven go around,

some more performance 

before the full stop.

Dances he at the tune of mood 

the nib, yet, strands to move.

A new romance 

so seeds the brazen skull 

chuckling sheathing jaws 

so young 

in the frenzied outbreak.

Bhullu so berserk 

and so stranded 

moaning, galloping 

and in sights 

saddling fortunes 

for the nibs.

***

---

Setu, December 2020

Adventures of Funny and Bana : Maintaing new tropes in Children’s Literature

Singh, R. P.
Adventures of Funny and Bana
Publisher: Gutenberg Publications, New Delhi
Year: 2019
Pages: 65
Price: ₹ 100

Review by: Sumedha Dwivedi

The development of a child, related ability of critical thinking and the tenets of creative problem solving arise from the ability of the child to imagine things. In a world where thinking out of the box is encouraged in life as well as in the various careers that children of today might take up in the future; their ability to imagine situations that require critical thinking skills and creative problem solving abilities play an important role in the development of a child‟s personality. Imagination opens up a lot of doors, which, in turn, become possibilities where „creative- play‟ forms a major part of how children learn about the world. While there were times when children were encouraged to watch television or cartoons which had little to do with their imagination, today, a child is encouraged to play with play dough, be creative with the help of blocks and Legos and probably mix materials like water and oil; water and dirt to see what effect they have on each other. There is also an added emphasis on outdoor activities which may require them to form trains or run through maze or other forms of activities which ensure an active engagement of all their senses.
The more imaginative a child's recreation is, the better is their cognitive thinking and problem solving abilities. In a world like today where we are locked inside our homes and the opportunities for children to go outside and play are not available, creative writing in the form of imaginative poems and stories, invention of scenarios, verbal activities, art activities and the existence of highly creative cartoons available on YouTube like Peppa Pig etc. are nothing less than boons.
Imagination plays an important role in the early development of a child. It improves verbal skills and memory, dexterity, empathy and insight in a child. Poetry has always been a saviour of humanity, and even today comes handy in promoting the development of a child; this is the reason why nursery rhymes are highly imaginative and recommended for toddlers. Allowing a child, free play of imagination helps in reducing aggression and gives them an
opportunity to engage in their imaginative thoughts and creativity. Albert Einstein once said that the true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but the ability of an individual to imagine.
Adventures of Funny and Bana by R. P. Singh is one such long narrative work in poetry that enables a child to think out of the box, and it creates a world where the ability of the child is shown to freely imagine the scenarios created by the poet. The story revolves around two little girls - Funny and Bana who live in a small village that is situated next to a huge forest which has an array of fruits and a large variety of trees that are lined in rows. There are various fruits like Jamuns and pears and lots and lots of colourful flowers. R.P. Singh has very creatively painted, here, the image of a forest that revolves around the thinking abilities of a child which extends only till good fruits and beautiful flowers. The plot of the work , later offers the existence of a so called „big giant‟ that according to the stories of the „flowerwala‟ lives in the forest. This could also be a way of keeping the children away from the mighty threats of any forest. Moving ahead ,the poet, takes you into the mysteries of the jungle which are bound to leave any child wondering what comes next. With the jungle being described as a slightly more cooler and dense place but haunted by a giant. The imagery of the giant gobbling up people as if they were figs is creative as well as very captivating.
It is said that the giant lives at the back of the forest and no one dared to go there. According to the „flowerwala‟ the giant was big, furious and wild and people tremble like leaves in front of it. There was a palace of gold which the giant inhabited and that‟s when the children usually slept. The story then moves on to how Funny has a dream in which she was beating up the giant. Funny screamed because of the bad dream but there was no one at home to listen. She then goes and seeks help from every child‟s best friend and protector, their dog who goes by the name Droopy because of his eyes. They, along with Bana venture out into the forest in search of the giant. Droopy the dog is one tall storyteller himself in R.P. Singh‟s poem when he claims to have almost killed the giant at an occasion.
“I know him too well,
Once I fought,
and beaten him
almost to death.”
The poem then moves ahead to the time when the two children and Droopy are planning to go to the giant Bhala‟s den and make him run away. Funny, her best friend Bana and Droopy together set sail to go to the forest. They giggled, gurgled and thought about their plan of action. Upon reaching the forest with their backpacks on and morale high, they began looking
for the giant. At a time of the day when most of the world sleeps, these three were out on an adventure. The forest was a treat for them with numerous kinds of fruits and flowers.
“Now the three were across the mound.
Wow! A forest with beautiful grove
many fruits- so festive it looked,
litchi, mangoes, Jamun and
Jackfruits
The wines of grapes
and different other
of all kind and all shapes.”
They also came across hives of honey bees and the beautiful sound of the water flowing in the river. Even though they could not locate the giant, they did see several tents and the little explorers set out to inspect them. They found that the tents belonged to poachers and there were several animals inside in cages and tusks of elephants that they had poached. The children and Droopy then took help of the giant army of honey bees and attacked the poachers who did not see this coming. R.P. Singh ends the Adventures of Funny and Bana filled with bravery on the note that they were rewarded for their actions and the forest was subsequently developed into a National Park.
“They were praised
with many prize.
They were back home
in mood full pleasant!
It was free-
the land of giant,
which was nothing
but the hunter‟s plan!”

Adventures of Funny and Bana takes its reader into the whirlwind adventure that the main characters set upon. It is full of imagery that appeals to young readers and their thought process. The way in which the author has described certain aspects of the long narrative lays an emphasis on his deep insight into the young mind. The one particular aspect that is absolutely amazing about the Adventures of Funny and Bana is the acts of bravery and righteousness. The way in which the two little girls and their dog show bravery, and are rewarded would inspire young minds to take the path of truth and overcome their fears. The forest here is also representative of the inner fears and apprehensions of the human mind that can be overcome only when we face the challenges before us head on and fearlessly. At a time when the world is laying emphasis on teaching young girls to not wait for the knight to rescue them; a poem where the characters are female and show immense bravery despite being so young is something to look forward to.

About the reviewer: Sumedha Dwivedi is a Research Scholar at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National University, Lucknow. Her doctoral research work is in Cultural Studies, and she is working on Parsi Literature.

Book Review: Select Voices from Africa and Asia: (New Literatures in English)

Review by: Niloy Mukherjee

Research Scholar (English), Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow.

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Select Voices from Africa and Asia: (New Literatures in English)  

R. P. Singh (editor)

Publisher: Yking Books, Jaipur

Year: 2016

p. 255

Price: ₹ 1195.00

In her book Face of the Deep: A Theology of Becoming, Catherine Keller writes, “Yet those who wear the mark of chaos, the skins of darkness, the genders of unspeakable openings -- those Others of Order keep finding voice.” Though uttered in a very different context, this statement could possibly be re-read to define the anthology Select Voices from Africa and Asia: (New Literatures in English) compiled and edited by Dr. R. P. Singh. In the words of the editor, “the forte of this edited volume is to address the major issues in select African and Asian writings in English.” This volume adheres to a broad sense of new literature as literatures from Asia and Africa presenting different indicators of freedom as well as writings from imperialist nations surviving as undercurrents in the broader colonial discourse. The critical essays in this volume attempt to analyse and unearth such voices in the arena of New literatures in English. The anthology contains fourteen papers by renowned scholars in the field and a personal interview of the editor with Mahesh Dattani.

John Iwuh’s article “Dying Traditions in Igboland: Iku Ofo and the Modern Justice System” examines “the neglect of some traditional methods of punishment…  of the Igbo people before the modern institutional legal process… (It) interrogates the dilemma of the Igbo society caught between these practices and the constitutional legal practice in the 21^st century…” The article attempts to examine the ways in which the traditional methods of punishment kept crimes in check, reasons for their decline and the attractions of the modern judicial system in the Nigerian society. Ferdinand Mbah’s “Religious Ideology and the Crisis of Priestly Corruption in Femi Osofisan’s Another Raft” demonstrates “the ideological status of religion as a mode of exploitative power”, however objecting to Marx’s dichotomous theory of religion as a repressive instrument and “a blanket characterization of religion as a repressive ideology.” The paper opines that “the repressive practices that were subsequently imputed to religion… are manifestations of the unintended weaknesses inherent in an otherwise well-intentioned idea.” Camille S. Alexander’s article “With Both Rhyme and Reason: Class, Gender, and Marginalization in the Poetic Work of Eintou Pearl Springer” observes that the Afro-Caribbean poet E.P.Springer’s “poetry is both revolutionary and political… (It) deals primarily with power and how power is enacted against marginalized groups such as underclass, women and people of colour.” Springer’s works assert that the issues troubling the Caribbean are “ultimately the result of Western intervention in the region.” Saddik M.Gohar’s paper “Re-writing the Jew in Contemporary Arabic Literature” attempts to “re-historicize the literary representation of the Jew in Arabic/Palestinian literature dealing with the Palestinian question in order to illuminate controversial issues integral to both sides of the conflict.” The paper argues that Kanafani and other Palestinian authors have provided counter-narratives to conservative Arabic discourse “deploying positive Jewish images” ushering an era of new literatures marked by “human issues of common interest for the two partners in the conflict.”  Sihem Arfaoui Abidi’s “Under the Spell of Non-Sense: Diana Abu-Jaber’s Crescent as a Counter-Narrative and the Poetics of Making Sense of a Senseless World” probes into “some aspects of sense and nonsense through Abu-Jaber’s Crescent” and infers that “the crisis of sense in Crescent can only make sense in the plural form, rather than the singular.” The paper relates this to “Abu-Jaber’s own attempts to make sense of the twenty-first century crisis for the Arab American by sending out a hopeful note” and asserts that when verbal language fails, other means of signification take over. Lin Knutson’s article “Reading Michelle Cliff’s Womb of Space” explores the Afro-Caribbean writer Michelle Cliff’s “constructions of West Indian identity in relation to landscapes and other sites” where “Cliff’s central characters must discover a displaced past… to reconstitute their present.” The article notes how Cliff’s narrator fragments completely “to become an absent signifier for female revolutionary power.” A.M.Aikoriogie’s “Semantic Truncation in Ben Okri’s Astonishing the Gods” uses the Componential theory of meaning alongside contextual knowledge of the real world to argue that “oddities in meaning account for Utopianism in Okri’s (world of) Astonishing the Gods.” Kaustav Kundu’s paper “Mythologies of ‘Mapped’ Desire: Subverting the Cartographic Discourse in Andre Brink’s An Instant in the Wind” unveils how Brink’s work emphasizes that attempts at a cartographic reconstruction of any geographical space “fail as true representations of the ‘real’ world” and asserts that “a map is… a vision; that every map can be redrawn; and that frontiers are enabling myths that help us… create a sense of our identities and should therefore not harden into prison walls perpetuating the principle of binarity.” Haider Eid’s “All That Remains: Towards a National and Historical Consciousness” attempts to analyse how Kanafani’s real-life portrayal of suffering Palestinians in All That Remains “imposes an alternative way of seeing… that moves us into a new order of perception, experience, and understanding of art, revolution and Palestine.” Michael K. Walonen’s article “Establishing and Contesting Place Identity in the Nascent Literature in Dubai” studies Dubai’s attempt at self-representation in literature and concludes that “a multivalent, contestatory discourse of place becomes… a means of doing justice to the inherent complexities of any given place… (and) can serve as a corrective to forms of myopicness…” Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar’s paper “Partition’s Aftermath: “Zahooran Belonged to Someone Else” analyses how Khadija Mastur’s short story “Bhooray” is a unique tale of “a section of unseen women who subsisted after losing family, home, and stability in the dislocation of communities” in the aftermath of the partition of India. Nyanchi Marcel Ebliylu’s article “Who’s Painting?: Artistic Visuality in Salman Rushdie’s The Moor’s Last Sigh” explores the use of painting in Rushdie’s aforesaid novel “as a narratological tool to articulate and satirise history, social life, religion and politics as… (an alternate) form of écriture feminine …” and advocates the inclusion of painting in the educational system. Enkelena Shockett (Qafleshi)’s “Salman Rushdie’s World in Haroun and the Sea of Stories” analyses the inter-textuality, unique character development techniques of the author, and poetics in the said work. Bhawana Jain’s “Diachronic Diaspora and Shifting Borders in Anita Desai’s Migration Fiction” elucidates “the diachronic diasporas and borders in… Anita Desai’s novels, by making an historical and a conceptual distinction between old and new diasporas.”The interview of the editor R. P. Singh with Mahesh Dattani titled “Indian Drama in English “is still at a nascent stage” provides an interesting peek into Dattani’s views about his own works and about Indian Theatre.

The anthology provides fresh perspectives in the area of New literatures in English and brings together papers from a broad arena of cultures, interests and values that are as diverse as New literatures themselves. Its multiplicity of perspectives makes the anthology recommendable for personal reference and libraries.  

Setu, June 2020

रवीन्द्र प्रताप सिंह की पाँच कविताएँ

रवीन्द्र प्रताप सिंह

1. समय का विग्रह

समय का विग्रह कहीं होता,
बताओ बंधु,
यह अनवरत चल रहा
किंचित कहीं भटकाव?
सिर्फ कर्मठ ही बताये
इसकी गति का मान,
एक शाश्वत धीरता
नहीं विस्मय बोध,
न कहीं अल्पविराम!
समय का क्या बंध,
बंध तो अपनी ही रचना
चल रहे हों या गिरे हों,
संत्रास क्यों, सप्रेम सब।
जटिलता उत्पन्न होती
संश्लेषण के बिना
वर्ना कहाँ इसको पड़ी …
क्षण पथिक-संवेग कितने।
***

2. संत्रास

जीने लगे हैं,
कह रहे थे
उबर कर संत्रास से।
मालूम है,
सदियाँ गुजारी
मोह में, निर्वेद में।
तुम भी मगर
कितने कुटिल,
दस शीश काटे
राह में अर्पित किया,
पर तुम्हारा,
क्या कहें भी धैर्य!
विचलन नहीं,
फिसलन नहीं।
***

3. उद्दिग्नता बढ़ती रही

उद्विग्नता बढ़ती रही
रजनी तिमिर घटता रहा
किन्तु मन स्थिर कहाँ
देह का भी चक्र कुछ
प्रकृति के वश में नहीं।
श्वान गण का करुण क्रंदन,
असहज बोली पक्षियों की,
रात आधी- कोयलें हैं चीखती।
भोर होने के समय
श्वान गण का करुण रुदन।
संपूर्ण सृष्टि अनमनी सी
अज्ञात की शंका लपेटे
इधर बहके, उधर लटके
तर्क झांके, सब समेटे।
शत्रु अब तक है अपरिचित,
बींधता है, सामने आता नहीं।
छल कपट माया प्रबल
यही है बस शत्रु बल
कोरोना का रूप धर
दानव छली निज यूथ संग,
कपट छलना युक्ति से
उत्सवों पार छा रहा,
व्याधकीय व्यक्तित्व है
कलुषित बड़ी है भावना।
नहीं चाहे व्यक्तियों का
संग विचरते देखना
दुराशय है, मानवजाति प्रति
इसका कोई प्रतिशोध बाक़ी!

प्रकृति अपने रूप से
सचेतक है बन रही
निन्यानवे के फेर को
रख छोड़ थोड़ी देर तक
देखते हैं क्यों नहीं
उन्नीस-कोविड घूमता!
***

4. सूक्ष्मता का भय

प्रश्न कुछ उत्तर रहित
भाव बिंध उपबंध से
तर्क कितने लिए ओढ़े
अपशब्द भी उपसर्ग ले।
सूक्ष्म का भय, महाभय सा
मृत्यु सा विचरण करे
ये विश्व वैरी बन विषाणु
राक्षस बना विचरण करे।
संपूर्ण मानवता चकित है
श्रोत क्या इस सूक्ष्म का,
विज्ञानं भी जूझा पड़ा है
कर्त्तव्य की निज आन ले।
यह महामारी का समय …
विश्व के सम्मुख खड़े
प्रश्न कितने, भाव कितने
भाव, पर आशय रहित…।
***

5. आकांक्षा

आकांक्षाओं के वलय
कुछ टूट जाते तो सही
अकड़न यही, ला दे रहे
कितना करे इनको सही।
बरसात –भीगी- खाट सा
हर तरफ से द्रोह है।
एक का उपशमन करिये
फिर नया संवेग है।

व्यूह रचना, कूट रचना
मंदता, फिर मूढ़ता
हर तरफ हाहाकार है
हर तरफ हाहाकार है।

---

सेतु, अप्रैल 2020

Five Poems by R. P. Singh

1. It surfs the blue deep

Tears were offerings to

the conspicuous eyeballs

put under glasses

for quite long.

Conversant eyes yet silent

reliving histories,

myths and spiritual substance.

Flashes from Vidura to Karna,

from Drona to Ashwatthama,

Panchal, Kosala, Avanti

and many more,

quite enlivened so often.

Karna and Surya –fond refrain.

I met too often,

Napoleon, and his humble birth...

Hardy and his vivid Wessex.

...

In bedside

with winter’s fleeting Sun,

in June breaks,

in sprinkled dust –

a philosopher lived

with a glocal urge.

Diaries, sheets and stocky notes,

popular culture

and serene discourse,

quarrels, conflicts, mêlées more,

mounting arguments

all come ashore.

It so often surfs the blue deep

the days with you come, yet to peep.

***

2. With remembrances on

The same planks

news boards and rooms

the debates, perspectives

and thoughts diverse,

circles of time, and

history’s contiguous move

come too often

so in tune.

It is circle,

and will repeat

you too in form

in every span

thoughts and move.

Thoughts creep

the same years old,

months come with more suggestions

moorings and vows,

 February with fear,

and April with remembrances on.

***

3. The colours

The colours this sad sky

meet, dear father,

in a conferencing mode.

The chain, they say

moves. This cycle

with you. I dropped.

We sailed together.

this mighty ocean brown,

from the very dawn.

Our mighty ancestral nest,

the circle began with you,

and several more the fellow travellers,

you lived the sacred Geeta’s truth, and affirmed -

We are born

we are lost

we are born

and lost again.

The words remain

yet concealed

enveloped in the eternal rhyme

the greater, eternal words.

***

4. Your remains in nature

You will learn again

what you undid your last phase,

polity, economy and English verse.

You said, you lived Hardy,

Browning, and many ancestors.

You learnt Plato, Bodin, Machiavelli

Baldwin,

and, in fact, at last

the Manav Dharma -

the new world movement,

Urdu script, and many more,

developed easier grammar too.

Your earthly ghost dissolved,

and so flew some remains

there, in the flow of the Ganges

where you were once commissioned

in uniform.

Also visited in your last phase

for a discussion with

 newly discovered Kamaruzzaman.

Your remains in nature,

and letters in thoughts.

***

5. A phase fertile

The drops censor

the scripts

creeping into the eyes

they wash,

what the brains writ

 so passionate.

Transformation is nature,

and it exists

 axis of existence.

A phase fertile

 for a span for thought

for realizations and purgation

before the summit next.

***

Prof. R. P. Singh

About the Poet

An award winning playwright, poet and academician R. P. Singh (Ravindra Pratap Singh) is a Professor of English at the Department of English and Modern European Languages, University of Lucknow. As a creative writer, his plays; Flea Market and other Plays (2014), Ecologue (2014), When Brancho Flies (2014), Shakespeare ki Saat Ratein (2015), Antardwand (2016), Cahudah Farvari (2019), Chain Kahan ab Nain Hamare (2018) have received critical acclaim, and popularity. Banjaran: The Muse (2008), Cloud, Moon and a Little Girl (2017), Pathik and Pravah (2016), Neeli Aankhon Wali Ladki (2017), Adventures of Funny and Bana (2018), The World of Mavie(2020), Two Violet Flowers (2020) represent his poetry. He is the recipient of 12 awards like Swami Vivekanand Youth Award –Life Time Achievement 2020, Mohan Rakesh Puraskar(2016), Saraswat Samman (2018) S. M. Sinha Smiriti Award (2017) and Bhartendu Harischandra Award(2017) for his creative writing. Other awards conferred upon him include-Shikshak Shree Samman, Government of U.P. 2015, for innovations in teaching, and commendable contribution in Higher Education. Dr. Baba Saheb Prize for Excellence, 2011, and Dr. Ambedkar Fellowship Award – 2006.

Setu, April 2020

आजादी की लड़ाई में हाशिये के लोग: चैन कहाँ अब नैन हमारे

समीक्षक- डॉ. अरुण कुमार निषाद

पुस्तक: चैन कहाँ अब नैन हमारे
लेखक: प्रो. रवीन्द्र प्रताप सिंह
प्रकाशक: सबलाइम पब्लिकेशन्स, जयपुर।
संस्करण: 2018
मूल्य: ₹ 75 रुपया
पृष्ठ संख्या: 24

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रवीन्द्र प्रताप सिंह

प्रो. रवीन्द्र प्रताप सिंह ने स्वतंत्रता संग्राम इतिहास की एक घटना (वीरांगना उदा देवी के जीवन चरित्र को, स्वतंत्रता संग्राम के संघर्ष को, उनकी शहादत को) को जिस प्रकार से नाटकीय साँचे में ढाला है काबिले तारीफ है। प्रो. सिंह लखनऊ विश्वविद्यालय में अंग्रेजी के प्रोफेसर हैं।

सन् 1857 की क्रांति में देश प्रदेश का ऐसा कोई कोना नहीं बचा था कि जिसने इस यज्ञ में अपना योगदान न दिया हो। स्त्री, पुरुष, जाति-पाँति, ऊँच-नीच, धर्म-मज़हब आदि के सारे भेद मिट गये थे। सबके दिलो दिमाग़ में सब एक ही बात थी कि किसी भी प्रकार हमको इस गुलामी से आजाद होना है और भारत को अंग्रेजों से स्वतंत्र कराना है।

अरुण कुमार निषाद

सन्यासी कहता है कि- हम बढ़े अपनी डगर पर / शत्रुओं को भस्म कर दें।

भारत की महिलाएँ भी पुरुषों से कम नहीं हैं-
गोरे हट जा,
बच जा निकल जा
आवत है तेरो काल!
मिलिहै अगर तू डगर मा
देहौं सर तोरा काट!

नाटक में अवधी, हिन्दी के गीतों का बहुत ही सुन्दर प्रयोग हुआ है। कहीं-कहीं बीच में उर्दू के शब्दों का भी प्रयोग देखने को मिल जाता है जो यह बताने के लिए काफी है कि प्रो. सिंह केवल अंग्रेजी के ही नहीं बल्कि क‌ई अन्य भाषाओं के भी अच्छे जानकार हैं। गाँव कटाई लोकगीत का बहुत ही सुन्दर वर्णन है। अब तो लोकगीत गाँवों से भी पालायन कर चुका है। इस नाटक के माध्यम से नयी पीढ़ी को अपने लोकगीत की भी जानकारी होगी।

सेतु, फ़रवरी 2020

पवित्र प्रेम की भावाभिव्यञ्जना: तीन पहर

समीक्षक- अरुण कुमार निषाद

पुस्तक: तीन पहर (अवधी नाटक)
लेखक: रवीन्द्र प्रताप सिंह
प्रकाशन: सनलाइम पब्लिकेशन्स, जयपुर
संस्करण: प्रथम संस्करण 2018
मूल्य: ₹ 180 रुपया
पृष्ठ संख्या: 64।

---

प्रेम के बिना यह संसार अधूरा है। सुप्रसिद्ध शायर आमिर उस्मानी के अनुसार-“आबलों का शिकवा क्या ठोकरों का गम कैसा/आदमी मोहब्बत में सब कुछ भूल जाता है।” प्रेम का दूसरा नाम ही भगवान है। प्रेम के रूप भिन्न-भिन्न हो सकते हैं,पर करते सभी हैं। कोई लौकिक प्रेम में मग्‍न है तो कोई पारलौकिक। परन्तु आशिक और माशूका के प्रेम का जो आनन्द है, उसे शब्दों में बयान नहीं किया जा सकता। वह अवर्णनीय है। प्राचीनकाल से लेकर अद्यतन इस पर न जाने कितने गद्य-पद्य लिखे जा चुके हैं और लिखे जायेंगे कहा नहीं जा सकता। यह कभी न समाप्त होने वाला एक ऐसा विषय है, जिस पर तब तक रचनाएँ रची जायेंगी जब तक इस पृथ्वी पर मनुष्य का अस्तित्व रहेगा। हाँ कालक्रम के साथ इन रचनाओं में अधिकता या न्यूनता आ सकती है।

अरुण कुमार निषाद

समकालीन साहित्यकारों में प्रो. रवीन्द्र प्रताप सिंह कोई नया नाम नहीं है। उनकी लेखन शैली ही उनकी पहचान है। लीक से हटकर लिखना उनकी आदत में शुमार है। हाल में ही उनका अवधी नाटक "तीन पहर" प्रकाशित हुआ है। वैसे लेखक प्रोफेसर हैं तो विषय की नवीनता उनकी रचनाओं में स्वभाविक है, परन्तु जो अन्वेषण करके वे पाठकों को देते हैं, उससे आश्चर्यचकित हुए बिना पाठक रह नहीं पाता है। प्रो.सिंह हैं तो अंग्रेजी के प्रोफेसर पर हिन्दी और अवधी के भी वे सिद्धहस्त कलमकार हैं।

अगर प्रेम सच्चा है तो उसे प्राप्त करने से कोई रोक नहीं सकता है। लाख रुकावट और विघ्न बाँधाएँ भी चाहने वाले के सामने दीवार नहीं खड़ा कर सकती। जो जिसके लिए बना है उसे प्राप्त हो कर ही रहेगा। जाति-पाँति, ऊँच-नीच, गोरा-काला, कोई मयाने नहीं रखता। सच्चा प्रेम दिलों का नहीं दो आत्माओं का मेल है। दो दिलों का एकाकार हो जाना ही प्रेम है।

सहजू - (आवाज ऊँची कै कय) ठीक है, जात पाँत धरम, कुछ नाही, कुछ नाही होत है ई सब ....।
प्रेम की भी अपनी एक मर्यादा होती है, जो बातें लोग अपने घर परिवार में नहीं कह पाते हैं उसे यार दोस्तों के माध्यम से घर वालों तक पहुँचवाते हैं। जुग्गू भी अपने दोस्त सहजू और हौंसिला से अपने दिल की बात कहता है।
जुग्गू- बोली? कहव तौ बोल दई, नाही तौ छोड़ौ।
सहजू हौंसिला केर साथ-साथ सुर- हाँ भई बोलौ।
जुग्गू-हम गैरजात से प्रेम करी।

प्रो.सिंह का भी यह मानना है कि प्रेम और आकर्षण दो अलग-अलग चीजें हैं प्रेम शाश्वत है और आकर्षण क्षणिक।
सहजू- (गम्भीर बन कै) अच्छा......। सोच लेव भइया इव प्रेम आय की आकरषन। दुइ तीन दिन मा कउन प्रेम –विरह।

प्रो. सिंह कहते हैं कि सच्चा प्रेम भगवान का रूप है परन्तु आज यह बहुत मुश्किल से प्राप्त होता है 99% प्रेम तो केवल दिखावा है। जिसमें वासना कूट-कूट कर भरी होती है क्षणिक आनन्द के लिए युवक युवतियां एक-दूसरे के प्रति आकर्षित होते हैं और वासना की भूख मिटते ही प्रेम का सारा बुखार उतर जाता है। ऐसे प्रेम में सच्चा प्रेमी या प्रेमिका अपने को ठगा महसूस करता है। सच्चा प्रेम करने वाला यह नहीं समझ पाता कि उससे कौन सी गलती हो गई जिसकी सजा उसे मिल रही है।

सूक्ष्मदृष्टि डालने पर ऐसा प्रतीत होता है कि भोजपुरी भाषा की लोककलाओं के सहेजने का जो कार्य महेन्द्र मिश्र और भिखारी ठाकुर ने किया था, अवधी में उसी लोककला को बचाने का कार्य प्रो. रवीन्द्र प्रताप सिंह कर रहे हैं।
भाषा के प्रयोग में प्रो. रवीन्द्र तनिक भी नहीं हिचकिचाते। उन्होंने ठेठ अवधी शब्दों का प्रयोग अपने इस नाटक में किया है, जो कथाकथित अपने को सभ्य कहलाने वालों को अश्लील लग सकता है। परन्तु भाषा और बोली का आनन्द तभी है जब वह अपना अल्हड़पन लिए हुए हो। जैसे-लंठ, लौंडे, सरऊ, लद्द से, पेलिहैं, ओंकत-पोंकत, नीक-सूक, नास पीटा, पलवैयय काटी, कंटाइन, टोर्रा, जंडइल, हिंया कटहर छीलत हौ बैठा आदि।
गंवई लोकोक्तियों (कहावतों) का भी खूब प्रयोग हुआ है।
1.बिन मारे बैरी मरै
इव सुख कहाँ समाय 
2.नीम केरी चिपटी नीमै मा लागी
3.करिया अच्छर भंइस बराबर
4.दाल भात मा मूसर चन्द आदि।

अवधी नाटक होने के बावजूद भी यह नाटक अरस्तू द्वारा प्रतिपादित नाटक के 6 तत्त्वों (कथावस्तु, चरित्र-चित्रण, शैली, विचार या संवाद, अभिनेयता और गीत) से परिपूर्ण है। 

प्रो. रवीन्द्र प्रताप सिंह इस नवीन प्रयोग के लिए बधाई के पात्र हैं। उनको साधुवाद। उन्होंने समाप्ति की ओर बढ़ रही लोककलाओं को अपने नाटक के माध्यम से संवर्धित और संरक्षित करने का एक अच्छा प्रयास किया है। इस नई रचना के लिए अशेष मंगलकामनाएँ।

सेतु, जुलाई 2019