The Yearbook of Indian Poetry in English 2021, Edited by Sukrita Paul Kumar & Vinita Agrawal
Genre: Poetry
Publisher: Hawakal Publishers
Publication Year: June 2022
The second edition of the series Yearbook of Indian Poetry in English 2021 reached the readers in June of 2022. Edited by the founding editors of the series Sukrita Paul Kumar and Vinita Agarwal, the anthology compiles poems written by Indian poets and the Indian diaspora between November 2020 and December 2021. As the blurb records: 바카라The aim of the series is to present quality poems in English published in India and abroad. It is hoped that the exercise of bringing out such anthologies will eventually prove to be a fertile ground for establishing the aesthetics of Indian poetry in English.바카라
With a wide array of names and contributions gracing the pages of this collection, the poems resonate across distinct styles and forms. The very first poem titled 바카라Exile바카라 by Abhay K. reads: 바카라I measure my days/weeks, months, and years / A year is one third / of exile from the motherhood.바카라 Setting a depth at its very opening, one poem after another takes us deeper into a world of pain, love, anguish, retreat, escape, confession and more. As Basudhara Roy바카라s 바카라Light바카라 claims: 바카라The seat of desire is everywhere바카라 on a poetic stage, Debarshi Mitra in 바카라the flick of a light바카라 writes 바카라in the ocean blue of half-lit rooms/ our shadows gather to sharpen their blades.바카라 While Ranu Uniyal바카라s 바카라My Brownness and Me바카라 powerfully claims an indigenous identity as she writes: 바카라Forgive me, I am brown/ and I speak Garhwali 바카라 a dialect/ from the hills바카라, we also find a glimpse of an intermingling of identity and locale in Kiriti Sengupta바카라s 바카라Line of Control.바카라
The Yearbook 2021 also includes contributions like 바카라Flamingo Dance바카라 by Babitha Marina Justin, 바카라Srirangam바카라 by Namratha Vardharajan, and 바카라Song 58바카라 by PriyaSarukkai Chabria that play upon the innovative forms and patterns, lending greater diversity to the collection. Also, the poetic contributions by the two editors, namely 바카라Dialogues with Ganga바카라 by Sukrita Paul Kumar and 바카라Splendid Poison Frog바카라 by Vinita Agarwal add an extra touch of poetic wanderings across space and time. The anthology concludes with a section titled 바카라Beacon Lights바카라 with works by Adil Jussawalla, Keki N. Daruwalla, and Jayanta Mahapatra that provide an enriching charm to the overall compilation.
With a graceful cover design by Bitan Chakraborty, this Hawakal publication feels elegant and voluminous in hand. Beautifully compiling the poetic sketches between grey and white covers on both ends, the overall design tastefully blends with the theme of the anthology. While going on a reading journey with this book, the design, publishing and editing certainly add to the reading experience.
Presenting a compilation of poems written during the fourteen months that bear the strong imprints of a post-pandemic sensibility, the collection carries diverse impressions from distinct poetic pens. As the book itself records: 바카라In the context of instabilities and uncertainties experienced acutely in contemporary life, it is not surprising that many poems in the Yearbook emerge creatively from a special focus on home, house, identity, roots and indeed the question of language which is also deeply linked with the idea of homing. This edition of the Yearbook is also embedded with concerted poems on imperialism, gender (as always!), mental health, childhood traumas, upbringing, Earth, climate change, birds, mining, prostitutes, racism, sensuality and spirituality.바카라 Richly infused with musings on such issues, the anthology compiles and presents a poetic canvas with many overlapping shades of perceptions and conflicts, taking the reader on a thoughtful crusade.
As we simultaneously decolonise and embrace the English language in an Indian poetic ethos, Yearbook of Indian Poetry in English 2021 stands as an important second edition towards building a poetic legacy of its own. Thus, while Indian Poetry in English continues to claim a unique and expanding territory, the Yearbook series remains a remarkable effort to chronicle the journey of its aesthetics year by year. Giving space to established and new poets, this second edition of the series continues to uphold the idea established by its preceding inaugural edition published in 2020. The anthology is strongly recommended to readers seeking a panoramic reading through the artful flavours of contemporary Indian poetry in English, and an absolute gem to add to your anthology bookshelf.
(Amrita Sharma is a Lucknow-based poet and writer.)
