FOREWORD FOR TWO AND TWO MAKE FIVE

FOREWORD  

Poetry: Two and Two Make five

Poet: Bhanwar Lal Jat

Translator : M. A. Rathore

Bi-lingual Poet of human-concerns, M.A. Rathore had been penning his beautiful verses since more than two decades. 'Two and Two Make Five' English trans-version of Rajasthani Poems of Bhanwar Lal Jat is his maiden venture in field of translation.

The Poet is endowed with mystical bend of mind;  his poems are tinged with spiritualism and deep philosophy of  life. These soulful poems tuned with innate depth of thought are a treat for mind, capable of fetching solace and healing stressed minds of the voracious readers. His lofty perception paves way for sublime poetry.

Eyes are sometimes not eyes 

(The instrument to see) 

But the wings of life-sky

Which measure

The length, breadth, and height of the world.

The poet has a craving for social-belongingness, which is beautifully expressed in his poem, ' I like The Crowd'

I like a crowd; 

I am also liked by the crowd; 

 I and the crowd like each other very much

 And die for each other

He is endowed with sublime ideas and uplifts the notion of equal opportunity for all to grow.

Shine yourself 

And let the other people shine, 

Grow yourself

 And let the others grow themselves

He wants to sway in boat of body, mind and flesh while continuing journey of life.

I am still a boat 

Of body, mind and flesh

 In a rhythmic river

He is apt in utilizing methodology of  using nature, as metaphors of moods and psychological expressions. 

The changing moods of the characters

 And the changing charms of the characters are

 Like the changing of

 'Shadow of the sun’ Thrice a day'.

The non-traditional note emerges in his poems and astonishes readers. His novice perception arouses curiosity and makes the poems highly engaging.

It may sound wrong and awkward

To hear but it is true 

That two and two do not make four 

But it is five;

There is no fixed formula for life

And no fixed structure; 

It rises as much as 

The one who tries to raise it.

Immersed in deep philosophy of life, he has a melancholic attitude towards death. He invokes us to enjoy cup of  life till its last dregs.

Live your being 

With zeal and enthusiasm;

In this are

The colour of life.

Death is the destination of life; 

Then why the rejection and fear?

 Enough! O man,

 Don't die before you die! 

Don't die 

The poet emphasizes nurturing physical as well as mental identity and invokes the readers to have a soft corner for glory of nature. He breaks the ground in realizing the significance of human values more than materialistic realities of life.

Personally is not only of man; 

But trees, rivers, streams,

Waterfalls, mountains, valleys 

Also, have their personality.

In the same way, feelings, and thoughts

Also, have progressive feelings

 In the personality of existence 

Which has its unique effects.

Glory of motherhood is penned with profound depth of emotions. Affection, care and sacrifice of mother leave deep impact on our mind throughout.

'Wet napkin' which she used 

To change time and again, repeatedly 

While reciting a lullaby; 

Patting me on the dry bed

 And sleep in the wet herself. 

The poet is perturbed by division of Earth into fragments and of human-beings  too. Disparities hurt him and he flashes a question.

You have divided the earth;

Divided the sky, 

Divided the human being, 

Will you divide me too....?

Frustration is the root cause of disturbance of mind and has to be eradicated to live a balanced and composed mind

In the list of mental disorders, 

There is a very subtle psychosis 'frustration',

Whose abortion is necessary.

Thoughts sprout in mind, when poet is on wings of imagination and then he adorns them in his own fanciful ways. Such poetry thrills minds of readers and soothes soul.

Poetry emerges 

With the help of the poet's imagination

And then adorns

The ornaments of words

 Like a bride.

The poet is in constant quest for identity of self. In this process of self-introspection, he imposes a  question

I am not the body, 

 I am not the mind either; 

Where am I then? 

Poems soothe our mind, provide food to our soul and take us on tour of world, while sitting at home.
Poems are 

Like bathing in the holy Ganga 

While sitting at home;

Poems are 

The rhythm, pace and gamut of life

So, let us join him for this unique journey of poetic realm and dive deep in ocean of fancies, thrills, loftiness, sublime pleasure and pure joy of these soulful poems.

M. A. Rathore has a fertile brain for adornment and appreciation of poetry. You can enjoy the poems in their entirety by going through this wonderfully translated book by Rathore. He has put his best efforts to retain fervour of original poems of Bhanwar Lal Jat. This translated work will be a great step for transcending linguistic barriers and will pave pay for its further translation in different Indian and international languages.

With Best wishes to him for continuous success!

Rajni Chhabra

Multi-lingual Poetess & Polyglot

International Director 20 of W.U.P.

e mail: rajni.numerologist @ gmail.com