Dr. Arunav Barua
(arunav_barua@yahoo.com)
If words were prophecy, Chiranjib’s work would fall under the category of deep foreknowledge. Where we, mortal humans, try and delve into the mysteries of life, Chiranjib seems to have a deep understanding of the human dimension of questioning. Chirajib Barooah, in his compilation of poetry and art, ‘Illuminating Infinite Intellect’, seems to be asking questions to which only he has the answers, for in his book, we find a lot of them – answers that all our minds have asked in this space-time continuum given to us. He begins with a preface where he divulges the mystery of existence with the words, “Surmounting the veil of ignorance, the consciousness traverses to the zenith…”
Yes, Chiranjib takes us to the zenith of wisdom in his work of art. For it must be stated that what he creates falls short of nothing but true art. An art that takes us to a point of existence where we begin asking existential questions which are but a part of all human existence. The very term ‘infinite intellect’ is but a statement of understanding, of enlightenment, where we begin to understand that human intellect is infinite and that it is ‘boundless unfathomable wisdom’. He states that this book, his heart-rendered composition, should be nothing less than ‘therapy’ for ‘those whom poetry and art soothe...’. Chiranjib begins the journey with a poem titled ‘A Poem for Yourself’, where he states a divine encounter with the ‘Wise’, as he states that ‘I merge into vast cobwebs of wonders’, but not without ‘curiosity’, and that makes him and, through him, all of us ‘ponder’. In his meeting with the ‘wise’, the ‘golden rays of wisdom’ fall upon him, and he does what any of us in the presence of such countenance would do: ‘bow’!
Chiranjib paints a canvas where he draws colours and states that life is a painting, and lest we make use of every colour, life will not and may not be ‘beautiful’! We reconnect with the self in Chirajib’s take on ‘Silence’, where we connect to the divine and, through that, into the limitless fantasies which are ‘invisible’, yet ‘present’. He states that silence takes us to peace and tranquillity where finally, we speak to our ‘soul’. It seems that Chiranjib is a deep student of the human journey, where he unfolds the mysteries of the soul, and in this unravelling, we see the eternal quest which all of us are engaged in. Perhaps; ‘And become one with the Supreme, again’ is what all of us are meant to do in this earthly realm, as the poet so succinctly describes without taking recourse in lofty words and long sentences.
The poet, in his poem ‘God – The Divine Tranquillity’, takes us deep into existence. Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu, the three entities of creation, destruction and preservation, are invoked to create a poetic masterpiece which explores the state and matter of this finite (?) universe. The poet has certain environmental concerns when he tells us in ‘Environment’ that the choice is ours: ‘Beauty or bleak?’. Bleak, denoting the destruction of nature’ or ‘black ink’. There is a bit of romanticism in our young poet when he writes, Your sweet smile showers the essence of life,’ in his romantic essay, ‘Romance’. Perhaps a reminiscence of a memory or a wish, he leaves us searching...! He relates dreams and curiosity in his traverse titled ‘Dreams’, from which we all awaken to find ourselves in ‘material reality’. The poet seems to be adept at reading human emotions where he tells us that ‘revenge, anger, hatred, vice’ are all begotten of our ‘alter ego’, which ‘turns elixir into poison’. This seems to be a deep understanding of the human condition in one so young.
Chiranjib’s poems on climate change, global warming, education, gender inequality, and pollution reveal that there is, in this poet, a deep care for the human condition. He is a poet who cares about his fellow journeyers on this planet and about issues which seem to be of utmost importance when seen in the context of humanity and the planet. He takes us on a traverse through poems like ‘Corruption’, ‘Food and Water’ and ‘Refugees’ into an element of purity where we are face to face with a poet who cares. This word is seldom used for writers of the modern genre, but it may be used for this poet because he truly does ‘care’ about the evils beset upon society by the powers that be.
In conclusion, it may be stated that Chiranjib Barooah’s ‘Illuminating Infinite Intellect’ is a journey that the reader and the poet/artist may travel upon together. One element that would enthral all readers is the pencil art, or the images that accompany his poems. If you are looking for a read that thrills and, in doing so, gives you meaning, this book would fall into your collection of preferred favourites.