The Evolution of Modern Assamese Poetry Since the 1980S to the Present
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VS Publications Alford Council of International English & Literature Journal(ACIELJ) Impact Factor:4.401(SJIF)An International Peer-Reviewed English Journal www.acielj.com Vol-2,Issue-1 ,2019 ISSN:2581-6500 ___________________________________________________________________________ THE EVOLUTION OF MODERN ASSAMESE POETRY SINCE THE 1980S TO THE PRESENT _________________________________________________________ Subhajit Bhadra Assistant Professor Post Graduate Department of English Bongaigaon College, Assam ___________________________________________________________________________ Abstract: winning poet Harekrishana Deka, ‘Sameer The paper is about the evoluation Tanti is not an ordinary poet . Nilima of modern Assamese poetry since 1980s. If Thakuria Haq (born 1961) is a familiar we want to talk about post 1980 Assamese name in the domain of Assamese poetry. poetry then it becomes essential to make Her poems bring out fresh images and she an attempt to understand the contemporary tries to deal with contemporary society in socio-political environment. During 1979 her poetry. She also talks about the evil to 1984 there was a conscious movement tendencies of human beings but she is (Known as Assam Agitation Movement) to thoroughly grounded in her root. She has drive away the non- Assamese people painted the picture of death, dread and from Assam who, according to the native violence in her poems but she has also Assamese people, were eating up the tried to transcend those. She had satirized economic framework of the State .During the evil trends of consumerism and its bad the poetry of that period we find a typical effects. The effect and impact of Assamese community consciousness. globalization can be evident in recent Some of the tribal communities were also Assamese poetry. The economic demanding sovereignty which found liberalization which gave a different hue to reflection in the contemporary poetry. Assamese poetry in the post 1990 scenario Sameer Tanti (born in 1956), started is to be considered cautiously. Popular writing his major poems since the 1980s culture brought about by the cross- current and his poetic voice has been recognized of post modernism becomes evident in as unique. He has penned several poetry recent Assamese poetry. collections – some of those are Poems of Battlefield, The text books of Torture, Keywords:poetry,evolution ,assemese Green Festival, Context of Famine, ,communities etc Companion of Melancholy, and the Boat of Blood and Darkness. He has also exposed If any intrepid scholar makes an in his poems political ideology, has offered attempt to chart out the trajectory of his own criticism of politics and thus he Assamese poetry between 1980s to the has also expressed anguish, desolation and present time, he or she will be awestruck these have given birth to a voice of protest. with its variety and different hues. If we According to the Sahitya Akademi award want to talk about post 1980 Assamese Alford Council of Interantional English & Literature Journal(ACIELJ) Copyright VS Publications Page 23 VS Publications Alford Council of International English & Literature Journal(ACIELJ) Impact Factor:4.401(SJIF)An International Peer-Reviewed English Journal www.acielj.com Vol-2,Issue-1 ,2019 ISSN:2581-6500 ___________________________________________________________________________ poetry then it becomes essential to make poetry. The dream which was visualized an attempt to understand the contemporary by the contemporary middle class people socio-political environment. During 1979 during the Assam Agitation Movement to 1984 there was a conscious movement was shattered by the happening and (Known as Assam Agitation Movement) to incidents of terrorism that took place drive away the non- Assamese people during the 1990s because of full fledged from Assam who, according to the native arm struggle spearheaded by the ULFA. Assamese people, were eating up the Assam was shattered due to the failure of economic framework of the State .During Assam accord, fundamental or communal the poetry of that period we find a typical hatred, conflict, murder and continually Assamese community consciousness. increasing violence. During that period some of the poets became progressive in their attitude of Against the background of such a course, according to some critics, that kind scenario contemporary Assamese poetry of consciousness was integrally related to advanced in a fragmented way. There was the formation of Assamese community as the rise of a huge number of poets, they a whole. continued to practice poetry, some could not leave the field of poetry but some other The Assam accord which was poets totally disappeared after writing a signed as a result of the Assam agitation few poems. The poetry starting from the Movement brought about a new sense of 1980s saw a departure from the poetry of being in the mindset of middle class the 1960s as it became less complex in people who thought with enthusiasm that tone and reader-oriented in tenor. Even change would come. One also finds a though the sense of urbanity witnessed in sense of new dawn and the rise of regional the poetry of Nabakanta Baruah had not politics which gave birth to a narrow sense totally vanished yet the present Assamese of provincialism. This sense of enthusiasm poetry has become more and more anti- felt by the middle class did spread among urban in nature. Assamese poetry has the contemporary Assamese poets. Parallel enriched itself because of the participation to that the rise of ULFA and their activities of a few tribal writers who are writing of terrorism brought about a huge change their poems in Assamese. Regarding the and that period also witnessed the rise of aesthetics of Assamese poetry the small communities who were striving to contemporary poets are quite influenced form their own identity. Some there was a by the western poetry of symbolism and feeling of disenchantment and the sense of imagism. Newer techniques have been shattered dream affected the poets of the applied by the Assamese poets and one can contemporary period. even witnessed the influenced of movement like magic realism. A sense of Some of the tribal communities uncertainty, an attempt to visualized were also demanding sovereignty which readers as merely consumers, a distrust of found reflection in the contemporary universalism, and belief in the sense of Alford Council of Interantional English & Literature Journal(ACIELJ) Copyright VS Publications Page 25 VS Publications Alford Council of International English & Literature Journal(ACIELJ) Impact Factor:4.401(SJIF)An International Peer-Reviewed English Journal www.acielj.com Vol-2,Issue-1 ,2019 ISSN:2581-6500 ___________________________________________________________________________ plurality an anguish against everything His poetry becomes a witnessed of the pre-determined, rejection of a sense of contemporary political unrest, loss of cohesion , accepting poetry as a communal harmony brought about by a commodity, a sense of spiritual emptiness , strong sense of provincialism, the socialists thought, disbelief in any sort of ruthlessness of state machinery and death, ideology, distrust of any unified movement murder and violence of society. But yet he regarding the change of society, to regard has expressed a sense of protest and men as playthings in the hands of destiny- optimism in many of his poems. There is all these can be seen in the contemporary also a sense of universalism in his poetry. Assamese poetry in fragmented way. His poetry is not bereft of the concept of Sameer Tanti (born in 1956), love-though that love is directed towards started writing his major poems since the his native land, his compatriots, the 1980s and his poetic voice has been tortured and subjugated simply human recognized as unique. He has penned being, the vulnerable and fragile people or several poetry collections – some of those sometimes an unknown beloved. His are Poems of Battlefield, The text books of poetry basically expresses political plight Torture, Green Festival, Context of of the State but there has been witnessed a Famine, Companion of Melancholy, and sense of lyricism in his later poetry very the Boat of Blood and Darkness. He has strongly. also exposed in his poems political At certain times, his poetry has ideology, has offered his own criticism of assumed a sense of individuality and politics and thus he has also expressed subjectivity. His poetry portrays nature, anguish, desolation and these have given love, emptiness and a consciousness of birth to a voice of protest. According to the death. In many of his poems he has Sahitya Akademi award winning poet depicted the life of tea-tribes. We find a Harekrishana Deka, ‘Sameer Tanti is not smell of soil, the sound of drums, the tribal an ordinary poet . The way he has dialect along with polished Assamese expressed the political restlessness of language in some of his poems. contemporary period in his poetry has not been seen in the poems of any other poet.’ Anupama Basumatary (born in He has presented to us a blending of so 1960) has registered an individual voice in called socialist poetry and modernist the domain of contemporary modern poetry. If we look at the tenor and life Assamese poetry. She deserves credit for blood of his poems then we would find the popularizing contemporary modern so- called progressive trend but if we look Assamese poetry and it has become at his language and its expression then we possible because she has successfully can find the experimentative