Genre: Poetry

Publisher: Hawakal Publishers

Publication Year: June 2022

The second edition of the series?Yearbook of Indian Poetry in English 2021 reached the readers in June of 2022. Edited by the founding editors of the series Sukrita Paul Kumar and Vinita Agarwal, the anthology compiles poems written by Indian poets and the Indian diaspora between November 2020 and December 2021. As the blurb records: “The aim of the series is to present quality poems in English published in India and abroad. It is hoped that the exercise of bringing out such anthologies will eventually prove to be a fertile ground for establishing the aesthetics of Indian poetry in English.”

With a wide array of names and contributions gracing the pages of this collection, the poems resonate across distinct styles and forms. The very first poem titled “Exile” by Abhay K. reads: “I measure my days/weeks, months, and years / A year is one third / of exile from the motherhood.” Setting a depth at its very opening, one poem after another takes us deeper into a world of pain, love, anguish, retreat, escape, confession and more. As Basudhara Roy’s “Light” claims: “The seat of desire is everywhere” on a poetic stage, Debarshi Mitra in “the flick of a light” writes “in the ocean blue of half-lit rooms/ our shadows gather to sharpen their blades.” While Ranu Uniyal’s “My Brownness and Me” powerfully claims an indigenous identity as she writes: “Forgive me, I am brown/ and I speak Garhwali – a dialect/ from the hills”, we also find a glimpse of an intermingling of identity and locale in Kiriti Sengupta’s “Line of Control.”

The Yearbook 2021 also includes contributions like “Flamingo Dance” by Babitha Marina Justin, “Srirangam” by Namratha Vardharajan, and “Song 58” by PriyaSarukkai Chabria that play upon the innovative forms and patterns, lending greater diversity to the collection. Also, the poetic contributions by the two editors, namely “Dialogues with Ganga” by Sukrita Paul Kumar and “Splendid Poison Frog” by Vinita Agarwal add an extra touch of poetic wanderings across space and time. The anthology concludes with a section titled “Beacon Lights” with works by Adil Jussawalla, Keki N. Daruwalla, and Jayanta Mahapatra that provide an enriching charm to the overall compilation.

With a graceful cover design by Bitan Chakraborty, this Hawakal publication feels elegant and voluminous in hand. Beautifully compiling the poetic sketches between grey and white covers on both ends, the overall design tastefully blends with the theme of the anthology. While going on a reading journey with this book, the design, publishing and editing certainly add to the reading experience.

Presenting a compilation of poems written during the fourteen months that bear the strong imprints of a post-pandemic sensibility, the collection carries diverse impressions from distinct poetic pens. As the book itself records: “In the context of instabilities and uncertainties experienced acutely in contemporary life, it is not surprising that many poems in the Yearbook emerge creatively from a special focus on home, house, identity, roots and indeed the question of language which is also deeply linked with the idea of homing. This edition of the Yearbook is also embedded with concerted poems on imperialism, gender (as always!), mental health, childhood traumas, upbringing, Earth, climate change, birds, mining, prostitutes, racism, sensuality and spirituality.” Richly infused with musings on such issues, the anthology compiles and presents a poetic canvas with many overlapping shades of perceptions and conflicts, taking the reader on a thoughtful crusade.

As we simultaneously decolonise and embrace the English language in an Indian poetic ethos, Yearbook of Indian Poetry in English 2021 stands as an important second edition towards building a poetic legacy of its own. Thus, while Indian Poetry in English continues to claim a unique and expanding territory, the Yearbook series remains a remarkable effort to chronicle the journey of its aesthetics year by year. Giving space to established and new poets, this second edition of the series continues to uphold the idea established by its preceding inaugural edition published in 2020. The anthology is strongly recommended to readers seeking a panoramic reading through the artful flavours of contemporary Indian poetry in English, and an absolute gem to add to your anthology bookshelf.

(Amrita Sharma is a Lucknow-based poet and writer.)