Book Review: Kaustubhmoni Saikia’s ‘Manuhor Pora Manuhaloi’

Rupak G. Duarah

(rintu.duarah@gmail.com)

Kaustubhmoni Saikia is a notable Assamese poet who began writing while still at school. Long associated with All India Radio, he has written both poetry and fiction, yet it is verse that most lastingly bears the stamp of his temperament. His poems do not look down on the village from a height of theory. They stand in the field, among labour, kinship, and the slow weather of the seasons.

'Manuhor Pora Manuhaloi' is a collection of poems by Kaustubhmoni Saikia that brings together his earlier four books - Antaranga Stavak, Badnami Saharat Ebhumuki, Moi Diya Patharat and Kunhipatar Icchapatra - along with previously uncollected poems. The poems in this volume reveal a voice that has remained faithful to the earth, to ordinary lives, and to the belief that poetry's first duty is to keep human beings within reach of one another.

The distinguished poet and critic Dr. Purna Bhattacharyya rightly observes: "Kaustubhmoni Saikia has a distinctive narrative style of his own. He consistently strives to use unadulterated, homely language and to give his expression a rhythmic sweetness. Sharing in the sorrows and sufferings of ordinary people, he seeks to render the true yet unsparing reality of their lives in simple, living language. He speaks the hard-won truths of life with deep affection and without concealment. The daily chronicle of ordinary lives finds meaningful expression in his poetry. He has taken up his pen on behalf of the people and established an intimate connection with them."

"Manuhor Pora Manuhaloi" is more than a collected personal edition. It is the conviction of a generation of poets that poetry's work is to draw human beings closer to one another, to awaken consciousness, and to keep the picture of the future from fading. Poems such as Bihudinor Swapno, Uttaranor Babe, Jarjagya, Atithi Biyolir Chondo, Gosor Sote, Buduram, Rojonakhator Ring, Nosto Swadhinotor Chitkar, Mrityubondona, Morona, Matir Gondh, Premhara Gaor Batere and Tejor Tolor Kait, etc., are compelling and thematically rich. They draw the reader in through a distinctive style and an unflinching engagement with the everyday realities of rural life.

The title itself states the ethic with unadorned clarity. Almost every poem in the volume rises from the earth and travels into the human heart. In an age that often mistakes novelty for depth and despair for seriousness, these poems offer another measure. They remind the reader that hope is not naivety, that plain speech can carry moral weight, and that a poet who remains with the people does not diminish art but completes it. This book is that completion: a life's work gathered so that it may continue to speak, from one human being to another.

The meaningful cover design by renowned artist Manjit Rajkhowa, together with the evocative title, further enhances the volume's dignity and appeal. The illustrations and printing are equally elegant. This 448-page poetry anthology, published by Purbanchal Prakash, one of Guwahati's leading publishing houses, is priced at just Rs 500.