User:Sunilnepal

Sunilnepal 08:07, 26 November 2006 (UTC) Katuwal’s “What a Damned Life, This life!”: a portrayal of real human existence

Tripathi et.al write that Katuwal was a free verse, progressive poet who remained in constant line with the contemporary disposition and helped uplift the tendency. When the other contemporary poets in Nepal were experimenting, Katuwal emigrated from India’s Assam to Nepal and developed his skill. Katuwal according to Tripathi et.al is not a poet who has a particular vision, discourse or principle\to convey through his poetry. His poetry according to them is only the product of his good and experience boiled in the cauldron of his fertile mind which as a result formed delicious potion—his poetry. At times he is melancholic and at other times he finds life disjointed and meaningless. In addition, he also portrays his internal feelings and belief on life. Tripathi et.al point put that Katuwal leads the reader to the underlying meaning if life through his journey through sadness and chaos. So his theme is the constant struggle to find the essence of life. Katuwal is a spontaneous poet according to the critics. His flow is unaffected. Whenever he writes poetry, he makes use of new metaphors and similes. His verses are effortlessly arranged and there are internal rhymes although he writes in free verse (in Nepali). Though Katuwal was influenced by Gopal Prasad Rimal and Bhupi Sherchan, he has been able to show the realities of contemporary society from his own perspective. Katuwal is neither pressed by style nor by his own feelings. He is the new connector between the reader and poetry after experimental poetry that had held the reader in confusion consequently delineating the poem from the reader. Katuwal has been instrumental in reconnecting the poem to the reader. He is called the “brother poet” in the sense that he started the fire of rebellion against the then contemporary style of writing unintelligible poetry. His poems come protruding out of such a tradition. Thus, Katuwal conceived the end of this experimental poetry and give impetus to an era of contemporary poetry that the reader could comprehend. Therefore, Katuwal can be called as one of the leading poets of the century.

According to Tripathi et.al, the poet is anxious for the reason that the contemporary world is seemingly perplexed and on the road to degeneration. The speaker talks from personal experience that people live hollow lives. There is lamentation that human beings are frightened of what the future may bring because of the numerous arms and ammunitions. People are always under immense pressure. They are tormented from every side. One is amidst myriad problems. There are so many battles and wars in the world and people are not even able to rest and sleep in peace. Battles rage and startle the sleep put of people. Life is so hazardous that one has to lay one’s heard on the barrel of a gun. One has to tread on the blade of the khukuri. It is dangerous to open or close the eye. People are bound to live in perilous conditions. The poet portrays this dreadfulness in a satiric mode. According to the speaker, life is flimsy. Human life is like a bangle that is in a showcase. When a girl wears it there are chances that it will shatter into pieces. It is like a slipper made out of cheap rubber that doesn’t last long. The poet is concerned for the present age. He is aware if the pervasiveness of the notion of man’s vulnerability.

I am of the opinion that Katuwal is a pessimist. He wants to show us that life is hollow within and whatever shows is just plastic. The word atom used in the first stanza points to the two great super powers of the pre-nineties USA and USSR who manufactured bombs to eventually kill each other- this wasn't to take place! In such a state of affairs there wouldn’t be peace anywhere. Problems would be hovering upon everyone like a spectre. People were scared and since no one could guarantee their security, one had to have a gun handy to the extent of a person making a gun his/her pillow. There were land mines everywhere and life became vulnerable as opposed to those who consider life as a flower. One needs to be vigilant because there could be an attack from anywhere. The poet wants to say that life is not what it looks from outside. It is delicate and brittle like a bangle. When it is in the showcase it is safe but after a girl takes it out to wear it, it might break easily.

Reference

Tripathi, Basudev. et.al. Nepali Kavita Bhaag Ek. Shajha Prakashan, Kathmandu, Nepal.