Nov 3
A HERD OF LEGENDS
always in the background
of my mind I am
hearing
listening to
the
of Arun's voice
speaking to me
in best Kolatkarese
as I ride
his KALA GHODA
to the outskirts of
JEJURI
and there dismount
walking barefoot
into the town
of his mind
bowing before
his words
this here
this now
drinking his voice
thirstily down
to the very last sound
marking each syllable with turmeric
offering the ashes
of anything I can say
I the humble havildar
to the temple
of your thought
until you take a final drag
from a half bent charminar
flick it from fingers
laugh...tell me to. .
.
"****** off! Go on...
and make
a poem of your own!"
Going to India for the Delhi Poetry Festival....and delving around in all things Indian and the poetry therefof who should I encounter first but the unique voice of Mr. Kolatkar...at once I was in love with his thoughts and decided to elope with his mind. He was by far and away my favourite Indian poet but now he has become my favourite poet. One of the unexpected gifts of going to Delhi to read poetry was to discover this genius hiding in full view! Hopefully the Bloodaxe COLLECTED will propagate him even more in the West and he will become acknowledged as the master he undoubtedly is. He reigns in my mind...long may he reign. Read JEJURI and was completely blown away by his honesty and wit and the lovely wry turn of his mind. How had I lived before without him!
I'LL STILL BRING YOU FLOWERS
( a zendu for Arun Kolatkar )
I listen to you
. . .just be. . .
you escape
the well known photo
the droopy lids
the droopy moustache
caught in a cafe
by the clock
and come alive
in this dimly shot video
the language
flows around me
( Hindi...Marathi?)
like a rock in a river
I listen to
the water's language
as it breaks
and moves around me
the cancer
eats you
I listen
to the language of your smile
the language
of your laughter
listen
to you
. . .just be
always in the background
of my mind I am
hearing
listening to
the
of Arun's voice
speaking to me
in best Kolatkarese
as I ride
his KALA GHODA
to the outskirts of
JEJURI
and there dismount
walking barefoot
into the town
of his mind
bowing before
his words
this here
this now
drinking his voice
thirstily down
to the very last sound
marking each syllable with turmeric
offering the ashes
of anything I can say
I the humble havildar
to the temple
of your thought
until you take a final drag
from a half bent charminar
flick it from fingers
laugh...tell me to. .
.
"****** off! Go on...
and make
a poem of your own!"
Going to India for the Delhi Poetry Festival....and delving around in all things Indian and the poetry therefof who should I encounter first but the unique voice of Mr. Kolatkar...at once I was in love with his thoughts and decided to elope with his mind. He was by far and away my favourite Indian poet but now he has become my favourite poet. One of the unexpected gifts of going to Delhi to read poetry was to discover this genius hiding in full view! Hopefully the Bloodaxe COLLECTED will propagate him even more in the West and he will become acknowledged as the master he undoubtedly is. He reigns in my mind...long may he reign. Read JEJURI and was completely blown away by his honesty and wit and the lovely wry turn of his mind. How had I lived before without him!
I'LL STILL BRING YOU FLOWERS
( a zendu for Arun Kolatkar )
I listen to you
. . .just be. . .
you escape
the well known photo
the droopy lids
the droopy moustache
caught in a cafe
by the clock
and come alive
in this dimly shot video
the language
flows around me
( Hindi...Marathi?)
like a rock in a river
I listen to
the water's language
as it breaks
and moves around me
the cancer
eats you
I listen
to the language of your smile
the language
of your laughter
listen
to you
. . .just be
Talking about his good friend Balwantbua, the old bajhan singer and racontuer who features in many of CHIRIMIRI's poems, Kolatkar could be describing his own poetic process...
"...everything he knew about life had come to him at first hand: from direct observation: he didn't talk about the great events of this century...but about micro-event or non-events that make up his life - miniature comedies, adventures, misadventures, people he knew, the women in his life - with a sharp eye for absurdities inherent in situations and the contradictions in human behaviour, looking around him from street level, with his unique sense of humour which equips him with a sort of X-ray vision..."
Let's hope someone takes it into their head to publish his BALWANTBUA....still in a manuscript of nearly 1200 pages!
I just love this as an answer.....
Why did you take 10 years to complete your painting course at the J.J. School of Art?
I was doing other things.
What?
Painting.
From an interview with GOWRI RAMNARAYAN back in 2004 in THE HINDIU
"...everything he knew about life had come to him at first hand: from direct observation: he didn't talk about the great events of this century...but about micro-event or non-events that make up his life - miniature comedies, adventures, misadventures, people he knew, the women in his life - with a sharp eye for absurdities inherent in situations and the contradictions in human behaviour, looking around him from street level, with his unique sense of humour which equips him with a sort of X-ray vision..."
Let's hope someone takes it into their head to publish his BALWANTBUA....still in a manuscript of nearly 1200 pages!
I just love this as an answer.....
Why did you take 10 years to complete your painting course at the J.J. School of Art?
I was doing other things.
What?
Painting.
From an interview with GOWRI RAMNARAYAN back in 2004 in THE HINDIU
