The Cloud Messenger’s full journey, from Madagascar to India

Poet-Diplomat Abhay K. expands ‘Meghaduta’ beyond borders

GN Bureau | June 2, 2022


#Monsoon   #Abhay K.   #literature   #Poetry  


Monsoon: A Poem of Love & Longing
By Abhay K.
Sahitya Akademi, 54 pages, Rs 110

Monsoon, the biggest annual event in India, has arrived. To be precise, the southwest monsoon has entered Kerala a couple of days ahead of the schedule. You may believe the southern state is the starting point of its journey; but it is not. It originates in Madagascar, the Indian Ocean island.

Abhay K., an Indian Foreign Service officer, was posted in Brazil when he came to know this unusual fact, and as luck would have it, he was then posted as India’s Ambassador to Madagascar. Since then, in another coincidence, he produced a translation – an excellent one – of Mahakavi Kalidasa’s ‘Meghaduta’, the Cloud Messenger (as also one of ‘Ritusamhara’).

It would have been surprising if one thing did not lead to another, and now Abhay K. has come out with an original, book-length poem which follows the path of the southwest monsoon, right from Madagascar to the Himalayas. The poet urges the Cloud to carry his message to his beloved who is in Srinagar, who in turn is expected to assign the messenger a reply on its return journey to the island.

In describing the journey, the poet evokes the beauty of Madagascar as well as several other islands along the way in the Indian Ocean, including finally Sri Lanka. After entering India, its path is bifurcated –one from Andaman and Nicobar to Kolkata, then Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet, and finally Delhi; the other taking the west coast, but both meeting in the capital to move northwards then.

Following Kalidasa’s template, the journey is a pretext to description of nature. Abhay adds new themes to it, for example, the Cloud will also get a glimpse of architectural marvels inspired by monsoon – lakes and palaces [Badal Mahal built in your honour/at Kumbhalgarh will be ecstatic host to you,…] – and revel in festivals based on the theme of rains [women will sway on tree-swings singing folk songs/ and celebrate Teej to mark goddess Parvati’s union/ with Lord Shiva after a hundred years of penance,…].

Nature as well as culture, in other words.

As the modern-day poet describes the itinerary to the Cloud, here is what he has to say about the capital:

ecstatic peacocks at Jawaharlal Nehru University
will spread their plumes and dance, amorous couples
will kiss, cuddle and make love under your rains
at the Parthasarathy rocks in the Aravali hills

The Cloud will also get a chance to look at similar and other scenes in Lodhi Gardens, Nehru Park, Khan Market, Rose Garden of Delhi University and elsewhere, while

homes will be filled with the tantalizing aroma
of bhajiya, samosa, jalebi and masala chai,…

 
In other words, here is a 40-page poem you can read while waiting for rains and know what to expect. It will make “forgotten Raga Gaund” play again in Delhi’s old havelis, “evoking deep longings …”

Also read:

Reading ‘Meghaduta’ in the times of climate change

Reading Kalidasa in the time of climate change

 

Comments

 

Other News

How to leverage AI to solve urgent global issues

The world seems to be hurling towards World War III in all the possible scenarios: hot war, cold war, and proxy war. The battleground seems to have expanded beyond physical to digital or virtual/mixed reality with technology like drones. Moreover, the line between civilian and military targets seems to hav

Budget: Progress towards SDGs and areas for improvement

The Union Budget 2025-26 outlines India`s vision for economic and social growth while also reflecting the country`s commitment to sustainable development. As India moves closer to the 2030 deadline for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this budget presents a balanced approach

Repo rate cut by 25 basis points to 6.25%

The Reserve Bank of India has, for the first time in five years, reduced the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points to 6.25% with immediate effect. Consequently, the standing deposit facility (SDF) rate will stand adjusted to 6.00% and the marginal

Amitav Ghosh’s new work: Connections between the word and the world

Wild Fictions: Essays By Amitav Ghosh HarperCollins, 496 pages, Rs 799.00 Amitav Ghosh, one of a handful of Ind

How markets can help (and also hinder) fight against pollution

In the annals of environmental policy, few ideas have been as transformative as the Emissions Trading System (ETS). Born from the minds of economists in the late 1960s, this market-based approach to pollution control has evolved from a theoretical concept to a global tool in the fight against climate chang

Will Bihar complement the resolution of Viksit Bharat 2047?

As India completes its diamond jubilee as a republic, I am reminded of a statement by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, delivered during an address to the Bihar Chamber of Commerce in Patna on March 28, 2006. He said, “I have visited Bihar numerous times, and it has always been a source of happiness for me to

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now



Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter