1. Introduction
The term 'Modernism' in literature is first introduced in the late nineteenth century after the end of colonialism. It means the adoption of new modern and interesting themes of composition in different regional languages. In India, 'Modernism' revolves around the magical transformation of society and culture in the kingship of the British East- India Company.
The literary renaissance in western countries paves the way for modern writing in India. Indian poets don't copy British English but make an Indianized English compose their writings. Now, let's discuss how modernism in Indian poetry in the English language hugely impacts the upcoming literary works of prominent poets and writers.
2. Background:-
To discuss the effect of modernism in Indian literature, we must understand the background briefly. In 1835, the British colonial government introduced English education for upper-class Indians to serve in the administration of the colony.
In Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta's presidency, students get the essence of western literature and culture. 19th-century literature carries the idea of individualism, progress, and nationalism. Indian writing on modernism, though inspired by European culture, gets going with controversial topics, most specifically on women's issues. A notable change occurs in the mentality of the poets, and we can see the reflection in their writings.
Nissim Ezekiel, Purshottam Lal, Jayanta Mahapatra, Keki N.Daruwalla, Shiv K.Kumar, Adil Jussawalla, Kamala Das, Shiv K.Kumar, Dom Moraes, Pritish Nandy, Arun Kolatkar, Dilip Chitre, etc. are the poets of the new age who are put forth as the harbingers of modernism in the history of Indian English poetry. Let's go through their concept of modernism portrayed in their writings individually.
Ezekiel (1924-2004) is regarded as the pioneer of modernism in Indian writing. Some of his notable works are - A Time To Change (1952), Sixty Poems (1953), The Third(1958), The Unfinished Man (1960), The Exact Name (1965), Hymns in Darkness (1976), Latter-Day Psalms(1982).
He is a great love poet whose poetry revolves around physical love, sex, and female desire. His success lies beneath his extreme frankness while explaining such sensitive topics. In the poem ' Hymns in Darkness,' he says-
Don’t curse the darkness.
Since you’re told not to,
But don’t be in a hurry
To light a candle, either.
The darkness has its secrets
Which light does not know?
It’s a kind of perfection.
While every light
Distorts the truth
Onn this context Prof. A. N. Dewedi rightly remarks:
Ezekiel's experimental poem, “A very Indian poem in Indian English,” clearly visualizes the reality of the situation in Indian society. It enacts a real situation for the use of „Babu Angrezi or what we roughly call today “Indian English.
.”
Das:-
Another famous name is Kamala das, also renowned as Kamala Suraiyya and Madhavikutty (1934-2009). Her works include - Summer in Calcutta (1965), The Descendants (1967), The Old Playhouse, and Other Poems (1973). Her poems are mostly biographical based on her life and relationship with her husband.
She describes how she begs for love from door to door, and in exchange, she faces the monstrous male sexuality. 'The Dance of the Eunuchs' is a good example of a poem
dealing with the theme:
It was hot, so hot before the eunuchs came
To dance, wide skirts going round and round, cymbals
Richy, Dashing, and anklets jingling, jingling.......
Her idea of women's sexuality was certainly a new theme, and her so-minute description crowns her as a perfect harbinger for Modern Indian Poetry.
Ak: -
Attipat Krishnaswami Ramanujan (1929- ) is a modern poet due to his skepticism, ironies, and unrealistic values and beliefs. His major works are - The Striders (1966), Interior Landscapes (1967), Hymns for the Drowning(1981). The complexity, instability, and irony of Ramanujan's poems seem very modern, as is the way they appear to offer themselves as imagistic statements to be appreciated and interpreted as the modern reader wishes.
Robin:-
It is said that If Ak Ramanujan as a poet is ironic, Robin Parthasarathy is linguistical. R.Parthasarathy is a modern poet who has evolved by practicing honing and adding from time to time to furnish his poetic stature and stance. His major works are - Poetry from Leeds (1968), Rough Passage (1977), Cilappatikaram of Ilanko Atikal, etc. His primary works are in the English language, but he starts writing in Tamil in the end. Like other South Indian poets, he also mixes up traditional Indian culture with Western values.
Arun:-
Arun Kolatkar ( 1932 - 2004) is another example of modern poets in Indian Poetry. The themes of his poetry include humor and irony. Arun Kolatkar is a poet of the urban intelligentsia. His famous works include - Jejuri (1976), Bhijki Vahi (2004), The Boatride, and Other Poems (2008). In his Commonwealth award-winning poem Jejuri, he says -
"The tarpaulin flaps are buttoned down
On the windows of the state transport bus
All the way up to Jejuri."
Jayanta:-
Jayanta Mahapatra (1928- ), a renowned poet of the Oriya language, is also familiar with English. His famous works are - Close the Sky, Ten by Ten, Svayamvara and Other Poems, A Rain of Rites, Burden of Waves and Fruit, Three Continents Press, etc. In his poems, we get the pain of hunger and poverty among common people. His specialty is that he does not hanker after nature or such common characters, but he writes about real issues in contemporary society. One of Mahapatra's poems, "Listening," concludes with the words: "You merely wait, listening, pinned to the stone.
."
Daruwalla:-
Keki N. Daruwalla (1937-) is another pioneer of modern Indian Poetry. His famous works are- Apparition in April(1971), Crossing of Rivers (1976), Winter Poems (1980), The Keeper of the Dead (1982), Landscapes (1987), A Summer of Tigers (1995), Night River ( 2000), The Map-maker( 2002), The Scarecrow and the Ghost,( 2004). He compares the social issues in his poems and places sentiment in a high place. He also mixes up Aristotle's Poetics with his writings to make them successful with the touch of the new genre of Modernism.
3. Conclusion:-
To conclude, we can argue that those poets have contributed to bringing literature to greater heights. Most of the poets we read now don't simply copy from Western literature but creates new ideas and furnishes them through their writings. Advances of Women poets, along with their bold, frank writings, reflect the dark side of society. Since the writers are of the same era, they portray the same genre of literature. Such inauguration of new ideas, breaking the locks of conventional literature to a greater extend, signifies the success of Modernism in Indian Poetry in the English language.
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