The Poet Mahendra Bhatnagar: Realistic & Visionary Aspects

2
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THE POET
MAHENDRA BHATNAGAR :
REALISTIC & VISIONARY ASPECTS
*
Ed. Dr. Vijay Kumar Roy
Dept. Eng.,
Northern Border University,
Arar (Saudi Arabia)
S.No.
CONTENTS
Page
No.
FOREWORD
10
*DR. VIJAY KUMAR ROY
QUEST OF HUMANITY IN THE

INHUMAN WORLD
17
*DR. B. C. DWIBEDY
POETRY OF ETHICAL SOCIAL

REALIZATION
25
* P C K PREM
THE CONCEPT OF HUMANISM IN

DR. MAHENDRA BHATNAGAR'S
POEMS: FOR HUMAN DIGNITY
41
* DR. A. K. CHATURVEDI
54
AN APPRAISAL
* DR. VARINDRA KUMAR VARMA
ELEMENTS OF HUMANISM AND

COMPASSION IN THE POETRY OF
MAHENDRA BHATNAGAR
* HARISH K THAKUR
57
POEMS : FOR HUMAN DIGNITY

[Mahendra Bhatnagar]
62
*ANURADHA BHATTACHARYYA
66
8
STRUGGLING FOR LIFE

* P C K PrREM
LONELINESS WITHIN AND

WITHOUTTHE 'SELF':
A Study of Mahendra Bhatnagars
Struggling for Life
72
* DR. SULAKSHANA SHARMA
10
LIFE: AS IT IS
Mahendra Bhatnagars Perception
of Life
92
* DR. A. K. CHATURVEDI
11
POETIC FRAGRANCE OF
Mahendra Bhatnagar
103
* DR. ARBIND KUMAR CHOUDHARY
12
MAHENDRA BHATNAGAR:
A Critical Study
6
113
* MRS. PURNIMA RAY
13
SUCCINCT AND THOUGHT

PROVOKING POEMS
131
* JASVINDER SINGH
14
DR. MAHENDRA BHATNAGAR:
134
A LOVE POET
* DR. SURENDRA R PARMAR
15
O, MOON, MY SWEET-HEART!
By Mahendra Bhatnagar
140
* DR. ANURADHA BHATTACHARYYA
16
NEW ENLIGHTENED WORLD:

Songs of Renascent Spirit.
145
* DR. C. L.. KHATRI
17
DR.MAHENDRA BHATNAGAR
IN THE LAP OF NATURE
153
* DR. B. C. DWIVEDY
18
FROM A READERS DESK
162
ON READING DAWN TO DUSK

BHATNAGARARION POEMS
* DR. NARENDRA SHARMA KUSUM
19
DAWN TO DUSK
POET MAHENDRA BHATNAGAR
166
* DR ANSHU BHARADWAJ (SHARMA)
20
DAWN TO DUSK
[BHOR SEY SAANJH]
By Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
174
* KEDAR NATH SHARMA
21
DAWN TO DUSK
[Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar]
185
* DR. SHALEEN KUMAR SINGH
22
BEAUTY AND DELIGHT:

A QUEST IN TWO
CONTEMPORARY POETS
[Mahendra Bhatnagar &
D.C. Chambial]
* DR. B. C. DWIVEDY
190
Appendix
[1] Bio Data :
Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar /202
[2] Bio Data :
Dr. Vijay Kumar Roy/209
[3] Contributors /211-213
***
1
FOREWORD
Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar has a significant
place in post-independence Indian poetry in English.
He is a prolific poet who has produced eleven
volumes of poetry in English. Some of the volumes
have appeared bilingual (English and Hindi), while
some have been translated into French. Through his
poetry he raises voices pertinent to modern age.
Being born in British India and having experienced
the complexity of life of that time, he envisions an
India free from injustice, inequality, inhuman
practices and all kinds of corruption. The present
situation of India does not make him believe
independent in its true sense. What disparity and
cruelty he perceived in British India, he sees them
still continuing after independence in different forms.
Yes, one difference is that earlier these practices were
carried out by the aliens and today by the mighty and
influential people in power.
Through his simple themes, the poet portrays
varied and vivid pictures of human life as well as his
philosophy. Humanity, cultural sensitivity, fraternity,
equality, dignity, patriotism and struggle for peace
are major themes of his poetry. His poem
Marvelous suggests that tolerance is the most
important thing for establishing peace and harmony
in society, particularly religious tolerance. He sees
10
people of one religion fighting with the people of

other religions. World has progressed in every field.
Advancement has taken place everywhere but
religious frenzy is still alive. (Ordeal) The true
meaning of religion is far from understanding.
Religion is meant to unite, not to divide. In true
sense, religion is a way of living. It can be different
from person to person. The people of the same
religion, having some differences, fight for the sake
of superiority complex.
In some parts of the world they have been seen
fighting for establishing their own religious states.
They believe thatOn this earth only we will live./ The followers of
our religion, people of our caste, citizens of our state/
those who speak our language and know our script/ only
constitute our country and form our universe.
(Invoking Modern Men)
In their mission they take lives of numerous

innocent people day by day. Religion is put above
everything; humanity is no more an important aspect
of life for those people. There is another fact that the
number of so called religious people increases day by
day. Instead of delivering the message of love,
happiness and brotherhood some are engaged in
propagating their religion, religious conversion and
misguiding people on the name of religion. Many
people come in their clutches and get influenced
blindly. Greed and avarice have become part and
parcel of religious practices, which truly no religion
11
allows. But unfortunately all these kinds of activities

help those religious contractors to succeed in creating
religious discrimination, and hatred in society against
other religions. The world has witnessed dire
consequences of such trend several times in the past,
and these days also the fallout of religious hatred is
often observed. It hurts the poet.
Overcast today; again/ Are clouds of doom,/ the
sun of culture and civilization Again is eclipsed/
Conspiracies beleaguered this country of mine!/ Today
again is wounded to the core!
(Inhuman)
Religious hatred is one of the vilest evils in

human history. Being jealous of the oldest
civilization, culture, peace, prosperity and fraternity
of India, several invasions took place here. The
religious haters tried to demolish the educational,
social and cultural fabric of India. Nalanda
University and several age old temples were
destroyed by them. They invaded India with the aims
of looting and religious conversion and succeeded in
their attempts. India remained a victim of their
malicious missions for centuries and experienced
severe losses. They developed nefarious hatred in the
minds of people that often shatter the fabric of peace
and harmony. These days, again this venomous
hatred has become a global phenomenon.
Again and again our God incites us/ to kill
others God/ to destroy the symbols of their faiths and
thus feel / that paradise is secure only for us.
12
People are aware of their roots. They know that

in the course of time their forefathers changed their
faiths due to unavoidable reasons; but today they
avoid speaking about the fact. They have no respect
for the religions their ancestors practiced. Instead of
respect for their natural and parental -religion, they
believe in spreading hatred for it. The most
embarrassing fact is that this kind of attitude is
developed in children so that when they grow up, the
result would be more viable. What kind of faith is
instilled in children where there is no respect, no
humanity, no tolerance and no intellectual
development! Only superiority complex for
themselves and malice for others! Is it a good path to
follow? Can it be called a religion in true sense
without internal purity? Why such faith cant be
called a political Outfit meant for selfish end? The
malicious deeds of those people give birth to several
unasked questions. A great surprise in this age is that
they dont want to learn from histories. We all must
not forget that we have lost more lives due to
religious hatred than the lives lost in two World Wars
put together. We should realize the beauty of
fraternity. Mutual respect and love among people can
enable us to experience the utmost joy of
togetherness. The poet urges in the same poem
Modern thinkers come,/ draw near us and for the
sake of humanity/ let us create our society/ having no
religion and no caste,/ and eradicate geographical
boundaries of nations./ Consider different languages and
13
scripts as the accomplishments of human intellect.
However, besides religious hatred, there are

three other social threats. They are regional, racial
and linguistic antagonisms. Linguistic animosity was
first observed in India at the time when Hindi was to
be declared the national language after independence,
because only this language was evaluated as having
more speakers than all other Indian languages.
Regional animus also shook the heart of India many
times. While these two vices, still alive these days,
are found on national level, racial discrimination has
become a global issue. It often takes lives of innocent
people in some countries. The poet describes these
issues in his poem Inhuman:
Racial jealousy born/ Religious hatred spread/
Regional-linguistic
jealousy
barked/
dirty
is
environment! /Giants garb everywhere!
He believes that every human being deserves

dignity. It must not be overlooked. The division of
Indian society into four castes was on the basis of
work, not birth. It was meant to fulfill the needs of
society those days but later, propagating it on the
basis of birth, developed discrimination in social
order, resulting in oppression and tyranny. The poem
Dream echoes the caste based cruelty in society
where the oppressed people dont feel safe at their
own homes. It hurts the poet. He urges all in another
poem The Relevance:
Lets gift smiles to pale, weeping faces,/ lets clear
the mist hanging over lifes path!/ Lets paint this pitch
14
dark world with a resplendent brilliance,/ lets visit each

home and give the frightened children Lovely laughter,/
lets raise a colorful garden on this graveled and thorny
barrenness!
Finding the 'Chakra-vyuhs of cannibals' 'On all

sides/On each step' (A Page from History) in
struggle for peace and happiness, he does not lose
hope:
Undoubtedly, we shall be free from the agonizing
dark circle,/ We shall stand before/ A golden morning,
/A morning Tinted with vermilion!/ It is certain that the
torturous, difficult, distressing and dark night shall pass!
(Experience Proved)
The best example of hope is expressed in his

poem Vision. In defeat also the poet sees victory.
Treat your defeat as a prior intimation to your
victory, /Treat the darkness as the background of
sunrise!
It is a hope that gives energy for continuous

struggle to gain a world of happiness. This belief
defeats the time and situation of disappointment and
brings improvement in society. The poet observes the
signs of change in society and writes:
Those exploited and oppressed have awakened and
have become the architects of a new age!/ The sky
echoed by the slogans of the feelings of equality!
(Change in Environment)
He longs for a world where humanity should be

the only identity for human beings. Country, religion,
region, race, caste or language should not be a basis
for ones identity. Identity on these bases has created
15
hatred at many places and resulted in suffering and

death on many occasions. The poet writes that there
is one world and all human beings have come from
one species, have the same attributes; their needs
are the same, their birth is the same, end is the
same but they have created the artificial boundaries
of the nations. They have created The irrelevant,
superficial, and orthodox faiths. (The Other Age)
What is natural, that symbolizes the truth, but
unfortunately it is overlooked, underestimated and illtreated. What is artificial that is the reason for
discrimination in society, and the truth is that
artificial dominates over the natural. This atmosphere
has created horrific situation in the world:
Full of violence, Reprehensible, Wicked, nude,
beastliness-ridden Blood-besmeared Rife with cruelty
fatal arms-might pride-frenzied,
(O History Creators!)
The poet proposes the history creators to

change the destiny of man and change the image
of the world. The horrified atmosphere, created by
insult and hatred, can cease by a commitment to
create a righteous system.
Let the pious divine efforts,/ And the yearnings for
world peace, /Adorn the Earth like golden dawn!
(Light )
Ed. Dr. Vijay Kumar Roy

Dept. Eng., Northern Border University,
Arar (Saudi Arabia)
16
2
QUEST OF HUMANITY
IN THE INHUMAN WORLD
Dr. B.C. Dwibedy
Dr. V.N.Mishra has rightly observed in his
comments about Poems: for Human Dignity by Dr.
M.Bhatnagar -a translated volume of his Hindi
poems: His man fired with faith divine moves on
because he is firm in his conviction that one day the
heart rose shall bloom in the midst of impediments
galore (Poems: For Human Dignity-Introductory
cover page remark by Dr. V. S. Mishra). It is
definitely a giant leap by the poet towards the quest
that this small essay is going to elaborate.
For the last half a century the poet has been
with avowed activity towards glorifying human
dignity. A majority of his poems flourish with such
themes in the hearts of readers who seek human
dignity at every step. It reminds us of the humanistic
ideal: the primacy of man in everything or the
Pythagorean maxim man is the measure of
everything.
In his volume Poems: For Human Dignity at
the outset the poet hoists the flag of love as the first
marker of human dignity. From love has evolved life
and with love life is lived and bereft of love it is
17
shattered. It is the driving force behind every action

of man and this vital factor of life is at stake in the
present world. Everything that man does looks at
love. Here everything does not include the action of
human beasts or rather we can call them human
demons that the present world is replete with. The
poet expresses his blissful attitude for mankind. He
wishes every man to be rich with the worship of love.
Let every man of the world indulge always /in this
pure best worship.
(Poems: For Human Dignity-1)
The poet has lived the life of love and dignity

and has experienced the pain of undignified life for
almost three quarters of a century in the social history
of the country. It is not possible for him to withstand
such decline. He observes that the scene of love in
the lifes drama is full of infidelity that leads to
hatred, separation and divorce in conjugal life.
M Bhatnagar has unfathomed sympathy for the
dignity of woman. The way man is behaving with his
creator mother, loving sister, nursing wife or the
offspring daughter its all exhibiting only infidelity
in the place of love. The poet motivates the world to
revive the dignity of woman. Moreover he is
inspiring woman to keep her dignity erect on the
touchstone of adversity.
Man has tried to utilize woman as a purse
purchased commodity. The poet rather becomes
18
rough in his voice by using phrases such as soulless

slave girl, brainless hand maid, lifeless doll etc.
metaphors for woman as in the context of todays
deteriorating life style. He has strongly objected to
the projection of woman in the worlds eyes as down
trodden foot wear of man. Moreover he rejects the
age old Shakespearean maxim by saying that frailty
is not thy name; rather he laments the ignored
dignity of woman in every nook and corner of the
world.
O, long deprived pitiable, sad, Prisoner!/ You
jumped in the battle field/ taking the oath of youth/ you
are co-operating with the world-wide lament
The poet envisions in every woman the

greatness of epic character Draupadi and relates the
world affair with the consequences of the fall of her
dignity. Draupadi was ravished in the kings court by
Dushasan and the consequence was terrible. A tear
from a womans eyes is not a good indication for the
world. The poets prediction is meaningful in this
respect.
You will create horrible turmoil/ by offering of
sacrifices, /your struggle /Have to pay price to you
She is the living embodiment of love herself;

when she is ignored her dignity is shattered, love the
driving force gets humiliated, peace is invaded and
mans life becomes barren, he is cursed. The poets
19
vision is seen as an eye opener for the human world.

Dr. M. Bhatnagar invokes integrity in man
who is utterly disintegrated from home, land, self and
soul for the sake of money. This is another marker of
human dignity but todays man is divided in a
hundred ways by caste, creed, religion, birth and so
on; as such he is helpless, oppressed and shameful. In
a good number of poems Dr. Bhatnagar uses an
abusive tongue for man of this world while lamenting
the fall of dignity into abysmal depth.
Bottomless fall of creations grand creature./
Mean, narrow heart vomits Poison/ creating disaster.
In a major part of the volume the poet depicts

the fall of dignity. The notion that man is the replica
of god has changed its meaning in the present
context. While exploring the delicacies of human life
the poet finds the inhuman substances. Man is not
able to recognize his own self.
Again and again/ our god incites us to kill
others god/ to destroy the symbols of their faith /and
thus feel /that paradise is secure only for us.
The poet here definitely points at the selfish

attitude of man which induces him to be involved in
acts that are not congenial to human dignity.
The division of man in various branches such
as caste, religion, birth, status etc. is vehemently
criticized by the poet. He inspires man to be united
20
beyond all differences since that unified state of man

is a step towards dignity. Then only poverty that
compels man to be naked can come to an end.
March, march ahead /! To break Bestial horns/
grown on mans head and sharp teeth ./ To snap The
inhuman casteism!/ To concentrate/ In one string./ The
society and the individual.
In a major part of his poetry Dr. Mahendra

Bhatnagar has championed the cause of those who
live life in an undignified manner due to poverty, untouch ability, starvation caused by injustice and
suppression by the strong, terrorized and suffering
from violence. These ways of life have converted the
life into hell. Man leaves with a new religion that is
the religion of deception. The poet strives hard to
bring a change and induce man towards human
dignity, to create a new surface a platform on
which human dignity can take a stand.
Obviously, the poet does not appreciate the
naked sense of communal dignity which is a vehicle
for disharmony. A sense of communality is the allied
force of jealousy and violence. Every community,
rather every individual should be cautious that no
community, no language, no religion gets damaged
due to him/ them; then only man will deserve the
right of safeguarding his own dignity. The same
principle works here- do on to others as you wish to
get. The poet observes that communal harmony
itself is a part and parcel of human dignity.
21
Tolerating others creed is a healthy habit since it

fosters positive sentiment in man leading towards
safeguarding dignity.
Live in unity,/ this is the call of Karim and
Shyam,/ There should be one Hind /is the call of Rahim
and Ram.
In order to live life the common man has to

work and earn. Love for labour is another facet of
human dignity. Believing in wind-fall gain is
detrimental to value of life. The poet tries to inspire
man to grow with love for labour and not to tame the
habit of swindling. That will control a major part of
the world wide corruption. He vehemently criticizes
those monks, politicians, ministers who suck blood
from common man for amassing wealth and show to
the world their fame and pride.
Dignity gives man protection from the attack of
narrowness. Dignity of culture, heritage, and
citizenship of a country helps man living with honor.
Deception or a life of double standard is not regarded
as a worthy way for man. The poet tries to develop in
man an indomitable spirit to dominate his complexes
such as greed, avarice, anger etc. However, this is a
transcended level that is to be reached at with much
concentration and avowed activity by man.
Man will love his fellow beings/ Will rise above
each division,/ Forgetting the difference between the
familiar and unfamiliar,/ Will welcome all.
22
It will be a life of self-restrained liberty. The

poet wants to see man in the form of a free willed,
self-disciplined, controlled and balanced fellow
traveler. He observes that a man who exercises his
liberty carelessly so as not to care for anothers
prestige and recurrently hurts others is not a man who
deserves any dignity.
This man shot dead/ that one / with a bullet,/
Because He spoke a different Language.
Not only that but if a man worships the same

god in another name, another form, another language
he is abominated. The poet has an aversion towards
such people who cannot understand such minimum
surface differences and thus cannot tolerate others.
He invokes modern man with a great hope.
Consider different languages and scripts/ As the
accomplishments of human intellect./ Modern men/ Now
dont remain mute/ And fence sitters.
The poet wishes to establish a sublime human

religion which will be the marker of human dignity
and human identity. He gives a clarion call to go back
to the age of homo-sapient when mans identity was
not linked with a country, a religion, a caste, a sub
caste, a language, a dialect, a colour and a race.
Through ages we have developed and we have
fostered a block of ego for our dignity and that has
taught us all the undignified manners.
23
Sun gives its light equally to the flowers and

weeds and that is its dignity. Man will love the rich
and the poor equally-that will be his dignity. Man in
his present stature gives a shabby look. It is not the
Shakespearean man who is known as the paragon of
beauty made in the image of God, but it is the man
without dignity. The poet does not find any light in
the future path of man.
On mans future path/ Reigns the limitless
darkness, /Reigns the thick darkness!/ No moon or sun
visible/ Not even alarm trumpet is heard./ On the cliff of
death/ stands the hushed humanity/ staggering off and
on!
The poet heavily draws upon the cause of grief

in the down trodden men who are deprived of all the
pleasures of life and who are left with no choice but
to live without human dignity. The poet advocates in
support of them and makes a resolution:
Dignity of human/ may ever be/ secured and
respected/ Its our resolution! /We ourselves are the
maker of our fortune.
The poets perseverance towards human dignity

is a theme that indicates the progressive nature of his
writings.
***
24
Chapter-3
POETRY OF ETHICAL SOCIAL REALIZATION
-P C K Prem
Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar, an academician of
repute, is one of the most prominent voices in Indian
English Poetry and Hindi. He has eleven
collections of poetry (English) including five
distinguished anthologies in English and again, five
poetic anthologies in English and Hindi. More than a
hundred verses stand translated in French. With a
number of creative and critical writings, he has done
research on Premchand and probably, this speaks of
social perspective he depicts in lyrics. Many scholars
evaluated his writings and still many have undertaken
exhaustive research work on his poetry and other
creative work. In lyrics, the poet eloquently gives
expression to Indian consciousness with a moral
tinge. If the poet wants economic wellbeing and
social equality, he is not an advocate of inane
materialism but emphasizes a moral and spiritual
order so that man tries to attain noble objectives of
life. Social and political thoughts of John Stuart Mill,
T.H. Green and Ranade reverberate in many lyrics.
Social thoughts and anxieties dominate
Bhatnagar lyrics. He talks of mans struggle in a
world of scarce wealth. If he hints at the decay of
system, it sows seeds of a new man, a new world, a
25
new tomorrow. In the poetry, one finds pleasant and

fierce clashes at the same time, between the
psychological and the physical needs but not for a
second, he forgets the historical background. Each
speaks of a reasonable relationship with time,
location and situation. If one closely analyzes, one
discerns he believes in integral development of man.
Happiness of man is a dominant perspective
determining poetic diameters. His verses speak of
man, who must look into social and economic needs
and at the same time, he wants that the man should
develop unique human virtues.
One needs tremendous serenity and buoyancy
of mind and heart as one goes through varied creative
writings of Mahendra Bhatnagar, a bilingual author.
His forte is poetry. The scope of poetic region is
immensely stupendous, for it touches various subjects
with authority and genuine anxiety concerning
human life.
Poems: For Human Dignity (Indian Publishers
Distributors, Delhi 11007, 2013) contains 215 poems
(290 p) translated into English. Life and existence of
man is the chief worry of Bhatnagar. In contemporary
scenario, life is not only difficult but it carries many
challenges and conflicts, and in totality, appears full
of sufferings and miseries with little joys. He talks of
mans hopes, desires, ambitions, love, compassion,
hatred, jealously, bitterness, failure, victory and
consequent sufferings. He writes about the country,
people and the saga of growth, and progress of nation
26
finds mention in some lyrics. He visualizes a man

free from the rusty and sick encrustation that caste,
creed, colour and region create, for such distinctions
generate revulsion and acrimony. If man is socially
and economically satisfied, and politics helps him
live a happy and contended life, he would construct a
healthy and prosperous world. The poet picks up
subjects concerning man and in the process, he
touches the subject and the theme in various
perspectives to arrive at a solution.
A collection of more than two hundred lyrics,
some rhythmic, a few with strain of music and still a
few prosaic are rich in thought emerging out of
emotional attachment to man. Translation in some
lyrics irritates as faulty punctuation and jarring words
appear to disturb rhythm and flow. However, in
translation, such inadequacies occur and one must put
up with such shortcomings.
The poet is genuine and sincere. Many factors
determine his approach to poetry. History, culture,
traditions and changing lifestyles impact as science
and technology invade even private life of man. He is
witness to everything that transpired before 1947 and
afterwards. Emotions play a significant role and
affect the intellectual range. He believes in the
goodness of man and begins with a positive note.
Let the entire compassion of man remain/ amidst
all living beings! /
(The Good)
27
A true man ought to inculcate sensibility of

love, and utilize joy and wealth for the well-being of
humankind. In a slightly different vein, the poet saysLet the world be free /From violence and cruelty/
And be full of love and kindness /Let not animal power
celebrate now the festival of Death anywhere!
(Response 23)
However, he talks differently when he speaks

of victory in politics. He talks of love, goodwill and
value system based on love but it is absolute
deception. One finds many verses that speak
eloquently of the feelings of love and goodwill, and
the feelings of goodness determine social
consciousness of the poet. He wants a society where
man lives happily and it is possible if social
organization is free from force and distinction based
on caste, creed and exploitation.
Social realization in a man speaks of integrity,
condor and reliability also. A society, it is not right if
divided between the capable and the inefficient.
Two Poles speaks of corrupt political parties,
wicked followers, and the comforts malevolent
people enjoy at the cost of thirsty, starved, weak,
dispossessed and scared, illiterate, oppressed and
unorganized. The rejected class works day and night,
feeds the rich, the unscrupulous and the corrupt, and
that is democracy. Amidst negative forces at work, a
man still aspires for equality after eliminating the
evils of exploitation, injustice and scarcity so that he
28
recognizes The dream of Equality 7

Rampant corruption have given /a cruel and
crude treatment /to the precious lives of millions of
people and speaks of lethal malady when man
considers that Wealth is everything / it is
omnipotent: /the thugs appreciate the luster /they
know the unlimited and /incomprehensive
significance /of wealth.
He firmly believes that the end of evils
corroding the structure of the society is inevitable and
advises that The countrys new fabric/ should not
disintegrate /The selfish parasites /might not gulp
down / the developing nations opulence and
therefore, genuine sense of protection and security is

essential (46, 47, 48).
If a modern man moves in a new direction, it
would benefit, for it would herald the end of many
antiquated and conformist thoughts and traditions.
Many must open up and enjoy how marvels of
scientific and technological progress enriched human
life with definite objective giving adequate pleasure
in new knowledge and dawn of wisdom. Probing into
the cosmic mystery leads to amazing new vistas of
meaning, joy and delight, and here, he tells man that
You are human /With the treasure of power and
/wisdom, /have all human rights, /blessings of
progress, /pride of insuppressible might!
The new awakening will destroy/ all ancient forts,
walls, door and clefts.
29
It is possible if man genuinely tries to build a

new world burying repulsive capitalism and
dictatorial symbols of governance even in a
democratic set up. One discerns poets love for
Marxists thought, and tilt for Communistic living are
quite visible in many lyrics, for he fluently highlights
inequality, exploitation, hunger, thirst and
deprivation in the society around the world despite
claims of alleviating the sufferings of the poor.
Faith is important in life and if a man moves
with belief, he will find rocks of adversity cracking
up.
One finds a change in thought pattern. The poet
peels off disgusting layers of social approach and
speaks of miseries of the fellow citizens. He is
worried about the black cloud of agony and the
merchants of death when voracity, sleaze,
hypocrisy and violence govern the psyche of people
who rule, for sufferings and miseries make people
weak, dependent and vulnerable. He paints a murky
picture, Crores of mute people are /hungry today
/They breath hard/in the smoke of helplessness/ They
left their skeletons of weak bones /on the doors of
unknown 202. Shockingly, one detects fading
optimism as darkness spreads. If one goes a little
back, one notices that the poet reposes faith in public
voice that unites all the /exploited of the world. /Is
the public voice /is the voice of the era. 200
A stage in life comes when the exploited and
30
the oppressed awaken, and herald a new age, a new

man and bring hope. The new man will strengthen
the feelings of equality, and democratic spirit will fill
hearts of the deprived and the destitute. In the final
analysis, change in environment changes the fortunes
of man. One is surprised at the lines Wretched is the
traditional old /force (213) Poet believes in the
hidden strength of the deprived segments of society.
If the oppressed gather up and strike back, change for
the better is achievable and definite. Perhaps, a
Marxist thought, the poet feels can bring immense
transformation in society, and indirectly he warns the
wealthy and the strong to stop exploiting.
Man is confident that sufferings cannot
continue for long. After centuries of exploitation, he
witnesses rejuvenating forces getting together and
defeating the lords of corruption and exploitation, for
the masses are conscious of not only duties but also
rights as oppressive system undergoes radical
transformation. Here begins a delighting new age and
a new century of a new man, The masses smile after
/ centuries / to hail the new age; / to recognize the
zest of life, / to bury the tale of tears! and he says
further
Man awakes after centuries/ There is a call for
rights,/ Hearing, the masses awake now/ Sufferings,
poverty, dejection run away. 182
When awakened and cautious people move

ahead, it becomes a massive movement and nothing
can stop it as steady sea of masses advances, a ruler
31
knows. The poet issues a restrained warning in

unambiguous words. In many verses, the poet tries to
wake up the dormant energies and asks men to stand
up against injustice and prejudices.
In politics, it is ruthlessness and none allows
time for the opponent to grow and still one talks of
healthy politics and at such times, disgusting festivals
to celebrate victory create raucous and bitterness.
Victory celebration is nothing but a symbol of
ghastly cosseting of self-image, for in politics one
encounters usurpers, who play fraud. The poet talks
of political people turning arrogant, presumptuous
and fearless. If people are socially awakened,
immense changes in political thought become evident
****
He is quite aware of the social system, the old
cultural values, rituals, dead traditions and prevailing
sense of discrimination and critical of the status of
women not only in the society but in the family also.
Abruptly, he recalls a chapter of history and takes us
back to days of famine. It is awful to see pitiable and
miserable condition of a hungry woman who has to
feed her family, for the family along with many other
ran away from Bengal due to terrific famine and
drought. Search for bread caused miseries and
ultimate death. Perhaps, the poet underlines
heartlessness of man in an age of plenty and seeming
compassion. Man boasts of generosity but in hours of
crisis, becomes a sucker. Look at the dreadful yet soft
words when a beggar woman 214 says
32
Give something, you too Thrive in this world /this

is the blessings of a hungry and sad spirit,/ enjoy
pleasures.
The words speak of dreadful lack of love and

empathy. It brings repugnance and dejection.
Elsewhere in Woman 209, he appears confident of
the hidden prowess and fortitude of women, who to
him, woke up
to set out fire the pyre of exploitation, /The
youth of the world is with you/ Change all the ancient
legislation./ You have come to eradicate all the barriers
of class difference today!
He seems to invoke the inner strength of

woman to fight against the gender bias but is not
blunt. He talks of Woman Reborn 204, and a
similar strain of thought appears to disturb a man,
who brags of womans liberation but does little and
so it is again a call to woman to fight back. If she
really rises up and ignores or forgets fake frailty
syndrome, /she No longer shall injustice crush you/
New power and zeal of the time /is with you: /You
hands are now free from/ chains, she would set up
are freshing rich and sound basis. In the new social
order, a real man would bind you /With bonds silken
of eternal love! he asserts. He is a staunch advocate
of liberation of woman and is against gender bias,
reflects on the issue in many verses, and indirectly
counsels that strong women make a society healthy.
****
33
Optimism and trust are essential in life for

hopes dispel pessimism. A poet repeatedly reminds
man to stay happy and continue the struggle without
denting self-image and if it becomes part of the social
thought, life is wonderful. If a man sustains hope, life
is cheerful. He envisions a society, where a man
attains the objective after intense struggle, for he
tellsTreat the darkness/ As the background of sunrise/
Let his dam of faith not crack!/ Let this thread of feeling
not be loosened! (Vision 9)
If a man turns misfortunes, defeats and failures

into opportunities and challenges, nothing deters him
on the path to ultimate victory. At another level, the
poet avers that Light /Will conquer darkness 19 A
sense of dogged confidence appears in Attention 20
where the poet visualizes a happy future after a
period of darkness, despondency and intense
melancholy. It is difficult to crush the Indomitable
spirit and resilience of man, for life ultimately proves
that it is invincible.
Poet speaks of a universal man where man is
man, a brother without any prejudice. He envisions a
society where man lives without consideration of
caste, creed, colour or region. It is one world where
only love and compassion govern the psyche of man.
He observes gently,
May the earth be suffused with lofty feelings,
fine emotions and adds,
34
May barbarism cruelty, rancor, destructive

enmity and restlessness be vanished
He mildly but emphatically wishes, All may

become /good and tolerant /and become Godlike
protectors. 30-31 and such thoughts, feelings and
words do not need elucidation, for they live in the
hearts and minds of all. A genuine and intense intent
and firmness translates abstractions into concrete
realities of life. Many verses speak of poets
legitimate wish. To him, Twenty First Century will
usher into a golden period of humankind and after
delving into more of struggle, man will taste
pleasure of triumph and take a firm step to keep
word /have to fill new colors /in dreams disfigured
and dim /Girding up our loins /We have to struggle
hard again. 33
The poet appears to go back frequently, and
then brings newness to thoughts so that he makes the
point clear. He rightly advocates in many verses that
global thoughts and all encompassing love and
compassion for humanity will bring lasting peace and
harmony, and observes somewhere else that the
Whole World A FamilyWe will have one caste Human /Our family is one
Descending from Manu-Shraddhaa /, Our creed is one
Humanity/ Our community is one Toil.
Like any true human being, the poet is

convinced that only global unity assures peace and
prosperity. For people, who create differences based
35
on caste, creed, colour and region and try to

perpetuate sufferings, hunger, thirst, poverty and
violence will face extinction and death.
It happens with poets. Not content with a few
verses, they frequently revisit thoughts of past, lyrics,
words and feelings, and try to reframe thoughts as
experiences vie with one another, and interlink and
interconnect with the world outside and instill
freshness. He is an inveterate idealist notwithstanding
persistent contradictions confronting man. If he treats
worries and anxieties, emotional upheavals,
complexities of thought patterns, and mans concept
of life, existence, identity, society and the world, he
is conscious of the ethical values. It will lead to not
only social regeneration but also social
reconstruction, a need of the hour and I believe the
sensitive poet is conscious of the limited possibilities,
for politics has little concern for value-oriented
society. On the other hand, a right social order
protects rights and interests of individuals and
integrates the society many lyrics try to
communicate.
****
He conceptualizes a world where man lives
with sentiments of love, compassion, truth, honesty,
integrity, righteousness and humanism while
adhering to the true meaning of words and acts and
indirectly, he counsels man to live a sattvic life a
life of truth and righteousness, and discard negative
feelings and thoughts that distort mans mind and
36
life. Ideals, values and virtues guide Bhatnagars

lyrics. He is gentle, mild and unassuming poet of
nobility and grace and not for a moment, he is weak
or lax in linguistics niceties. He stirs feelings and
fortifies mans finer instincts and sensibilities and
that constitutes his poetic strength.
If men fail to adhere to a just and unprejudiced
living, and live in disquieting and nerve shattering
conditions, then, we / bearing the pain /of the
wounded age/ will carry / the garbage of history! and
thus, indicts inhuman conduct.
Life is precious and man must live it
purposefully and allow the Caravan of life to go
ahead without hindrance or handicap, for the
momentary storms should not act as obstructions:
The heart setting the aim clearly,/ Moves the
stream Hopeful ever!/ Walking unsteadily is the picture
of death The caravan of life cant be drowned/ In the
river of disappointment!
Simple thought in simple words it appears, and

if a man deliberates, he would discover that he has
said it umpteen times but still he is sad and defeatism
fills when he encounters failure. He reinforces the
belief in continuous movement and struggle when he
tells man Go on Advancing for Darkness is
disappearing /New morning is coming, /Each particle
of the world is /singing /new song of creation, /so,
you too go on fighting /for the dignity of new age!
(152, 153)
37
If elsewhere, he exhibits love for Marxism, he

celebrates democratic and socialistic pattern of
society as even thoughts of monarchy collapse and
disappear. As wickedness and darkness vanish, Life
filled with the rays of light /Life smells future bright!
/The full spirited caravan moves /Powerful, united,
great! and thus, he recalls the thought of caravan of
life again and happily asks man to listen to The new
morning song resounds /with the free and pause less
/tunes! 167 He celebrates man and life, and
visualizes the end of painful times, looks at the new
society with renewed energy and hope and feels
inspired. He sees love pervading the entire universe,
and a subtle delight and joy abundant fills as doors to
a new kingdom of love and compassion open. He
says, Open today /the knots of your mind /Come
forward, /and assess the value / of a new awakened
age for if man does not emerge out of the age-old
moorings of orthodoxy, traditionally outdated
lifestyles, he will not grow. (171)
Poets incredible sense of optimism amazes and
at times, irritates. He strongly wishes that a man
should step into a new age and build a new culture
where man can live happily, for it is difficult to live
with long and bitter, painful and murderous distances
between regions, castes, creeds and classes. Age-old
distinction between the old and new becomes
irrelevant. Everything decays after a certain period
and so a new culture takes birth so that a man in the
arbor of new/ culture vine /all of us may sing new
38
melody /song /forgetting sufferings and pain / of

passed life. 177 On The Eve of life, 193 the poet is
nostalgic, recounts vibrantly with fervent zeal
whatever moments of pains and pleasure, agony and
delight, failure and victory, love and bitterness he
confronted. However, at the end of life, he
reemphasizes the unconquerable spirit of sanguinity
and buoyancy and tells self-assuredly
sing the new song of dawn/ like the hymns of
the Vedas!/ The sweet lyre may be played,/ hearing that,
the slept soul be woke up!/ May give resolute inspiration
for lifes performances, /new power and new awareness
to the soul
If the poet makes a departure from hope and

cheers, it is just an aberration. It is a transitory
reaction to the harsh world and its apathetic attitude
to the righteousness and integrity of man. He
celebrates man and life. He finds nothing beyond
man and envisages a happy world when he witnesses
brightness on the face of man with never-ending
smiles and laughter
When the poet speaks of the The New Dawn
211, he proves his spirited and resolute optimistic
outlook in the face of modern confrontations,
conflicts, violence, greed and darkness. Defeat of
dark forces would bring peace and prosperity he
feels. Hopes lit up dark areas of life he affirms faith.
With feelings of affection and love, a man can
struggle hard and long, and contains many storms
makings life difficult.
39
The poet in Bhatnagar thinks of life in totality

from the spiritual to the metaphysical, from the
philosophical to the psychological and from the
worldly to the other worldly aspects but in POEMS:
FOR HUMAN DIGNITY, he concentrates on man
and rationalizes life and existence but cannot
eliminate streaks of philosophy. Gandhi and John
Ruskin appear to determine poets social philosophy,
for he wants purity and honesty of thoughts and acts.
If the system does not ignore social affections, and
realizes that man is not a non moral machine (so
says John Ruskin) one can foresee a happy and
superior society. The thought gets strength when one
learns that Gandhi did not want an omnipotent state
and the predominance of individual at the cost of
society or group, but the assimilation of the three
powerful characters. Bhatnagar brings out a perfect
synthesis between different streams of thoughts and
to this extent, values dignity of man.
***
40
Chapter-4
THE CONCEPT OF HUMANISM IN
DR. MAHENDRA BHATNAGAR'S
Dr. A K Chaturvedi
ABSTRACT
An under-current of humanism consistently

flows in the majority of poems included in the poetic
collection under discussion. The poet is a humanist
par excellence & his poems discussed in this
collection constitute his valuable contribution
towards humanism which assumes immense
significance in the modern age of growing awareness
about human rights & values, concerns &
perspectives, problems & relations. All scriptures,
scientists & spiritualists unanimously accept the fact
that the energy which gives life force to all human
beings is one and the same. The living beings are the
active manifestations of this energy. So long as its
sparks in the form of souls live in the bodies, our
existence continues. The moment this life force is
withdrawn, the body becomes defunct. This is what
inevitably happens to all human beings right from
their birth to their death. No body, however powerful
or rich he or she may, can escape the onslaught of
death. Hence the key to successful life lies in
understanding the secrets of life and death. Those
41
who try & succeed to unravel the riddle of life and

death can better understand the secrets of a successful
living on this earth. Such rare humans love the entire
world as their family because they see the divine
energy vibrating in all living beings. Although the
poet has not spoken of the secret of universal love in
the present collection, his reflections on the casteless
& classless humanity are worth appreciation. The
paper aims to highlight these reflections in the
context of his poems which directly or indirectly
touch upon various shades of humanism.
KEY WORDS:
Humanism, Universality, Human

Diversity, Harmony, Brotherhood......
Rights,
Humanism is a European phenomenon. It is a

secular philosophy which aims to dignify and
ennoble man. At its best, it helps man to civilize
himself and makes him realize his powers and gifts.
It concentrates on the betterment and perfection of
the worldly life rather than on the preparation for an
eternal and spiritual life. It regards man as the crown
of creation a point of view marvelously expressed in
Hamlet:
What a piece of work is a man, how noble in
reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving?
How express and admirable in action, how like an angel
in apprehension, how like a god: the beauty of the world,
the paragon of animals. And yet to me, what is this
quintessence of dust?
(William Shakespeare, Hamlet)
42
After Shakespeare, Shelley emerged as a great

humanist. Though his life was short, he made a
tremendous impact on the thinking of his time. He
believed in the dignity of man and wanted freedom
for everyone. His Song to the Men of England
reveals his inherent desire for the freedom of his
countrymen. He addresses his countrymen:
Men of England, heirs of glory, Heroes of
unwritten story Rise like lions after slumber in
unconquerable number. Shake your chains to earth like
dew which in sleep had fallen on you. Ye are many, they
are few.
(P B Shelley, Song to the Men of England)
People in power did not like Shelleys humanist

ideas, which they found threatening. A year after
entering University of Oxford, he joined with his
friend to write and circulate a pamphlet titled The
Necessity of Atheism. It was sent to a range of people
including heads of college for discussion. But the
result was that copies were burnt and Shelley and his
friend were expelled from the University. Shelley
always argued in favor of humanism. He
optimistically ended an open letter with the words:
The time is rapidly approaching.when the
Jew, the Christian, the theist and the atheist will live
together in one community, equally sharing in the
benefits which arise from its association and united in
the bonds of brotherly love
In respect of the treatment of humanism in his
43
poetry Mahendra Bhatnagar resembles PB Shelley.

Many of his poems included in the present collection
present different shades of human existence. The
very first poem The Good presents the feeling of
love for all human beings irrespective of caste, creed,
colour & community as the best duty and compassion
for all living creatures as the best worship. His
concern for all animate objects of the universe
reflects the element of universality in his poetry. This
concern is discernible in these lines:
The feeling of love and affection /Alone is the best
choice in the creation /The feeling of love and affection
of man in the world of men/ in the all human society!
Let the entire compassion of man remain/ amidst all
living beings! It alone is the great best worship.
(The Good)
In his poem Two Poles the poet has divided

the entire humanity into two classes the elite & the
subaltern, the competent and the helpless On the one
hand, there are people, especially politicians, who are
round the clock surrounded by the servants
&sycophants, whereas, on the other, there are
poverty- stricken people whom the poet despondently
addresses as
Thirsty, starved, weak dispossessed . scared,/
illiterate, oppressed, unorganized,/ Busy in work in the
fields and villages/On the roads and in cities/
Exploited/Deceived and suspicious! (Two Poles)
Having borne the stings of exploitation for

long, the poor are now gradually waking up to the
human rights bestowed upon them by nature.
44
Consequently, they have risen from the bottom to a

level where they are in a position to compete with the
rich in the race of prosperity. Extremely happy with
this situation, he sings:
The measure of equality we have adopted/ Has
flourished/ And expanded beyond limits!/ That laid
foundation for a new socio-economic order!/ Those
exploited and oppressed/ Have awakened and have
become the architects of a new age.
(Change in Environment)
The feeling of selfishness is the worst enemy of

humanism. Being the creation of the power which is
supreme in nature, we should believe in the
brotherhood of man& fatherhood of God. We are
connected to each other by the thread of
consciousness which keeps us all alive till the last
breath. The moment this thread is broken, we are
deprived of living energy & made to depart from the
stage. So long as we are alive, it is our duty to share
among others the bounties of God & care for the
deprived. On the contrary, if we confine ourselves to
our family affairs and ignore our obligation to society
we live in, we cannot justify our existence as human
beings and deserve to be called selfish, self-centered
and anti- humanity. The modern world no doubt
abounds in such people. The poet is pained to see this
phenomenon and asks,
Is there any medicine for this?/ Contagious
social disease? (Escape)
The poem Initiative unfolds the poets broad

45
outlook and his new vision which uplifts him to the

position of a poet who possesses the capacity to
transcend the narrow boundaries of creed, caste, color
and community. Here the poet acts a guide to the
modern society which is caught and lost in the caves
of irrational blind beliefs. For the atmosphere of
peace and goodwill to develop in the nervous, scared
&tormented localities & cities, it is, according to him,
desirable to have bonds of affection& fraternity
between men & men. In his inimitable way he
suggests,
He has to build a new & loft Human civilization
/ Men have to live with mutual understanding/
knowing and accepting/ that the entire universe is a
single family.
(Initiative)
The evil of intolerance rampant among

different communities adhering to the different faiths
is a matter of grave concern for the poet. As human
beings we are one in respect of our internal existence
but so far as our external existence is concerned, we
are no doubt different from one another on account of
our different physical and mental faculties,
nonetheless we can bring about unity in diversity by
developing a sense of tolerance and respect for all
human beings irrespective of their castes & creeds,
regions and religions. The present day sordid
scenario triggered by the narrow mindset deserves a
question mark. The poet pertinently asks,
Why a man with love and affection/ never looks
at a man belonging to other religion?
46
(Marvelous)
Anti- humanism waves doing the rounds have

regrettably converted the heavenly experiences into
hellish ones. The poem Terror &Anxiety presents
the prevailing conditions in a realistic manner.
Pessimism coupled with realism moves the poet to
sing in this poem:
Angst
reigns,/
Humanity
seethes
with
anger/Holocaust haunts around /Terrorism looms large
everywhere. (Terror & Anxiety)
The poet soon shakes off his pessimism, sees

a ray of hope in coming days and jumps to the top of
optimism and zealously sings in one of his poem,
It is certain/ That the torturous, difficult,/
distressing and dark night/ Shall pass/ Teaming/ This
sky shall rain fury /and the wounded life of man shall
heal. (Experience Proved)
The poets heart craves for human unity and

equality. To Him the bondages of caste, creed, color
& community are nothing but the outcomes of ego &
blind orthodoxy. The element of love has to be
strengthened so as to expel the evil of hatred from
human heart. Any type of discrimination in the name
of nations, languages & dresses should not be
allowed to encroach upon the sanctity of human
relations. According to him,
The human being should only be known by his/
body & mind, sagacity bred of experience & deep
thinking. (Dictum)
The ditch of disparity between the high & the

47
low, the mighty& the week leads to situations where

the question of human welfare remains unresolved &
the dream of human unity goes unfulfilled. The poet
craves for the abolition of disparity and emergence of
just & equitable social order. In the end of the poem
Dictum he sings,
Among the mankind/ let there be prosperity/
economic quality/ All round permeable social equity.
(Dictum)
Casteism, pride of being born in high family

and vanity have been attacked severely by the poet in
the poem Opposition. According to him, casteism
which is the worst enemy of social harmony &
human integration has created walls of hatred among
peace loving people and divided them into different
sects & segments. The poet vents his anguish against
the fatal repercussions of casteism in these lines,
Mean narrow heart vomits poison,/Creating
disaster!/ Humanity blood bedaubed,/ Devil singing-/
Senseless, malicious caste song.
(Opposition)
The poet has intensified his crusade against the

atmosphere of hatred triggered by disparity
associated with caste, religion, class & birth. He is
excessively sad to see the devil of hatred devouring
wisdom to the extent that the powerful are indulged
in bestial activities and the lives of the powerless are
beset with lacerating experiences of torture&
oppression. Awakening the modern youths to this
tragic reality born of casteism, the poet sings,
48
Beware of the impact of/ Faith in birth-basedcaste/ Destroyer of unity /The feeling of segregation.
(The Fall)
The poem Invoking Modern Man brings to

light the narrow mindset of modern man. The
element of universality is conspicuous by its absence
in human thinking. The poet criticizes the modern
man for being limited in his outlook despite the
expansion of ideas across the borders through the
means of communication and exchange of cultural
values through the mingling of the people
representing different cultures in metropolitan cities.
The poet is excessively unhappy to think that instead
of adhering to the ideal of Vasudhev Kutumbkam
taught by the great leaders of humanity, the modern
man is inclined to the interests of his family, Caste,
religion & language and is thus confined within circle
of his narrow thinking. Swayed by our selfish ends,
We become savage /more fiendish/than the man
eater carnivores/ we attain/ extremely horrifying stature/
because we assume that/ that is the only channel for
becoming great and for attaining martyrdom.
(Invoking Modern Man)
The poet is skeptical about the abolition of the

socio-cultural evils triggered by the narrow mindset
which has become a part of our consciousness and is
unlikely to disappear in times to come. Driven by his
skepticism, he exhorts the modern thinkers,
Come, draw near us/ and for the sake of humanity
49
let us create our society/ having no religion and no

caste. (Invoking Modern Man)
The poet is pained to see the world populated

by the oppressed. To unburden himself of the load of
painful thoughts, he exhorts the history creators to
launch a crusade to ameliorate the deplorable
condition of the exploited. Unless & until this work is
accomplished, sleep should not be allowed to close
their eyes. To awaken the history creators to the
harsh realities confronting the modern world, the poet
exhorts them,
Without changing the picture of that,/ Ill-starred
world /O History creators!/ In pleasurable haunts/
Sleep not, sleep not a wink! (O History Creators)
The poet has devoted his poems Blind Age,

Let Us Burn, Song of Equality, Beauty of the
World and Resolution to the protection of human
dignity. In Blind Age, the poet has cautioned the
soldiers of the country against the onslaught of
demons on human freedom. These demons are hell
bent on spreading the darkness everywhere so as to
swallow each ray of future. (Blind Age) To outdo
the nefarious designs of these demons, the poet in his
poem Let Us Burn exhorts us to burn our carnal
desires so that we may become a perfect human
being, free from inferiority complex and filled with
emotions of universal brotherhood. In this poem he
dreams of a world where the element of hatred is
conspicuous by its absence and love for all
irrespective of caste, creed, colour & community
reigns supreme.
50
Composed to celebrate the holy occasion of

Holi, the poem Song of Equality gives message of
human equality. The poet is excessively happy to
think that the festival of colors can fulfill his desire to
come face to face with the victory of human dignity.
Hilariously he sings,
Forget all differences of the world of colour- caste,
of money rankage, /Only echo in all directions / the
sounds of victory of human glory& greatness,
(Song of Equality)
The concluding stanza of the poem Beauty of

the World exhorts us to subscribe to humanism and
denounce the anti-humanist approach as an enemy of
society. To quote:
Abandon: That throws the humanity of man to
flames, /Adopt: That bears High- minded humanism.
(Beauty of the World)
Thus, an under-current of humanism

consistently flows in the majority of poems included
in the poetic collection under discussion. From the
above discussion it is evident that the poet is a
humanist par excellence & his poems discussed
above constitute his valuable contribution towards
humanism which assumes immense significance in
the modern age of growing awareness about human
rights & values, concerns & perspectives, problems
& relations. All scriptures, scientists & spiritualists
unanimously accept the fact that the energy which
gives life force to all human beings is one and the
51
same. The living beings are the active manifestations

of this energy. So long as its sparks in the form of
souls live in the bodies, our existence continues. The
moment this life force is withdrawn, the body
becomes defunct. This is what inevitably happens to
all human beings right from their birth to their death.
No body, however powerful or rich he or she may,
can escape the onslaught of death. Hence the key to
successful life lies in understanding the secrets of life
and death. Those who try & succeed to unravel the
riddle of life and death can better understand the
secrets of a successful living on this earth. Such rare
humans love the entire world as their family because
they see the divine energy vibrating in all living
beings. Although the poet has not spoken of the
secret of universal love in the present collection, his
reflections on the casteless & classless humanity are
worth appreciation.
References:
1. Abrams, M.H. Natural Supernaturalism: Tradition
and Revolution in Romantic Literature. New
York: Norton, 1971. Print.
2. Adams, James Luther. On being Human
Religiously: Selected Essays in Religion and
Society. Boston : Beacon, 1976. Print.
3. Allen, Michael J.B. Humanism in the Columbia
History of Western Philosophy, ed. Richards H.
Popkin. New York : Columbia University Press,
1999. Print.
4. Allenby, Braden Richard. Observations on the
52
Philosophic Implications of Earth System,

Engineering and Management Batten Institute
Working Paper. Charlottesville, Va: Batten
Institute at the University of Virginia Darden
School of business, 2002. Print.
5. Dear, Thomas Sieger. Environmental Ethics and
Christian Humanism. Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon,
1996.Print.
6. Kung, Hans, and, Schmidt, Helmut, (ed.). A
Global Ethic and Global Responsibilities: Two
Declarations. London: SCM, 1998.
7. Bhatnagar, Mahendra. Poems: For Human
Dignity. New Delhi: Indian Publishers
Distributors. 2013.
***
53
Chapter-5
AN APPRAISAL
Varindra Kumar Varma
Mahendra Bhatnagar has been writing poetry
for at least six decades, and, naturally, therefore the
themes and style of his poems have changed with the
changing times.
Many of his poems have been translated into
English, but, unfortunately, they are not the kind of
poetry for which the poet is known. There are, of
course, limitations of authentic translation, but in
case of his poetry, it has undermined emotive
meaning and denied the text the beauty of rhyme and
rhythm.
Those who know Mahendra Bhatnagar know
that the poet and the person are not different. I have
had long association with him lasting for more than
fifty years, and I had the occasion to discuss with him
his poetry while editing his collection After the
Forty Poems and translating a few poems to be
included in it. Dr. Bhatnagar is basically an
emotional person with human ideals, and he feels
most concerned about the lot of the common man.
The poet began writing as a romanticist, but
because of his lover of freedom and concern for the
54
lot of the bulk population he soon turned a

progressive writer pleading the cause of the deprived
and distressed. He believes that economic inequality
divided our society and things became worse, even
alarming, because of political backing. And, the
result is that society now is not divided into the rich
and poor, but into the powerful and the powerless
that is, the helpless.
Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar is conscious of
further divisions even among the ordinary people on
the basis of gender, caste and religion, and he is
convinced that discrimination denies freedom,
equality and justice and creates hatred and social
disharmony. He asserts that the sky is for all birds,
and he asks the humankind to fly with freedom and
soar sky-high. He questions the relevance of religion
if it creates among men hatred instead of love. He
wonders how nice it would be for us if we did not
believe in god and did not have temples, mosques,
churches etc. but only had the feeling of love towards
each other. He knows that such idea is wishful
thinking, yet he says sosays to emphasize his view
that human concern is more important than religious
faith.
The poet is a humanist and he believes in
democratic values or the democratic ideals of
freedom, equality and common brotherhood. He is
aware that the factors that divide man and man affect
most adversely the common man. Therefore, he
writes mostly against these factorsthat is, against
55
discrimination on the basis of race, caste, class,

religion, gender, region and language. Some of his
poems express his deep anguish and some his
righteous indignation over the prevailing state of
affairs and some of his poems look like prayer sung
in praise of humanity.
This collection comprises poems of many
forms, from lyrical to the prosaic. The time-span of
these poems is wide enough, and with the passage of
time the poets writing has come to be dominated
more by thought than emotion. It is not unnatural
because it concerns social thought and the problems
of the common man.
***
56
Chapter-6
ELEMENTS OF HUMANISM AND
COMPASSION IN THE POETRY OF
MAHENDRA BHATNAGAR
Harish K. Thakur
Creative voices have their own realms and
they need not run after the official accreditations
which normally are far from the ground realities. The
poet and philosopher Mahendra Bhatnagar is one
such significant voice of post-independent India who
bridges a vast span of six and a half decades of free
India. He is in a position to have a wide gyrate over
the recent Indias history, be it political, social and
economic or of science and technology. His volumes
speak of this and as a reader one finds in him a
magnum of sea where streams of different hew meet
and blend into a unique colour that is Mahendra
Bhatnagar. One special virtue that belongs to
Mahendra Bhatnagar is his relentless struggle to
reinforce himself with an energy that has the
potential to reproduce in different forms the old
blunted voices inside and this he consistently admits
in his recently written poems.
The spectrum of Mahendra Bhatnagars
poetry is quite wide ranging from themes of life and
death the two extreme poles and in between lie the
subthemes of great human concerns like love, pity,
57
agony, apathy, poverty, sufferings, un-employment,

under--development,
malnourishment,
neglect,
human rights and a deep wavering heart of pain full
of love for humanity and what more can we expect
from an octogenarian who has been a witness to
evolution of India from the childhood to a powerful
nation. Mahendra Bhatnagar deserves special
attention at least on this account also.
Mahendra Bhatnagars poetry bears a unique
blend of Hindi and Urdu genres and at times his verse
falls near the Urdu gazals full of deep love, pain and
even satire. He is a keen observer of nature and
utilizes with a great knack the objects of nature when
and where he requires them to give a strong message
to humanity.
A strong believer in God and his designs he
invokes time and again the almighty to lend him
more energy and prowess so that he can bridge the
distances wedged in human relations as also to
diminish the growing poverty and disillusionment of
the downtrodden. One can witness in Mahendra
Bhatnagar a lover, a humanist, a pagan, a
cosmopolitan and at the same time a radical
revolutionary thus making his philosophy a unique
blend of all the shades of human thinking. See the
lines
No end of the path We keep on walking Darkness
spread out on far-off lands Never becomes less Even a
little. Like a flickering lamp day and night We keep on
burning Only a few moments Are left for me All of a
sudden On any day The throbbing of the heart will stop
knowingly all we keep on deceiving death. P.1
58
The poet in the poem while realizing the

imminence of ending to all the warm beginnings
speaks of the hard realities of life and the shortage of
time man has to meet up the required. The question
of time which has been central to many poets keep on
haunting him as he concludes that :
A moment / only a moment / snatches away life/
all of a sudden!/ yes only a moment/ every moment has
its own mysterious meaning/ it creates its own history/
complete / persists again and again.
Life As it is P. 2
Psychoanalysts like Lakan also quite

analytically state Its not the time for
understanding to conclude the moment but its the
moment to conclude the time for understanding
because otherwise this moment will lose its
meaning.
And then the moment, the brick of time
transforms from one shape into different ones of love,
pain, agony, pity etc. and this in turn formulates the
foundation of memories a noun most relied upon in
Urdu poetry. The poet releases his agony by saying
that
I stay on/amassing pain and grief / of many
years. / p.6. (Lively)
In Premonitions p. 9 The poet continues :

We have left / far behind / the half burnt corpses
of love-relationships and enmities/ screaming and rolling
restlessly/ for ages / the dying sound has become
59
silent./ perhaps it is the ultimate end of my whole

existence.
The poet has way out too for theses worldly

aches as one has to meditate and maintain a good
balance in life daring the phantoms of pain and
sufferings.
The people are dejected / So much that They
commit suicide In the state of their restlessness Or loose
the balance body and mind And in their perturbed mood.
They weep without a reason, they
In fact for him who had lived asceticism / there is
no difference / between dying and living / for him there is
no difference between / drinking poison or nectar.
Ascetic p. 10
Mahendra Bhatnagar prays to the god, the

bright Sun to remove the darkness and fill him with
the energy. Prayer, p. 18.
Oh Sun, the blazing red sun, fill my dejected
heart, with the fire of life/ give my body, the inactive and
tired / the agility so that it can move forward/ remove the
spread out / snow and thick darkness / with your dazzling
golden sunshine / oh sun, the blazing red sun.
In Destiny Defiance p. 26 Mahendra Bhatnagar

speaks of fatalism and holds that it is the work, the
karma, that is the building block of destiny. See the
lines :
Every instant when move/the creative hands /
and when feet add to the momentum / image is then
made / and destiny is then made.
60
We find in Dr. Bhatnagar a great seer and sage

who consistently endeavours for the establishment of
human values and recovery of the loss of values in
the current order. His poetry is witness to the
centuries old history of independent India and lays
down a vision for the foundation of just and humane
society.
***
61
Chapter-7
POEMS : FOR HUMAN DIGNITY
[Mahendra Bhatnagar]
Anuradha Bhattacharyya
Bi-lingual poet Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagars
latest anthology of progressive poems called Poems:
For Human Dignity is a rich collection of his finest
wording and thought. It looks forward to the
enhancement of cultural values and moral uplift of
the present society. The poems reflect his experience
through the ages ever since Indias independence and
his travel through the six decades to emerge on the
brighter side of the millennium.
Having spent six decades of maturity, he has
felt the pulse of his age and looked at his time with
clarity and acumen. Thus his writing reflects not only
his time in simple terms but also the complexity of
his times in vivid and varied versions.
It is not a small thing to have spent sixty years
of creativity. Bhatnagar is a true poet who writes
without any aspiration for reward or fame. He writes
from his world view and in the truest of spirits
uncontaminated by public opinion or vested interest.
He has reached the threshold of the new millennium
with his head held high.
62
His various poems express social reality as well

as psychological and emotional experiences of the
poet. Some poems express the youthful mind with all
its optimism, enthusiasm and zest while others
express a youths dilemma, restlessness and apathy.
Some of his poetic devices are invocations, prophesy
and warning. Others are philosophical poems. Certain
voices are excited while others are controlled. These
poems tell about the contradictions and challenges in
his time and about the injustices against which the
poet raises a finger.
Some poems express the pressures of time and
discontent with the present. There is also hope
mingled with complaint. But above all there is a
determination to live, to overcome strife and a love
for life. The poems look towards the betterment of
society and humankind. The poet has a vision for the
future and an understanding of the historical value of
his time. This vision is evident in his invocations,
challenges posed against the tormenting powers of
society and his call for a better future.
He has witnessed the growth of new trends in
poetry during his life. But he has maintained his own
style, the humanitarian and social flair in his poetry.
Even in his eighties, he has displayed the progressive
spirit in his poetry. The only difference is that at this
fag end he has tried to observe inwards and take an
account of his personal achievements in terms of
emotional as well as social development. The poems
have become philosophical and introspective. The
63
poet in him has tried to question his role as a poet. It

is as if the poet in him tries to spread the message of
his understanding of life, experiences of emotions
and exasperations or that of internal conflict, pain and
dilemmas, to the next generation for them to learn
from him. Whatever wonderful or amazing that he
has come across in life and whatever has touched his
heart all these have a special place in his later poetry
as if he wants to relive those beautiful moments.
There are representations of the unpleasant things
also but these cleanse him of unhappy memories and
act as warnings for the future generations to be better
equipped to face unpleasantness in their social order.
The poet, at these moments feels the necessity of
summoning mankind to act in faith.
Bhatnagars poetry is marked by their
freshness. There is nothing literary, no euphemisms
borrowed from earlier poets and nothing like
allusions to others. In this sense his poetry is more
authentic since they are based only on firsthand
experience.
Progressive poets were often marked by their
loudness but it is not so in the case of Dr. Bhatnagar.
Nor are there farfetched figurative uses of language
that makes a poem complex. The depth and clarity of
his poems come from what he has to convey rather
than how he phrases them.
Although most of his poems are social and
philosophical in theme he has not refrained from
64
addressing such themes as love, nature, life and

death.
The poet has written on the decline of
humanitarian ideals, the complexities of politics, the
perversions of society and the confusions of the
human mind. In spite of all this he expresses faith in
the bright future of mankind. He expresses a
historical vision that man endures all and will go on
enduring all the anomalies of life, overcoming all the
calamities through the power of labor and he believes
that a hard working man never losses in the end.
Through his pen the trend of progressive poetry has
been hugely enriched. His poetry looks forward to the
world of the future.
** *
65
Chapter-8
STRUGGLING FOR LIFE
P C K Prem
To understand Mahendra Bhatnagar is not very
easy, for when one goes through apparently straight,
evocative and experiential lyrics he creates baffling
yet simple syntax and puts stress on understanding.
At Eighty-Seven, he is energetic, vigilant and
stunningly expressive when he speaks of man and
age. He appears gentle and unpretentious but
piercingly strikes an imposing note, as one perceives
lips emitting an inscrutable restrained smile. A
brilliant shine on the face amazes and the terraces of
white beard with indistinctly dark patches and broad
forehead with slowly withdrawing hairline open up
varied experiences he had. All speak of a kind of
bigness, some inconceivable largeness. He
believes in panoramic vision of life, and one discerns
restrained efforts in his creative writings where he
maintains a massive structure of thoughts and
feelings together, a fantastic synthesis.
He looks back and talks of history in man and
man in history but conception of past swiftly wanders
in regions of mans hopes and future indefinite. He
struggles with varied thoughts and feelings and
synchronizes each word and feeling with immense
input of import and objective. Whatever moves in the
mysterious flow of life in the world, he holds it
66
strongly as if, and squeezes meaning of life and

existence adding primarily realistic dimensions.
A startling hugeness in poetic outpouring
confounds a modern poet, who loves to talk obliquely
and on many occasions, depends heavily on symbols
and metaphors. A cursory glance at the book of MB
stuns (and if one looks at the amazing list of creative
writings, one is stupefied) and when one scuffs
fingers, the sheer size looks bewildering. He is
different from a contemporary poet, who composes a
lyric, recites to a fellow poet, a friend or relation,
elicits opinion, shares it and when he publishes a
book of 70-80 pages, he organizes poetic recitations
and expects cheers as an apparent thirst for
recognition haunts. That is poets dilemma because
he thinks he stands ahead of others. MB is
mysteriously different. It needs courage to enjoy his
lyrics. Not very long verses he writes but still a
staggering number perplexes and requires extreme
patience and courage to read poets mind.
To enjoy verses of MB can be a privilege if one
wants to know life, which everyone claims to know
and still wades through obviously cool but stormy
waters of existence without comprehending the
mystery of life. He is a poet of mans aspirations,
hopes and optimism in man and again, one notices
consistent efforts where he integrates mottled
elements that constitute incompatible and at times,
absurd aspects of life so that a holistic view emerges.
A journey into the subjective area of experiences
67
leads him to walk into the unmeasured landscape of

humankind where he establishes a tangible link with
the world of nature.
He does not run away from the social,
economic and political life of man but genuinely tries
to locate and define unity of unfathomable cosmic
continuation and afterwards, a paradoxical come back
to pragmatic life, surprises. Depiction of truth and
realities of life has a touch of practicality that
connects to ordinary human life without philosophic
tinge. Still he speaks so naturally about the self, the
life outside, and the existence that require a
concrete pedestal to stand firmly. This astonishing
attitude of MB not only teases and irritates but also
provokes to deliberate on the unthinkable magnitude
of life.
Conflicts and contradictions determine
resilience and grit of a man and classify limitations
many verses affirm. He and educationist of stature,
who saw life so believes in a system with a definite
code, for he has faith in the ultimate victory a man
shall attain. He understands life does not move in a
distinct cycle and therefore, vagaries in life and
blurred images of transformations for the better
continue to create an aura of triumphant situations,
which recede every moment one approaches a goal.
With a very long struggling past and struggle
for basis in life that saw sufferings of preindependence era, agonizing life of freedom fighters,
sufferings of the people under communal
68
disturbances and apathetic and cruel regime, left

indelible imprints upon the sensitive mind of a
bilingual poet. An academician intimately, exhibits
tremendous anxiety for the poor and the subjugated,
and continues to aerate thoughts and feelings of the
deprived segments of society, and therefore, sincere
worries find eloquent expression in lyrics from a
mundane and materialistic life to a life of deep
contemplation, disadvantages and injustice.
He scrutinizes the human world and the
natural world and here, he talks of the exploitation
of nature and so, environmental issues crop up. He
appears sad and discontented and one feels he has
lost the spirit of optimism and bright future for man
but suddenly he rises up like a sphinx and asserts
indomitable fortitude of man standing against
unforeseen ordeals whether man-created or inflicted
by the anger of nature. If nature is calamitous, it is
mans work, for man is responsible for insensible and
dim -witted exploitation of the natural world creating
disparity and therefore, degradation and abusive
utilization of man and nature has resulted in
continuous sufferings to the vulnerable sections while
it protects the interests of the powerful the poet
laments in some lyrics.
As a student of literature, he possesses not
only realistic, caring and empathetic outlook but
broods over the destiny of man philosophically.
Mahatma Gandhi, John Ruskin and Marxist ideology
oversee his creative writings, and it appears that the
69
great Hindi author Munshi Prem Chand has left a

lifelong impression on the poet in him. Like A.
Pushkin, MB believes in the finest exposition of
virtuous human feelings, love, amity and
consciousness of the infinite values of life. He
celebrates this realization in many verses. He accepts
with faith and courage, the transience of life,
agonizing losses and bitter trials. If at certain
moments, in hour of crisis, he looks inward, it is
short-term, for the real inner joy and outer
contentment for the poet comes when he
demonstrates anxieties for the destiny of man in
totality.
MB poetic persona creates an image of
massiveness, a sort of hugeness as I said earlier, for
he stands as a witness to the astounding happenings
of nearly a century, who collected and treasured clear
memories of the first thirty years of colossal
occurrences that changed the history of the world. An
intimate witness to the alien rule, he also suffered
with the masses and so a humanistic approach to life
characterizes his creativeness that works as a
fountainhead for lyrics on nationalism, patriotism,
cleanliness in politics and picturesque chronicling of
not only experiences but also spasms and anguish of
a society carving out its identity and existence.
Undoubtedly, he is deliberate, not casual in
what he feels and writes. A unique fusion of words,
emotions and thoughts constitutes a definition of
poetry for MB, one can easily infer. He is aware of
70
the stress and tension an age suffers in which man

lives and at this stage, a secular and universal man in
poet MB rises up to face the challenge of life in an
age of confrontations and uncertainties.
***
71
Chapter-9
LONELINESS WITHIN AND WITHOUTTHE
'SELF' :
A Study of Mahendra Bhatnagars
Struggling for Life
Dr. Sulakshana Sharma
Oft I had heard of Lucy Gray:
And, when I crossed the wild,
I chanced to see at break of day
The solitary child.
No mate, no comrade Lucy knew;
She dwelt on a wide moor,
The sweetest thing that ever grew
Beside a human door
Lucy Gray or Solitude by William Wordsworth.
Reading
Mahendra
Bhatnagars
latest
collection of poems, Struggling for Life (2015), is an
enriching and a rewarding experience. The poems in
the collection have been translated into English from
Hindi by many eminent Indian-English poets. The
book has been edited by P C K Prem, who is a
celebrated critic, poet and a novelist. Owing to the
simplicity of the language and the ease of expression,
72
from the very first line of the poem, a reader is

entranced. As a result, this creates an illusion of
having understood the verse, but the poetry of
Mahendra Bhatnagar is not as simple as it seems.
One requires great insight and vast perception of
human life to comprehend the psychological and
philosophical approach of the poet. Thus, one feels
intimidated by his poetic persona that creates an
image of massiveness (7). Each and every poem of
the book is thoroughly baked on the embers of
experience in the kiln of life, after being carefully
crafted by the prowess of startling poetic talent.
Drenched in profound philosophy of life, the poems
completely justify the title, Struggling for Life, as
themes of life and death, distress and felicity, failure
and victory, virtues and vice, natural and artificial,
real and virtual, solitude and companionship,
anonymity and fame, rags and riches (to name a few)
have been explored in the one hundred and ninety
nine poems of the collection.
As far as the theme of loneliness is concerned,
it is conspicuous in its various grey shades in the
poetry of Bhatnagar. As a reader, I found myself
immensely moved by the poignancy of the mood and
tone of poems that evince the state of being alone and
the associated pathos. Therefore, in this paper I
attempt to prove Mahendra Bhatnagar as a poet of
solitude. His poems evoke the agony and distress of a
person as lonely as Wordsworths solitary child.
Ironically, in the poem, Lucy Gray, the solitary
73
child of nature is killed by nature, and eventually,

becomes an eternal part of nature. Bhatnagars poems
on loneliness (in this collection) are also fraught with
explicit references to nature: the sun, the moon, the
stars, the night, the trees, the birds, the flowers, the
dawn, the dusk, the afternoon, the winter season,
beautiful people, indifferent people, all find mention
in his poems. But, amongst all this the poetic persona
is very lonely.
The concept of two types of loneliness has been
beautifully and very poetically propounded and
explained by Toni Morrison. The renowned novelist,
on the last page of her novel Beloved (1987), holds:
THERE IS a loneliness that can be rocked. . . .
Its an inside kindwrapped tight like skin.
Then there is a loneliness that roams. No rocking can
hold it down. It is alive, on its own. A dry and
spreading thing that makes the sound of ones own
feet going seem to come from a far- off place (322).
One may interpret that the person who suffers from
the former or the loneliness of the inside kind or the
loneliness within the self has internal strength and
vitality on the basis of which the agony of being
alone can be controlled or kept in check or rocked.
The psychological health of such a person is not
affected by the presence or the absence of a
companion. He can enjoy his own company equally
well. Thus, the roots of happiness are anchored
within, and are, thus, spiritualistic in nature.
74
In sharp contrast to loneliness of the inside

kind is the loneliness that roams (Morrison 322) or
the loneliness of the outside kind or the loneliness
without the self. No rocking can hold it down
(Morrison 322) or the agonizing loneliness cannot be
appeased by the individual alone. The person who
suffers from the loneliness of the outside kind
depicts the inherent weakness of characterthe
source of happiness is anchored outside or depends
on something external, either animate or inanimate.
The individual is so much occupied by the insensate
search for desired object of contentment that he even
becomes unaware of the self, so much so that the
sound of . . . [his] own feet going seem to come from
a far-off place (Morrison 322). However, the
indifference or the unavailability or the complete
absence of the one who is supposed to be the fount of
pleasure and satisfaction plays havoc in the life of the
lonely individualespecially, an individual who is
desperate to acquire the desired object of
contentment, no matter how implausible. Thus, the
source of happiness is materialistic in nature. The
paper tries to analyze these two aspects of loneliness
in the poetry of Bhatnagar in the pursuit to prove him
as a poet of loneliness.
Loneliness Without the Self
A lonely person feels secluded and depressed
even amongst a crowd. He fails in his attempts to
form the kind of bond he wants to form with anyone.
This happens when the thoughts, familial and other
75
social aspirations of the individual are different from

those whom one meets on daily basis. For instances,
the feeling of being the odd man out constantly
haunts a simple village folk, who comes to a city
either to study or to earn his living. The following
lines from the poem Lonely (42) brim with the
same emotion:
In this city of glorious buildings, /of reflections of
beauty floating in luminescence,/ you know none and
nobody is familiar./ Someone with whom you can talk
easily anytime, /some with whom you can share the
secrets of the heart. (1-10)
Similarly, the poem Solitary tells the pain of a

man left alone to fend for himself. He laments: Now
no one remembers me, / no one ever visits me (43).
All his earlier ties have been snapped as:
Those who were there are lost on the way, /those
who are tired-defeated, and bored are gone to sleep.
(10-13)
The poet blames the selfish world for leaving

him alone: each is lost in joys of self, / and in
sorrows (43). The way of the modern world dictates
indifference. Man is lost in the rat race for earning his
living. There is no time for emotions like kindness,
sympathy and gratuity. The competition is cut-throat.
The rich are lost in leisure while the poor is anxious
to get ends meet. Thus, true essence of humanity is
lost. Both the above poems, Lonely (42) and
Solitary (43), are examples of the loneliness that is
external, without the self involved. The dependency
76
on other people to feel happy is discernible.

Nay (14) is a very short, yet thoughtprovoking poem written by Bhatnagar. The poet here
questions the claims of a lonely person, who wants to
be a part of the society. Providing a new perspective
on loneliness, he says that it is difficult to be alone in
a place that is full of peopleno one can be lonely
here:
Well, how one can be a stranger in a crowd./ Well,
how can one bear the sting of loneliness in a surging
crowd? (1-5)
But, in the last stanza of the poem the poet

states the irony of becoming a part of the crowd: a
gregarious but a meek individual, just like a lonely
one, remains anonymous and unheard in a multitude
of influential voices:
Well, how one can say his word to anyone/ in the
noise of countless voices. (6-9)
Being unheard is equivalent to being lonely.

Thus, being sociable does not mean that a person is
not lonely. Again the need to be heard makes a
person dependent on external sources that are
expected to spare their precious time just to lend a
sympathetic ear to listen to the personas woes.
A lonely person becomes pessimistic. The
poem, For Me Alone (130), speaks the mind of
pessimistic person who considers himself ill-fated
and blames God. For him the grass is always greener
on the other side. He keeps comparing himself with
77
other people who, according to him, are supposedly

much fateful and happier than him:
A cold silent night of winter for me alone. /.God
knows of what acts unpardonable and exceptional, sins/
result, all lost in a world of dreams, but I alone tired and
restless. (1-3, 9-15)
The persona in his utter lonely state feels

restless and spends many a sleepless nights. And he
cannot help but draw a comparison with and feel
jealous of nature, whom he befriends in desperation
of seeking a companionship (just like Wordsworths
solitary child):
All unknown stars trees slept,/ before me only one
a body of darkness/ for me alone. . . . This dumb
founded heavy snow cold, shivering night, for me alone.
(4-8, 16-19)
Adding to his woes is the fact that all his lively

friends of nature have gone to sleep but the quiet
depressing night is his constant companion. Here
again we see that the personas loneliness is
aggravated by the inevitable natural phenomena of
the outside world.
Speaking the mind of a lonely person in search
for a companion, in his poem, The Final Request,
the poet admits that A lonely life is a curse / firmly
forbidden are laughter and tears (51). The following
desperate plea of the persona to his mistress to give
him a souvenir of their love before departing forever
resonates with the spirit of one of the oft-quoted
poem of John Keats: A Thing of Beauty:
78
Poor, extremely poor I am,/ while leaving give me
also something to live on /a little to drink. /Let that be

the clean Ganges water,/ or overflowing honey. (1-3, 68)
The pain of a lonely person who knows that he

has to burn / till the last moment in the
recollections of his beloved is unfathomable. His life
finds meaning in memories of the experiences he had
of the most beautiful thing (his beloved) in his life.
He is prepared to live the rest of his life merely on
the emotions recollected in tranquility as explained
by Wordsworth in the preface to Lyrical Ballads. The
persona knows that his beloved will not accept him as
her life-partner. So, there is no hope for him. But,
before he kisses and parts (as Michael Drayton says
in his sonnet 61, Idea) from his beloved for good, he
wants something to cherish in solitude. In the same
vein, the poem, Companionless (92) accentuates the
theme of the persona being afraid of parting from his
companion. He dreads becoming like the
chakwaA cursed Indian bird, which is
separated from his life-partner during the night (92).
Similarly, the poet in the poem, Waiting (93),
beautifully delineates the fate of a loner, whose wait
for the cold and endless wintry night to pass seems
very long.
It is note-worthy that Bhatnagars poems
reverberate the tone and the temperament of Urdu
Tanhai poetry which, according to one of the online
websites, is the poetry on being alone. People read
Tanhai poetry and Tanhai Shayari when they are left
79
alone and feeling lonely. Tanhai Shayari is a bit

depressing to read . . . [but] it lets you feel better
(Urdu). Irrespective of the chosen medium of
articulationUrdu, Hindi or Englishin this genre
(Tanhai poetry) of poetry, the expression of the mood
and tone of loneliness is quite similar. The following
lines of Ghalib (quoted and explained on an online
website) support the above statements:
Kaave-kaave saKht_jaanii haaye tanhaaii na
puuchh
subah karanaa shaam kaa laanaa hai juu-eshiir kaa
[kaave-kaave: hard work,
saKht-jaanii: tough lifes]
[juu-e-shiir: to create a canal of milk, here
means to perform an impossible task]
(Ghalib)
The sher has been translated and explained as
below:
Dont ask me the tough life that I bear in this
loneliness.
Turning night into day is like digging a stream
of milk through the mountains.
In this sher Ghalib compares himself toFarhad
the legendary lover, who was asked to dig the
mountains so that he could draw a channel of milk.
Ghalib says that the loneliness felt by him in the
absence of his beloved is no less than the pain felt by
Farhad. Spending the day without his beloved is as
painful as the effort put in by Farhad to get is ju-eshir. (Ghalib)
80
One can easily draw an analogy between

Farhad and chakwa.
Bhatnagars poem, Day End (132), is one of
the typical examples of Tanhai poetry. The poet
begins by telling us that Today, like ever silently
went away (132). Then he goes on to explain the
usual loneliness that haunts him throughout the day.
He says
Undesired, unbearable, rang the harsh alarm,/ of
early morn ,/not even a single bird chirped to rejoice the
day. (3-7)
The morning sun is unwanted and unwelcomed

by the persona for it indicates the inception of
another disappointing and agonizing wait.
Interestingly, only the birds seem to be in sync with
the persona as they also, like him, dont rejoice the
day (132). The golden sunshine spreads
everywhere, but it, like anybody else, neither . . .
knocked / at . . . [his] closed doors, / nor gently called
. . . [his] name (132). The afternoon has been
compared to a matured experienced woman who
recommends afternoon naps to everyone by not to the
poetic persona who is supposed to wallow in eternal
boredom. Even the crimson hue of the evening sky
doesnt give any pleasure or hope to the lonely poet
for the dense darkness (132) of the night waits for
him ahead. The poem, An Evening II (165), is
quite similar to above poem, Day End (132) in its
presentation of a typical day spent by the persona.
This day is, as usual, filled with loneliness and
endless wait of a loved one. The poet begins the
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poem by saying that

Life signifies stillness, /today too/nothing unusual
came about,/ and the day slipped away. /The vagrant
sunshine came,/ I longed to spend a few moments with
her , / but alas only gloom befriended me. (1-9)
The pain and agony of being deserted and

betrayed by a lover is immense. The poet has well
stated the psychology of a jilted lover. For him
natural beauty around him holds no meaning. His
inability to appreciate the natural beauty around him
speak volumes of his mental state
Migratory birds flew in/ but utterly perplexed /I
simply stared at them,/ no one lingered, the usual
monotony prevailed. (10-14)
A lonely persons heart with time becomes

forbearing in order to combat the dullness,
grimness of his depressing, pathetic life.
The poem, To the Companion (203), can be
easily classified as a serenade. The persona woos his
beloved by emotionally blackmailing her. He pleads
and requests his beloved in a lyrical fashion. Bearing
his heart out to her, he sings
Will you save me from frustration/ and utter a
word, of inspiration,/ for moving continuous towards the
goal../ I started with the support of your love,/ but will
you remain compassionate so much in future also!/
Otherwise, I go ahead silently on the path of life,/ just
alone and alone, (9-10, 18-22)
The poet ends his plea with the line, No, you
cannot be washed out (204). The company of the
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beloved is important to overcome the loneliness of

life and to succeed and achieve his goals in life. So
much is at stake for the poetic persona. Though, the
response of the beloved is not stated in the poem, the
desperate need for companionship is obvious.
The helplessness of the individual who suffers
from the loneliness of the outside kind or, as
Morrison says, the loneliness that roams is clearly
evident in the poems that find mention in this paper
so far. Sadly, the disappointment with life is
heightened by the neglect of the object with which
intimacy is considered extremely essential.
Apparently, the need for a meaningful life cannot be
satiated by the inadequate individual alone. As
mentioned earlier, the individual here bears a
character that is not self-sustaining as the approach
towards life is materialistic.
Loneliness Within the Self
A man learns a lot from the sweet and sour
experiences of life. In the poem, Self Experience
(61), the poet emphasizes the fact that in the face of
adversity all problems and woes of an individual are
entirely his own. People might show momentary
sympathy and concern, but eventually, everyman has
to bear the pain of the tragedies in his life alone:
Everyman in his calamity is alone,/ all the
aggregate of misery solely is his,/ in moments of pain,
man is all alone. (Self Experience 1-5)
Sometimes even the immediate family of the

83
individual fails to fathom the gravity of the pain that

destiny inauspicious (61) has brought into the
latters life. The agony (both physiological and
psychological) knows no bound in the moments of
solitude, especially at night, when all friends and
family go to sleep:
The night of distresses/ lonely has he to pass/ in
pitch dark, ray of hope has he to generate. /Every hurt he
must amuse,/ every truth he must console. (6-11)
As evident from the last three lines of the above

stanza, in the time of existential crisis, the existential
intelligence or spiritual intelligence of a man comes
into play. A traumatized but a mature mind, in a state
of deep introspection, learns to seek delight in
distress. The adageWhatever happens, happens for
something goodcomes to the rescue of a perturbed
soul. The depressing fact that the person is indeed
very alone in such situations has been emphatically
stated in the lines below:
Alone and he alone/ has to taste the bitter draught/
and experience the effect of poison-deadly alone,/ aye, all
alone, (24-28)
The man eventually, stops questioning and

finds out a way to live. According to the poet, this
happens because the fact is / that in each calamity /
alone a man has lived (61). The man mentioned
by the poet in the above line is an experienced,
enlightened, worldly, mature, sensitive and a wise
man. He has achieved a cosmic understanding of life
that is achieved only by walking on the path of
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spiritualism.
In his poem, Continuity (13), the poet
reinstates the fact that seclusion helps an individual
to momentarily snap from the present and peep
through / . . . inner past / extinct (13). The past
memories and experiences embedded in the
subconscious mind are evoked at such times:
Becoming indifferent in seclusion,/ on the
experiences of my life/ when I brood on peacefully.
/Then all of a sudden/ Taking a turn on my own accord
/I return to the present,/ to the entanglements of earthly
life. (1-4, 13-18)
The poet provides a comparison of the inner

world and the external one. In the inner world, the
sweet and sour memories of the past still manage to
thrive, despite the foggy complications of the
external world. The state of loneliness provides time
for introspection which can be stated as an equivalent
to the meditative state. This provides peace of mind
and strength of character as stated in Pablo Nerudas
poem, Keeping Quiet that emphasizes the need for
soul searching. Nevertheless, the fact, as evident
from the title of the poem, Continuity (13), is that
life is a continuous reality. Its continuity cannot be
denied and one cannot remain indifferent and
secluded for long. As a social being, acknowledging
and accepting the challenges of the external reality
become indispensible. But, when one is at peace with
his inner self, the external turbulence seems
innocuous and manageable.
85
In the poem, Ever Deprived (16), the poet

again describes the life of an ever neglected,
totally ignored vagabond who has lived all his life
alone (16). The persona alone has fought the
gruesome battle for survival. His life, a mares nest,
has always remained stationary, without any
change. However, he is an undaunted and a selfrespecting man as he reveals that
All my life I bore unbearable agony and pain,/ to
anyone never did I say any word for help./ I burnt self in
the fire of curse. (12-18)
The last two lines of the above stanza prove

that he has hauled himself through life by bravely
accepting the challenges posed by his miserable life
every now and then. This acceptance of reality has
taught him that he would not find anyone / who
could soothe / . . . [his] oozing wounds so he
wanders alone here and there / . . . [though, he does
not] know when and where (16). His unfailing
forbearance under pathos and misery is his greatest
strength which makes him a strong character. This
gives him the power to bear the pain of his pathetic
loneliness. Thus, here the persona suffers from the
internal kind of loneliness that can be checked.
In the poem, Fragmented Personality (120),
Bhatnagar explains the effect of loneliness and
neglect on the psychology of a child, a young man
and an old person. In the first stanza of the poem the
poet says:
86
In childhood/ if somebody saw not with

affectionate looks,/ with craving, and caressed not
hugging with vatsal [affectionate] feeling, then a mans
persona definitely cracks. (1-8)
Childhood is a tender, impressionable age. The

indifferent and uncaring attitude of the caretakers
plays havoc in the life of a child. It leads to a
fractured personality, always in search of love. If the
void of love is never filled, such an individual may
become a socio-path or a total misfit. Similarly, if a
young man doesnt get some / beloved partners
love / trustworthy / exclusive / and unshaken, the
life of such a rejected lover becomes dry,
burdensome / sheer desert and lust-born (120). The
resulting persona is indeed a shattered one. Likewise,
for a person who is on the last phase of his life, who
has stories of self-experience to share, is forced to
stay dumb the man becomes disheartened as life
loses purpose and becomes burdensome and
meaningless. His spirit dies, much before his body
does. The psychology of such an elderly person finds
a detailed reference in the poem, Substance (22)
that has been suggests methods.
Old age is the time when man is the loneliest.
The younger generation is so busy minting money
that it is Useless to expect from them to lend a
compassionate ear to the elderly folk at home. The
aged naturally feel forgotten and . . . of no use / to
anyone (22). The poet, in the poem, Substance
(22), suggests methods to defeat the pain that
87
emanates from the neglect of the loved ones. He

advocates the following:
Keep quiet, bear everything,/ lie down/ suffer
patiently here or there.
It is better if you write,/ on the walls of an empty
room,/ if you portray heart in different colours / Perhaps,
someone at some moment may read or ponder over. (610, 18-23)
Though, suffering from the pangs of loneliness,

the need to express ones thought and pent-up
emotions is always poignant. In such a case, the poet
suggests to take up writing with the hope that
someone, somewhere, sometime might read what one
has written and understand the mental agony of the
writer. The written thoughts and experiences of the
writer might help make the world a better place to
live in. Even a tiny bit of positive change is a big
achievement for the writer. The poet further suggests
ways of taking help of the modern technological
advancements in order to immortalize oneself:
Or you put your tragic tale in any recording deck,/
in your own voice,/ maybe, someone listens, sometime.
(24-29)
The elderly person knows the harsh reality that

the acquisitive younger generationwho doesnt
have time now to sit and listen to the old people
will not take time burying . . .[him] in pit, / or
entombing . . . [him], / or giving . . . [him] a pompous
burning / sleekly, / turn [him] into ashes (23). This
is the irony of the modern worldthe dead person
88
holds more value than a living one. Clearly, the

present generation knows the price of everything but
the value of nothing. Nevertheless, by following the
poets advice, the aged in all ways can have an upper
hand and they succeed by the sheer strength of their
patience and tolerance in the end. The younger
generation leaves them alone to fend for themselves.
But the agedwhose experienced eyes have seen
more than the younger ones and have more internal
harmony, vitality and equanimitysilently find out
ways to express themselves. They leave an indelible
impression on the society with the hope that some
young yet sensitive and mature mind would
sometime, somewhere comprehend the profound
agony and disrespect they have borne in old age and
do something to alleviate their woes.
Clearly, there is a way of combating loneliness
or mitigating the pain: as the existential skills of an
individual come into play. The poem, Acceptance
(62), like the poem Substance (22), also suggests an
effective solution. As evident from the title of the
poem, it advocates that
Loneliness is your lot/ tolerate it happily./
Loneliness is natural/ take it desirously. (1-4)
The above lines establish the poet as the

connoisseur of loneliness. Loneliness is a part of life.
The sooner you learn to live with it, the better it
would be for the individuals psyche. According to
the poet, the attempts made to escape it is
aberration, / only accepting it is only a fate (62). The
89
poet in a way espouses sufferance and perseverance.

He dissuades escapist ideology which may lead to
options like denial of reality and even suicide.
In the same vein, in the poem, Gratefulness
(89), the persona is alone but is extremely beholden
to God for the gift of life. The poet wants to quit /
the place: perhaps he is disappointed in the people
(or a beloved who was expected to provide
satisfaction and meaning to life) that inhabit the place
as they remind him of his lonely state and make him
feel miserable. The poet embraces life and concludes
that
My mind accepts heartily this solitariness with
pleasure,/ O, my mind. (11-15)
By sheer internal strength, the persona has

reached such a state of enlightenment: appreciating
what you have rather than wasting life pining for all
that could have been yours.
Bhatnagar, through the above poems, has
beautifully brought about the pathos of a lonely soul.
His poems exude both aspects of loneliness: of the
inside or within the self; and, the outside or
without the self. Axiomatically, loneliness can cast
its dark shadow on an individualespecially on one
who is not internally or spiritually enlightened
enough to enjoy his own company, and thus,
continuously seeks pleasure in the outside world.
Unfortunately, the failure to attain the object of
gratification makes the inadequate individual
90
miserable. He becomes the victim of loneliness and

loses control over his life. Seen in the brighter light,
loneliness for an enlightened mind is a chance for
deep introspection. It is an opportunity to attain
internal peace and gratification that even the most
entertaining group of people cannot provide. It puts
one at the helm of his life, making him the master of
his own body, mind and soul. Thus, once again, the
quest for materialistic pleasures proves fatal for an
individual. Such people stand in sharp comparison to
those who strive for spiritual welfare. To conclude, it
can be maintained that life is a balancing act and for a
social being a balance between the two extreme ways
of dealing with lonelinessbeing only engrossed
with oneself, or the state of being totally dependent
on others for happinessis extremely important.
Works Cited:
Bhatnagar, Mahendra. Struggling for Life. Ed. P C
K Prem. Delhi: Indian Publishers Distributors, 2015.
Print.
GhalibNaqsh
Fariyadi.
sukhanwarghalib.blogspot.in, Sukhanwar-ghalib.blogspot.in, 29 Oct.
2007. Web. 1 Jan. 2015.
Lucy Grey. en.wikipedia.org. Wikipedia, the Free
Encyclopedia, last modified on 5th Dec. 2015. Web. 7th
Dec. 2015.
Morrison, Toni. Beloved. 1987. NY: Vintage,
2004. Print. Urdu Tanhai Shayari. Ranjish.com.
Ranjish.com, 21st Nov. 2014. Web. 7th Dec. 2015
***
91
Chapter-10
LIFE: AS IT IS
Mahendra Bhatnagars Perception of Life
Prof. Dr. A. K. Chaturvedi
As the title indicates, Mahendra Bhatnagars
poetic collection Life: As It Is reflects the poets
philosophy of human life that continually flows like a
river and glows like a ray. The poems contained in
this bilingual collection, according to Dr. R.
Kichenamourty deal with a wide range of themes
mostly philosophical in nature. His views on Truth,
Destiny and Death are quite thought provoking.1
The very first poem Reality compares life to a
flickering lamp that keeps on burning day and night
in the darkness of sky that is limitless. The sense of
gloom looms large over his heart when he thinks of
the bitter reality of death. The poet pessimistically
asks:
In life there are only heaps of pebbles,/ where
are pearls?
The poet underlines the importance of time in

his poem A Moment. To him each moment is as
important as life itself because it is in a single
moment that life can take a sudden turn or can be
taken away forever. Hence, the beauty of life lies in
92
utilizing every moment to the fullest till our ego is

crushed to pieces. The poem Ascetic presents a
beautiful contrast between an ascetic and a worldly
person. While a worldly person, driven by a state of
restlessness, depression and mental imbalance,
weeps and laughs without a reason and even thinks
of committing suicide under the pressure of stress
and strain, an ascetic enjoys the state of equipoise,
bliss and serenity born of his neutrality to life and
death, poison and nectar, enemy and friend, good
and bad, defeat and victory, respect and humiliation.
In the backdrop of baffling contradictions, the poet
contrasts life with a book and realistically highlights
the visible differences between both. According to
him, a book is divided into chapters with proper
planning and designing whereas lifes journey goes
ahead in accordance with divine plan. Human mind
fails to give shape to lifes book for the reason that
nothing is certain in life except change. The famous
saying man proposes, God disposes truly applies to
all that we do and this is the reason why humans are
to abide by Gods will. God is the designer of lifes
book and what message he wants to convey through
this book, more often than not, transcends our
limited comprehension. The poem Experience
presents
the
poets
disillusionment
and
disenchantment with the false attractions, promises,
joys and victories of worldly life.
Having lived his life as a helpless prisoner of
multiple allurements, human bonds and bondages,
93
delusive pleasures and illusive treasures, the poet

repents over the irretrievable loss of opportunities life
offered to him. He pitiably feels that he has been
plundered by the hypocrites and rascals who came to
him as his friends and well-wishers. His only fault
was to repose faith in their sweet words and false
promises. For his loss he hits hard at himself and
desperately asks of his inner self:
What have I done?/ Except doing strange foolish
things, /except paying the debt imposed by society?/ Now
what is left out/ except tasting the bitter juice of
repentance? (Repentance)
In the poem Realism the poet has

pessimistically dealt with the darker side of life. Here
he has compared life with an unbearable burden and a
dreadful ride on two boats. Often he sees under his
feet a saw poison smeared and double edged and
close to the throat a sharpened dagger. Not only
this, he painfully feels a noose around the neck and
visualizes only the dense darkness everywhere. Such
horrible conditions make him utter:
Living life is a compulsion!/ too much
burdensome! Realism)
Through his poem Enlightenment the poet

intends to convey to the world his message that the
torture and deceitful dispensation meted out by the so
called friends and fellows, dear and near ones, deeply
hurt the sentiments. The occasional breakdown of
emotions and sentiments served as a furnace to make
the poet emerge as more mature and experienced. As
94
he puts it:
Then alone I could know the secret of life and of
the world /when I was badly hurt by my own selves and
by others. (Enlightenment)
These lines have a close parallel in his poem

Hurt where he pessimistically says:
Desolate and sear is the garden /Withered and
mute is life./ Where are the flowers now?/ Only the
yellow leaves fall!
Memories serve as a powerful tool to change our

inner state. The poet has sung of their force in his
poems Before End-1 and Before End-2. In
Before End-1 the poet presents the memories of
good times as flowers which make the atmosphere
pleasurable. Moved by such atmosphere, he sings:
It seems/ each door is decorated /With bunting of
mango leaves/ All around!/ Life becomes fragrant, /With
scents./ Life overflows with sweet intoxicating nectar ,/
Life glows/ With bright, fresh colors!
In Before End-2 he compares the memories of

bad times to thorns. Wounded by the piercing
memories of the excruciating experiences he
encountered during the hard phases of life, the poet
gloomily utters:
It seems/ as if all around a dust storm rages, /Life
burns. In painful hell-fires/ Life stumbles, cries In
wilderness /With a stricken heart!
Infidelity and loneliness are very difficult to

cope with. For those victimized by them life becomes
95
an unbearable burden. Unable to reconcile to their

misfortune, the cowardly persons commit suicide but
those gifted with courage bear the onslaught of agony
silently. The poet advises both types of people to
accept the adverse conditions of life. He exhorts:
Accept this willingly,/ Salute it whole heartedly!
(Acceptance)
The poem Duty reflects the poets views about

mans basic duty. Being the best creation of God,
man should love his Creator and all thingsanimate
as well as inanimatecreated by Him. Since God is
present in all living things in the form of energy, not
only human beings but also animals, birds, creatures,
plants and trees deserve love of man. Loving buds,
flowers, flies and fairies is one of the basic duties of
man. As the poet says:
To love this life, this world/ Is what a man must do!
In the poem Freedom Space the poet draws

our attention to the two contradictory phases of his
life. In the former part of his life the poet was
burdened with cumbersome responsibilities and tiring
assignments. Like an acrobat, he worked hard only
for earning money and like a bull bore heavy yoke on
his body and passed again and again through long,
narrow graveled, stony and undesired streets. But in
the latter part of his life, he feels free, like air, to go
anywhere and do anything he likes.
The poem Essence presents the essence of life
in a very thought provoking manner. Here the poet
96
initially compares life to crematorium, a place where

nobody likes to go except when forced to follow the
dead body of his dear and near one. He also compares
life to a banyan tree standing alone and waiting to be
looked at. Pessimism reaches its climax in the second
stanza of the poem where the poet conceives life as a
synonym of gloom and severe punishment for the
sins of past lives. As the poem moves towards its
end, it unfolds new vistas of painful journey that life
stands for. This journey is as painful as the scorching
heat of noon during summer and pricking of needles
in throat.
Life is a journey of joys and woes. One the one
hand, it is replete with mind boggling problems and
challenges, failures and setbacks, disappointments
and frustrations while on the other hand it gifts us
with unimagined successes, golden opportunities and
multiple moments of joys and pleasures. The poet
brings this fact home in his poem Capability where
he says:
Life a mere journey/ endless journey /on an
infinite path ./To stop momentously for the rest /is the
mere prelude of marching ahead.
The poet has been a traveler in true sense of the

term. Having surmounted countless hindrances and
challenges that failed to deter him from going ahead,
the poet wants to welcome the day of prosperity by
singing songs of mirth and happiness. He vents his
hope of betterment in these lines:
97
Let the desert of deficiencies bloom into prosperity/

a life full of sentiments may come again! (Expectation)
The poem Unexpected reflects the poets

concept of fate and divine plan. He pertinently holds
that the law of nature controls the movements of all
objects-animate as well as inanimate. The same law
determines the mutual relationships of living
creatures. This is the reason why some of us enjoy
the company of fellow travelers whereas some others
impatiently aspire for the moments of desired
companionship. A majority of people are in search of
someone or something to fulfill their desired dreams
which haunt them relentlessly. That is why he calls
upon the miserable people:
O, cursed people of the world! /Wait./ Wait for
sudden! (Unexpected)
In his poem The Art of Living the poet has hit

upon the root cause of the miseries of life. In his
opinion those who do not know the grammar of life
i.e. a set of rules that govern life from birth to death
remain unhappy throughout because they are
unaware of the way of living life purposefully and
meaningfully. The poet considers himself as one of
such people and that is why he grows confessional in
his attitude to his life and remorsefully utters:
I didnt read/ the grammar of life./ Perhaps, It is,
that I didnt learn to lead happy life/ like others!
During the moments of positive thinking the

poet finds himself on the stable ground where he will
98
remain unaffected by the onslaughts of adverse

circumstances. Having endured the pain as severe as
the stinging of scorpions, the poet has emerged
victorious and feels that in midst of all types of
challenges he will remain invincible and
unshaken. But when he looks back at his past life,
he grows repentant to think that the time he wasted in
vain pursuits will not return. He ponders:
Flew away Eh, /many a year of life/ devoid of
rejoicings/ full of dearth yes,/ fluttered away /several
years of life! (Retrospection)
Like an ordinary human being, the poet faced

the time of sorrow as well as the fast running
moments of happiness. While the golden days of life
which came to him like a sacred boon, like a
comforting song were worth living, the glooming
days full of despondency, depression and extreme
emptiness, inauspicious like a curse were bitter and
prickly.
The poem Point of View sums up the poets
perception of life. Here he philosophically deals with
the past, present and future of life and exhorts us to
forget the past so that we can utilize our present in
order to invent a future. He interrogatively sings:
What is past is extinct!/ Why should it be the
controller of the present? /Why should it overpower the
present? /Free the present from the past/ live it with full
fervor enjoy!
In the poem he reveals the mystery of mans

happiness. He holds that one can smile only if one
99
can forget the painful memories of the past and fully

lives in the present. The best way to forget the
memories of the by- gone time, according to him, is
to sing the songs of the golden days of life. He
exhorts:
Sing if the heart aches, /sing with such an ease/
that none can ever get at it ,/ sing with the honey soaked
voice/ the mirths of life/ Let not the dead pal leaves of
autumn/ even slightly rustle,/ Oh, sing the songs of
spring. (A Point of View)
There is a blend of pessimism and optimism in

the poems included in the book. One of his later
poems is devoted to the treatment of life as a
meaningless journey. His view of life reminds me of
Shakespeare famous quote, Life is a tale told by an
idiot signifying nothing.
Caught in a pessimistic mindset, the poet
compares life to an ill arranged and lonely closed
room, an unwanted comet, a vast river with great
whirlpools, and an ugly canvas of mud and dust. To
cope with the mess life stands for, the poet, towards
the end of the collection, grows prayerful and turns to
God for solace and good things so that the gift of life
may prove meaningful. Like a child praying to his
mother, the poet prays to God:
Let me taste the sweet smell of every flower./ If you
have given me life, let me relax on a creepers lap free
from all inhibitions. (Through the Unwanted Moments)
Prayers with firm belief in the benign power of

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God provide solutions to many problems of life.

Weeping over misfortune is not the way a successful
man follows. Action with faith is what leads to
redemption from the ills of life. The poet is optimistic
about the advent of golden days if we wake up before
it is too late and that is why he firmly decides:
Well march removing hurdles/ cleaving the dark/
well march For,/ we know it well/ that lightening flashes
not/ in the blaze of noon. (We Know It Well)
The poet in the end discards the cowardly

persons as unfit for his companionship and welcomes
as his peers the courageous persons who face the
calamities of life laughingly and endure many
hardships in life without relaxing before getting
destination and the destination of humans life,
according to him, does not be in self-interests,
confined means of self-contentment targeted on
worldly happiness, but in struggling hard on the path
of life. The end of lifes journey is bitter fact. The
thought of coming death unnerves his mind to extent
that it appears impossible for him to bear his life. The
first line of the last poem of this collection I cannot
bear now, reflects the intensity of his agony. More
painful for him is his inability to express his suffering
in rhythm and metric. His nostalgic remembrance of
the past life of love and comfort is not less distressing
to him. Like Shelley, he has fallen on the thorns of
life and is bleeding. The warrior in him is immensely
sad to think that his agony has physically and
mentally incapacitated him beyond the hope of
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recovery. But, even now, he does not put his pen to

rest. To express the bitter reality surrounding the
inevitable end of life, he uses the fading might of his
pen and gloomily writes:
Life is difficult/ Heart lure is mute/ the stroke of
time is unbearable. (Intolerable)
***
102
Chapter-11
POETIC FRAGRANCE OF
Mahendra Bhatnagar
Dr.Arbind Kumar Choudhary
Mahendra Bhatnagar, D.H. Kabadi,Y.S.Rajen,
P.K. Majumder, I.K. Sharma, I.H. Rizvi, Syed
Ameeruddin, S.C. Dwivedi and several others belong
to the contemporary creative milieu who have been
blooming at the literary horizon with a number of
poetry collections to their credit. Dr. Mahendra
Bhatnagar is primarily a bilingual writer who credits
eleven volumes of poems in English and twenty
volumes in Hindi to his credit that speaks volumes
about his poetic credit to the literary world. As a
great poet Mahendra Bhatnagar touches all aspects of
lives misery, life, fate, death, nature, biography,
poetry, art, ambition, hypocrisy, love and many more
in one poem after another for the restoration of a
counsel of perfection.
As a social painter Mahendra Bhatnagar
paints a lovely picture of the hypocrisy, bureaucracy
and plutocracy through his poetic world for the
revival of a different facets of nature and exhales his
poetic fragrance for the essence of the spiritual world.
His more than three decades selfless service to the
literary world has reserved a permanent berth in the
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popular psyche of the creative milieu. Karthikeyan

and Baskaran comment about his poetic
contributions:
To the poet, the present generation people
cannot be termed as human and the ruthless behavior
of human beings does not entitle him/ her to call as
human . He makes his intentions very clear by saying
that he is waiting for an age where a human will
simply be called human. There is no separate identify
is needed for humans in the name of country,
relation, caste, sub-caste, language, dialect, colour,
race etc, as everyone of us belong to one category
Humans . He wants to form a world society where
human beings are addressed and treated as Human
beings.
According to the poet, these factors are
holding the human beings apart and they never
permit human beings to come together. In a mood to
discard the prophets who have descended on earth so
far, he yearns for a new seraph,1 prophet, archangel
to incarnate and establish a human religion.
Nature is one of the leading themes of his
poetry in which he embraces all six seasons in
general and spring in particular because spring comes
with blossomed flowers, green pansy, coloured
jungles, new leaves and fresh buds that enrapture
peoples heart with unfathomed joy. Spring
symbolizes novel vision, spiritual thought, and
stirring imagination that puts the lookers in the
seventh heaven without any dispute. Nature is the
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source of energy, power and force that stares at the

sullen germs of the human beings for the fragrance in
the days to come. As a poet of Nature Mahendra
Bhatnagar sings in his poem Unexpected :
Like all times/ Sweet- flourished spring came,/
With new leaves /And bracelets of colourful
FLOWERS.2
Like Tagore Mahendra Bhatnagar is primarily

a spring suitor who inhales all forms of spring for
spiritual consciousness and exhales poetic fragrances
to the outside world.
B.K.Dubey comments about his aspects of
nature: Nature poems from Bhatnagar deal with the
beauties prevalent in Nature, the colour, dream and
fragrance of flowers, the sweetness bestowed upon.
To be a Nature poet into be a lover of Nature and the
poet perceives the intrinsic relationship between the
two. With the change in time and season, the moods
and sentiments go changing and this is not all. Even
the feelings and emotions of man take a turn. The
spring season the flowers in bloom, the sweet cooing
and twittering of song- birds and sparrows take him
away from the dim and bustle of life, the sick and
hurry. The poet comes to mark, feels within and
relays to all through the manuscript. What the senses
perceive, the poet scripts in to register his presence.
Kachanar is one such which really takes the
imagination and fancy of ours through its finely
sweep:
For the first time at my door/ so bloomed Kachanar
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/overwhelmed with joy/ every branch overloaded!

(Kachanar)
Mahendra Bhatnagar first writes in Hindi then

he translates into English which is no less than like
writing in English. To sidetrack his poetry is to
dampen the spirit of translation studies and
transcription. In one poem after another, included in
Nature Poems, he has presented them afresh to be put
into an English garb of expression. Had he not
contributed, we would have definitely missed an
exponent from the realms of Hindi poetry. Today we
talk of ecocriticism and ecology-laced nature poems
and keeping it in our view, his poems open our eyes
as well as the horizon of new studies which we ought
to have stressed upon earlier. The poet sees the world
around, catches up with scenes and sights to flash
upon the stuffs of his poetic selection. The beauty of
the six season, namely spring, summer, rainy, light
winter, winter ad autumn, take the canvas away from
the poet and he feels lifted away. The season in
beauty, dream, reflection and situational reality
twitch him for an expression. Most of the poems
which he has put in for our scrutiny and perusal touch
he dreamy side of presentation and the writer of these
lyrics seems to be an escapist. A lover of Nature, a
mystic, he dwells attar, goes about floating and
dreaming, searching beauty whenever it can be
perceived.
In his poem, flowers talk to, winds by,
brooks sing, hills magnify the nature and scope of his
poetry, as he continues to take us with his sound
106
sense, rhythm, gauge and measurement. One such

poem is Charming Flowers wherein he speaks of the
beautifulness, dreamy fragrance and the spray of
scent so nicely, so sweetly that we forget it to
believe that we are reading a poem rather than a
flowery plant of some garden or courtyard. The
intensity of emotion and feeling, the verve of passion
and the of poet and he been carrying them forward so
elegantly, so graciously. If one seeks to derive
something one muss get a lesson from the wide,
varied and multi hued world of Nature Mahendra has
just felt about and has given words and touches to the
artistic Area ding of his poems shows it clearly that
herein the poet for the art s sake rather than
morality and didacticism. His poem Gourajya
translate into English would mean Sparrow, but here
the context is one of joy, bless, nestling and chirping
Cloud and Moon Moon Light and Poonam are
like in theme and expression. 3
As a great poet Mahendra Bhatnagar
compares biography with poetry because biography
deals with past while poetry deals with the present
and peeps into future. Biography is a record of
happened incidents while poetry is the continuous
process that goes on uninterrupted and connects a
link between past, present and future. T.S. Eliot
makes a connection between these three in his essay
Tradition and Individual Talent. To Mahendra
Bhatnagar poetry is more important than biography.
Comparing between biography and poetry Mahendra
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Bhatnagar makes a clear demarcation in these lines of

the poem Biography:
Biography: Is a sequence of past, Lived.
Poetry : Instant, Flowing, Alive!
Poetry is that water that blows eternally in

course of time. Misery, melancholy, and suffering
has remained the capital idea of a number of poets
from times immemorial. It was common with
Romantic poets too. Suffering makes a man mature in
life. It gives perfection, maturity and clarity to those
who embrace smell at heart and soul. The more man
suffers, the more man gets. The poet sings his song in
spite of the adverse situations piercing Tom, Dick
and Harry in this world. Time torments him
ruthlessly but his poetic journey goes on beyond the
head of the ruthless situations. Mahendra Bhatnagar
shares his chequered career with the readers in the
poem Enlightenment :
Then alone I could sing /The song of pain /When
the age tormented me ruthlessly.
T. S. Eliot calls the hollow men of the modern

society because they are deprived of morality,
spirituality and ideology and possess only the flesh
into to. Like T. S. Eliot Mahendra Bhatnagar exposes
the hollowness of modern man who lives in the fools
paradise for want of conscience. Man has become
thirsty of ones blood. It is quite impossible for a man
to have faith in another because faithfulness has
become a story of the past for them. On the contrary
108
people extend their helping hands to those who are

fraudsters, black marketers, cheaters and butchers on
the name of friendship, peace and prosperity. Man is
afraid of man, animal is afraid of man, and plant is
afraid of man. Mahendra Bhatnagar unmasks the
modern race in all his conscience. In his poem Man
the poet exposes the hollowness of modern race as a
whole :
Man - miles away today from man ,/ devoid of
intimacy/ each step hollow / only full of vanity.
Mahendra
Bhatnagar
discusses
the
significance of love in the life of the human beings
because lack of love and wisdom stirs raw mind for
terrorism. It is only love that can connect man with
man, man with woman, and man with animals, birds
and plants. The poet gives solution in his poem
Duty while he sings:
To love People, /Mute animals, birds, seacreatures,/ The forest creepers, /The trees,/ Is what a
man must do.7
His poetic message is to love one another and

turn this earth into a dale of eternal bliss. Love all
living beings and make a heavenly world on this
strife-stricken earth. The poet propounds the
philosophy of suffering of life in his poem
Essence:
Life- An experience Of noons scorching heat,
Life- Of throat pricking needles Acute thirst.8
Strife of life is better than ever. The

109
chequered career of life makes a man more mature,

more sensitive and more conscious than those who
have not inhaled the essence of the chequered career.
Experience is another name of perfection. Life must
go onwards for the better future in the womb of time.
Life must be spiritual, magnetic and sublime. It must
be fragrant for all those crossing the way of life.
Dedication, determination, and devotion are
the chief tools of life upon which failure or success
depends in the coming days. Life is a crown of thorns
rather than a bed of roses. To embrace the challenge
of life is the main thing for a man of game person.
Life is to blossom, not to extinguish. The path of life
is divine and superfine for the spiritual sanctity.
Contributions:
He is a poet of all times-simply because he
talks of things that affect one thirds of humankind
and such poets that mirror macro issues can never
fade with the ebbing tides. These talented prolific
liberal poets are like the seated Colossal Zeus Status
of Phidias that faces that future calmly, his ivory
turned back on the past, while forever rooted in the
present moment: suggesting a relevance, an unbroken
temporal/ spatial continuum that art always is for the
viewers of both continuum that art always is for the
viewers of both to-day and to-morrow, and of the
lapsed past. At 85, he continues to be positive,
hopeful, fertile and critical in his critiques of the
changing social order of his country. He believes
things will change one day- in favour of the
110
downtrodden and the marginalized of this earth. The

eternal optimist in him is right- the recent political
developments in Egypt and Tunisia and Yemen are
pointers to this eternal fact that ultimately it is the
people power that counts and serius9 poetry
articulates these democratic aspirations so well.
In a nutshell, I observe that all these poetry
collections are the rich harvest of the mature poet that
conveys the message of wisdom, freedom and
spiritual sanctity for the divine kingdom on this earth.
His poetic approach, divine notion, captivating
thought and sensational social painting has made him
a leading literary luminary of Indian English
literature. Mahendra Bhatnagars poetic order works
wonder for the gander on a land of Menander where
his mind- blowing thought, lucid expression,
visionary ideology, stirring imagination and painterly
painting have made him a poet in a thousand amidst
the earthly monarchy prevailing across the continent.
Mahendra Bhatnagars poetic fame will go up with
fresh criticism and spiritual vision by the generations
next to him. I complete my comment with this
observation
Bhatnagars nectar Wages war For the ocular Of the
secular.
References:
1. Sabharwal, R.K Bhushan, Concerns and Creation: A
Critical Study of Mahendra Bhatnagars Poetry, 2012,
Delhi, Indian Publishers and Distributors.
2. Bhatnagar, Mahendra, Life As It Is, 2012, Delhi,
Indian Publishers and Distributors.
3. Sabharwal, Dr R.K.B, Concerns and Creation.
111
4. Bhatnagar, Mahendra, Life As It Is.

9. Sabharwal, Dr R.K.B, Concerns and Creation.
***
112
Chapter-12
MAHENDRA BHATNAGAR:
A Critical Study
Mrs. Purnima Ray
Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar is a versatile Indian
poet writing in Hindi and English. His poems have
been translated into several Indian and foreign
languages. He has eleven volumes of poetry in
English and a collection of his 108 poems translated
into French by the present reviewer. His poems have
been anthologized. His eighteen poetry-collections
(Hindi) are compiled in three volumes. Many
research works and critical studies in Hindi and in
English are also published on his poetry. Dr.
Mahendra Bhatnagar is a very multitalented person.
He worked as Professor, Chairman (Board of
Studies) and expert member in various academic
committees of several Indian Universities and
audition committees of All India Radio. His poems
had also been included in various Text-Books of
curricula of Educational Boards and University of
India.
Mahendra Bhatnagars poems are simple yet
thought-provoking, deep and symbolic, and
philosophical. His present book Life : As It Is is a
collection of one hundred and ninety-nine beautiful
poems. His poems are philosophical in Nature, and
deal with wide range of themes. As he gained many
113
experiences in his long and creative life, and worked

in the various fields of education and art, his
knowledge is vast and wide. So he sees life in various
angles. Sometimes he is like a mystic poet, yet
optimistic. He loves life, along with Nature, humans
surrounding him, this earth along with the sky, the
moon and the sun, where he is born, and sings the
paean of life. So he loves Death, because it bestows a
new birth. At this old ripe age he is very conscious :
Only a few moments / are left for me / All of a
sudden on one day / the throbbing of the heart will /
Stop! (Reality)A moment / Only a moment / snatches
away / Life! (A Moment)
Yet he cannot remain sad or pessimistic, for he
knows: Every moment / Has its own mysterious
meaning (A Moment) That is why it is essential
You live every moment to the fullest (A
Moment) He is very spiritual to the core, he
apprehends if his prayer will go to the Lord : Well /
How one can say / His word to anyone / In the noise
of countless voices! (Continuity)
He is a poet of hope, and for that love is very
important to him: Now and then at least / Someone
shall love us! (Expectation) Because it is very impart
to lead a life in such a scorched world: At least let
us get / Good wishes or goodwill of someone! / In
curse scorched world / In sorrow spread all
around / Someone should be sympathetic / Sometime
ever! (Expectation)
114
When this poet says :I stay on /Amassing pain

and grief / Of many-many years! (Lively)It move us
and we have to continue to read the following lines
I was awake throughout nights / I was awake
throughout days / I was awake throughout my life / I
stay on / Wrapping up my body / With much dirt and
brownish dust! (Lively)
We cannot hear such clear declaration from any
poet like him: I stay on / spreading fire on my bed!
(Lively) Like a stoic philosopher he says: The people
are dejected so much that / they commit suicide /
in the state of their restlessness! / Or / Lose the
balance / of their body or mind! / And in their
perturbed mood / They weep without a reason! /
They laugh without a reason! (Ascetic)
He says more :In fact / For him, who had lived
asceticism / There is no difference / Between dying
and living! / For him / There is no difference /
Between / Drinking poison or nectar!
(Ascetic)
His stoicism finds expression in these lines
:Neither I was disappointed / nor dejected!
(Awakening)
He attains that-spiritual calmness in his mind :It
is true / All my efforts were useless / I could not
succeed. / But I am / Not at all restless! (Awakening)
His inner voice tells us :At every time / Let the
blows of defeat / Become a source of your strength, /
115
Let your mind, engaged in work, / Be filled always /

with virility and vigor! (Awakening)
He reminds us the transitoriness of our life :
Our life / Like a Harsingar flower / That blooms
today / Shall tomorrow shed! (Life) And for that he
advices us :As such / Each moment rare / Be full of /
merry- making, of honey-love! / May each heart
ceaseless swing / with overflowing tide of raptures!
(Life) Amidst dull routine and monotonous life there
is : Rare / Music cadence / Sounds thrilling / Joy
fragrant / Love rainbow like! (Recognize You Cant)
Like the French poet Alfred de Vigny he accepts
suffering :Keep quiet / Bear everything! / Lie down /
Suffer patiently / Here or there! (Substance)
Through pain and suffering the realization is
complete :At the fag end of my life, / At the stage of
catastrophe, / Nearly at the end of the play / When I
stood face to face / Before the truth / Hung on the
cross / I have experienced / countless electric
shocks / Dangerous sparks! / My body and mind /
Crushed / By twisted pain! (Experience)
After it the poets very feeling is :All are
amazing / Everything is peculiar! / Where is my
existence? / Only is my statue / Dumb and lifeless!
(Experience)
Poet Bhatnagar experiences life as a crucial one
:Living life / Is difficult, unbearable / And
burdensome! / As if / It is a dreadful ride / On two
boats! (Realism)
116
He knows the world as :The world has grown

strange / And we have become aliens! / Each is
lost / In himself, / In his joys, / In his sorrows!
(Solitary)
He knows the world where there is no faith
:When faith / Is lost / There is an earthquake inside!
(broken Hearted)
In this world one gets frustrated :But / I did not
get what I desired / It seems that this precious life
/ was a waste, / As if almost complete / Difficult
austerities / Failed at the end!
(Frustrated)
Yet the poet overcomes and says quietly :O, do
not break / Anyones trust / Trust is the bond, /
Trust is life! (Relationship)
It is poet Bhatnagar who can say :Life has been
spent / leaning life. / Vocal scores were lost / at
soprano pitch / in learning / the art of music.
(Actually)
The poet suffers and gets enlightened
gradually, he proceeds but cannot forgets his past, it
seems to him :Memories are flowers! / Multi
coloured. / Laughing flowers! (Before End 1)
Sometimes it is :Memories are thorns! /
Piercing, pointed thorns!
(Before End 2)
And going through all this he can realize that
:There is nothing one can control! / O, nothing
117
indeed ! / Does life / Mean?Helplessness?

(Enlightenment)
It is his self-experience that loneliness and
pain go together :Everyman / In his calamity is
alone! / All the aggregate of misery / Solely is his! /
In moments of pain / Man is all alone!
(Self-Experience)
He then accepts, says to himself: Loneliness is
your lot / Tolerate it / Happily! ... (Acceptance)
His confrontation with lifes problems finds a
fine expression in these following lines: The stones /
The more I hurled / The more each sprang up! The
more I crushed / The more each leapt up! The muds /
The more I washed / The more clean each was! The
soots / The more I mixed up The more I smeared /
The more it cleared up! Glittered becoming pure
gold! (Confrontation)
The more the poet suffers, the more he realises
and accepts: If life is pain / Then bear its pangs / We
must! If life is a secret, / Then remain silent / We
must! ... (Helpless)
But through these biller experiences he gets
enlightened: Bitter experiences / Have given me /
Maturity! The meanness of man / Has taught me /
How to live rightly! ... (Enlightenment)
So he can sing the song of suffering: Then
alone I could sing / The song of pain / When the age /
Tormented me ruthlessly! ... (Enlightenment)
How symbolic is the poets journey :I have
118
roved so much / In the murkiness of clouds, / I have

wandered endlessly / In the darkness of my mind! /
Carrying / My sable-ashen body / I have rambled
unceasingly, / Day in and day out / have wandered!
... (Desired) And then he reaches at a point when he
can exclaim: Now is the time / To bathe to the full / In
the stream of light, / To get into the radiant waterfall
of truth / And bathe for the rest of my life! .. (Desired)
Poet Bhatnagar is a seeker after truth, and the
truth is like a light that begets him the utmost
fulfilment :...I will sink in light, / And I will swim in
light, / I will let my body float, / And I will let my
mind float, / I will bathe to the full! (Desired)
Like Arjun he exclaims, and goes beyond Arjun
:...How terrible is truth / Then utter every falsehood /
We must! (Helpless)
And such wisdom makes him courageous as
well as victorious in life :...And yet, each challenge is
Welcome, / Come what may ...(Courage)
So he can sing a poem of life :...My pace gives
me meaning / To the immortal time, / I am / The
unconquered, ceaseless fighting, / Before me bows /
Each mountain-obstacle! Each approaching moment
/ Is welcome! (Life)
He wishes : Let life flow freely, / Let it lead to
victory! / ...Let each man become gold / Made pure in
the inner fire! ... (A Wish)
He wants to accept :..Hindrances :
Challenges are / To accept them Synonym : of
119
humanity greatness! / To accept these clarion

call : / of lifes transcendental force / eternal! ...
(Hindrances are challenge)
For he knows :...we live in conditions fruitless,
neutral, unfit! (As Before)
He says again:...change / break of
situations / is must, / Whether / New situations be
altogether against, or / be doubtful! (Away From
Static State)
For he knows the outcome of it :Let the desert
of deficiencies / bloom into prosperity a life / full of
new sentiments / may come again! Let me sing / a
strong impetuous song! (In Expectation)
But poet Bhatnagar is not blind towards social
causes. He is very conscious of it :Compel not / Man
/ So much that / Undergoing injustices / Beast he
became!
Compel not / Man / So much that / Life to
him /Became / A sharp pricking / Ever oozing /
Gangrene! ... (Insistence)
He shows us that the poet is a true wellwisher of the society : If evil wishes / Efficacious
were, / Desolate / This world / Before long / would
have been! Eternal / Fountain of love / In
netherworld / Before long would have been lost!
(Well-Wisher)
He hears us the message of love : To love / This
life, this world / Is what a man must do! To love /
120
People, /Mute animals, birds sea-creatures, The

forest creepers, / The trees, / Is what a man must
do!... (Duty)
He prays : O giver of life / Give me love, / If
you have given me thirst / Give me nectar to drink ...
(Through The Unwanted Moments) and asks : O sing
/ Playing on the worlds harp; / Stir each mind / With
the priceless tunes of love ... (The Worship of Art)
His eagerness for love extends not only towards
humans, but all the living creatures of the earth and
Nature. The poet not lose faith in God when he
understands :...The day has declined, / it is evening, /
Deep darkness / Is surrounding / On four sides! My
mind accept wholeheartedly / This solitariness with
pleasure, / O, my mind! O, God! / I am grateful to
you / extremely grateful! (Gratefulness)
When he says : For years have I not seen /
Sunrise, Sunset ! / The sky full of the moon and stars /
I have not seen, / For years, have not seen! .. (Tug
of War)
It seems that he misses Nature, which is the
great solace for him. And perhaps for this he is kept
alive and his conscience too :.Lucky I was, / Death
/ Spared me, / Even in the storm, / The lamp kept
burning. (Birthday)
One could notice that this death is not
physical, here the lamp is the lamp of conscience,
knowledge, insight etc. So he says :If you have
given me life / Let me relax on a creeper slap / Free
121
from all inhibitions.

Moments)
(Through the Unwanted
And for this he can think :To stop

momentarily for rest / is the mere prelude of
marching ahead. Destination far, very far, / time
Little, too little! (Capability)
These lines quoted above remind us many
miles to go before I sleep of Robert Frost. In his
poem The Art of Living poet Bhatnagar defines
himself as a man : The grammar of life I didnt read,
/ It is perhaps, that / I didnt know how to live in real
sense! .. / I didnt lean to discriminate man to man
/ I didnt learn to lead happy life / like others!
And here it is we differ with him. The poet
wishes: I wished I could / All, all my life / Bring the
sun and the moon / To the deep most valleys of my
heart / To kill darkness! (The Irony of Fate)
His poetry speaks of love and hope : Bestow
melancholy, / grant derision of defeat, / confer
morbid hopelessness, / but do not take away the hope
of triumph! (Prayer)
Let there be betrayal, / let disloyalty haunt us /
at every amorous step, / bequeath faithlessness,
endless / like the mirage, / but do not still the songs
on lips! (Prayer)
In the poem The Worship of Art poet
Bhatnagar sings the paean of life; to him the act of
seeing is important : Why, the worship of Art / Fills
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each heart with love! / Sing / The stone will turn into
wax, / The hot desert into a tidal sea. / Sing, / the
whirlwinds will calm down, / The dark night / will
turn into a golden day!
Like Milton, he believes that the mind is its
own place : O sing / The world shall excel the
Heaven in beauty, / No man will suffer old age, / A
man will only an angel be, / And a woman, /A divine
damsel she will be! (The Worship of Art) Sing, O
sing / That the spring may come / To the distressed
life; / he boughs and flowers may dance ..
He can exclaim: Sing, so that life a lyric may
become! / Sing, so that each particle / a friend may
become! (Sing) When he says : Sing, so that
suffering a music may become! (Sing)
It is very unique in the history of world poetry.
He delivers new lessons : I shall not bow down
before misfortune, / Though remained unsuccessful in
life, today! Not even for a moment kept dormant / the
feeling of devotion, / No matter, if I am defeated!
(Irresistible) Human life doesnt brighten up without
futilities, / I have great confidence that / The flowing
stream of life will not cease. (Support) To weep on
misfortune is a crime here. (No Life)
He is fond of : Those who suffer the calamities
of life laughingly / Are my only companions!
(Companion)
His Introduction is a wonderful poem where
he speaks of himself and we identify him as the great
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and an ideal human being, who is full of love,

powerful as well as strong, full of music that can ease
the mental agony, and a great salvator. Here we get
two images: (1) Saraswati, the goddess of learning,
and (2) Vishnu, the Supreme God:
.How they came to know / Ocean of love, I am!
. How they came to know / The axis of power I am!
.How they came to know / Tinkling of harp I am!
.How they came to know / Helm of salvation I am!
The most remarkable poems in this collection
are : Man, Revival, Biography, Easy-Difficult,
Repentance, Alms, Faith, Man and Dream,
Life etc.
As a poet he sees man as conqueror of Nature,
wild beasts but : How strange man is the most unsafe
from man, / absolutely ignorant of the mans
psychology! (Man) Man gives in to the cruel
heart-touching assaults, / man loots man / with
tricky/ sentiments (Man)
Revival is a beautiful poem where the poet
suffers as he is in the inferno : Timely-untimely fire
mountains of brute cruelty burn in me / Lava-river of
retaliation-revenge pricks / my injured wounded
consciousness / Then this deserted dense forest seems
only safe!
He wishes to bear: The dense forest / The
loneliness/ Is my helplessness! / Let me bear the pain
124
of it! / Let me burn, / Let me burn!

For he wants to expiate, and it is with he gets
liberated, he believes so, it is his purgatories:
Forests will extinguish, / Iron cages will get melted! /
I will come return back, / Will abandon my self, /
Will become a part of collective consciousness / Will
merge in the endless crowd!
One should notice the poets gradual upliftment
of the soul is complete by giving the enough space
between the two lines. The word endless crowd is
very important, because it suggests sarvabhuta (all
the beings of the Universe). His wish : Where
personal stings will be lost / or will sleep in the
depths of unconsciousness!
Is the utmost prayer of the Vedantic devotee.
The depth of unconsciousness is the word of the
Supreme God Lord Vishnu, who is trigunatita
(meaning without having the nature of sattva, raja,
tama), where the poet could stay immortal like this
:Let the mountains of pain / Fall and break / Again
and again, / Immortal, I / Will remain uncrushed!
.Lacs of scorpions stings, / Let arise / The poison
scorched tide in body, / Pledged to endure / I will
remain unshaken! (A Solemn Pledge)
The poet finely distinguishes the difference
between the biography and the poetry in his poem
Biography : Biography : / Is a sequence of past
lived / Poetry : / Instant . Flowing . Alive!
How finely he draws a line between passing the
125
time and the living of it :,Its easy / simply to pass a

day, / difficult to live! (Easy : Difficult)
And at the same time how poetic these lines are
: How easy to spend life, / difficult to manage / to
set / to stitch / the threads, the fibers of a fractured
personality!
We wonder again when he says : Lo! / I have
spent life laughing and weeping / but could not live!
(Repentance)
Like a true poet he begs : Give me / a handful
of light! (Destiny)
How symbolic these lines are when he says :
Water, / water each particle! / Each land has warmth
/ Each land is issue-oriented! (Faith)
We read and understand that Water here is
love, if there is love, then the distance will be
removed; it reminds us that we should forgive the
sinner but not the sin. And for that he says : Lots of
love Love / That I have treasured all my life / To
each of those who are distressed / Either by Fate or
the ways of the world! (Gift Of A Lively Faith)
In the poem Man And Dream, poet Bhatnagar
gives an utmost importance to dream, for dream is
the real work-plan before going into action, it is the
seed, and the fruit is work. How poetic these lines are
: Cherish gift of dream costly! / God-gift bestowed /
Deck it in eyelids / Day and night! The term
Dreamer / Is definition of being Human, / Of
movement and progress / Inspiration-fount; / In
126
trouble-sea of world-boat / A mighty rudder!.If you

have given me life / Let me relax on a creepers lap /
Free from all inhibitions. (Through The Unwanted
Moments)
The poem Life is worth quoting : Life is
nothing / But an unwanted comet; / Life is like Sita
/ Stigmatized and distressed; / A vast river with
great whirlpools / And full of swelling waves
accursed Yet the poet lives : Yet I live / On the bed of
fire ; / Yet I live / Holding a mountain on my head! /
Yes, I live in the manner of Shiv / Drinking poison
unto the neck!
Poet Mahendra Bhatnagar worships work, to
him no good work is baffling: It is better / If you
write on the walls of an empty room / If you portray
your heart / In different colours! Perhaps, someone
at some moment / May read or ponder over!
(Substance)
Like a Upanishadic sage he prays to the SunGod : O Sun, / The blazing red sun! / Fill my dejected
heart with the fire of life!! / Give smartness to my
body, / Inactive and tired, / And make it move
forward!
And these lines quoted above remind us the
Vedic hymn to Sun-God :
Om fabakusuma sankasam Kashyapeyam
mahadyutim
dhyantarim
sarvapapaghnam
pranatasmi divakaram .
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The line and make it move forward suggests

the Vedic word charaibeti meaning go forward
the advancement of the soul. The poet prays : May
every person be like the sun / radiant, / full of
warmth, and resplendent! / May every person seem
shining like the sun! (Aspiration : Sun)
Like a true Karmayogi he frowns at destiny
: We will wash / Thy ominous lines, / And singing
sweet the inspiring music of hard work, / We will
break through / Thy citadels of distress and
destruction! / O winged steeds of Destiny! / We will
hold thy bridle / And give ye direction! (O Winged
Steeds Of Destiny)
He speaks of himself as well as of the
Supreme Being. At the end of each stanza his
identification as .Ocean of love I am / the axis of
power I am / Tinkling of harp I am / Helm of
salvation I am! (Introduction),
Reminds us the Sublime Unseen Spirit that
controls the whole Universe, holds us all and do not
forget us even for a moment. His spirituality does not
distinguish between the good and the evil, so he says
:There is reflection of bad in good, / Where is
deception; there is faith too, / Even curse is wish
bliss, / Human is weak, moreover is truly great /
Unholy, is sacred too! (Situations And Suspense)
One can see that the poet loves life and man
with all its diversities. Like a Upanishadic sage he
reaches to that point of spirituality where there is no
sense to distinguish between the good and the evil
128
(which is said as a Vedhgnana). He does not want

to get anything good so easily : I shall go stumbling
and rising, / Dont give me the world of easily
obtainable light! (Let Run Down)
Like a true poet he describes his last day his
merging with the five elements :I am fading each
moment! / Stars envelope in the sky, / Waves merge in
the ocean, / Tunes of the lyre are lost in the sound of
blowing wind / One day in the stream-trend of time /
Agile; I will also vanish! (Destruction)
In the poem Flow of Passion, the poet gets
in touch with the world of joy :Today, passions are in
full sway! / Vanquishing the ocean of tears, / The
heart gets rid of pain, / The burden of ages became
light, / Heart has sung a song, / Reverberating its
clank! (Flow of Passion)
Inside, his mind and outside, the world of
Nature are merged :Heat of the sun has gone, /
Burning sensations of soul are calm, / In the shades
of clouds / Prevailing the cool wind! / Got the love of
beloved in her silent acceptance! (Flow of Passion)
And now fulfilment is complete :The heart
became happy, / Like the leaf of a garden, / I attained
now everlasting happiness / Materializing the
paradise! (Flow of Passion)
And this calmness and peace have been
attained through wisdom and knowledge : one can
visualize the scene when he says : Life was just to
sink, / Whole garden was dried up and desolate, /
129
When branches shed their dry leaves and sacked, /

Then came sweeping from afar sweet spring breeze!
(A Boon)
Sing the Song is an important poem where
the poet reminds us that God not only exists in our
thinking of Him, but when anyone feels and believes
in the existence of God, then the union between God
and the devotee is complete, and then, afterwards, it
becomes the source of inspiration. Finally, the poet
directly addresses God as You in the poem You :
You are tender shoot of my lifes tree! / I admit,
during the stormy-rainy season, / I shook from the
root, / Yet, I sing your song, / thoroughly from the
depth of heart, / only, on your strength, I fight
fearlessly unceasingly! (You)
Really, poet Bhatnagars poetry is deeply rooted
in the Indian spiritual tradition as earlier appreciated by
Dr. R. Kichenamourty, former Professor of French,
Pondicherry University. I have to echo his appreciation
again that This is indeed a remarkable collection which
will leave a lasting impression on the minds of the readers
owing to its originality, richness and variety.
***
130
Chapter-13
SUCCINCT AND THOUGHT PROVOKING
POEMS
Jasvinder Singh
The purpose of poetry is to spread the message
of harmony and co-existence among humans all over
the world as a unified society. Apart from enthralling
and entertaining poetry also explores horizons in
search of beauty, truth and uniformity in love and
true understanding. In the light of this aspect the
poets in once voice made the fellow men realize the
meaning and purpose of life with sustenance of love
and beauty all around.
Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar, has enormously
authenticated the significance and existence of love
in thoughts around himself. He has also sufficiently
proved his credentials as an ambassador of universe
through his unison with a band wagon of other fellow
poets in India, and all over the world. He has created
a lively impression by taking the reader into his
world as if sauntering in to his world of love and
beauty.
The poet has put in all concerted efforts to
endear himself through messages in his poetry on
love - its nuances and its different vibes to enchant
131
life and the very purpose of existence in this mortal

world. For example, the poets skepticism on love is
avidly admirable and fascinating also. He feels in his
poems in the anthology titled O Moon My Sweet
Heart, that
You would open the door/ With hands as fair as
mirror /And stand in modesty /With your innocent
cheeks/ Blushing red and rosy /Your eyes would tell me/
Who-knows-what in Language mute.
In another poem Affection he tells the reader:

They are neither rare /Nor precious/ Not at all
available /On earth or in heaven /Tears..of unique
love/ Of the soul /Of expanse unfathomable.
Here, in these poems the poet has remarkably

visualized his precision about love, beauty and
universal truth in life to opportune the reader to
admire the poet with an extraordinary veneration and
love for him. The poems also draw our attention to
poets acumen of intellect with which he has made
the poems lively and entertaining while making
revelations with their far reaching impact on the
fancy of the reader. In his poem Significant in the
book Life As it is he contends:
Thoughts /Abstract thoughts/ Be concrete In
depths of though sphere/ Be concrete this way or that/
Abstract thoughts/ So that we could make up our minds/
And could dress them/ In some language format.
In another poem Through The Unwanted

Moments the poet impleads God:
132
O giver of life /Give me love /If you have given

me thirst /Give me nectar to drink. /
He also observes that:
When soul is blessed/ With physical mould/ Give
it a shape /Give it beauty/ And fill heart with tidal
waves of feelings.
It has been seen that the poet has poured out the
inner feelings emanating from the core of heart to
take the readers in his own world of fascination and
win their hearts with surging emotions in almost each
of his poems. He has worked wonders as a wordsmith
to become an ambassador of the universe, the title
most poets are acclaimed with.
Love, beauty and philosophy depicted in these
poems make the revelations reverberating in heart
and mind of the reader. What enthralls me the most to
record my interaction to his poetry is the golden
opportunity of perusing his subtle thoughts in the
poems.
The poet has won accolades of laudations and
endeared himself beyond any doubt. We may look
forward to more such poems from him.
***
133
Chapter-14
DR. MAHENDRA BHATNAGAR:
A LOVE POET
Dr. Surendra R Parmar
Dr Mahendra Bhatnagar is a famous and most
discussed poet in Hindi and Indian English Poetry.
Great people are known by their works and not by
their words and Dr Mahendra Bhatnagar is one such
name. He is well known for his poetic contribution.
He is a progressive poet of renown. His poetic career
demonstrates his humanistic vision. Prof. Suresh
Chandra Dwivedi says,
Dr Mahendra Bhatnagar is one of the
significant post independence Voices in Hindi and
Indian English Poetry, expressing the lyricism and
pathos, aspirations and yearnings of the modern
Indian intellect. Rooted deep into the Indian soil, his
poems reflect not only the moods of a poet but of a
complex age.
His poems have been translated into many
Indian languages as well as international languages.
There are poets who could very well express the
emotions in their poetry without having such
emotions at all. Such poets can express their
emotions in catchy words but there are a few poets
who could have understanding and can inspire people
134
through their works. Dr Mahendra Bhatnagar is one

such name. I wish to present here the thoughts
contained in the collection O Moon, My Sweet Heart.
O Moon, My Sweet Heart was published by
Jaipur based Rachana Prakashan in 2013. This
volume has 102 poems in it. The man is todays
world is struggling to get true love. This man can live
without food but cannot live without costly mobiles.
The poet talks of emotions or feelings at such a time
when they dont count before materialistic things.
Man is totally lost in materialism. But its a fact that
there is always a silver line even in the darkest
clouds. Dr Mahendra Bhatnagar is such a silver line.
He is a humanist and love poet. He has not only
written poetry but has also talked about making man
more humane. His poetry has the message of faith,
understanding, goodwill and humanity. He advises
the people who are lost in materialistic pursuits to
come back. Kabir has rightly said that Maya has
thousands of forms and it deceives people by its
various forms. True devotee is never deceived by it.
Today its common that people avoid useful talks just
to attend a call. He talks a lot on the phone missing a
lot from the ongoing discussion. Today people are
going away from the actual world and running behind
the fake world. They will have to pay the price for
this negligence.
There are 102 poems in the present collection.
The poet succeeds in reaching to the people with his
good thoughts. It affects people. The poems present
135
various passions. People worship God by following

various paths but all paths lead to the same God. Like
this love may have various forms but one is to reach
true love. As the spiritualists say that nothing remains
to be achieved once life is enriched with true love.
This collection is full of such emotions which are
presented by various images.
Dr Mahendra Bhatnagar is a committed poet
and it can be seen in the poem Passion and
Compassion.
All things are forgotten/ Except /Those moments of
passion/ Soaked in intimacy/ And those experienced
moments /Of the blazing flames of relationships.
And In the poem Affection he upholds unique

love :
They are neither rare/ Not precious/ Not at all
available/ Tears.of unique love/ Of the soul of
expanse unfathomable.
The poet in the poem Willing to Live conveys

the message that as he has seen his beloved, now he
wants to live further. He says,
Suddenly/ Today, when I saw you/ I want to live
further!
He considers his love a boon because his love

has bestowed upon him a world of silvery beauty and
charm. The love of his beloved is like a gift which is
like life. To the poet even the recollection of his
beloved is enough to spend his life happily.
Your recollection /Is enough/ For spending the rest
of my life/ Happily!
136
In the poem You he says that his beloveds

ever smiling face is pleasingWhenever you smile/ You look more pleasing!
But at the same time he is also aware that his

beloved is like a sparrow who will fly leaving him.
You are the sparrow/ Of my courtyard /You will fly
away!
He says in the poem One Night that his

beloved came like a flash of lighting in his dark sky
of his life. Even her remembrances resounded his
heart with songs. The poet says that her company was
the only protection. Everything except the ecstasy of
each live moment has disappeared. The poet also
talks of soothing touch in the poem Touch
O Innocent/ Your soft cool Fingers /Touched My
forehead/ That moment,/ I thought no more/ Of my
problems.
He talks of beauty in the poem A Submission.

The world looks like a widow when the beautiful
flowers have faded away.
O my lovely love/ When the flowers are fading/ And
the world looks like a widow/ What meaning could there
be/ In the beauty-aids or /The jingling of the ankle- bell?
He talks of separation in the poem At Midday

At midday/ Despairing and crestfallen /I bemoan I
am not/By your side!/ Lonely, drowsy and dreamy /I peer
constantly/ At the path./ Through the door ajar!
In the poem Who are you he talks of

consolation that his beloved has given him. Her
137
words sound like a charming musical note!

In the poem O Moon, My Sweetheart he says
that the moon always reminds him of his beloved:
O moon! Your glimpse spontaneously reminds me
too much/ Of an innocent face!
He says that he doesnt know the reason but the

moon is the same innocent face:
This is the very face/ Kissed by me a thousand
times,/ At times by soft kisses,/ At others, like the lustful
Adam!/ This is the very face /That smiled before me/
again and again, /Sometimes blushed extremely!
Kabir has talked much about affection. The

poem Pretext helps strengthen the lovers faith in life.
There is a clear message that life is incomplete
without love. In absence of love everything wealth,
materialistic things, and beauty- is insignificant.
Everyone knows Lord Krishna once dined at the
house of Vidur leaving all kinds of delicacies at the
palace of Duryodhana. This is the strength of love.
One was a servant and the other was a king. But
before love nothing counts- no master no servant. In
material world Vidur is a low born but in the spiritual
world nobody comes to the level of Vidur.
Everything vanishes in the presence of love. There is
also a message in the poem Conclusion that there is
nothing more beautiful than love in life. Thats why it
is said that life is nothing except love.
In this life /There is nothing / Nothing indeed
/More beautiful than love/ Anywhere.
138
There are many such poems in the collection

which appraises love and shows that love is
synonymous with life. Where there is no love there is
no life. Where there is love there is everything.
Mahendra Bhatnagar is a great poet who passes
through all standards of poetry. His poetry has all the
good qualities that a good poetry should have.
Ruskin says, Art is the expression of one soul
talking to another Mahendra Bhatnagar is one such
poet who talks of his soul. His poetry is the
expression of his soul.
References:
1) Bhatnagar, Mahendra. O Moon, My Sweet Heart.
Jaipur: Rachana Prakashan, 2013
2) Bhatnagar, Mahendra. Creations and Concerns.
Delhi: Indian Publishers and Distributors, 2012
3) Patel,
Bahecharbhai.
Pashchatya
Sahityamimansana imasthambho. Ahmedabad:
University Granth Nirman Board, 2001.
***
139
Chapter-15
O, MOON, MY SWEET-HEART!
By Mahendra Bhatnagar
Anuradha Bhattacharyya
Modern India has fully understood the
importance of the international language that English
happens to be. This is evidenced in the fact that many
Indian middle class families prefer only English as
their medium of verbal communication. Many writers
of fiction express themselves comfortably in English.
Although India has a rich tradition of creative writing
in the various provincial languages, a great urge
towards international readership has prompted writers
to express the same creative thought in English.
Recently many works of art that are originally in
modern Indian languages have been translated into
English by academicians to gain wider readership. As
part of this new trend, Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar, a
major Hindi poet who has been publishing his poetry
since 1941, has translated into English and brought
out anthologies of all his poems. O, Moon, My
Sweet-Heart is a collection of his love poems that
have been translated by him with the help of
constructive contribution from his colleagues and
friends whom he acknowledges right at the beginning
of his book.
140
Susan Bassinet, a scholar of great caliber,

who has understood the pain involved in translating
into English texts from an Indian language, says,
What is generally understood as translation involves
the rendering of a source language (SL) text into the
target language (TL) so as to ensure that (1) the
surface meaning of the two will be approximately
similar and (2) the structures of the SL will be
preserved as closely as possible but not so closely
that the TL structures will be seriously distorted.
[Introduction to Translation Studies, 1980: Methuen]
In the book titled O, Moon, My SweetHeart! each one of the 102 Hindi original poems is
followed by its English version. Almost all of these
lyrical poems are in traditional rhythm as well as duly
rhymed while the English translations end up as free
verse. The beauty of alliteration and the use of
objective correlatives that is easily recognizable in
the Hindi poems become jarring far-fetched similes
in the English rendering of the same thought, thus
marring their esthetic quality. Sometimes a poem is
appreciated more for its lyrical sense than any
profound thought. However, when the same words
are translated into English, the reader is confronted
with a volley of amalgamated sonorous phrases that
have no beauty. For example, a poem which reads in
Hindi, pyar mera satya shiva sunder kiya, reads in
English made my love honest-auspicious-beautiful
(pp 86-87). The entire book is full of syntactical
errors so far as the English ears are concerned.
141
The underlying thought that inspires all of

these poems is expressed thus:
After ages,/ Now again /Getting new colour
and sap fresh/ Will bloom/ Sun-withered
flower! (p 83)
Or elsewhere:
O! The meaning of life /Suddenly changed /As
if Someone stumbling / Regained balance/ With new
feelings of love/ And rising like huge new waves.
(p 35)
Both of these can be read in a melodious singsong in the Hindi original. Various poems are
accompanied by the translators footnotes that
suggest that the translation is only a paraphrase; there
is nothing in such poems which an English reading
public might understand so the whole effort is a
waste.
On the flip side, a poem reads, roughly we
shall open the complexes of doubt and inferiority
easily on the simple honest surface of faith (p 4849). In another poem, the poet chides the hesitant
recluse to open the doors for strange encounters,
since who knows whose footfalls might create new
music in ones heart! (p 66-67) Many other poems
suggest that the beloved is far away and remembered
only as a thought, a feeling or a wish. This is what
the title, O, Moon, My Sweet-heart refers to. A
poem directly addresses the moon as a far away land
of beauty and happiness which lasts only till before
142
daybreak. Another poem suggests that the separation

from ones beloved is a reciprocated feeling and this
idea is a consolation. (pp 136-149) the poet expresses
love variously as a curse, a boon, a sin, a
diamond, a cool wave and a guest.
Most of the Hindi expressions of amorous
experience become drab and base in the English
translation. Sugathit ang becomes sturdy limbs
(p 64-65) and nangey gadraye gore pair becomes
naked, flabby, fair feet where each adjective is
followed by a comma that is sheer atrocity towards
the English language. No lover would ever be
enamoured by a womans sturdy limbs and flabby
feet. Unless one reads the Hindi poems alongside the
English renderings, it is difficult to appreciate this
kind of poetry.
Overall the translation is detrimental for the
frequent metaphors used in the Hindi poems. Where
shanti madhuja ghol sounds sensuous, sugarcandy like words of peace makes it hilarious. (p 2223)
It is a common practice in Hindi poetry to use
the third person plural form of the verbs omitting
the pronoun to express the feelings of the poet.
When an English poet expresses his feelings, he
writes I feel as simple as that. The translations in
this book swallow up the nominative pronoun
altogether. See for example:
In life, what did and what not, /To get your love
143
for a few moments! (p 38-39)
Such are the limitations of the English

translations of Hindi love poems that are full of
eulogizing and hyperbole. The moon, the stars, the
universe, destiny and divinity have all been subjected
to the service of love poetry since ages. Dr.
Mahendra Bhatnagars poetry stretches the
comparisons and invocations even further and verges
on the extended metaphor syndrome when he treats
his beloved as the moon and vice-versa.
***
144
Chapter-16
NEW ENLIGHTENED WORLD:
Songs of Renascent Spirit.
Dr. C.L.Khatri
Prof. Bhatnagar is a prolific octogenarian poet
in Hindi who breathes poetry and lives poetry for a
Tagore an vision of world. He has his own vision of
life that identifies with Tagores vision in Heaven of
Freedom. It is not pain and anguish alone that
constitute poetry. It can also be a humming bee of a
new awareness and a Vivekanandian soul steering
call to arise, awake and stop not till the goal is
achieved. He is a poet of positivism, a new hope and
resolution for a better world. The paper presents a
readers response to his translation of Nav Prabuddha
Viswa (New Enlightened World) by Dr. Ansu and
revised by Dr. Mukesh Sharma. It is believed that the
translation of poetry is near impossible and that in
this process the spirit and the beauty of original
poetry is lost. While accepting the limitations, one
feels the need for translation of poetry. Tagores
translation of his own Gitanjali or Harivansh Rai
Bachchans translation of Robert Frosts poems is a
significant example of successful translation of
poetry. While Tagores is a transcription in prosepoetry, Bachchan recreates a new melody in Hindi
transcription of Frosts poems. The present paper
145
examines how the spirit of nation-building runs

through Bhatnagars poetry and creates a new idiom
of poetry that is neither Romantic nor progressive.
The poems contained in this volume have been
written in two different periods. The first thirty six
poems under the title Nai Chetana or The New
Awareness have been composed during a period of
three years from 1950 to 1953. Obviously it was the
Nehruvian period of new emerging India when
hopes, aspirations and dreams were galore coupled
with a new enthusiasm for nation building. In Hind
poetry it was the age of New Poetry (1951-1959)
characterized by a fusion of realism, intellectualism
and new-romanticism. There was a new surge for
creative expression of new enthusiasm in the country.
Poets like Bhatnagar joined hands with others in
enthusing the people to welcome the dawn of a new
age, new culture and new system. He sounds heroic,
highly optimistic and over enthusiastic or say
romantic about the prospects of the Independent India
in poem after poem.
Storm has come in the devils reign/ that
brought the message of salvation of life (challenge, 2)
Or
The east has hurricane of new awareness today!/
The eternal faith holds firmly the human heart today !
(p.22)
In his heroism he advocates for the discard of

the past tradition and culture.
Deadlock everywhere,/ Obstructed path,/ Worthless
146
concept losing relevance,/ Primitive traditions Standing/

Like Wall of China!/ How to climb?/ How to cross?/
Speak- By the mythological morals, beliefs, dead,/narrow
out-dated thinking, concepts,/ by gone, foggy
imaginations will ever win? will ever see your aim
becoming true? (New Direction,32)
He further adds:
Awake and open the eyes before the spreading
new light! /Then use and enjoy each commodity!(Ibid 34)
He is conscious of the wide economic and

social gap as well as of other grave problems of
poverty, unemployment, backwardness, divisions on
the basis of caste, religion, language and region but
he is intoxicated with the new found hope:
Filled with the hope of new life!/ The barren
land will be fertile!/ The new awakening will destroy
all ancient/ Forts, walls, doors and clefts! (38)
He does not sound discerning and reasonable

in his derision/negation of Indian tradition as if it is
beset with all ills in his poem Tradition:
The hollow, Rigid, blind faith, /Oh tell the call
that stirs Religion, Religion, Religion! /Bloodshed, chaos
everywhere is the deed of the uncivil!/ What useful
sermons he chants?/ The Kuran? The Vedas?
Upnishads? Purans? Bible?/ All changed!/ The age need
a new scripture, /One God, with a message new To bloom
the rotten of the great religion of humanity! /The age
needs reform New faith, concept powerful!/ Leave
delusion / Empty is your hand Change Tradition,
Tradition! (Tradition 40)
Bhatanagars is the poetry of invocation to the

masses for awakening to the call of time the new age
147
roaring!/ With the vision of the coming strong and

grand world. (36); and he exhorts people to build a
new socialist world: with no sign/ of dead repulsive
capitalist, / All dictatorship will be dragged away /
from the world. (36) If he reflects on the past today,
he will certainly be disappointed to see capitalism
ruling the world.
In these poems of new consciousness there is
the candid acceptance of the grim reality of the past.
This is the history of / destruction, lamentation/
defeat/ poverty/ famine/obstructed ways/war/
deviated from brotherhood! (46) So he presents the
sharp shivering song of death as well as a vision for
a new world based on democratic values As
democracy arrive. His optimism wins over his mood
of dismay and disdain:
I believe comrade-your arms so powerful/ that
the rival will lie on the earth/ defeated.(50)
The important point is that he is able to

connect himself with those looking for a way out and
with those campaigning for the evolution of a new
India:
Kindle the lamp with my love, today!/ Come
youth, bursting new today Echo, /the blocked voice full
throated,/ Sing, poet, the new message of era! (54)
He often uses declaratives and imperatives to

instill faith in the youth and to convey his conviction:
Put off mourning (56), No more the man / be
crushed/ No more the man be ridiculed (60) No
complaint from life now, (62), Put an end to deadly
148
time, the philosophy of fate (70) Dont talk of fear

to me (70), Change!/ .. /the picture of the world
(76). There are many such examples of invocation,
appeal and declaration. In the same vein he envisages
an awakening in the marginalized sections of the
society who have equal share in the new upcoming
world order:
The strong inspiration rises from the broken
mound of the downtrodden /! Fancy, the firm truth/
Will turn to reality!(72)
His other poems like Morning Call,

Secured, Change of Era, New Culture,
Builders of Future sing the song of the newly
emerged India with its hopes, aspirations, dreams and
thrills; and they capture the ecstatic mood of the
people in those days. But he does not create an
illusionary world. It is a different thing that latter
Bhatnagar sings the song of disillusionment. What is
important is that he seeks a role of the poet in the
national euphoria like mood after independence in a
conventional form of poetry with music and simple
lucid lyrical style of verse that immediately strikes a
chord with the readers/ audience:
Time will change with the voice of poets life
Echo of that voice will come from home to home! Poets
voice is the voice of the masses.(The Poet,104)
The last fourteen poems form a distinct group.

Originally they were compiled under the title
Sankalp or The resolution and had been
composed during the period from 1967 to 1971 and
149
were published in the year 1977. In this book, too this

heading (Sankalp) should have been maintained.
These poems are different from the earlier ones in
theme, form and tone. The realization of
disillusionment starts tickling in and he looks for the
saboteur:
Who Who is that interrupts our dreams,/ that
deforms and change / Fill depression /In their freedom?
(106)
In the next poem As Before he expresses

the same feeling:
We live in conditions fruitless, neutral, and
unfit! (As Before 110)
The sense of loss, depressive situation,

disillusionment and anguish at the sordid reality of
hunger, poverty, violence,(Lifeas a moving/
corpse!) and desolation looms large over this group
of poetry. In Cries of a City the cry for Roti and
Daal, the roar of the lions of circus and impact of
terror appears on faces and desolation on trees,
domes, buildings/ tiled roofs, tin sheds symbolically
suggest that the poet in his mission of nation building
has failed and that in turn is the failure of the country
and its brown ruler. The poet effectively uses the
tactile and visual images particularly of Roti and
daal, night darkness, lion and architectural images to
covey the sordid reality of life in post- Nehruvian era
in India.
Some of the poems in this group are
confessional showing how he is misfit in the present
150
Machiavellian scenario and how he is at odds with

the way of the world today. There is an oblique
comment on the contemporary poetry group in Hindi.
It maybe the Janvadi poets group:
I did not know the world life practice,/meanings
and their uses./ Thats why the so-called world did not
absorb me . (The Art of living, 126)
He voices his pangs of isolation and

loneliness in Revival:/ Bear, day and night
intolerable pain of utter loneliness! (132)
But the poet craves to become the part of

collective consciousness and perhaps it is this urge
that keeps him going on the path of poetry and
creativity:
I will come/ Return back,/ Will abandon my
self, /Will become a part of collective consciousness,
These poems are of the age of Akavita in

Hindi and hence are written in that style where poetry
operates not through rhyme, dancing rhythm,
musicality and well structured form but through
images, symbols and metaphors:
Poetry: Instant Flowing Alive! (Biography 142)
Sometimes it reads like prose as for example

his poem Self Liking:
In photo/ I didnt like my face! /I got my snaps
again,/ With great enthusiasm. (140)
Though the poet does not have the fire of

Shams her Revolution comes from the bullet or
strong derisive tone of Dhumil, yet he is able to stir
151
the readers with his impetuous, evocative and soul

stirring poems and in doing so he at times reminds
me of Ramdhari Singh Dinkar: Shinghasan khali
karo ki janta ati hai.At the same time one can find
echoes of progressive poetry. Remain vigilant is a
fine specimen of it. Prof Bhatnagar displays his
maturity of vision, commitment for poetry, superb
craftsmanship and his ability to handle different
forms of poetry and to connect with the readers of
different times.
***
152
Chapter-17
DR.MAHENDRA BHATNAGAR
IN THE LAP OF NATURE
Dr. B.C.Dwivedy
When Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar started
writing poems he was perhaps in the dawn of his life.
In this journey while showering nectar through his
pen he has perhaps reached the dusk, still the
memoirs of youthful exuberance shine bright. He has
won against the hazards of time and yet the game
continues the batsman not out.
When I read one of his recent editions Dawn
to Dusk I was full of spontaneous praise for him
though it is a mixture of old and new poems. Brighter
ideas came to my notice than those of Forty Poems.
He is a bit revolutionary and always progressive in
his thought. This time I find the poets growth of
mind is towards nature increasingly establishing a
supernatural relationship with moon, stars and so on.
It is certain that his talk with the moon carries special
message for the world. It is a remarkable feature of
his poetry.
In his earlier days he was talking with moon
and the talk is continued still. The moon has proved
to be the paragon of beauty to him.
In 1950s when the poet was bubbling with
153
energy he was being tempted by the moon and

appealing to it not to smile; he
envisions the dream world of happiness in his
graceful eyes. By the dusk he has been tied with the
moon in such relationship as to call her my
sweetheart. Then it was perhaps a sort of love at first
sight:
Please smile not and tempt me thus /Or else I
shall kiss your cheeks
(Forty Poems-P-48)
And now he is quite confident in his love, he

is confidently in communion with this object of
nature:
This is the face/ I kissed thousand times
Sometimes/ soft kisses/ At others like the lustful Adam
(Dawn to Dusk-P-120)
Sometimes it looks like Wordsworths

involvement in nature, a sensuous manifestation that
delights man, most poets of nature. A sense of
divinization of nature is also explicit in some parts.
The poet says stars are appearing down the ages with
perpetual youth. They are showering vine of nectar
like affection and laughing, stirring together
instinctively in their own world. Here and there in
Bhatnagars poetry it looks as if he has a touch of
Wordsworths feeling about the indwelling spirit of
nature which imparts its consciousness to all objects.
What sort of relation is the poet trying to establish
between man and moon?
You too may be bathing In the showers of the
154
cool rays/ Looking with the eyes large/ You may be

soothing your restless heart. (Dawn to Dusk-P-100)
In his poem To my sister Wordsworth calls

his sister to go on a work and allow their mind to
drink at every pore the spirit of the season.
Mahendra Bhatnagar is drunk with the soothing rays
of the moon, making the burdensome life light,
trilling the loneliness of youth as if he is restlessly
lost in himself while in communion with nature.
Definitely he is longing to establish a bond with the
moon, its soothing beam, to be filled with the intense
passion of the loving moments. It is not different
from the flowery band that man wreathes with nature
every morning as mentioned by Keats in his poem
Endymion- a thing of beauty is joy forever- it is a
wonderful feeling of remaining in the company of
natural objects, a feeling of universal love in nature.
The poet urges the night not to leave, as if he is
intoxicated with its beauty. He experiences a sort of
oneness with nature. He loves nature, he is one with
nature and nature is the witness to the love of his
heart.
Dr. Bhatnagar has a special attraction for
moon and it is exhibited in his poetry in different
forms. In Poonam the full moon peeps at him
from behind the peepal tree. Peepal is a symbol of
holiness for the poet and moon is an embodiment of
beauty. It is personified as a beautiful maiden
bubbling with love, floating in dreams and shining
with brilliance. The face of the moon looks
155
suspicious far on the horizons. This shows the lack

of confidence in the poet about a consummated love
with this object of nature. The Keatsian flowery
band is not wreathed completely here it is about
the relation between man and nature or may be
moon is a metaphor for something or somebody
that the poet is unable to get and so expresses
despair. The moon is described as innocent, restless
and perplexed. In The Glowing beauty the poet
observes the moon under the veil of clouds. The
poem exhibits the depth of poetic beauty in the
lucid flow of imagination. The cloud is described as
a veil so thin that the bashful modest face of the
moon gets reflected behind it. Her beauty is so
tender and sweet that the poet calls it an overbrimmed honey vessel spreading droplets like stars
just like numberless of emotions sprung up from
heart.
Here poetic sensibility undergoes changes
but it continues to remain with the moon. In another
context the poet calls moon the the lord of night as
a dignified being with prominence of beauty. When it
shines in the sky the maidens who are proud of their
beauty feel ashamed and their charm loses its glow.
When you shine in the sky /Their charm loses all
its glow/ You spread splendor in the sky/ As if it were
cool, and bright as silver new!
(Dawn to Dusk-110-Poem-Dedication)
Moreover the poet says that one can sacrifice

156
the riches of the world merely at a smile of the moon

and even the smallest particle of this earth feels
eternal joy at the appearance of the moon. The moon
here takes the place of a transcended being, that
above this earth that represents lower nature. The
poet has established a communion between the moon
and the earth. He is a great word-painter in his
language. The pictorial quality in many of his poems
is quite appreciable. While giving to the reader the
pictures of inanimate objects like moon stars etc. the
poet invests them with life, with the power to see,
feel, blush and so on. Some of his pictures are
sensuous in appeal.
Too difficult to steal sight from moon! /When she
spreads the fresh splendor in the lonely sky/ the ocean of
emotional heart fills with the cheer- waves. (Dawn to
Dusk-112-Too Difficult)
Moon is described as a simple- hearted bird of

the sky afflicted by eclipse. The poet feels a close
relation with this object of nature and says:
O, moon I am with you/ Let me know your agony/ I
am yours, will remain yours,/ Do not conceal
anything.(Dawn to Dusk-114-Eclipse)
The poet seems to be a frustrated lover while

calling the moon a mirage and proclaiming that one
who loves the moon heaves a sigh all his life alone.
The poet goes too far in his imagination and
calls the moon his sweetheart. May be, the
sweetheart is a metaphor for some beautiful object or
person that the poet is not able to forget; rather he is
157
trying to console hos mind looking at the face of the

moon. When the poet visits down the memory lane a
lot of things come to his notice. He loses himself in
the dream world wishes that the love of the
sweetheart may not trickle away from him, since his
heart is over brimmed with love for her. Another
aspect of Dr. M. Bhatnagars poetry is that he is
engaged in continuous talk with the objects of nature
especially moon as if it is a living thing.
What do you say?/ Speak louder /Did not know
me? Hush! /Your pranks of love I cannot bear now/
Aided by your beauteous beams,/ I must clasp you.
(Dawn to Dusk-120-Moon My Sweetheart)
Dr. M. Bhatnagar has poems on midday,

evening, night and other parts of the day. In his poem
Midday he expresses his despair with a sort of
loneliness- a desolate hour and in An Evening he is
impatient waiting for something or someone that is
also in desolation. Why does the poet feel like this? Is
it because he has left his youthful days far behind? Is
it because looking at the world around, he has lost all
his charm of life? Or because he feels he is in the
dusk of his life? No line in his entire poetry published
so far has indicated such fatigue that is seen now.
Sweet and sanguine Virgin, surging longings,/
Nestling in my heart/Since ages/ Are now abandoned
(Dawn to Dusk-130-Unwanted)
The poet seems to have entered the stage of

renunciation like Lord Budha. No more he is
158
dreaming of beauty and exuberance now. All dreams

are his past. A bit of coldness is occupying his mind.
The sweet spring has passed,/ O, sweetheart,
/The golden era is over!
(Dawn to Dusk-130-Unwanted)
He feels he is crestfallen, with heavy heart, he

has to trudge home alone to recite dirges throughout
life. While roaming in the dream world with sweet
thoughts he did not foresee that destiny would snuff
out all splendours from his life. The poet here
represents mankind and indicates that it happens in
everybodys life. Everybody has one day to undergo
pangs separation and grief thereby. Everybody has to
experience the lonely hours of dusk and recite dirges.
In another poem it seems as if the poets
passion is consummated. Nature and the poet lie in
the warm heart of each other; he experiences the
invisible impulses at work in nature to help him
transcend the lower nature. Nature is alive just like a
living soul that enters every beautiful object and
gives a soul, a life to it.
Next to moon stars have drawn the attention
of Dr.M.Bhatnagar. The twinkling of stars look as if
shivering, tortured, perturbed and weak like human
beings who are affected by exploitation.
When the bright new dawn descends the grimy
night departs/ They too silently go with their bag and
baggage somewhere.
(Dawn to Dusk-4-Darkness-fellow Stars)
159
Stars are perpetual partners of deep darkness.

While with moon the poet is in high spirit of love but
with stars he looks a bit critical, depressed, takes pity
on them calling them poor helpless. At times he
looks a bit self-contradictory. In the same poem-The
Waking Stars- he describes them as vigilant and
indomitable by slumber equipped with its army. The
stars may also be a metaphor for somebody who
spends sleepless night for the sake of others.
The poems such as The Evening, Rain, The
passing Night, The summer, The New Dawn and
A Rainy Night the poet has expressed a lot of
positive thoughts by means of his description of
nature in one way or the other. Somewhere he
describes natures soothing influence and healing
power and somewhere else the bond between man
and nature.
Clouds have also drawn the attention of the
poet. In the evening the clouds play hide and seek
reaching near the sun and in the rain the flooded
clouds are over spreading on heated earth.
Dr.M.Bhatnagar is known to the readers as a
poet of progressive thoughts. His poems have always
been inspiring the human world to live the life with
courage against all hardships and adversities. In his
volume Dawn to Dusk he has accomplished the same
task.
To conclude I can say that the poems of
Dr.M. Bhatnagar are replete with words of sympathy
160
with man on earth. His reference to man as a part of

nature, rejoicing in the lap of nature, establishing a
sweet relation with nature is quite remarkable.
Looking at the rapidly deteriorating human values the
poet has expressed his anguish. He wishes that man
should learn to live with nature and revive the
cardinal values of life.
The flood light is needed!/ In place sand dunes
precarious/ We need a solid concrete dam! /So that man
may have a firm footing, /In the face of storms and man
may resist on/ Strong, valiant and patient!
Let not life be destroyed,/ Nor let there be any
groans and sighs!/ Let every man laugh/ A laughter white
and pure! And let hopes bloom of a future happy and
glorious.
(Forty Poems-82-The Future)
The poet tends to receive inspiration from the

vast expanse of the sky, from light, from storm for
mankind. This is how he is drinking Natures beauty
remaining neck deep in it.
***
161
Chapter-18
FROM A READERS DESK
ON READING DAWN TO DUSK
BHATNAGARARION' POEMS
Dr. Narendra Sharma Kusum
There is an unfortunate cynical conclusion
that our age is not congenial to poetry. Poetry has no
future, it is almost dead such statements are not
infrequent since commercialism has made us most
un-poetical and un-musical. Consumerism has robbed
us of our concern for poetry. Such a situation is not
new. Even during the Victorian Age, people seemed
to be skeptical of the future of poetry. Arnold while
assuring them of the bright future of poetry said in
his essay The Study of Poetry (1880) that, The
future of poetry is immense, because in poetry, where
it is worthy of its high destinies, our race, as time
goes on, will find an ever surer and surer stay
More and more mankind will discover that we have
to turn to poetry to interpret life for us, to console us,
to sustain us. Without poetry, our science will appear
incomplete; and most of what now passes with us for
religion and philosophy will be replaced by poetry.
It must go without saying that so long poetry has the
capacity to console us, to sustain us, it can never die
162
or become extinct for that matter. Poetry is beyond

death.
It hardly needs reiteration that a poet of
eminence in his own right Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
belongs to a long noble tradition of poetic excellence
which has become almost rare in our own time.
Gifted with essential poetic sensibility, his poetic
output is very vast and prolific. He is perhaps one of
those surviving Hindi poets whose writings have
made a special niche for himself in the sphere of
poetic creation.
Dawn to Dusk is a collection of his select
poems in their English version which has ably
engaged the attention of a wide range of lovers of
poetry, both in Hindi and English. The quality of
these poems is manifest in their spontaneous
outburst, comparable to the song of Shelleys
Skylark : in which the bird, pourest thy full heart
in profuse strains of unpremeditated art. As the
taste of a pudding is in its eating the reading of these
poems admits of no substitute.
These poems can be rightly compared to a
kaleidoscope where we have wonderful patterns of
poetic sensibility moulded into various shades of
poetic creation. Here we have Nature adored in her
various moods; we have heartfelt social and national
concerns, and above all poets deep feelings for
human good. The poet is lyrical, but is not deaf to the
still sad music of humanity like Wordsworth. As a
social rebel he aspires for a society where justice
prevails in all its forms. He is not like an ineffectual
163
angel beating his luminous wings in void, in vain but

he keeps his feet stuck firmly to the ground of reality.
This gives him a special status as a poet of life
manifest in all its variety.
On an appreciative reading and internalizing
of these poems one may agree with me that these
poetic outbursts are not destined for oblivion or
readers neglect. So long as people have a yearning
for something that may softly touch their heart, or
in another mood of discontent against social injustice,
may kindle in them a fire of revolt; the poems of this
book will certainly assure them of the timeless
existence of poetry. They can also be sure that poetry
in the hands of such veteran poets as Dr. Bhatnagar
need not fear despite the widespread clam our that
poetry has lost its relevance these days. Such poems
will always have readers and admirers because
humanity at large likes to be consoled and sustained,
especially in this age of our strange disease of
modern life with its sick hurry and divided aims; as
was once uttered by a great Victorian poet, Arnold.
Considering the contents and craft of these
poems one may feel that these poems are free from
labouredness. The careful weaving of the images,
the rhythmical rendering of the inner felt feelings and
the fusion of thought and feelings make these
poems, to use my own coinage Bhatnagararion
poems by their very special charm and poetic appeal.
It seems that no one can imitate this charm without
having the poetic ability of Dr. Bhatnagar for such a
164
task. Without being high sounding I believe that these

poems, and also the entire corpus of Dr. Bhatnagars
writings, will never become obsolete, outdated or
irrelevant since they inwardly contain in them a
potency of life.
***
165
Chapter-19
DAWN TO DUSK
POET MAHENDRA BHATNAGAR
Dr. Anshu Bhardwaj (Sharma)
Emerging as a major Indian Hindi poet of all
times Mahendra Bhatnagar represents his epoch most
emphatically in the beautiful verses of his latest
poetic volume entitled Dawn to Dusk translated into
English by Dr. Mukesh Sharma ,Kedar Nath Sharma,
Dr. Narendra Sharma Kusum and himself. It is a
matter of happiness for the readers who can enjoy his
verses in both languages-Hindi & English. The title
of the present book is of three words. First Dawn
which means morning, and the third word is Dusk
which means evening and the second word that is
preposition to that shows a relation between the
words Dawn and Dusk . Hence the verses contained
in this volume reveal the glimpses of the condition of
time of dawn to dusk of his life.
The present volume Dawn to Dusk is a
composite of seventy one poems which are broadly
categorized under twelve sub-headings on a wide
variety of subjects of nature, time and objective
observation of contemporary life and situation. They
are thus:
166
Taron Ke Geet - Three poems have been

included in this section. They are the songs of stars.
Bhatnagar painted stars in a very beautiful manner
that he comes to close to nature. Vihan is a section of
six poems which are composed on time (era),
intolerable condition, nature and female beggar;
appear as a call of new age. Antaraal incorporates six
poems emphasizing on nature, life and pain. Pain
descends into nature and life due to antaraal (gap).
Abhiyaan contains six poems which indicate new
dawn, feminism, nature etc. The six poems of
Badaltaa Yug show poets revolutionary attitude
brings a new change in the world. Tootattee
Shrinkhalaayen is a system of twelve poems which
depict the scene of awakening human being after
centuries. Pain, suffering, poverty, and dejection
whatever faced by man echo in the verses of this
section. Madhurimaa also contains twelve poems
which reveal Bhatnagars love for nature. JijeevishaIt is the shortest section of this book as it has only
two poems but they have linked together. One
focuses the old and decayed mansion of slavery will
be broken with the span of time and other focuses to
give a new shape to the world through new wind
(new ideas). Santaran containing nine poems and
containing four poems present the themes of nature,
hope, wishes, pain, pray, reincarnation and Indian
beliefs. AahatYug- Only two poems have been
included in this section but both are long lyrics. The
first compels to be changed the situation where the
man fears from man and the other focuses on liberty
167
everybody has right to achieve without any

restriction. Viraam- It is the concluding section of
this poetic volume which consists of three poems
presenting ironical situation in first two and the third
delivers calm and a sense of security on New Year.
Poems of this book also focus on nature
beauty, time, poverty, and exploitation, plight
situation of the country, communal riots and the
plight condition of women. Agony, pain and sigh
echo there but time fills every wound. Some poems
are full of inspiration and optimism as the poet talks
of new age with the passing of time .Agony and signs
disappear with the passing of time as the line in Era
Poet reveals:
New age is dynamic;/ We are slaves of the past no
more,/ Agony disappears and flowers blossom.
and again the poet speaks in The New Dawn:

Bathing in the new light,/Flowing all the old
waste, /Providing to man new songs, and simple
affectionate smile,/ The new dawn is approaching.
Bhatnagars revolutionary attitude also

appears in the poems where is the question of broken
old system and new ideas and new world. The voice
of hope, power and victory echoes throughout his
poems. In The Stream of Nectar he talks of flow the
stream of nectar. The poem opens with an idea:
The world has become crematory,/ O poet! Flow
the stream of nectar today!
168
The revolutionary attitude is revealed in the

concluding lines:
The feet of time should not stop,/ Let the storm
move,/ Echoing the voice of hope and power /With the
numerous hands the new nation may be lifted, /The
masses may speak victory freely and with pride,/ With a
new tune and the ray of dawn,/ Remove, now the shadow
of death!
Bhatnagars love for nature is seen in Do Not

Leave when he addresses night, O, night , you /do
not leave!/I love, you can ask the twinkling stars,/I
kept awake, dozing/with heavy eyelids/ For I have
become one/with your beautys charm! again in
Wait, I sang till today/for your love and in The
Glowing Beauty, The moon is under the veil of
clouds!/The veil is so thin/That the bashful modest
face reflects in it.On the one hand he talks of happy
life and speaks, life appears happy when rise with
fall and happiness with tears mingle together but in
the poem Reincarnation he asked the questions, Is
it necessary to link present with past? /when
difficult to fathom/the depth of life?
The seed of patriotism is also revealed in
Bhatnagars poems when he sends the good wishes to
the fighters who are fighting against imperialist
forces and sings the song of freedom for nation in
God Wishes. The poem Good Omen deals with
purely Indian superstitious belief when lines reveal:
Unknown/makes my heart / delighted / since
morning today/ the right eye throbs A red rose
169
has/bloomed the first time in the flower vase...!
The poem shows the result of the above

mentioned omens in the last line:
Possibly, we meet today!
The poem Irony is about life and ironically

describes life which is serene, sacred, just and truth,
suddenly turns into groan and crime and then
becomes a witness of fraud. Here the poet presents
the both aspects of life. On the one hand life is
considered serene and sacred which appear with the
truth, on the other when a person follows the path of
truth, he faces groans, becomes a part of crime. Then
he finds his life in a witness of fraud.
The poem To Stars reminds us Shellys Ode
to the West Wind when the poet questions, Why do
the stars shiver in the sky? /Are their feet chained?
The poem Communal Riots deals with the pathetic
plight of the people of India who were struggling for
their caste. This poem also reminds the time of
Channgez Mathew Arnolds Dover Beach in which
the people are also fighting for their rights, the same
poem shows Blood mingled streets are screaming
and crying./Man turned hard, barbaric, murderous
and unwise!His poem is akin to that of Tagores.
The poem Darkness fellow Stars is very
appealing as the readers go through the last two lines
which show the essence of true life and happy life:
The life becomes happy /when rise with fal/ and
laughter with tears mingle together!
170
The poet has beautifully presented the

affectionate union of light and darkness, happiness
and sadness and laughter and tears. The poem
inspires and appeals us to accept both aspects
together. The poem Awaking Stars also presents a
beautifully picture of the stars which awake and
remain vigilant like watchmen when the world
sleeps.
Bhatnagars Dawn to Dusk is rich in both
theme and style. In technique and style, it is replete
with some apt and appropriate images and symbols,
words and phrases in which there is a very fine
correspondence between the major and the minor
terms. The poems show a luxuriant growth and
sustained development. There are seasonal changes in
this book. There is a sense of immediacy in his
poetry, which gives the feel of originality to the
readers.
The poems of the present book are clothed in
great tradition of Indian Devotional Literature-the
literature which successfully and beautifully
illustrates and explores the themes of peace, nature,
faith, patriotism, self-realization but what makes his
poetry charming and lively is his lyrical wealth, his
spontaneous overflow of emotions stepped in Indian
ethos and culture, the vividness of imagery, his
simplicity of expression, his thrilling, imagistic,
concrete images and rhythmic languages. The poem
Calamity Deliverer: The New Year: 2009 Bhatnagar
considers freedom as the state of peace and
171
tranquility and security and points out that The

New Year has come!/And brought a sense of base of
security!Freedom is something which is always
desired and welcomed by everybody and every
writer. Hence freedom is one of the most important
themes of Indian writer. The same is with Bhatnagar.
Bhatnagar is a feminist poet when he portraits the
picture of women appears in the poem Women which
deals with the emancipation of women. In this poem
he states:
You have to create new history of equality, and
independence/ You have come to set out fire the pyre of
exploitation, / The youth of the world is with you, change
all the ancient legislation/ You have come to eradicate all
the barriers of class differences today.
His fondness for similes and metaphors, irony

and paradox is remarkable. He has a knack for
neoplasm and, therefore, one encounters a number of
interesting coin ages in his poetry. He has employed
a variety of images and concrete images in his verses.
Here are a few examples:
Cold fascinating winds flow (Rain),
"The unaware heart (A Rainy Night),
"Withhold the falling veil of darkness!
(Poonam) (The Full Moon),
Heated sky, heated earth, heated every particle
of the earth!
(The Summer),
The lamp of your hope, is burning sharp
unwinking! (Earthen Lamp)
172
Thus the present book would receive the

attention from English & Hindi readers and scholars
as well as those interested in enjoying the beauty of
nature in different moods and having the knowledge
of life with its different aspects. The book is
beautifully designed with yellow colour and its back
cover is also designed with the time of Dawn and
Dusk of the poets portrait. My best wishes are with
him.
***
173
Chapter-20
DAWN TO DUSK [BHOR SEY SAANJH]
By Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
Kedar Nath Sharma
This book contains 71 Hindi poems composed

by Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar translated into English
by the poet himself, two other doctors of literature
and by the present author. The blurb of the book is
written by a Professor who is carried away by the
romanticism of Wordsworth so much so that he
himself sounds poetic while eulogizing Dr. Mahendra
Bhatnagar.
Poetry or any other kind of literature should
be evaluated objectively without any subjective/
emotional indulgence. Indian critics are given to
praising (without showing the drawbacks) the works
of their target authors, because they fear that the
evaluated author would
get
annoyed
if
dispassionately analyzed. It has been observed
several times that they do get annoyed. Therefore
praising the works of the author is considered a safer
course than doing justice to literature.
The title Bhor Sey Saanjh ( Dawn To Dusk)
suggests that some poems were composed in his
youth and some belong to the age of maturity ( old
age). But in the book there is no such segregation.
The poet could However a meticulous reader can
174
easily discern.
In all 32 poems have been translated into
English by the poet himself, 12 poems after the first
27 are translated by Dr. Mukesh Sharma, 16 by Dr.
Narendra Sharma Kusum and 11 by K.N.S.
The first three poems of this collection are
about the stars. Taron Sey (To Stars) shows how the
poet comprehends the twinkling stars delineating the
human predicament of exploitation and oppression.
The youthful poet studies objects of nature in the
light of what he observes in the society of that time.
Timir Sehchar Tarak shows that happiness and
sorrow of human life are similar to the rising and
setting of the stars during the night and day the twin
divisions of time in which human beings have to live.
The natural association of light and darkness points
out that the trials and tribulations alternating with joy
and merriment in human life too are natural.
In Jagtey Tarey (The Waking Stars)
Mahendra Bhatnagar is not only poetical but also
factual as unlike human beings the stars are bereft of
dreams and devoid of happiness and sorrow which
the human beings experience. This poetry can
conveniently be called romantic but is much deeper
than that.
Pure romanticism is tangible in the poem
Sandhya (Evening). In it the poet has depicted a
photographic picture of the landscape which he
himself is watching while sitting on a mound.
175
The advent of the rainy season in Barsat

(Rain) brings relief to human beings. The pictorial
quality of Mahendra Bhatnagars poetry becomes
very vivid in Bhikaaran (Woman Beggar). Its pathos
shows that the poet is endowed with the milk of
human kindness. The tragic death of the destitute is
extremely touching. In Vardaan ( Boon) pessimism
gives way to optimism. Hope seems to sustain life.
The metaphor of quiet solitary night, at its
declination, standing still like the puzzle of life
presents an unique example of Bhatnagars poetic
craftsmanship in Dhalti Raat (Night At Its Fag End).
The night here is personified and in the second stanza
mannequin like manifesting satiety, modesty and
loneliness seems sleeping, as if, it has lost every
thing. This is perfect Keatsian picturization. The poet
admonishes the night not to be so engrossed lest there
should be a new dawn and that the string of damask
sun rays is not snapped. The poet is using the Hindi
language like a juggler uses his artifacts to present
diverse patterns.
That the young poet is very ambitious and is
not finding the prevailing circumstances conducive
therefore his poems are effusing his frustration. In
Sathi Sey (To the Companion) he is seeking
assurance from his buddy whether she would stand
by him when he is without sufficient means (oil) as
no wick can emit light without the oil. The poem
Vaidna (Agony) describes the pain felt by the poet
caused by the dumb (mook) deficiencies. In Deepak
176
(Lamp) he is talking about mook jeewan (dumb life)

in Sathi Sey (To the Companion) he is seeking a boon
for his mook man (dumb mind) and in Asah
(Unbearable) he is complaining about his mook
haridey veena (Dumb heart lyre).
In Yug Kavi the poet is alluding to the
scientific revelations made in the world as a
consequence of which todays literati are discarding
yesteryears imaginative literature which once used
to be the trend. In Abhi Nahin (Not Yet) the poet
laments that nobody is protesting/rebelling against
centuries old oppression and barbarity because of the
weakness of the oppressed human mind. No
revolutionary has yet taken birth. The similar strain
of poets anguish continues in Mashaal. In Greesham
(The Summer) also he is moved by the discomfort
experienced by the poor. In Naya Sabera (The New
Dawn) he is hoping for the amelioration of
conditions. In Kavi (The Poet) Mahendra Bhatnagar
calls himself the rebel born to herald new times with
relentless efforts and indomitable courage. In the
poem Nari (Woman) the modern woman seems to be
the harbinger of change in the society, In Parbhanjan
(The Storm) the poet is again harping on the coming
revolution. But in Nao Sainik Viddroh (Naval Revolt)
he is describing how the revolt in the Indian Navy
had shaken the citadel of the British rule by forging
unity in the country.
Vikal Hai Desh (The Country is Restless)
because of the slavery, Sampardyak Dunge (The
177
Communal Riots), Janvani (Public Voice), Jindgi

Kaisey Badalti Hai (How Life Changes), and Merey
Desh Mein (In My Country) all show the poet at the
dawn of his life getting perturbed by the miserable
conditions of the people of all walks of life.
All these 27 poems are translated into English
by Mahendra Bhatnagar himself. One phase of his
poetic career has come to an end so the poet has
added 12 poems translated by Dr. Mukesh Sharma.
These poems show a change in the mood of the poet
as well as that of the tormented but lethargic people
of India who have changed their attitude towards
foreign rule. They have been roused. In Sadiyon
Baad (After Centuries) The Citadel Of The
Imperialists Has Been Shaken. The peoples vigour
has been stirred and they are marching on a collision
course creating seismic tremors. All darkness is
shattering, the storms of rebellion are raging. The
Hurricane
of
Independence
(Swatantrata
Jhanjhawat) is rising like a cyclone to root out
frustration, personal rivalries and stupidity. The
tyrants along with their sky high mansions have been
undone and the land has been changed into a
cemetery. So there is a need for a Rill of Nectar
(Piyush Dhara) endowed with a healing touch to start
flowing.
A sea of humanity (Jan Samundar) is
abounding and advancing step by a step. These steps
are the steps of martyrs of an era. These will never
stop. They will create a new world and the youth of
178
this era is challenging the agents of destruction. The

same feelings are again surging in Ajay( Invincible).
The indomitable youth of the time does not want to
be pushed into frustration again because he feels that
he is immortal and his every emotion is ever
enduring. He does not want to stop in spite of any
impediments.
With the passage of time the mood of the poet
has also changed. In Pashaan-Ur (Obdurate Heart)
he finds that the people have become stubborn. They
have become cruel. The volcano of destruction has
erupted and the creativity has stopped. In the third
stanza of Sam bal (Anchor) the poet sounds
hyperbolic but he is determined to overcome all
obstacles in life. The best thing in this and other
poems is the brevity, raciness and the alliterative use
of the language which makes Mahendra Bhatnagar
stand out as a distinct craftsman in Hindi poetics. In
Mujhey Yaad Hai (I Remember) the poet is damning
the exploiters. In Kala (Art) too he is seeking equality
in the social structure. In Manzil Kahan (Where Is
The Destination?) the poet is reiterating his
determination to usher in new era of his dreams. In
Jindagi Ki Shaam (The Evening Of Life) the poet is
perturbed on watching the poor old men facing the
pangs of life and he feels strongly to ameliorate their
condition. While thinking of humanity he is reminded
of the mythological character of Manu and mans
tendency to rise up in rebellion to face even death as
at Jalianwala Bagh. Life (Jindagi) for the poet seems
179
gloomy. Look at the imagery conceived in Hindi and

translated into English:
The nauseous smell/ Of a putrid arcass
Saturating the heart./ He hates such a life.
The poetic journey of Mahendra Bhatnagar

has reached the third stage. The poems of this stage
are translated by Narendra Sharma Kusum (NSK).
The most of the poems in this section are real poetry
in which poets imaginative faculties have taken over
the cogitations of his mind in the earlier poems of
this book. The poet is at his best while composing
poems about nature. In Barkha Ki Raat (Rainy Night)
he has portrayed a picture in words. He has
personified earth as a fair complexioned woman who
has take` off her sari studded with stars and has
stretched her robust arms for a bear hug. He has
romanticized rain and sexualized earth. In Chaand
Aur Tum (You and the Moon) he is making use of the
stream of consciousness device. Sitting on the terrace
he is contemplating that his beloved too must be
sitting on a roof top and looking at the moon as he
himself is doing. Look at the delicacy of his thoughts
in Jao Nahin (Do not Depart). He is pleading with
the night not to depart because during one such night
some one had bequeathed the wealth of her beauty to
him and that night was the witness to such an
emotional surrender and fondness.
The poet is describing the anguish of mind he
has experienced while expecting the arrival of his
beloved in Pratiksha (Expectation). Another lovely
180
poem is Poonam which is both a person of that name

and the Full Moon peeping from behind a Peepal tree
and shinning at the horizon respectively. But Poonam
does not know that some one is watching her.
The glamorous beauty of a face , Jhalakata
Roop, peeping from underneath a thin veil is
compared with the moon thinly covered by the
clouds. Translating such a poem into English is a
tough job because Kaajal is not collyrium which is a
medicated eye lotion, its nearest word in English is
Kohl which is black powder but yet not Kaajal.
Anyhow this poem is enchanting. In Samarpan and
Bada Kathin (Very Difficult) the poet is appreciating
the beauty of the moon in its full glory. In Grehan
(Eclipse) the poet seems to be infatuated by the moon
and seems to stretch his imagination to the extreme.
However, in Mrig Trishna (Mirage) the poet has a
different thought to hang on the peg of moon. He
opines that hankering after extraordinary targets is
nothing but a wild goose chase. Probably at the time
the poet composed this poem the astronauts had not
yet set foot on the surface of the moon. In Samriti Ki
Rekhayen (Imprints of Memory) the poet is stressing
on the unflinching devotion to his better half. Chaand
Merey Pyar (Moon, My Sweetheart) and Dopehri
(The Midday) also the poet is expressing his devotion
to his beloved.
Tum Aaj Likh Lo (Note It Today) the fourth
section of this book has started and the poet is
predicting that in a few days time the ancient
181
dilapidated chateau of slavery will crumble down and

the rigmarole by which the poor, the farmers and the
labourers were being squeezed will shatter. He is
hoping for the change in the entire atmosphere.
Frustration is writ large in Aik Saanjh (An Evening).
The beauty and the brevity of poets language is very
well illustrated in the following lines:
Maun man maina barsey nainaa! Madhumadhav beet gaya / O, Madhupayee! Madhuras reet
gaya.
Howsoever accurately these lines may be

translated into English their delicacy cannot be
effectively communicated. In Kiya Pata Tha (Who
Could Foresee) the poet is depicting a predicament
when a happy scenario is suddenly changed into the
adverse situation. This happens in the lives of many
people particularly at the times of disaster and natural
calamities. On such occasions time tested convictions
are shattered. In the poem Prarthana (Prayer) the
poet is praying for defeat and hopelessness but still
wants to sustain himself with expectation and desire.
He wants to face the music of life with music on his
lips.
Punarjanam (Reincarnation) reveals poets
desire not to be born carrying the baggage of
previous life. Probably he does not want the Karmas
of the previous life to influence the present one. He
wants the life after rebirth to be free from
vicissitudes. With maturity in life the poet in Yachna
(Solicitation) is not seeking to fulfill his youthful
182
desires of flesh but looking at the well chiseled idol

of God he wants to have a hug from God to enjoy the
extreme pleasure of life. It would be absolutely
wrong to find sexual connotations in this poem. In
Raat-Bhar(All The Night) fear and hope are
juxtaposed with the blowing wind masterfully
depicted in simple Hindi. The poem Shubhkamnayen
(Good Wishes) reiterates poets love for freedom
from foreign yoke everywhere. Samvart (The Turns
of the Path) shows that tedium is preferred by the
poet to the tediousness. The poems Apekshit (Most
Wanted) and Samvet (In Harmony) are examples of
typical mastery in using the Hindi language with
which Mahendra Bhatnagar seems to be gamboling.
So far as thought is concerned, as is usual with him
he is hoping for optimism in a state of abject
pessimism in the first poem but who is Sukanthi (The
Sweet throated Songstress) in Samvet. It is an
appropriate topic for research for any inquisitive
student. Another topic for investigation is provided in
Sulakshan (Good Omen) where the poet ends the
poem with the possibility of meeting you. At the
dusk of his life he is not hoping to meet his beloved
of flesh and blood.
In Jaroori (Essential) the poet wants the
humanity as well as the flora and fauna to be
protected from the selfish inhuman beings and the
terror mongers. Similar feelings are expressed in
Swatantra (Liberated) where the poet says that the
entire sky is for all where all can fly unhindered but
183
with discipline. The poet is feeling hurt while seeing

the life turn topsy-turvy from goodness to evil in
Vidambana (Irony). But he has remained unaffected
during the trials and tribulations in Aprabhavit
(Uninfluenced).The book ends with the poem Aatank
Mochak- New Year 2009 in which the poet wishes
and swears that everybody including all Indians will
be well protected and happy. His foreboding has
proved true to some extent.
Mahendra Bhatnagar is a sensitive person
endowed with the qualities of both head and heart.
His poetry broadcasts his humanistic virtues, his
concern for the destitute, love for freedom, peace and
prosperity. He handles Hindi language as a potter
moulds the clay. His treatment of nature is unique.
While entering 87th year of life he is going young
and pulsating with verve. The readers can expect
something still more edifying and extraordinary from
him.
***
184
Chapter-21
DAWN TO DUSK
[Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar]
Dr. Shaleen Kumar Singh
Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagars recent collection
Dawn to Dusk makes the reader aware that the poet
himself has felt journey through the evening of his
life. The title cover of the book carries two
photographs, one from the prime of poets life (of
1948) captioned with Dawn the other from recent
2010 captioned with Dusk. The creative piece
written by Sunil Sharma established the importance
of the poet in present times. The critic rightly writeThis deep humanistic concern for the marginalized
of the cruel system as is the case with restive
romantics is the hallmark of his gentle oeuvre that
falls like a cascading rain singing a joyous song in
the open meadows of England or of the Indian plains.
The sonorous voice is like that only. It soothes like
the moving ragas. (Blurb)
The poetry of Mahendra Bhatnagar really
calms and soothes the dull ears of mortality. It
whispers the songs of human pains and agony so it
echoes longer than other sensational or emotive
poetry. The present collection evinces the fact that
true poetry will be an ideal companion from dawn to
185
the dusk of human life. For example, one may take

the first poem To the Stars which is philosophical
and universal in nature- in which the poet questionsWhy do the stars shiver in the sky? and with
certain conjecture tricks puts forth his philosophic
ideas- and says:
Do they also face oppressions by weapons? /Are
they too scorched by the fire of exploitation every
moment. (2)
He furthers guesses the certain potent

symbols and metaphors:
Are the worldly people at guilty?/ In lifes
dreams- of happiness and sadness, /While the world is
sleeping, unconscious /And is encircled from head to
feet/ In the cover of night. (2)
And finally, the poet philosophizes more
forcefully, when he questions:
Is shivering their only life? /Appearing happy
down the ages,/ Is their youth perpetual?/ Falling, hiding
continuously/ Are they playing hide and seek?/ Sowing
vine of nectar like affection, and Laughing, stirring
together instinctively/ In their own world! (2)
In the poem Era Poet, the poet advocates to

sing the songs of today and forbids to follow the
poetics based tradition. He says:
My songs are new,/ today the songs of the world
are new, /New age is dynamic, /We are slaves of the past
no more/ No one leaves the world with unfulfilled desires! (8)
Such poems, in fact, charge the vital force of

186
man in every age because the present will be the past

some day but the most important thing in all times
will be the zeal and enthusiasm to accept the present
as it is and never to discard it with any
disappointment or hate.
In another poem Rain the poet seems
surcharged with hopes and energizing force when he
says:
Do not pass the hated moments any more/ Do not
fix eyes towards the sky in trouble!/ Fresh rain has
arrived from the distant south/ For flash and lightening
in the sky! (16)
However, the poems like A Female Beggar,

Intolerable, Agony, The Summer, The Country
is Restless, Communal Riots, The Life, An
Evening and Who Could Force contain elements of
pain, pessimism and agony. But, rest other poems of
Mahendra Bhatnagar are full of bubbling vibrancy
and liveliness. For example, we can mark the
following excerpts from different poems:
Life was just to sink, /Whole garden was dried up
and desolate,/ When branches shade their dry leaves and
sacked,/ Then came sweeping from afar sweet spring
breeze. (22)
The torch of fresh flame/ Burning in street to
street today,/ Darkness is dispersed,/ To liberate the
impatient and distressed world./ Infallible steady voice
echoes! (34)
187
Providing to man new songs, and simple

affectionate smile,/ The new dawn is approaching! (38)
The prime age defies devastation,/ The voice
invokes for revolution to day/ There is enthusiasm, new
freshness in breath/ The flame of utmost devotion
arouses,/ It is impossible to stay before it!/ Every step, at
every step,/Steady sea of masses advances! (72)
This transformation is not just caused by

Gods or divine forces, rather man had been striving
for it for long and she has a very vital role to play:
I advance amidst storm,/ Having flame of
revolution in breath,/ I am getting boon/ At every step in
courageous sacrifice!/ The boat may be caught in the
whirl/ The rudder in order is my courage! (74)
In the poem, Where is the destination?, the

poet surmises the destination which is not at all seen
anywhere and the path appears to him, extended
like the sari of Draupadi. But, one must be sure that
the poet is not strayed, because he knows his mission:
Its to struggle with the rocks standing ahead,/
And have to create a powerful new age,/ Its to go far,
with the help of untiring courageous fee/ Awakening the
inner light, incessant with force./ Where is the support of
the Moon? (88)
The translations of a few Hindi poems of

Bhatnagar are done by poet and Dr. Narendra Sharma
Kusum and they both are well-versed in the
tradition of poetry, so the poetic tenor is maintained
in the poems of the collection.
188
The collection should be the possession of

poetry readers who believe in human efforts and
attempts and who trust that hope will never last and it
will bloom and blossom like flowers of jasmine and
lily. Mahendra Bhatnagars present collection though
titled as Dawn to Dusk denotes that the poet has
acknowledged himself in the evening of his life, but
we, the reader should pray for a healthy and creative
life of the poet who has sung the songs of the masses
and has melted his own pain into the pains of the
people. He is a motivational light house to the strayed
writers of the world. God bless him with Heath and
believe in human efforts and attempts and who trust
that hope will never last and it will bloom and
blossom like flowers of jasmine and lily. Mahendra
Bhatnagars present collection though titled as Dawn
to Dusk denotes that the poet has acknowledged
himself in the evening of his life, but we, the reader
should pray for a healthy and creative life of the poet
who has sung the songs of the masses and has melted
his own pain into the pains of the people. He is a
motivational light house to the strayed writers of the
world. God bless him with Heath and Vigour!
***
189
Chapter-22
BEAUTY AND DELIGHT:
A QUEST IN TWO CONTEMPORARY POETS
[Mahendra Bhatnagar & D.C. Chambial]
Dr. B.C. Dwivedy
Delight is the soul of existence, beauty the
intense impression, the concentrated form of delight;
and these two fundamental things tend to be one for
the mind of the artist and poet.(Sri Aurobindo. The
Future Poetry p-226)
Life is a quest for delight, there is no doubt
about it, be it in whatever form. Delight lives in
beauty and never in the ugly and beauty removes the
pall. If one sees beauty in the ugly that is great, that is
delight in true form and only a poet can do so. Keats
has announced it in Endymion:
"Some shape of beauty moves away the pall From
our dark spirit such the sun the moon
Sri Aurobindo calls delight the existence, the

secret of creation. It is the cause of remaining in
existence. Thus everything created or everything that
exists is beautiful, nothing is ugly since nothing is
without the imperishable force of self-conscious
being. This is the essential nature of existence and
the self-existence preserves its self-delight. The
Upanishads also show a parallel explanation about
delight: from anand all existences are born, by anand
190
they remain in being and increased to Anand they

depart. (Quoted from The Life Devine by Sri
Aurobindo)
The spirit of man can make its home in beauty
and can enjoy eternal delight. Such was the
temperament of the literature created by the ancient
communities. The poetry of our times tends to
divorce these things from the instinct of delight and
beauty since there are varieties of matters awake in
the poets mind to get expression. Its all in the
sphere of modern life that is bereft of natures
excellence. The modern poets mind exploring the
life of man who passes time to observe never
unfolding petals of the plastic buds in the concrete
forests. The poet of this age has started seeking
beauty and delight in the ugly panorama of frustrated
life. When I come across the poetry of Dr.Mahendra.
Bhatnagar I feel the existence of such a quest for
beauty and delight and in Dr.D.C. Chambial it is up
to a depth unfathomed. Lets explore the possibilities
in both the contemporary poets.
Beauty is a lifelong pursuit for every soul and
so it is in Dr M Bhatnagar. He has been continuing
his quest for it since his earlier younger days and in
the dusk also the search is continued.
Let there be songs day and night/ On the harp of
the soul!/ Let sweet dreams ever come And bring pleasure and
laughter
(Life As It Is-57-M.Bhatnagar)
191
The wish of the poet is to see beauty in every

soul. It is a sort of wish that induces man towards
transcendence. Emerson puts it in his The Over
soul as a search for purity. Its a search for purity in
each man just like gold made pure in fire. The poet
refers to the inner fire that makes man pure.
By the same fire, vital consecrating, celestial,
which burns until it shall dissolve all things into the
waves and surges an ocean of light, we see and know
each other and what spirit each is of.(The Over
soul-R.W.Emerson) That purity is the beauty of life
and that gives unmixed delight.
Dr. M. Bhatnagar seeks beauty in nature. The
rains falling with song, the lightnings flashing in the
nectar -raining dark clouds, youths kissing of riding
tides, are all examples of natures bounty wherein lies
beauty.
He is a poet for more than half a century in
India. He has experienced the beauty of nature with
delight in his youthful day sand at the twilight hours
of his life he is looking at the faded beauty with
hopeful eyes and wishing a return of exuberance in
nature. The tigress of Chambal valley is mesmerized,
rather compelled to spend time within the
confinement to satisfy digital eyes of the visitors-the
dwellers of concrete jungles and still reflecting
beauty on her frowning face even though none is
available to make love. Dr M. Bhatnagars ideas are
something like this in many of his poems related to
nature. The poet has explored the possibility of
192
beauty in the midst of the ugly world. He has learned

from the meanness of man how to live rightly, from
ingratitude a revelation of the secrets of lifeliberation from the spell of fascination. He sang the
song of pain when the age tormented him ruthlesslyin simpler terms the poet is seeking beauty in the
ugly. In spite of all the painful memory he is
describing life as full of beauty. He is full of positive
thinking about life as if branches are laden with
flower and flowers of pleasant feelings swing
everywhere.
No doubt Dr. M. Bhatnagar is neck deep in realism.
Rightly Prof Ram Deo Acharya calls him a stubborn
realist because of the fact that he paints life size vivid
and graphic picture of nature, he has no mysterious secrets
and solitudes.(Poet M.Bhatnagar His Mind and Art
Ed-73). Deep in the world of spiritual thought the poet
has directed the readers mind towards the hidden

beauty of the inner self or the soul.
You are the sparrow Of my courtyard You will fly away!
Now my house Rings with sweet harmony The nectar of

love rains From all sides I fear Who knows when You
will leave and be lost!
(Poem-YOU-M.Bhatnagar)
To love/ This life, this world/ Is what a man must
do!/ To love people/ Mute animals, birds, sea-creatures,/
The forest creepers/ The trees,/Is what a man must do!/
To love the buds and the blooms the myriad hued butterflies is
what a man must do!
(Exuberance and Other poems-03-MB)
Here is a wonderful concept of love that the

193
poet has cited to highlight the intrinsic delight that

man gets from beauty of this world which he
elsewhere calls as decaying. To the inquisitive and
questing eyes of the poet the world does not look as if
full of gay; it is rather a dying, decaying and
deteriorating world that we live in. He has spared
every bit of his creative power to make man embark
upon his quest for beauty in this ugly world. The
most prominent factor in the creative art of Dr. M.
Bhatnagar is his inspiration to live with hopes and
wishes in this world which has turned dreadful. That
is a part of his wish to see beauty in the ugly and that
is the basic philosophy he tries to preach in his recent
volume Life As It Is. He asks the suffering man to
sing with such an ease that none can ever get at the
agony deposited in his heart; he inspires man to sing
with the honey-soaked voice the mirth of life, to sing
the song of spring when the autumnal plant is
dropping its leaves.
Sing The songs of love / Love that is a great
boon Love, that is priceless Love, that smells like lifes
Sweet scented shrubs.
(Life as It Is-132-MB)
Man is crushed in the clash of agony caused to
him from various angles wherever he lives and yet he
shows a ray of smile on his lips since he wants to
live. The poet expects such smile from every
individual.
Smile,
If the heart aches!
194
Smiles that are milky white!

Smiles that are immaculate white!
Smiles that are silver-like!
Through his quest for beauty and delight he has

met man in various circumstances when his eyes
might be feeling overwrought and tired he has chosen
the path of agony for his man who has to walk across
the thorns that lie concealed in the dust on the lifes
hazardous path.
Dr M. Bhatnagars volume Life as It Is is a
truer reflection of human predicament. It ends with a
poem in which the poet declares that it is not possible
to pass by the rugged path.
The happy voice is mute / Life is a silent wave,
Oh, its not possible / To pass by the rugged path.
The poet has been seen though out his poetic

career goading man towards success enjoying the
charm of beauty in the midst of the ugly or in other
words deriving delight from a sense of beauty living
in the midst of ugly. But here in the above lines that
conclude the last poem of the volume he looks tired
and full of despair for the first time; still beauty lies
in his language. His poetry is an unending process of
seeking the charm of beauty and deriving delight
from it living bit by bit in this ugly world where man
does not recognize man. Almost all his Hindi
volumes have been translated into various languag3es
especially into English and exhibit to the world
195
beauty of life all the path.

On the other hand we find in Dr. D.C.
Chambial another contemporary poet an almost
equally weighed indomitable will power in his quest
for beauty till the last step of his journey so far.
Beauty lies in his sobriety and seriousness. Dr.
R.S.Tiwary one of Chambials critics rightly
observes that Chambials Muse as manifested in his
poetry , is sober and serious, apparently conscious of
her status, striving to maintain her cool in whatever
sphere she happens to stroll(The Poetry of D C
Chambial-57).the first poem of his first volume
dictates a sort of coldness that depicts the
contemporary world which is full of despair and his
last poem published in the recent issue of a journal
gives a positive, a growth of human happiness its
about a temple which may be a symbolic
representation of the changing civilization.
The thatch is gone now/ Mud walls Replaced by
concrete walls /Thatched roof by lintel/ The flag still
hoists /Waves, carries the past with it./ A memento of past
memories.
(Temple-Replica-XVI-3 July 2013-p-1)
It is definitely a long journey, rather a quest for

beauty and delight. The same notion of searching or
feeling the beauty in the ugly is also explicit in the
poetry of Chambial. To quote Dr.R.K.Singh his
poetry evinces optimism, enchantment and
exuberance in a very lucid and flawless expression.
These are the three petals of Chambials poetry
which never change colour, rather they shine more
196
brilliantly on the touchstone of the worlds reality

from time to time. Dr. Chambial seeks beauty in the
nature. In his poem To Mother his expressions of
emotional feeling may invite tears in readers eyes.
Beauty is exhibited in every bit of it.
For nights/ I sit in the cold night/ And gaze at the
pale moon/ And the twinkling stars,/ I try hard to look
beyond them /That by chance I may have a glance/ Of the
smiling face/ Calling me. (Collected Poem-49)
The lamp of love scattering rays in the farthest

corner of a sons heart for the departed mother has
been explicit through the picture of a natural
surrounding characterized by the cold nights, pale
moon, twinkling stars and a calm tranquil
atmosphere.
When a poor woman is working hard all day
long in the scorching heat of the son to sustain herself
and her baby definitely her appearance does not look
beautiful to the ugly educated eyes intoxicated with
synthetic colour. But in the eyes of the poet it is
something very meaningful, very natural. The magic
of Chambials pen is also exhibited here.
The sweat drops down/ The rosy cheeks/ The
brawny muscles, /Desiderates into the air xxxxx wipes
her sweat from her face and sits down on a stone to sucle
her child-manna kisses on the forehead to frighten the
fatigue away. (Collected Poems-74 )
Beauty lies in the straightforwardness of

language here. When M. Bhatnagars man lives on by
the cravings of love in the midst of death orchestra
silent and deserted mango groove tears and sighs
197
with a faith divine, Chambials man fells that the

world is good , sweet,, vast and fair in the midst of
flower, vine and founts. He longs to tread across the
limits of time and space to listen to the music of ebb
and tide in every heart and says
Drop by drop/ I melt /Like a flaming candle into
the unfathomed deeps. (Collected Poems-105)
No doubt both the contemporary poets point at

the half burnt terrorized world of today as if to
excavate the buried beauty and invite man to enjoy it.
Bhatnagars man is rising up to brave the hazards in
order to experience love and beauty in the ugly
world. On the contrary Chambials man is a block of
inspiration for every other man melting himself drop
by drop in the quest of delight that he wishes he may
get from nature and the normal character of man. The
poet gives to the readers eyes a right direction to
enjoy the beauty of this world.
The world is not Without beauty /A diamond bright
Sits in the heart of coal/ Needs an eagle eye/ To sift the
Diamond/ From the coal. (Collected Poems-105)
The best expression in Chambials quest for

beauty is when the poet drops tear for the distressed.
It is definitely a spontaneous overflow of powerful
feelings. Real poetic beauty lies there in the
language, diction, emotion and appeal. Mr R. S.
Sharan, one of Dr.Chambials critics puts it in right
form.-Cry of heart of the poet is very loud. Like the
violent hilly stream it is unquietdistress of the
poet is deep. The reader equally feel sit.(The Poetry
of D.c.Chambial-36). It all emanates from his vision
198
and experience, his urges and feelings. When he finds

a battered body lay in the warm embrace of cold
death his poetic imagination explores the heart of the
dead mans wife and children whom are unaware of
this fatal stroke of fate. Then the only option left is a
profuse flow of emotion.
How will brace this bolt? /How will they face this
cold?/ How they young and old?/ For whom the sun has
set/ At noon, those whom harper has left so soon!
(Collected Poems-109)
No doubt, both the poets seek delight in the

beauty of nature but with different approaches.
Sometimes M. Bhatnagar has a dreamy vision in the
lap of nature whereas D C Chambial at the core of
hard reality. Moreover Chambial is never seen to be
in fanciful dreams. His realism is almost at par with
transcendental
thinkers
Sri
Aurobindo
or
R.W.Emerson. He is very clever in using oxymoron
or paradoxical phrases and metaphorical under
current has no limit.
The land laughs /Blood congeals/ Flood receded/
My feet on quick sand /Blazing son takes a dip/ The
falcon squeaks on rock/ A beat dances on waves /River
sobs, cloud bleeds/ Hills turn blue. (Collected Poems-44)
Another aspect of beauty in Chambials poetry

is the fact that he is closer to earth than to heaven or
in other words he has a sense more earthly like
Emersons than heavenly like Sri Aurobindos. While
describing such situations in poetry he has a
metaphorical tone.
Human heads fall like autumnal leaves/ I have

199
seen storms Come and go / And river washes wounds of

marmorial hearts.
Both the poets are recurrent in their reference to

fire and flame while analyzing modern mans
predicament. The reference to the wasteland here
reminds us of the Eliotian wasteland that expressed
the horrors of his time. The poet himself being an
inhabitant of this land is quite impatient about the
precarious condition of his fellowmen men of this
world who he things to be one with him-but still
hopeful of a better day. In Chambials languagevirtue
crouches in a corner for sheer fear of being butured.
The foxes rule the roost; beauty, truth and goodness
face the law whereas ugliness, falsehood, wickedness
enjoy treat. He calls the entire scene of the world a
tempest. Though Chambial lives in the human
world he guides the readers mind towards a spiritual
wonder which is just an account of his transcendental
thought. He has a plan of journey from the human to
the divine whereas Dr. M. Bhatnagars spirit is
already roaming in divinity.
Among all the themes that Dr. Chambial deals
with human predicament is most prominent and that
is the best expression of poetic beauty. Almost all the
situations centre round certain sad affair and when
the poet gives an expression to tragic mood it exhibits
beauty. Rightly he has dedicated his collected poems
for suffering humanity .he has depicted in clear
terms how man is undone in the present world, how
200
the honest man is compelled by situation to go astray,

how the definition of honesty tends to change from
time to time turns pale.
The unique individual /At the helpless fate of
RNA/ And the soil is ready/ For a bumper crop of
deformities./ A business-minded mother/ Decides to be
pregnant/ For those who do not want/ To lose their
shape.
(Collected Poems-8)
The way Dr.Chambial establishes the layman

of the society with all his rights to live is wonderful.
At times he draws sympathy for the distressed
individual and at other times he is mildly sarcastic in
his comments for the world around. This naturalness
in his approach is the proof of beauty. The poet
counts himself to be one among the multitude
striving hard for life in this hungry world.
We are the denizens of such an age which breeds/
Corruption like flies. (Collected Poems-110)
The poem ends with a note of despair which is

almost rare in Chambials poetry. He never ends with
despair, rather he inspires mankind to the optimummay be, his poetry is a journey from despair to hope.
The ship tosses on waves/ The shore afar; none
hears /The cry, a tempest staves in.
***
201
DR. MAHENDRA BHATNAGAR

DR. Mahendra Bhatnagars is one of the
significant post-independence voices in Hindi and
Indian English Poetry, expressing the lyricism and
pathos, aspirations and yearnings of the modern
Indian intellect. Rooted deep into the Indian soil, his
poems reflect not only the moods of a poet but of a
complex age.
Born in Jhansi (Uttar Pradesh) at maternal
grandfathers residence on 26 June 1926; 6 a.m.
Primary education in Jhansi, Morar (Gwalior)
and Sabalgarh (Morena); Matric (1941) from High
School, Morar (Gwalior); Inter (1943) from Madhav
College, Ujjain; B.A. (1945) from Victoria College, at present, Maharani Laxmi Bai College - Gwalior;
M. A. (1948) and Ph.D. (1957) in Hindi from Nagpur
University; L.T. (1950 ; Madhya Bharat Govt.)
Places of work Bundelkhand, Chambal
region and Malwa. High School Teacher from July
1945. Retired as Professor on 1 July 1984 (M.P.
Govt. Educational service). Selected once for the post
of Professor of Hindi Language & Literature, in
Tashkent University, U.S.S.R. (1978) by UGC &
ICCR (NEW DELHI)
Principal Investigator (U.G.C. / Jiwaji
University, Gwalior) from 1984 to 1987. Professor in
the IGNOU Teaching Centre of Jiwaji University,
Gwalior in 1992.
202
Worked as Chairman \ Member of various

committees in Indore University, Vikram University,
Ujjain & Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Agra.
Worked as a member in the managing
committees of Gwalior Shodh Sansthan, Madhya
Pradesh Hindi Granth Academy & Rashtra-Bhasha
Prachar Samiti, Bhopal.
From time to time, poems included in various
Text-Books of curricula of Educational Boards &
Universities of India.
Worked as one of the members in the Audition
Committees of Drama / Light Music of All India
Radio (Akashvani) - Stations Indore and Gwalior.
Contracted Song-Writer of All India Radio \ For all
Radio Stations (Light Music Section). Broadcast
many poems, talks and other programmes from
Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior and New Delhi (National
Channels) Radio Stations. Conducted and directed
many literary societies in Ujjain, Dewas, Dhar,
Mandsaur and Gwalior.
Appointed as one of the Award-Judges by
Bihar Rashtra-Bhasha Parishad, Patna (1981 &
1983), Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthan, Lucknow
(1983), Rajasthan Sahitya Akademi, Udaipur
(1991,1993,1994) & Hindi Sahitya Parishad,
Ahmedabad, Gujrat (2001).
Poems translated, published and broadcast in many
foreign and Indian languages.
Eleven volumes of poems in English:
203
English translations are accomplished by the poet

himself. Several poems are translated by him; while
the rest translated versions are completely revised
and finalized by him.
[1]
FORTY
POEMS
OF
MAHENDRA
BHATNAGAR [Ed. Prof. L.S. Sharma, Head
Dept. Eng., Vikram University Ujjain (M.P.),
Foreword : Dr. Vidya Niwas Mishra, Tr. Amir
Mohammad Khan, L.S. Sharma; Pub. S. Chand
& Co.,New Delhi 55, 1968]
[2]
AFTER THE FORTY POEMS

[Compiled. Sudha Rani,Tr. Prof. Ramsevak
Singh Yadav, Prof. Varendra Kumar Varma,
Amir Mohammad Khan; Pub. S. Chand &
Co.,New Delhi 55, 1979]
[3]
EXUBERANCE AND OTHER POEMS

[Tr. Prof. Ravinandan Sinha, Pub. Indian
Publishers Distributors, Delhi 7, 2001]
[4]
DR.
MAHENDRA
BHATNAGARS
POETRY [Tr. Prof. H.C. Gupta, Pub. Indian
DEATH-PERCEPTION LIFE-PERCEPTION
[Tr. Prof. D. C. Chambial, Pub. Indian
[5]
[6]
PASSION AND COMPASSION

[Tr. Dr. P. Adeshwar Rao, Pub. Indian
[7]
POEMS : FOR A BETTER WORLD

[Tr. Kedar Nath Sharma, Pub. Lokvani
204
Prakashan, New Delhi 49, 2006]

[8]
[9]
LYRIC-LUTE
[Tr. Dr. Shaleen Kumar Singh, Dr. Kalpna
Rajput & Others, Pub. Vista International
Publishing House, Delhi 53, 2007]
A HANDFUL OF LIGHT
[Tr. Prof.D.C. Chambial, Pub. National
Publishing House, New Delhi 2, 2007]
[10] NEW ENLIGHTENED WORLD

[Tr. Dr. Anshu Bharadwaj, Dr. Mukesh Sharma,
Pub. Indian Publishers Distributors, Delhi 7,
2010]
[11] DAWN TO DUSK
Tr. Dr. Mukesh Sharma, Kedar Nath Sharma,
Dr. Narendra Sharma Kusum, Pub. Indian
REPRESENTATIVE COLLECTIONS:
[1]
SELECTED POEMS OF DR. MAHENDRA

BHATNAGAR
Subject-wise anthologies in English

[Published: E- Books]
[1]
ENGRAVED ON THE CANVAS OF TIME

(Vol. - 1 & 2) [Poems of social harmony &
humanism: realistic & visionary aspects.]
[2]
STRUGGLING FOR LIFE

[Poems of faith & optimism: delight & pain.
Philosophy of life] Ed. P C K Prem [Pub.
205
Indian Publishers Distributors, Delhi 7, 2015]

[3]
LOVE POEMS
[4]
NATURE POEMS
[5]
DEATH AND LIFE
Distinguished Subject-wise Anthologies :

Published Bilingual English & Hindi
[1]
POMES: FOR HUMAN DIGNITY [Poems of

social harmony & humanism]
[Pub. Indian Publishers Distributors, Delhi 7,
2013]
[2]
LIFE : AS IT IS
[Poems of faith & optimism: delight & pain.
Philosophy of life]
[3]
[Pub. Indian Publishers Distributors, Delhi 7,

2012]
O, MOON, MY SWEET-HEARET! [Love
poems]
[Pub. Rachanaa Prakashan, Jaipur (Raj.), 2013]
[4]
SPARROW and other poems [Nature Poems]

[Pub. Aman Prakashan, Kanpur (U.P.) 2015]
[5]
DEATH AND LIFE

[Poems on Death & Life with criticism] [Pub.
Aman Prakashan, Kanpur (U.P.) 2015]
***
206
One volume of translated 108 poems in

French
A Modern Indian Poet:
Un Pot Indien Et Moderne
Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar
[Tr. Prof. Purnima Ray] Pub. Indian Publishers
Distributors, Delhi 7, 2004]
Research & Critical studies:

(1) THESIS
Post-Independence Voice For Social Harmony
And Humanism : A STUDY OF SELECTED
POEMS OF MAHENDRA BHATNAGAR
[By Dr. Rama Krishnan Karthikeyan, Madurai
Kamraj University, 2016 / Forthcoming]
(2) Living Through Challenges :
A
STUDY
OF
DR.
MAHENDRA
BHATNAGARS POETRY
[by Dr. B.C. Dwivedy, Pub. Sanjay Prakashan,
New Delhi 2, 2006]
(3) DR. MAHENDRA BHATNAGARS POETRY
IN THE EYES OF THE CRITICS
[By Kedar Nath Sharma, Pub. E-Books]
(4) THE POET MAHENDRA BHATNAGAR :
REALISTIC & VISIONARY ASPECTS
[Ed. Dr.Vijay Kumar Roy, Pub. 2016]
(5) CONCERNS AND CREATION :
A CRITICAL STUDY OF MAHENDRA
BHATNAGARS POETRY
[Ed. Dr. R. K. Bhushan, Pub. Indian Publishers
207
Distributors, Delhi 7, 2012]

(6) POET MAHENDRA BHATNAGAR: HIS
MIND AND ART
[Ed. Dr. Suresh Chandra Dwivedi & Dr. Shubha
Dwiwedi, Pub. Vista International Publishing
House, Delhi 53, 2007
Received Awards, four times ( 1952, 1958, 1960,
1985. ) from Madhya Bharat & Madhya Pradesh
Govts.
Adviser :
POETCRIT (Half-Yearly / Maranda, H.P.),
Member : National Advisory Board
'THE LITERARY HERALD.' [Satna-M.P.]
Member Advisory Board :
Indian
Journal
of
POSTCOLONIAL
LITERATURES [Half-yearly / ThodupuzhaKerala]
Contact :
110 Balwant Nagar, Gandhi Road,
Gwalior 474 002 (M.P.) BHARAT
Phone : 0751-4092908 /
M-81 097 300 48
E-Mail : drmahendra02@gmail.com
***
208
Dr.Vijay Kumar Roy

(MA, B.Ed, LLB, CELTA, PhD) is a bilingual poet
writing in English & Hindi. He is an author and
editor of fifteen books. His poems have been
published in a number of national and international
journals. His poems have also been anthologized in
The Rainbow Hues(2014),The Enchanted World
(2013), The Poetic Bliss (2012), The Melodies of
Immortality (2012), The Fancy Realm (2011) and
Poets Paradise (2010).
His books include Realm of Beauty and
Truth: A Collection of Poems (2016), Post
Independence Indian Poetry in English: New
Experimentation (2015), Comparative Literature:
Critical Responses (2014); Contemporary Indian
Fiction in English: Critical Studies (2013); English
Language Teaching: New Approaches and Methods
(2013); Value Education and Professional Ethics: An
Anthology (2013); Hindi- Speak with the Hearts of
Indians(2013); Humanities and Social Sciences: The
Quintessence of Education (2012); The Melodies of
Immortality (a collection of poems in English)
(2012); Spiritual Poetry of India in English
Translation: Critical Studies (2012); Contemporary
Indian Spiritual Poetry in English: Critical
Explorations (2012); Teaching of English: New
Dimensions (2012); Indian Poetry in English: A
209
Comprehensive Study (2011); Womens Voice in

Indian Fiction in English (2011); Aesthetic of John
Keats: An Indian Approach (2010) ;Premanjali(2009)
(a collection of poems in Hindi). His more than two
dozen research papers have appeared in a number of
national and international journals of repute.
He
is
Editor-in-chief
of
ArsArtium
(www.arsartium.org), An International Research
Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences published
from New Delhi; Associate Editor of Akshara (ISSN:
0975-5373), A Research Journal of English Language
and Literature published from Darbhanga, Bihar; and
Joint Editor of Lapis Lazuli
(ISSN: 2249- 4529), An International Literary
Journal published online from Ghaziabad, Uttar
Pradesh.
He teaches English at Northern Border
University, Arar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He has
also taught at SRM University, NCR Campus,
Modinagar, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh (INDIA).
He can be contacted at:drvkroy78@yahoo.com
***
210
CONTRIBUTORS
[1] Dr. B. C. Dwibedy
M-9419288136 / bairagikvs@rediffmail.com
P.O. Sukinda (Dist. Jaipur) - 755-018, Orissa
[KV-No. - 1, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu - 180-001
(J&K)
[2] P. C. K. Prem
M-9418033910 / pckprem.katoch@gmail.com
Kotoch Cottage, Ludar-Mahant House, Palampur
- 776-061 (H.P.)
[3] Dr. A. K. Chaturvedi
M-9425790023/ dr. chaturvediak@gmail.com
269, C. P. Colony, Morar-Gwalior - 474006
[4] Varindra Kumar Varma
M-9827158904/ varindravarma@gmail.com
2-A/3-A, Phase - 2, Raj Kishore Nagar,
Bilaspur - 495006 (Chhatisgarh)
[5] Harish K. Thakur
M-9418008900/ harish070@gmail.com
'Conifers call', Thakur Bldg., New Totu, Shimla 171011 (H.P.)
[6] Anuraadhaa Bhattacharyya
M-8968173906/ an6radha@yahoo.co.in
310, Sector 22-A, Chandigarh - 160022
[7] Dr. Sulakshana Sharma
M-9816060338 / smarthshelly2005@gmail.com /
c/o Munish Sharma, Advocate and Asociates,
Above Arora General Store, Near Bali Watch
211
Company,
Palampur - 176-061 (Dist. Kangra-H.P.)
[8] Dr. Arbimnd K. Choudhary
M-9435514875/
arbind442002@yahoo.co.in
arbindchoudhary11@gmail.com
'Kohinoor',
SARASWATI NAGAR, ITABA PIPRA ROAD,
PIPRA
P.O. - DUMARI - 858 117
(Dist. Begusarai / Bihar)
[9] Smt. Purnima Ray
M-8902636776 / purnimaray1@gmail.com /
77, Green Park, Keshab Ganj Chati, P.O. Rajbati, Burdwan - 713-104 (W.B.)
[10] Jasvinder Singh
M-9810618461 /
jasvindersingh1947@hotmail.com
7/841, Govind Puri, Kalkaji, New Delhi - 19
[11] Dr. Surendra R Parmar
M-9427723431 /suren r 1979@gmail.com
14, Jasuda Nagar,Savli - Vadodara -Gujrat
[12] Dr. C. L. Khatri
M-9934415964 / drclkhatri@rediffmail.com.
'Cyber Literature', 'Anand Mutt', Near St. Paul
School, Harnichak, Anishabad, Patna - 800002
(Bihar)
[13] Dr. Narendra Sharma 'Kusum'
M-9414829376 /
7 Ch 2, Jawahar Nagar, Jaipur - 302004 (Raj.)
212
[14] Dr. Anshu Bharadwaj (Sharma)

M-9887031545 /
Bhawan, Premier Nagar, Aligarh - 202001
(U.P.)
[15] Kedar Nath Sharma
M-9953876282/ kedar_nathsharma@yahoo.co.in
1, Shivalik Apts. (Opp. 'D' Block), Near
Saraswati Vihar, Pitampura, Delhi - 110034
[16] Dr. Shaleen Kumar Singh
M-9359459695 / drshaleen999@gmail.com
Sayee Niharika, Opp. Vinod Homeo Store,Patiala
Saray, Budaun -243-601 (U.P.)
[17] Dr. Vijay Kumar Roy
Dept. Eng., Northern Border University,
Arar (Saudi Arabia / (KSA)
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The Poet Mahendra Bhatnagar: Realistic & Visionary Aspects

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The Poet Mahendra Bhatnagar: Realistic & Visionary Aspects

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Published by: OnlineGatha The Endless Tale

*DR. VIJAY KUMAR ROY

QUEST OF HUMANITY IN THE

POETRY OF ETHICAL SOCIAL

THE CONCEPT OF HUMANISM IN

POEMS: FOR HUMAN DIGNITY

ELEMENTS OF HUMANISM AND

POEMS : FOR HUMAN DIGNITY

STRUGGLING FOR LIFE

LONELINESS WITHIN AND

* DR. SULAKSHANA SHARMA

* DR. ARBIND KUMAR CHOUDHARY

* MRS. PURNIMA RAY

SUCCINCT AND THOUGHT

DR. MAHENDRA BHATNAGAR:

* DR. ANURADHA BHATTACHARYYA

NEW ENLIGHTENED WORLD:

* DR. C. L.. KHATRI

FROM A READERS DESK

ON READING DAWN TO DUSK

* DR ANSHU BHARADWAJ (SHARMA)

* KEDAR NATH SHARMA

* DR. SHALEEN KUMAR SINGH

BEAUTY AND DELIGHT:

people of one religion fighting with the people of

In their mission they take lives of numerous

allows. But unfortunately all these kinds of activities

Religious hatred is one of the vilest evils in

People are aware of their roots. They know that

scripts as the accomplishments of human intellect.

However, besides religious hatred, there are

He believes that every human being deserves

dark world with a resplendent brilliance,/ lets visit each

Finding the 'Chakra-vyuhs of cannibals' 'On all

The best example of hope is expressed in his

It is a hope that gives energy for continuous

He longs for a world where humanity should be

hatred at many places and resulted in suffering and

The poet proposes the history creators to

Ed. Dr. Vijay Kumar Roy

shattered. It is the driving force behind every action

The poet has lived the life of love and dignity

rough in his voice by using phrases such as soulless

The poet envisions in every woman the

She is the living embodiment of love herself;

vision is seen as an eye opener for the human world.

In a major part of the volume the poet depicts

The poet here definitely points at the selfish

beyond all differences since that unified state of man

In a major part of his poetry Dr. Mahendra

Tolerating others creed is a healthy habit since it

In order to live life the common man has to

It will be a life of self-restrained liberty. The

Not only that but if a man worships the same

The poet wishes to establish a sublime human

Sun gives its light equally to the flowers and

The poet heavily draws upon the cause of grief

The poets perseverance towards human dignity

new tomorrow. In the poetry, one finds pleasant and

finds mention in some lyrics. He visualizes a man

A true man ought to inculcate sensibility of

However, he talks differently when he speaks