Madduvil Gnanakumaran's poems
Madduvil is a place in the Yaalpaanam (Jaffna) peninsula in the
North. A youngster from this area has been writing poems in Tamil for
more than 10 years but many had had no opportunity to read them because
he had not brought them in book form. However two books have been
already published in recent time. This is the third one. This collection
is called "Siraku Mulaiththa Theeyaaka..." (Like Fire with a Wing). This
poet named Gnanakumaran was away in Germany for a long period of time
and has come back to his motherland having qualified in the German
language and presently teaches that tongue. He also interests himself in
making short films. He has contacts with some of the writers in Tamil
Nadu.
In the collection mentioned there are a number of poems with a few
illustrations. Some of the poems are his attempts to write poetry, while
a few others underline humanism as his motif.
With his present maturity he could shine as a notable poet with a
strong sense of a vision and philosophy.
This columnist chose to attempt a translation of five of his poems he
liked over the others.
Here are a few that you may find as examples of the type of poetry
written in Tamil in this country:
Madduvil Gnanakumran's poems speak of pain that confronts his
community and the displacement of a once reckoned race, of poverty, of
hypocrisy among his own people, of motherly love and false values.
One could suggest to him to be a little more concise in his
expressions and bringing in more of his experiences in foreign climes
that might have been more interesting to local readers. He has a poetic
mind and an 'inner eye' but he is merely satisfied with simply narrating
tings but with occasional satire.
He could write better if he could lay his hands on reading better
poetry written by Lankan poets in Thamil.
One could not blame him for this lacking as he has returned after a
long stay in the west where access to reading such material was none.
However one should congratulate him for his sincerity in rendering
into words of what he felt as important to him. The book is published by
Gayathri Publication in Dehiwela (Phone: 011-2727621)
[email protected]
|