Randhir Khare - Feast of Diversity

Randhir Khare is a distinguished writer, artist, teacher and theatre personality. He is the recipient of numerous national and international awards for his unique contribution to culture and education. His 37 volumes of poetry, fiction, essays, translation from tribal dialects and other writings as well as his seven solo exhibitions all explore themes of identity, belonging and the struggle to stay human in a violent and fragmented world. His memoir THE FLOOD & AFTER: A Memoir of Leaving will be appearing soon. He has spearheaded an initiative to enrich formal education through the experience of the arts. Randhir is a founding contributor to Live Encounters Magazine. https://randhirkhare.in/

Art is not the prerogative of the arty or the learned or the specialist or the ‘trained’ or for that matter the ‘experienced’. It is a universal gift that has been bestowed on everyone, though realised by few; this is the grass that grows wherever the land is and the water is, this the common air that bathes the globe (borrowing from Whitman).

The writers and poets who have prepared this feast come from varied backgrounds and achievements as their profiles will reveal. However, what should concern us here is not ‘who they are’ but the experience that they are willing to share with us.

Poet Laureate Siddharth Mathkar’s song-like poems are alive with youthful expression and energy powered by the bravado and assertion of his generation. Though his themes are many he explores them with a clarity and single-mindedness that are typically his very own.

Intensely reclusive, young Nishita Lakhwani’s poetry comes from sources deep within. This is the first time that she is sharing her work. To her, what matters more is the healing power of poetry and the levels of celebration it raises her to.

Atman Mehta writes from a space within him that is also occupied by fiction, essays and cinema and shares their common spirit of concern, heartfelt feeling and protest. What strikes one in these poems is their empathy and penchant for taking sides.

Vignesh’s poems impress with their lean and intense brevity. Sharply etched images don’t run riot but sink in deep and spread within. It certainly isn’t easy to pull off the effects that he manages, releasing drop by acid drop, image after image, heavy with spirit.

Aniket Pathak approaches the page with hard nosed realism pickled in certitude…he is certain about uncertainties and is constantly willing to knock himself down then lift himself up again just to knock himself down. It requires an unusual depth of honesty and courage to do this.

Sahya Samson has the gift of a story-teller, spinning a narrative effortlessly. What is interesting is her ability to bring alive even the smallest detail with a subtlety that speaks for itself. There is luminescence in her writing, uplifting the experience.

In Devanjalee Sarkar’s hands, poems come alive - words dance and lines move to the rhythm that they set for themselves, acquiring a life and character of their own. She is able to make this possible because she is also a visual artist, dancer and film maker, each discipline impacting on the other.

Sudipta Mukherjee’s short story is beautifully crafted with its own idiosyncratic language and syntax. It unfolds like a spoken word story, propelling the reader along and finally walks away leaving the person thinking about the mystery of being human.

Nadia Sen Sharma’s narrative delicately balances between intimate reflection, simple poetic diction and the overpowering feeling of vulnerability. Its classical linearity helps the reader to negotiate hidden complexities.

Priya Hajela’s finely wrought story is razor sharp, as it moves inexorably towards the end with unforgiving clarity. The matter-offact tone which colours the narrative is unsettling and the closure is perfectly executed with alarming suddenness.

Vandana Poria creates a space around the reader, as her stories evolve swiftly, enveloping with their atmosphere, moods and feelings of otherness. There is no ‘telling’ here as she swiftly delves into the very spirit of her stories through action which shakes alive the senses.

Rani Wilfred’s ease with the language of poetry is remarkable. She digs deep and excavates symbols and images which are subtly expressed, blending sound and sense effortlessly while creating passageways of perception to help us see within and beyond.

Enjoy this feast of diversity and share it with others.