Thankful to wife Kalyani for her moral support and elder daughter Pallavi and son-in-law Soumyaranjan and younger daughter Meerashree for their relentless effort in codifying, typing, and systematising.
Contents Foreword
vii
1. A Glance In Winter Morning
1
2. A Moment Of Attraction
4
3. Actions
6
4. Blue
7
5. Change
9
6. Choice
11
7. Expansion
12
8. Fascination
14
9. Hopes
16
10. Humility
18
11. Illusion
20
12. Know Not
42
13. Lip: A Ship
44
14. Maiden’s Song
46
15. Merry Good Bye
47
16. My Accolade To Thee
48
17. My Building
49
18. My Guide
51
19. My Pen
53
20. Next Step
54
21. Passion To Fly
56
22. Pray
58
23. Pretension
59
•v•
Contents 24. Promise
61
25. Response
63
26. Restless Duty
66
27. Surprise
67
28. Test
68
29. The Blue Sea
70
30. The Dawn
72
31. The Golden Fetter
73
32. The Morning Sun
75
33. The Sparrow
76
34. The Wrong Side
78
35. Tiger Song
80
36. Wealth And Austerity
81
37. Women’s Liberation
83
• vi •
Foreword It is my proud privilege to write a few lines on the collection of poems by my esteemed and beloved teacher, Mr. Pravakar Barik. The poems are the beautiful pansies bloomed in the garden of philosophy of his life. As a man he has been passionately oriented towards divinity and mysticism, through and through. A teacher of high order, he has always reinforced the spiritual growth of the students. A votary of “Guru-Shisya” relationship. Consequenting, upon this vision of life, the present collection of poems is a receptacle of esoteric ecstasy beyond the world of senses. The poems also reflect his vast gamut of experience that he has gained throughout his life. He has tried his best to disillusion the mundane pleasures that men run after. The book will definitely fulfil the craze of different readers with different tastes. Dr. Khagendra Sethi Associate Professor Department of English Ravenshaw University
• vii •
1. A GLANCE IN WINTER MORNING The chill Of the winter Hazy morning Dare not stop Hazy sitting outside in the Open plain of her Creamy crimson park. Her sun bathed Milk rosy back Assimilate warmth of Comfort beneath the Multi coloured loose gown And the front Seem envious. The fingers And the nails close To rest against The breast sublime As a mark Of profound humility •1•
ILLUSION AND OTHER POEMS
And innate satisfaction. Open not the mouth To present the Snow white marble line Of fascinated teeth And the lips Hold them together Though soft but strong. Legs fold over The velvet cushion As the cold wind Tries to touch The soft and sober Feet hidden Under the knitted wool. Unadorned yet charming Her silken hair Roll on the shoulders Over the heights Of the chest And down to navel A wizard stream. I stood breathless As to what I see Infront of me A stern reality Or stale imagination •2•
PRAVAKAR BARIK
A fleeting look Or an open book. Know not I How the time Passed off silently Without call and chaos Until she lifted Her face and four eyes Made lines of two.
•3•
2. A MOMENT OF ATTRACTION The beauty of goddess That sits in front of me In the broad daylight Of October sun And alluring me From the heights of Urvasi To lose myself In the ocean of her eyes. My body stilled And breathing slowed But the mind though stopped All its ancillary thoughts Speeded through The lovely roads That led straight From the days of creation. I try to catch Her eyes that ran So swift as a deer In the moment •4•
PRAVAKAR BARIK
Of a twinkle Or as the lightening That spread from One end to the other. The trees and the breeze So gentle and sympathetic To see me afresh While the crickets on hedges And the bees on flowers Murmur to keep me cheer Amid the velvet grass So lofty and green. The beaming smile From her sweet lips Pierced the heart Like the spear Or the arrow of flowers That struck lord shiva In his deep state of Penance.
•5•
3. ACTIONS Hear the song of the mermaids And forget yourself To cast in total oblivion In the quest of happiness. Chase the angels beautiful To drink the bubbles of elixir In vain pursuit And mad effort to fall. Listen not the voice of conscience Lest you escape the devil And march in a way Of thorns sweet and sour. None on earth competent To guide your motion But you yourself is the governor Of actions swept and create.
•6•
4. BLUE Blue is the sky Blue is the ocean Blue is the mountain Blue its fountain. Blue is eternal Blue is all pervading Blue is beautiful Blue is all soothing. Blue sky hides dangerous thunder Blue ocean keeps sharks to plunder Blue mountain farms Ferocious tiger Blue fountain charms Vicious hider. Blue sky blesses shower and rains Blue ocean gives pearl and gems. Blue mountain blesses peers With amorous scene. Blue fountain smiles To see fields green Blue is soft Blue is mighty. •7•