Hesitation captures the mood of our times – impermanence, uncertainty, doubt. Sanjeev Sethi’s poems captivated me with the pure quality of his language, engaging in a temporary excursion into the prism of modern life. The poem titled ‘2021’ explicitly asks questions about Covid-destroyed lives, hence the fresh language: Have we been collectively betrayed? / The infection of C-19 confirms this / … We have changed the terminology beyond repair., If one is looking for traditional poetry this section won’t offer it but its energy for mapping the “new normal” holds an infectious appeal.
The dispute over identity is as old as Plato but we need to refresh the terms. For globetrotters and cosmopolitans, or for individuals living in the home in a pandemic, the self is supremely lonely and carefully guarded. Sethi writes, I see myself in a supernatural role / In a movie of my imagination / In fleshspace / I am the hero and the antagonist, Philosophically this kind of individualism can be extended to extremes, and sometimes A. what was the romantic stance of Flaneur Today is a cage of self-absorption. Diffidence Whether or not to engage with others, captures these predictable advances, because even love and myriad feelings are revelatory, dangerous webs of vulnerability. The poem ‘Dhud’ effectively depicts love, intimacy, commitment, the fuzzy meanings of words from a bygone era of proofs:
It’s like I’ve sealed the sensations
of your touch as a down payment of
an address we can never own or
symbol of possession…
Intimacy is like the sky: always there
Intimacy breeds indifference; us
In its own way, it binds us.
As is evident, due to the compulsions of social development and modernity, what is considered sacred by society is being reviewed, which has left us with home and work, disease and health, spontaneity and conscience, the ‘I’ and the ‘other’. The barriers in between have been reconsidered. , Above all, the meaning of home has changed. Instead of security and belonging, the house is now a halting yard where a metaphorical suitcase is inevitably opened and an imaginary laptop screen provides links to the infinity. Short spells, hold yourself to strong / explosions without reason. home for a while, It’s thoughtful acceptance and a poetic view of the changes that are now a part of life, but unease about those who are left behind, possibly the old and frail. Without controversy, Sanjeev Sethi portrays the grim realities of geopolitics in danger. The gap between young and old, rich and poor is widening. Is the role of the poet the savior of the society? This is also a hesitation.
Sethi says, “Poems are like progeny, alerting us to similarities as well as differences directed by a gene component that mutates without warning. Neologism is one fascinating result, and the unknown existing word is another. Take a line like this: The gridiron of my growing up years was followed by epaulets. everyone needs their own needle,
There are many references to “gridiron”: to football, theatre, surgery, field mapping. Sethi does not believe in explanations but in signs and encourages a word search, a game that is quite invigorating. “Glyph”, “Archimage”, “Trifecta” are some words I enjoyed following, although the activity is external to enjoying poetry. Sethi uses words such as valuables to not be wasted, and displayed together in a poem, they become valuable as a jewel shelf.
Hichkihat is the fifth collection of poems by Sethi. Sharp as bullets and soft as silk, they touch each reader differently. Wordsmith, RaconTour, witness to global change, Sanjeev Sethi writes with confident innovations.
(It appeared in the print edition as “For Better Or For Verse”)
(Lal is an academic, editor and writer)
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