Amit Upmanyu's poetry reveals dark realities: Leeladhar Mandloi
Launch event of Amit Upmanyu's poetry collection 'Atirikt Shunya'.
On Saturday, a book launch ceremony for Amit Upmanyu's poetry collection ‘Atirikt Shunya’ published by Unbound Script was organized at the Press Club of India.
After the launch, a discussion session on Amit's poems was also held. The session was addressed by renowned Hindi poet-prose writer and editor Leeladhar Mandloi, prominent writer and journalist Priyadarshan, well-known poet-critic Savita Singh, Ashok Kumar Pandey, eminent poet-novelist and critic Professor Sujata, and famous Hindi poet Adnan Kafeel Darvesh.
At the beginning of the event, Amit Upmanyu recited his poems including 'Jaanana', 'Gati Ke Niyam', 'Nayi Raah', 'Akhabar', and 'Anya Purush'.
Addressing the discussion session, young poet Adnan Kafeel Darvesh said that when I got the opportunity to read Amit's poetry collection ‘Atirikt Shunya’, I viewed it from a different perspective. I observed whether a new geography of poetry is being added to the collection or not. Whether there is innovation or not. I found that there is sufficient innovation in Amit's poems. The poet is also comfortable and democratic regarding linguistic behavior. Amit uses a plethora of English and Urdu words. There is no hesitation regarding language in Amit.
Amit's poems exhibit a different kind of alienation, and that alienation is from both time and society. Amit seems to break poetic conventions as well. Reading his poems gives the impression that his poetry has many layers. Amit places an additional burden of meaning and complexity on readers, but there is no pressure. There is no weight. Reading his poems makes it seem that he is a dystopian poet.
Renowned poet-novelist and critic Professor Sujata, while critically interpreting Amit's poems, stated that Amit is a poet of ungrateful poems. His poems possess a unique kind of weightlessness, especially in love poems. Amit's love poems do not impose the pressure of pain on readers.
The special thing is that reading the poems gives the impression that the poet is not in a hurry to prove his point and there is no stubbornness either. There is no insistence regarding form in Amit's poems. The poet Amit creates completely unrefined poetry. To put it in one word, Amit is an unimposing poet.
Prominent poet, writer, and Priyadarshan described Amit as a fundamentally original poet in a rugged manner, stating that there is a detachment of the visual in Amit's poems, a detachment from tradition. The meaning within the meaning in Amit's poems is astonishing. The special thing is that despite the complexity, Amit does not impose meaning on readers.
Ashok Kumar Pandey, in his brief address, reminisced about Amit Upmanyu's journey to becoming a poet and discussed his close relationships. Remembering the days in Gwalior, he mentioned Amit's journey from songs to poetry and expressed hope that his next book would be released soon.
Renowned poet-critic Savita Singh stated that there is a concept in Amit's poetry. The title of his poetry collection 'Atirikt Shunya' itself is a significant concept. While reading Amit's poems, it feels like a lot is breaking down.
The notion of breaking down that appears in his poems makes him a poet of dystopia. Amit says in his poetry - either change or perish. Amit's poems do not seek any alternative. What Amit seeks is only the additional. He wants to write what is not apparent. To put it simply, Amit is a post-human poet.
Presiding over the discussion session, renowned Hindi poet-prose writer and editor Leeladhar Mandloi referred to Amit Upmanyu as a poet of dark realities. He stated that dark realities cannot be expressed through simple narratives, hence Amit's poems are indeed complex in expression, but their narration is completely original.
Discussing the various dimensions of Amit's poems, poet Leeladhar Mandloi said that Amit makes better use of metaphors. Passing through Amit's poems, it seems that he has created his own tune and his rhythm is also his own. His poems are complex because poet Amit traverses multiple arts simultaneously. He is an engineer by profession, a filmmaker, writes scripts for films, writes songs, and importantly, he is an academic poet. This is why his poetry remains fragmented and scattered. Both the tangible and intangible reside in his subconscious.
When it comes to time, the current era is indeed the era of dark realities, and in this dire time, time does not come intentionally in Amit's poetry like a lecherous empire. Because the reality of the current power is just this. The empire of lechers persists, and Amit views this reality entirely as dark realities, which is why his poems appear complex.
The vote of thanks was delivered by Ashish Mishra, editor of Unbound Script. The event was moderated by young writer Manish. The Credible News was the media partner for this event.
Senior poet Vishnu Nagar, senior Congress leader Gurdeep Singh Sapal, director of Unbound Script Alind Maheshwari, former MLA from Gwalior South Praveen Pathak, and many other dignitaries were present at the launch ceremony.