Criticism of Asim Kumar Paul’s 13th book of poems ‘Defining self while travelling at Kanyakumari and Kashmir’
Criticism of Asim Kumar Paul’s 13th book of poems
published in the journal, International Journal on Multicultural Literature ISSN 2231-6248 in its July 2026 issue Vol 18 no. 2, edited by Dr. K.V. Dominic from Kerala, INDIA
Critical view on ‘Defining Self while travelling at Kanyakumari and Kashmir’
of Asim Kumar Paul
Dr. M. Thirumeni.
The latest work of Mr. Paul is different from his past works. Paul in his initial stages wrote poems on seasons, rivers, and mountains getting a little of Wordsworth of Bengal. His latter works were echoes of social problems and voices of suppressed humanity.
In this latest work, we see him as a nationalist connecting Cape Comorin to the Kashmir valley. These poems can be described as landscapes poems describing the landscapes and variety of India’s villages and small towns. They are also photographic poems since they are accompanied by photographic illustrations of the poet’s passions and expressions. That is why his poetry is called picture poetry. In the hands of Asim Kumar Paul both pen and camera work together and are in harmony to create an imaginative experience or emotions. His lines on the shore of Cape Comorin are fantastic. The temple of Valluvar, and Vivekananda rock indicate the cultural links between Bengalis and Tamils.
He writes about Sankara who travelled from South to North to unite Hindus and to save the Hinduism from the destructive trends of invaders.
He refers to philosophy of illusion of Adhi Sankara. He travelled on foot, but Paul travelled by train.
“I looked up and stood at the temple
For
A moment to pay him respect…” (Page-25)
In the second part, he gives the picture of Kashmir and its fantastic spots like Gulmarg and Sonamarg. Also he had his national vision of unity in diversity. But South is peaceful and Noth is violent. The writing on Dal Lake mentions its pollution. Gulmarg attracts him in a magical way.
“I am excited to see greenery landscapes
It comes to my mind to make a film,” (page-106)
Thus, the poet of Bengal, a revolutionary, grows into a kind of a nationalist and patriot of India getting an idea of Indian culture, in spite of its variety and differences
His poems will live long.
CONVERSATION DURING PANDEMIC
MEMORIES
I can see you’re one
You can see I’m one
We are in crowds
As we come and see
Sunrise at beach,
On New Year Day.
Now in the darkness
I’m inside home
I’m reading a poem
Deaf crowd’s voice,
A virus awake outside
Everything changed.
I can’t know
Exterior songs
A hole in air
Man’s tired cell
Secreted throat
Home is my map.
Yet I dream
An open joy
I’ll sit on your bed
I’ll be in love
Hotels will open
Make new footprints.
© Asim Kumar Paul
16.04.2020
MY POEM OF THE DAY on Shuvo Noboborsho 1427, Bengali New Year Day, 14 April, 2020:
BEHEMOTH
They tell all to remain locked in home,
To keep up four-mitre distance between
One and another while moving outside
Home in urgency. A long journey, unfamiliar,
Roots and cause of virus shock everyone so long,
Fear begets fear, pain brings smoke, half-killing.
Smear gives the mood that detaches all,
All those episodes try to reveal a truth that
It has some wake up call for change where
There is some link of desire of acquiring
The huge left over assets those are denied
For those who never think of such vast treasure.
These are not adventures of people in
Burning Ghats or of gravediggers, but some
Sort of mischievous space between civilizations
And human control saga, motivated with
Luster of steering wheels of management and win
Over all resources of the earth that has to be proud of.
It is time now for commons who are victims of it
To work for their benefit by the core of heart, benevolent
Research work under minus 100 degree Celsius lab
To combat hand-in-hand to throw out those who
Pervade peaceful region of common man and the nature.
After then will begin simple living with food and shelter,
That will be movable and immovable assets, and dream
With blessings of God with air and water, without fear of
Mind, pronouncing everyone is the form of other one.
© Asim Kumar Paul
14.04.2020
THE COVIT-2019 DAYS IN QUARANTINE
At the home time
I am in dark, knowing nothing about you,
But can feel the great haul you are in
Pains of depression
Not for past time
But for the present
And you use your mind as wing of selves
To keep free from anxiety,
Now the moon spreading pink light
Around the world.
We want every place filled with syllable of love
Something right
Between our forefathers and our new generations,
A location of great joy
For emancipating from sins if we have done,
As buds have torn away darkness
When I see them in the nature
I embrace the feeling of love
And drive away pain
That has stolen so many millions of years
From our life.
Now solar orb has to put lunar journey
With new hope for magnificent life
For a bold step to cut off our anxiety.
Full of wellness for all.
LIFE IS CHANGING WITH COVID – 2019
I like to tour at short distant places
Within my financial limits,
I like staying at a new home yard
And crowds together,
I and people assemble
With charming names
And strange faces to remember
Or to hear sound of human whispers,
That is worth to touch all hearts
Around me,
I don’t remember when
I have fallen ill in tour when
I raise arms to embrace a stranger
Across the field of staying in public,
Tour is bound to from a charming
Enclave to mix and fix relations
With life and society
Before being vanished from
Sight and I have last assembled
Just in October, 2019.
Since March 2020,
I am confined in my home,
How I begin my life?
I cannot travel briefly
And cannot sit among strangers
And that I do most of my time.
I have wife, son, daughter-in-law
And sweet grandson, they try
To keep me in peace in silence,
But I want to listen to those
Who give messages and
Want to speak to me about life
And their manifestation of sincerity
In dealing with mutual understanding
Of existence and guarantee of
Social protection for living with energy.
Fear of getting infected in pandemic
Clams down heavily upon me and
Its consequence is devastating,
As if nothing is left for me.
And I have to forget
We are all one and one for all.
PRAYER
Praise our soul as human power
To rise above rocking distress
And survive like the smile of the
Rose that lifts its head in the dark.
NEW YEAR’S DAY, 2020
THE NEW YEAR, 2020
The announcement was all protests are fabricated.
Last day, solar eclipse tells us a story,
Formerly a king goes with calls of lordship
To conquer the sun and banish those who fail
To follow his wisdom as he dislikes rival wisdom,
Even if in trying so, famine may come.
The sun has the transcription, and cannot move
Incorrectly in its orbit, it has some duty, as people
Has duty to work for food, and even if they are
Trapped, sweat, hope, dream come in a decision,
And that time eclipse will vanish, and a revered
Human being, a doctor, for instance will bless.
Today the sun tells us full about this journey,
And it seems somewhat like a battle, to create
A morning, frozen dew drops on the grass tips,
Something, like beautiful eyes of the little one,
To see all in order, appearing like symmetrical win,
The sun will tell happy tale of mankind and we hear.
-© Asim Kumar Paul
01.01.2020
SELFIE
SELFIE
(This poem is dedicated to the International Poetry Fest, held at JKC college, Guntur, AP, India, organized by Dr. Gopichand Paruchuri & Dr. Nagasuseela Panchumarthi of JKC college GUNTUR)
Selfie, you build an image perceptible to own.
You keep your image with others’ faces those enter there.
A group of actors takes center stage, being comfort in acting form.
Like others, for you, in rotation, mind’s eye rides on eyes’ delight.
Phone-monitor, your fairy finger relives picture of the acting jerk,
You have captured the picture view beneath the array of flying lights,
For the moment your vision averts photo’s eyes, directed miles away.
You are so mused in compiling elegant scene, refined reactions.
Smile is corridor of capturing love,
Photo-shoot, tap picture button on phone and explore the decency.
You take a picture from live presentation, image of love.
All are blown to take pictures of an event to stare at its luminous presence.
She feels urge to capture a favorite object, to reveal its mirror-expanses.
Good choice, everyone visible with tides of their smiles.
Hearing voice of a disciple, the professor welcomes the gem.
Holding the snap with care, she sets eyes responsive to audience.
Lifted up, trying to build better, her eyes bring back pictures to life,
No matter even if mountain comes, to snap a picture is matter of creativity,
Golden bracelets, engagement ring, earring join with eyes to take a shot,
Expert’s impression to have a beautiful picture, no profit claimed.
She is too eager for a picture of her beloved one on dais,
All to bear beautiful construction while taking photos of main stream,
Dais is for peace, she takes a photo of a warrior for peace.
Sublime is its sign of his feeling for a picture of a domain speaker. .
Mobile phone photography is a window; a beautiful hand makes it wonderful.
EARTH DAY 2019
SUNRISE
So many years, that it happens for sixty eight years,
Every day, the sun fills the earth with light,
Never knowing it is its surprise, as I see it in my life,
One eye ball, filling the otherness on the earth,
Intended even more time since birth of the sun,
I realize it, re-invented it, like others through time,
Light,
The earth,
Dark,
Light,
The earth,
Dark,
Light,
I live in a strange place,
The earth,
The cycle,
The BIG BANG,
The day was 18th September, 2018, Tuesday,
The truth comes just before I am moving in train,
To reach Hyderabad, with purposed, re-purposed,
A divine, an orbit to know the knowledge, as I move,
Language, words, universe move in accordance with time.
PRAYER FOR HAPPY BENGALI NEW YEAR 1425
Last day, he did not find any flower,
Green sprouted leaves from a sal tree
Nor did he get flowers and newly
Grown leaves from a mahua tree,
To worship in his house for wellness,
Happiness to his wife and family.
Picture of his living place has changed.
He couldn’t let away the day of
Chaitra Sankranti captive of
Non availability of those items,
And, instead he arranged for other
Ways to collect puja items,
What he could purchase from Big Bazar
And collected flowers available in his garden.
This day he has to arrange fish
And mangoes for launch to
Observe Bengali New Year Day
On 15.08.2018, Poila Baisakh,
i.e. 1st Baisakh, in the year, 1425.
This day, he will take holy bath
And pray for all to be nice,
And be happy through the year,
He will pray to God to keep
All people to live in peace,
No one needs to move for earning
And dwelling by hardship,
Caused by uneven pathway
Of allocations or otherwise, and
Even if such happens by the way,
He will pray to God for arranging
A peaceful way to draw a curtain
To close such ill apartments.
He thinks every land is forefathers’
Equally relevant to live peacefully,
And there exists one and only one
Supreme power, the only source
From where everyone comes upon this earth.
THE WONDERFUL SUN
Coming out from city life, being
Torn with toss-and-gain-grip,
Everyone haunted with life real,
With war and fear in mind, we stood
On the beach, with hope to have
Fresh respiration, no phone calls,
No daily pasting of photos, no data,
We found the sun, as if it is born to act,
And it makes us think of self and to
Realize we’re not thrown into dissolution,
And it ferries life cycle, but we are living
Aided by desire, ready to work for own share,
For benefit, with power and scroll of toasted words,
We are living for gaining or acquiring
Elephantine chambers with home
Where knowledge has no speech
And people gather for getting chance of
Favors of power and attaining decrees
On material acquisitions, and perquisites.
We’re mesmerized with allusion.
Who is the leader of our mind?
Can we leave this battle zone?
Standing on this space and time,
We want change in belief, in
The reflected sunrays on the waters,
Those hold true qualities of living,
It is thought that water is free
With an identity for soothing of all burns,
And to honor our relieved mind from pains
Of gain, relieved from bargaining of wealth,
We learn first charity to be given to people,
And fathom worth and grace of life, and
The sun reflects its nobility with no weapons
In the vastness of the sea, profoundly.
INSPIRATION BY THE WONDERFUL SUN
Coming out from country life,
Tanned with toss and gain grip
Bringing war and fear on the beach
We find the sun, on morning wall,
Everyone remembers dissolution,
That ferries life cycle, as if
We are living in jungle, with home
That has no power to reflect truth,
We’re mesmerized with allusion,
And we want change in belief, in
The reflected sunrays on the waters,
That holds true quality of living,
It is thought that water is free
With an identity for soothing all burns
That we acquire while we travel in country,
And the sea imprints its vastness, profoundly.
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