The sun sets on the Brahmaputra as a fisherman retrieves his net at the end of the day

Not so long ago, a young man of 18 roamed the streets and alleys of Guwahati, cruised on the river Brahmaputra occasionally, clung precariously to the footboards of city buses and even trekked to the top of the Nilachal Hills, just to shout out the name of his beloved city.

Those were the days when a young poet was emerging on the literary scene. It was also when the “love-affair” between Guwahati and poet Nilim Kumar started.

“Guwahati was then at her best — beautiful and lustrous. Every one was in love with her,” says Kumar, now a poet of the masses, enamoured of the city where the bard in him was born.

“I wonder what has happened suddenly. Has the city deserted her lovers or have they deserted her? The present condition of the city is alarming and the problem requires to be addressed and rectified immediately,” says the bearded poet.

Born in Pathsala, the Mecca of mobile theatre, Kumar came to the city to study medicine at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital in 1979. While pursuing medicine, he also started writing poetry.

His poem, Guwahati, which has been included in Signatures, a collection of works of 100 modern Indian poets edited by K. Satchidanandan, is a clear reflection of the poet’s undying love for the city.

“Just remember/Was there anything he did not like about you/He always bathed in the Brahmaputra flowing through your bosom/He was always waiting at the ferry ghat to watch the corpse of the red sun coming trembling down the fishermen’s net....”

The poem is as stark in its imagery as it is rich in words.

“In fact, I remember all that was good and gay about Guwahati. All that has now been replaced by traffic snarls, bad roads full of potholes, frequent power cuts and water scarcity. The list goes on and on,” reflects the poet.

As a physician, Kumar has had postings all over the state. The poet’s heart, however, has always remained in the city where he lives with his wife Puspanjali and daughters, Puthuki and Misiki, in Maligaon.

“At present, I keep shuttling between Guwahati and Sarupatia where I am posted,” smiles Kumar, who is known to have introduced an urbane language into Assamese poetry.

“My poetry talks more of urban life and its minute details. This is probably because I have started writing poems in Guwahati’s urban environs which has been my main inspiration,” he says.

Kumar became a household name with his poem Aprajanan in 1994. He soon gained popularity with his effort to introduce a new element in Assamese poetry.

Widely appreciated, Kumar also invited criticism for experimenting too much and bringing mundane subjects into his poetry like devoting an entire poem to table salt.

“Poetry is not limited by any boundary and I am always in a mood to bring newness in my poems. I cannot keep on penning the same things again and again. That is not art. I admit that at times my experiments may not bring fruitful results, but that does not stop me,” he says.

Kumar’s most popular poems have been translated in French, English, Nepali, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Kannada and Punjabi.

Winner of the Uday Bharati national award for poetry, Kumar’s most-talked about poetry collections are Jonak Bhal Puwa Tirotajoni, Prostitute Moon and Other Poems, Panit Dhou Dhoubur Mach, Kailoi Pora Aapunak Bhal Pam, Aosinar Aosukh, Saponor Railgari, Tuponir Bagisa and Nilim Kumaror Premor Kabita.

Kumar has 16 collections of poems and two novels to his credit.

Kumar, acclaimed as a trendsetter in Assamese poetry, is an idol for aspiring poets. Many poets have tried to copy his style, but discerning readers with a penchant for good poetry have always preferred Kumar’s simple verses dipped in romanticism.