Narvada Devis Rocking Rock [Published in Rock (as review/commentary), Poetry Anthology, Kathamndu: July 2013] Atindra Dahal

Narvada Devi, a poet, who has been committed in writing from early mid and has brought an anthology at the fourth quarter of her life- accepts in her own word- has exhibited the potent and influential bond of expression to her emotion and knowledge, in her poems. Though late in comparison of normal practice of publishing the creation, she has no doubt come with a greatRock-that is a worth admiring piece. Strikingly, most of the poems are in simple language but those spread really powerful and weighty messages. Wordsworth regarded simplicity of the language as one of noble attributions of poetry and remarked I answer that the language of such poetry as is here recommended is as far as possible, a selection of the language really spoken by men (441); and the poet Narvada Devi has well assimilated it and simulated the similar practices successfully. Because of simple language, her poetry is not only easily readable for people; even those are of meaning and access to mass readers. To be concise, her simplicity in terms of language has made the poetry more lively and of flying colours more for people. As Shelly said the word poetry within the limit of that art which is the most familiar and the most perfect expression of the faculty itself (518) then made a deep light to synopsize that poetry as supreme source of knowledge and best art of expression for the best feelings, such assimilation can be well traced in her poetry. Narvada Devi has been able to transmit accurate and deep sociopolitical realties through her poems. Wonderful ideas are wonderfully expressed. Poetry is popularly perceived as deviation of language and breaking laws of grammar, or like playing tennis without net. Herbert, to brief the condition, coins the term free space through judicious manipulation of language (77). Poet Narvada Devi has been able to well exploit the very principle. Most of her lines do catch deliberate and prearranged deviations in classical format of grammar and conventionally conceived standard of syntax. A rock, I am (from Rock), moon was it, calm was that (from Moon) are few out of plenty of such praxis. In words of Stevens, musicality makes poem easier and effective to read. Such elements can be well featured in her most of the poems as majority of poems come with sweet sounding end rhyming. All stagger and mumble, expecting some humble (from Sense) and though slow, it is a blow (Reality) representatively appear to connote similar endeavor of author throughout her poetry; and in fact so it is. Political perversion, exacerbating humanity, dwindling and eroding morality, social follies, and ongoing public realities are well articulated in her poems. Reading her poems give a limpid picture of society from all the angels. As Tysons statement, A better understanding of the world in which we live, it seems to me, automatically comes along the ride when we study literature(xii) compares literatures as a mirror to reflect the world, so does Narvadas poems. Those will go a great reading memory and insightful observation of society for all.

In terms of issues, she has proportionally raised interest of youngsters, lovers, and expatriates, aged people, animals, insects and so on. Union/Milan highlights what the people in bond of affair expect with each other. Many of usually dominant issues and besides its normal trends, unused and left issues too are incorporated in her poems. From much repeated area of poetry love and politics to very rare issues like river, doll, taste, bees, throne and many others are also taken as subject of her poems. Thus she has been much rational to practice and act for inclusivity in writing as well. Besides exploring wrongs of society, even the poet has equally alarmed people to avoid bad thought and negative world view. She dashingly poses the positive attitude in people. Lets give a new turn to life (An Idea)) indicates her endless hunger to set up a sense of positivism in people. Besides structure, even in term of message delivery, she has crafted them well. Diligence and intelligence to use poetic devices is further beatified with decency and injection of human values as she is optimistically empowering mindset and psychology of people. Beyond narration narrates the inexplicable pain and selfishness, where humans are wrapped in. Finnegans notion of contemporanity in poems are offered due justice with raising such of day to day heart rending traumatic modes and blossomed selfishness in human life. As issues of federalism is about to invite many questions and those are prone towards disintegration and division of the nation, the poet shrills against of it and writes, Let me live as whole/ dont endeavour for fragmentation (Earth). Mill explains poetry as the truth of the poetry is to paint the human soul truly (552). Even Narvada Devi has mastered to touch soul and click the mind of everybody with her poems and its themes. Patriotism and deep love towards nation, frequently talked into more than dozen of poems, is very powerful and convincing message that the poet has raised about. As Nepal is well acclaimed for its serene beauty and panoramic views, she makes due justice by realizing similar natural properties as benchmark that makes her to be enamored with Nepal, in poem Motherland. In poem I weep, she structurally assimilates the nature of pain and agonies. She discusses about various ways of weeping and crying. Mostly short sentences and swift changes in them indicate structural coherence with various episodes of out lives as those are hardly permanent and predominantly fleeting. The poems can be composed even in normal and ordinary issues. In fact poets of people need to check so. To refrain making the poem only as an art of bourgeoisie, as Bakthin accuses, it is both Monochronic and valorized (844); each poet is to be much conscious of choosing issues that each and every person has and normal citizen aligns with. Making poetry a common and heart touching art from sophisticated one, she realizes that even normal issues as hails, rains, breeze too should make poems. Thus, the vagueness and grand narrated theories of poem is critiqued. In fact, she drfits from modernist grand narrative paradigm to post modernist concept of pluralities. In line, as Lyotard says, The general idea is trivial one. One can note a sort of decay in the confidence placed by the two last centuries in the idea of progress (1613), the poet succeeds to incorporate many of minor and ordinary issues in her anthology as subject of poem.

She creates an indefatigable and a committed persona, who is not deferred though defeated in journey, in poem On en-route. It even advises people to get defeated but not to be deferred and destroyed. Poet duly acknowledges the role of time and admits that the time has changed her. Yeats says time has transfigured me and cries as, I spit into the face of time (26); so the poet Narvada Devi does and writes Time, I hate you lot (Grievance), when she got too peeved with time. The political culture abetting towards disintegration and divisibility of Nepal has been well alarmed. The lines what should I narrate further reveals the pain that has covered people in foreign land too. Sense of humiliation, insecurity and substandard dignity tie people there; and that is all because of political leaders vile and vacillating conducts, what the poet has rightly reprehended. Ever busy, we are/ fascinated with some, everybody prays money to come (Palpitation) has succinctly raised what Haraway says about cybrog the cyborg is our ontology, it gives us our politics (2270) and further advocates the concept of work-holism. Humans are not like humans; losing sense and caring only for money and working like machine, they have turned into half human and half machine, means cyborg. The observation of poet cant be gainsaid. Even a poet Simpson writes: As the tip of the fly rod, and their sons were as smooth as a V-8 engine [.] found the heart misplaced, and seeds as black as death, emitting a strange odor (33) and compares American people with inanimate objects or busy but senseless machines, so feels the poet Narvada Devi. Viewing Nepal from America is a poem which blends the theme of poly-issues. Mighty Balabhadra aborted their whole idea recalls the history and honours his great deeds. They served never and sucked ever disparage the dignity of denizens highlights clear observation of ongoing political reality. As Aryal says who you know are all cheats. They know pretention if anything (2) and regards all as immoral and fraud, even Narvada Devi aligns with the feeling and endorses same which is a surreal road truth of our nation. She even expects strong foundation for nation building. Purity and humanity are my goal/peace and security as a whole (Imagination) bespeaks her interest over nation building project. Most of the theoreticians who exhort for successful nation building attempt urge for the issues of peace and security. Waston, points as Nation building may involve outside intervention for a varieties of reasons: peacekeeping, pre-emption, humanitarian relief, institutional building, conflict avoidance, liberation or revenge (10) and makes reader understand that peace is first and foremost base for nation building mission. Hendrixs ideas Makeable Security and Salihs note over strong and proactive role of military to maintain peace, detain conflict and smoothen nation building in Iraq certify peace as an interchangeable synonym for nation building. Poets anticipation for such peace is, inferably, now expectation of nation building. Empties are the villages and city (Nearer) is an indication of huge expatriation and exodus and the crude pain that the areas are being vacated. Poet has succinctly represented the life in kite (Life as Kite). Most of the events and progress in lives are as like kites, thus she has given the many steps of life into kite as process of connections and disconnection. Not easy it is to forget the nation (Yearning) is surreal encapsulation that though people exhibit euphoria and eureka

once they get accepted for visa of foreign country, the luxuriating will be mere an artificial one. In fact the more days pass, the more they get haunted in feeling of nation. Poet has accepted the fact. Mind is alone in huge crowd of humans (Yearnings) offers an alternative discourse upon loneliness. Literally loneliness may stand for the situation that an individual is left in isolation amidst of jungle or on the beach of river. But London, in his story the Story of an Eyewitness, feels serene loneliness amidst the crowd and dead calm. The poet too observes similar loneliness though she is in crowd of humans in the most civilized nation of the world. Such pains are well pumped into different lines of the poetry. Lets pray work and food in the homeland (Yearning) rightly releases the pain of expatriate and reveals their deep wish and expectation for returning homeland provided social and employment security can be assured. Constantly to decimate peace and joy, this is dollars dolour (Dollars Dolour) infallibly brings forth the story of people who pay high subservience towards America and agree any term and condition to have an entrance for. Restlessness and mechanism we pack in the same poem is expression how people are ready to degrade humanity and change into mechanism for money. Refrain, a poetic device used to stress a message, is successfully and infallibly adopted. Narvada Devi has correctly used them as Abraham says, a line or part of a line or a group of lines, which is repeated in the course of a poem (263); and such repetitions intone the message of specific lines. Mothers super and undefeatable power has been well expressed, give me your pain, as ice, I absorb them in the poem Affection. The urge of nation needing a visionary, powerful and invincible leader is also articulated; and poet has extended her wish through her words. Her poem offspring voices same. The eventual poem Greetings injects positive vibration and optimistic look. Lets have new progress, new vision, mission new is indication that she teaches people to dream, as dream has great power, for new nation. Baudrillard writes It is the generations by models of real without origin or reality: a hyper real (1732) and internalizes the role of imagination over reality. Similarly, the poet expects people dream it hoping that sooner the dream drives them to materialize it. As Barthes writes, -this gap appears, the voice loses its origin, the author enters into his own death, and writing begins (1131), this anthology Rock has decimated Nravadas identity as of simple NRN Nepalese then has presented her as a nationalist proactive literary figure. Now she is none in herself; it is time to the readers to make meaning. Reading her poetry is a great way of making a forward leap intellectual insight and missing to read is an irreparable loss. It appreciably rocks the readers. Works Cited: Abrams, M. H. A Glossary of Literary Terms. India: Harcourt India Private Limited, 2001. Aryal, Khem. Kathmandu Saga and Other Poems. Kathamndu: Society of Nepali Writers in English, 2004. Bakthin, Mikhail M. Epic and Novel: Towards a Methodology for the Study of the Novel. Critical Theory since Plato. Ed. Hazard Adams. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers: New York, 1972.

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