Kali (poem)

Last updated

"Kali" is a popular award-winning poem by the eminent Indian writer, linguist and literary critic Rukmini Bhaya Nair. The poem won First Prize in the Second All India Poetry Competition conducted by The Poetry Society (India) in 1990. [1] The poem has been widely cited and anthologised in reputed journals [2] and scholarly volumes on contemporary Indian poetry. [3]

Contents

Excerpts from the poem

A goddess chews on myth
As other women might on paan
Red juices stain her mouth.
Bored by her own powers
Immense and spectral, Kali broods
About Shiva, she is perverse.
She will not plead with him
Nor reveal Ganesha’s birth
She will not ask him home.
Shiva loves her, but absences
And apsaras are natural to him
No god is hampered by his sins.
*****
Loneliness drives this goddess mad
She is vagrant, her limbs askew
She begs a mate, her hair unmade.
Fickle as Shiva, memory deserts her
Chandi or Durga or Parvati, which
Is she, which of her selves weeps here?
Even Ganesha, for whom she feels
Only tenderness, excludes her, even he
Seems impatient with her flaws.
*****
Both gift Kali a companion eagle, hurt
By no arrow, fed on nothing, it returns
Each night to its eyrie in her heart.

Comments and criticism

The poem has received rave reviews since its first publication in 1990 in the anthology on Indian Poetry Emerging Voices. [4] The poem has been frequently quoted in scholarly analysis of contemporary Indian English Poetry. [5] The poem is regarded by critics as a jewel in contemporary Indian poetry. [6]

Although outwardly the poem describes the Hindu Goddess Kali, her tantrums and her equation with her son Ganesha and consort Shiva, the poem has a clear existentialist message for the Indian woman and her many socio-psychological trappings. [7] In her writings, Rukmini brings about this interplay between the esoteric and the mundane in systematic subjugation of Indian woman over the centuries. [8] The poem has been widely discussed at various literary festivals. [9]

Online references

See also

Notes

  1. "Award Winning Poems - AIPC 1990".[ permanent dead link ]
  2. "Award Winning Poems - AIPC 1990". Archived from the original on 2014-04-07.
  3. "Award Winning Poems - AIPC 1990".
  4. Poetry India - Emerging Voices by H K Kaul, Virgo Publications, 1990.
  5. "Fourteen Contemporary Indian Poets – Rana Nayar in The Tribune".
  6. "India Star Literary Review - Shampa Sinha's Siesta".
  7. "Rukmini Nair and Feminist Poetry". Archived from the original on April 10, 2014.
  8. "Rukmini on Astrology and Feminism".
  9. "Rukmini at Jaipur Literary Festival".

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parvati</span> Major goddess in Hinduism

Parvati, Uma or Gauri is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi in her complete form. She is also revered in her appearances as Durga and Kali. She is one of the central deities of the goddess-oriented sect called Shaktism, and the chief goddess in Shaivism. Along with Lakshmi and Saraswati, she forms the Tridevi.

Indian poetry and Indian literature in general, has a long history dating back to Vedic times. They were written in various Indian languages such as Vedic Sanskrit, Classical Sanskrit, Tamil, Odia, Maithili, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Assamese, Urdu, and Hindi. Poetry in foreign languages such as English also has a strong influence on Indian poetry. The poetry reflects diverse spiritual traditions within India. In particular, many Indian poets have been inspired by mystical experiences. Poetry is the oldest form of literature and has a rich written and oral tradition.

Kali is a Hindu goddess.

Rukmini Bhaya Nair is a linguist, poet, writer and critic of India. She won the First Prize for her poem kali in the "All India Poetry Competition" in 1990 organised by The Poetry Society (India) in collaboration with British Council. She is currently a professor at Humanities and Social Sciences department of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. Nair is known for being a trenchant critic of the Hindutva ideology and the religious and caste discrimination that it promotes.

<i>Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev</i> Indian show

Devon Ke Dev... Mahadev, often abbreviated as DKDM, is a series based on the Hindu god, Shiva, also known as Mahadev. It premiered on 18 December 2011, airing Monday to Friday nights on Life OK. The series concluded on 14 December 2014, having completed a total of 820 episodes. The entire series has been made available on Disney+ Hotstar and Hulu.

The Poetry Society (India) was formed in July 1984 at New Delhi as a voluntary association to promote Indian poetry and to look after the interests of Indian Poets. The founding members included the Indian poets Keshav Malik, J P Das, H K Kaul and Lakshmi Kannan. The Society conducts seminars, creative writing workshops, reading and publication of poetry journal and anthologies. It also conducts All India Poetry Competitions, including competitions among school children.

"Siesta" is one of the best known poems of Shampa Sinha, the Indian born Australian poet. The poem won First Prize in the Fifth All India Poetry Competition conducted by The Poetry Society (India) in 1993. The poem was the second major award winning work of Shampa Sinha after she won the Best Young Poet award at the Third National Poetry Competition in 1991 for the poem "The Difference".

"A Farmer's Ghost" is a popular English poem by the Indian poet and writer Anju Makhija. The poem won First Prize in the Fifth All India Poetry Competition conducted by The Poetry Society (India) in 1994. The poem has been widely cited and anthologised in reputed journals and scholarly volumes on contemporary Indian poetry.

"Birds of North Europe" is a poem by Tabish Khair, the internationally acclaimed Indian English author and journalist. The poem won First Prize in the Sixth All India Poetry Competition conducted by The Poetry Society (India) in 1995. The poem brought the first major literary award for Tabish Khair, who is better known as a novelist of repute.

"Portrait of a Lady" is a poem by the Indian English poet and art critic Ranjit Hoskote. The poem won First Prize in the Seventh All India Poetry Competition conducted by The Poetry Society (India) in 1995. The poem brought the second major literary award for Hoskote, who also won the Sanskriti Award for Literature in 1996 and the Sahitya Akademi Golden Jubilee Award for lifetime achievement in 2005.

"In Santacruz, Diagnosed Home Sick" is a poem by the Indian English poet and novelist K Srilata. The poem won First Prize in the Eighth All India Poetry Competition conducted by The Poetry Society (India) in 1998. This was the first major literary award for Srilata, who subsequently won the Unison British Council Award and Charles Wallace Fellowship for Poetry.

"Of Hypocrisy and Cheekbones" is an Indian poem by the Indian English writer and translator Shahnaz Habib. The poem won First Prize in the Ninth All India Poetry Competition conducted by The Poetry Society (India) in 2000.

"I Would Know You Anywhere" is an Indian poem on the popular Hindu god Ganesha by the Indian English poet Revathy Gopal. The poem won Second Prize in the Ninth All India Poetry Competition conducted by The Poetry Society (India) in 2000. This was the second major literary award for Revathy, who had also won second prize in the eighth All India Poetry Competition.

"The Coffin Maker" is a poem by the Indian English poet Gopi Krishnan Kottoor. The poem won Second Prize in the Sixth All India Poetry Competition conducted by The Poetry Society (India) in 1995. This was the first major literary award for Kottoor, who went on to win four more major poetry awards at All India Poetry Competition.

"Digging..." is a popular Indian poem by the internationally acclaimed Indian English poet Gopi Krishnan Kottoor. The poem won Second Prize in the Seventh All India Poetry Competition conducted by The Poetry Society (India) in 1997. The renowned British poet Vicki Feaver was the Chairman of the award committee. This was the second major literary award for Kottoor, who went on to win four more major poetry awards at All India Poetry Competition.

"Punarnava" is a popular award-winning poem by the noted Indian English poet and literary critic Rajlukshmee Debee Bhattacharya. The poem won First Prize in the Third All India Poetry Competition conducted by The Poetry Society (India) in 1991. The poem has been widely cited and anthologised in reputed journals and scholarly volumes on contemporary Indian poetry.

Tarun Cherian is an Indian poet. For his poem A Writer's Prayer, he won the Second Prize in the All India Poetry Competition in 1990 organized by The Poetry Society (India) in collaboration with British Council.

<i>Mahakali — Anth Hi Aarambh Hai</i> Indian television series

Mahakaali — Anth Hi Aarambh Hai (English: Mahakali — The end marks the beginning is an Indian television series that premiered on 22 July 2017 on Colors TV. The show traced the epic story of Goddess Parvati’s metamorphosis into Mahakali. Produced by Siddharth Kumar Tewary's Swastik Productions, it starred Pooja Sharma in the titular role of Goddess Mahakali, Sourabh Raj Jain as Lord Mahadev and Kanan Malhotra as Lord Vishnu.

All India Poetry Prize was instituted by Poetry Society of India in 1988. The prizes are awarded to the best single work of poetry submitted by an Indian poet. The number of prizes varies from year to year.