CLIMATE CHANGE, MEMORY AND TRANSITION: A STUDY OF THE SELECTED POEMS OF JAYANTA MAHAPATRA

Abstract

Jayanta Mahapatra is a much-discussed poet both in 20th and 21st centuries. He is not just a trend setter, he is also a mile-stone for the reason that he assembled multiple trends in his poetry. Although he breathed his last in the year 2023, his anthology of poems, Noon: New and Selected Poems, published by Ketaki Foundation Store, Bhubaneswar during the said year of the poet’s death focuses on Mahapatra’s intriguing maturity of thought, precision of language, complex portrait of life and the imposing influence of the verse up on the readers. Reading climate change, memory and transition in Mahapatra’s poems will highlight the poet’s concern for the dreaded existence on the planet. Although he doesn’t hold any one directly responsible for the climatic and ecological devastation, he tries his best to drive home the point that we’re dependent on each other. One cannot separate oneself individually from the rest of the world for peaceful and smooth living. Mahapatra’s articulation of memory in his poems is strong enough to underline the transition that has hampered the historical and natural life of the Odias (the people of the state of Odisha). Although there are innumerable poems, some of the poems like “Starting Point”, “Light”, “Poem”, “Bird and Sky”, “A Hot May Afternoon” and “Village Mythology” are worth-reading in ecocritical line. The poems project the gravity with which the planet in general and Odisha in particular have changed over the years. It is not just the tone of the poet, but also the portrayal of the silent embrace of the change that Odisha has faced is also significant. Reading some of the important poems of the poet will add to the discourse of 21st century criticism on Mahapatra.