The pen is mightier than sword. And Subodh Sarkar seeks to wield it in aggressive verses. Having started his literary career in the late 1970s, he has about 20 titles to his credit besides a travelogue; Chih, Bhalo Jaygata Kothay and the more recent Kallu are among his collections that have stirred readers with candid reflection on the contemporary period. An English professor, Sarkar was honoured with the Paschim Banga Bangla Academy Award in 2000.
What is your motivation for writing poetry?
Poetry has expression of my response to the chain of events around the world. Contemporary circumstances stir a reaction in me. For example, I strongly denounce what is happening in Iraq or Afghanistan through poetry. Though in early years, I dwelt on love poems, of late; I am drawn to writing poetry which has some relevance in the contemporary socio-political scenario.
Why did you digress from emotional themes to more political one?
I think it is only the nature of tender youth to write on love. My father died when I was very young and that brought economic hardships on my family. Survival was a struggle. I became emotional in my approach to life, which was perhaps reflected, in the early works. But as I matured as a writer and human being, my socio-political awareness became stronger. It provoked the aggressive and critical of me. I found a different purpose to write poetry.
You left your hometown Krishnanagar to pursue a professional career in Kolkata. Did the experience leave any impression on the content and style of your work?
Though I have been in Kolkata since many years, Krshnanagar still lives in me. My emotional experience in the city is still that of an outsider. I share a kind of love hate relationship with Kolkata. This inner conflict between the small home town, where I was born and brought up and the larger city exists in me always and I try to vent the feelings through my poems.
From Asian Age
Some Poems by Subodh Sarkar
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