The art of poetry has long been a cornerstone of human civilisation. By making room for poetry in the modern classroom, educators can provide students with a powerful tool for self-expression, critical thinking and emotional intelligence.
Poetry is not just a sprawl of words on paper. It is the word capture of a moment, a mix of the personal and universal, of the political and historical, the language of composition notwithstanding.
The best of poems reveal the sameness of the human situation — joy and sorrow, war and what follows, birth and death — across the ages. They put under the microscope the “small” twists and turns of the human heart, the mundane, the routine, the deeply philosophical, the heart wrenching. They convey the fleetingness of peace, the deep cuts of war, the lastingness of certain impressions.
Sample this: In pleasure/fear of disease/In family/fear of disgrace/In wealth/fear of taxes.../Everything on earth is fearful for men/Only in renunciation is there an end to fear.
And now read this: What’s it to me that you are sage?/Be beautiful! and be sad! Tears/Add a charm to the countenance/As a stream does to a landscape.
Read this too: Yes. I remember Adlestrop—/The name, because one afternoon/Of heat the express-train drew up there/Unwontedly...
And this: At day’s end, like hush of dew/Comes evening./ A hawk wipes the scent of sunlight from its wings.
The first is by Bhartrihari, the 5th century Indian philosopher. The rest from 19th century French poet Charles Baudelaire’s Madrigal Triste, the late 19th century British War Poet Edward Thomas’s Adlestrop and Jibanananda Das’s Banalata Sen, respectively.
Reading poetry in a group, in a classroom situation — with all its analysis, backstories, contextualisation — has its own value. Especially, in these times, when technology has eased communication but not connectedness. At such a time, poetry can reassure that nothing is new, that one is not alone, that one has comrades across epochs.
Equally valuable are the multiple interpretations you get to be privy to, each lending insight into the broad spectrum of human emotion and psychology.
And then, of course, should all the poetry reading and discussion move you ever to pen a line of your own — that would be a bonus. This way, students can find their own voices, explore perspectives and identities, and develop a more felt and meaningful way of expressing themselves.
And new voices in poetry are emerging. Says poet Avinash Mishra, “Hindi poetry has never been as vibrant as it is today. There are many young talents emerging who are committed to expanding the tradition of Hindi poetry as it deserves. These poets are constantly examining their reality and are engaged in an important endeavour to save poetry from becoming irrelevant by highlighting its social significance.”
In far away Gaza, even as air strikes and famine define the times, a Gaza-based literary organisation is churning out poetry. Mohammed Moussa, who has founded the Gaza Poets Society, writes in his piece titled Writing Poetry in the Time of Genocide: “I find writing helps when I’m overwhelmed by this half-life, this genocide; it’s like the words are stuck in my throat, and I just have to get them out.” Here is one of Moussa’s poems: “In Northern Gaza’s Tal Al-Zatar,/hungry stray cats wander the/war-torn camp’s streets. They/search for food among the debris/and for the young boy who once cared for them.”
If you like, read this in conjunction with a poem from 20th century poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s collection Dast-e-tah-e-sang or The Hand Under the Rock. It reads thus: “No more now shall the drum sound, and no more/The horseman ride at dawn towards death’s ravine;/War never any more, no need of tears.”
And that is how every good poem opens a different window into a culture, a situation, allowing students to gain a deeper understanding of the world
and its complexities. The benefits extend far beyond the classroom experience.
A contemporary Bengali poet, Hindol Bhattacharjee, stresses on the need for comparative study of poems. He says, “Study of modern poetry from different states
of India is essential for the promotion of cultural understanding. Through their poems, the poets share their perspectives and experiences as well as styles of writing.”
Poet and professor Pankaj Chaturvedi adds: “As an outcome of globalisation over the last three or four decades — based on the pillars of liberalisation and privatisation — human values gradually find less and less space within the Indian psyche, especially the middle class, psyche.” He continues, “So is the case with Hindi poetry. Despite this, it has managed to flourish and through its expressions continues to combat fascist power structures. On the other, it gives voice to the Dalit, the Adivasi, the feminist and other subaltern lives. It provides hope in these difficult times.”
With inputs from Upala Sen
The writer is a poet, novelist and researcher based in Jhargram