An interesting Personality

Poet Pon.Selvaganapathy is an interesting personality with abundant conversation skills.

With a serious-looking face, he will cut jokes, to make everybody who is with him at that time, burst into laughter for hours.

The photo at the top left is taken during 1976 when he got transfer from Vellore

and joined Presidency college.

The photo at the top right is taken during his retirement from service at 2003 May.

The photo at the bottom is taken during a poetic symposium,while he is presenting his poems.

Lapse of Memory

This post wishes to introduce another volume of Poems by Pon.Selvaganapathy under the title, 'Lapse of Memory'.
This volume is a collection of free verse written on various occasions and published in many literary journals.
The poem given below describes the human behavior,particularly forgetting every thing and always being in a confused state.
We undergo such mental state and suffer because of this.
The Poet presents a verbal portrait of our dilemma we undergo while we forget important things.

Lapse of Memory

Why did I hate it?
Which things did I hate?
Whom did I hate?
Everything forgotten..
But..Hatred is persisting..
Which were the objects of my desire?
Oh! It is forgotten..

Desire is still continuing
its process in my mind.
Which is the goal
for my travel?

I am sorry I have forgotten it.
But my travel is a never-ending one.
I am trying to recollect
The things which I have forgotten
My lapses of memory
Are still continuing
By which alone
There continues a lot of
Friendships
And a few hostilities!

An Interview with Pon.Selvaganapathy

AN INTERVIEW WITH POET PON.SELVAGANAPATHY

How did you choose Poetry as your field?

I was attracted by poetry in my teenage. Perhaps, the instinct, to gain name and fame by doing remarkable achievements, might have been the reason behind it.Poets seemed as adventurers for me in my school days. Writing poetry, reciting poetry and composing songs seemed as adventures and miracles for me.During college days, when I involved myself in political activities, I learnt the art of writing poetry with a definite ideology. Propaganda and popularizing political ideas were the source for my poems.I affiliated myself with progressive movements in Tamilnadu and my journey started in a definite direction.The criticism of social evils and the documentation of social problems became my poetic trends and satire continues to be technique from the beginning till now.Hope the same may continue in the future also. My poetic mission began in admiration and continues in a social perspective.

In this age of electronic media does poetry have any future?

Now there are many substitutes for baby food. But what do the medical practitioners say? They repeatedly say that there is no substitute for mother's feeding i.e. Breast milk.There may arise umpteen numbers of artistic expressions in the literary field, but there can not be a better substitute for Literature.Our mind thinks in the format of a poem.The artistic flash of thought is a poem.Novelists expand or elaborate the flash in a magnified manner.Poetry adopts and adapts itself in accordance with the moment and milieu.The human mind is longing for poetry as well as poetic experience.It dedicates itself to poetry.Our mind needs the support of poetry to stand erect and to accelerate its speed in its journey to the goal.This attitude and approach of human mind will patronize poetry forever.

Reports in media reveal Doctors, Lawyers and Teachers who have the responsibility to cherish values, are loosing their credibility. What about poets?

Poets have always got a lot of credibility and they have never committed any impairment to it.Some times due to obvious pressures in the societal set-up, they become commercialized. The writing is turning as a commodity in some quarters. Those who choose poetry for filling up their purses expose themselves deliberately. Such poets have no difference with the fireworks-sellers.The main problem originates in the readers’ minds. When they lack proper understanding and appreciation the problem magnifies.The society should identify the populist and idealist, the fantastic and pragmatic, the verbal gymnastics and explorations of human moods.If a society fixes popularity as a touchstone for poetic art, then best sellers alone will occupy the intellectual throne and poets will face banishment.Poets have not lost their credibility despite a drastic change in the social behavior.The readers should maintain their credibility by supporting the best and ignoring the worst. The ‘best’ and ‘worst’ should be identified properly.

Agonies of Independence

AGONIES OF INDEPENDENCE

"Agonies of Independence’ is a collection of poems authored by Pon.Selvaganapathy and published on 1996.

The poems have the satire and sarcasm together with humor to make an awareness in the minds of readers.The very first poem is published without a title for it. It is the proclamation of the poet. We hear a firm voice with deep commitment in this poem.

Whatever it may happen
I am not afraid
I have only one life
No fear for death
No hesitation
To express my ideasI will tell the truth
Bold and unbiased
Always at all times
Until I reach my goal
My journey will not end
My body will not fall down

The poet criticizes the situation prevailing in the country. He compares the motherland with his body and house. We should consider our country as our body. Like our body the country also has so many diseases. He wishes to bring our attention to this fact. So many moles and insects occupy every house in India. Our country is like our house and it also has so many moles and insects. Here corrupt persons are described as ‘moles and insects’by the poet.if we consider the country as our God, there is also a similarity. In temples there are so many hundis to collect money from the devotees. There is no light in the country; the poet asserts.
’Light’has several meanings here. The sun itself has broken his leg. The poem is concluded with a pathetic note that politicians nail the country.Our Country at cross roads
This country
Is our body
It has got
Many diseases
This land
Is our God
There are
Many Hundis
Here and there
This country
Is our home
There are
Many moles and insects
Here in our country
In our house
The Sun
Has broken his leg
As he had to wander
In all corners
Searching the address ofDawn.
Directions are
In a topsy - turvy Condition.
The wind refuses to
Enter here
As a result
The windows
Have heavy perspiration.
Our motherland
Is nailed by politicians
And is floating
As a cross in the ocean.

The poem titled’The Chair’ is a combination of interesting allegories. There is no need of any explanation and you can enjoy it yourself provided you have the knowledge of the ‘Power game played by our politicians.

The Chair

I am the chair
Even though I have four legs
I never attempted to walk.
Those who sat up on me
Are flying from earth to heaven
Without any use often.
Even though I have four legs
I never attempted to walk.
How many persons
Are there walking
Just to capture me.
The two legged fellows
To get me -a four legged person-
Are falling down on so many legs
What a pity it is?
Those who catch hold of me
Will let loose anything
Yes-even their self-respect if they have any-
To catch me in full grip.
Once upon a time
They placed a chappal on me
And honored me.
Now a days
Men sit upon me
And defame me.
Those days I was a throne
Now I am just a chair
Only the names have changed
Nothing else.

The poem titled ’Independence’ ridicules the freedom of expression assured by the rulers. Those who are in power-irrespective of the party they belong to-always try to suppress the voice of the opposition. This sad thing is condemned in this poem without hurting anyone’s feelings.

Independence
The dog
Which is tied up
Strongly with iron chainsLoudly barks.
They proudly
Proclaim that
They have given
Freedom of opinion
AndFreedom of speech.
But one thing!
The barking is only
To safeguard their
Forts and thrones
If the dog
Barks in protest
Then
The mouth will also be tied up with
Iron chains!

The poem titled ’Agonies of Independence’ describe the sad state of our country. The poverty prevalent in our country and the plight of the under-privileged even after six decades of Independence is sadly narrated in this poem. Those who read this poem will definitely take a resolution to sincerely work with a cause to promote the status of our country.
Agonies of Independence

The pangs of Slavery has gone
But the agonies of Independence
Make us suffer in
A vicious circle.
Here
There is a hugeMountain of Food grains.
On another side
There areDeep valleys of poverty.
We have got
Only blind Arjunas.
As a result
The targets
Get
Misplaced.
The burdenCarried by the Heads
ConsoleThe shoulders
And they keep mum.
Party flags and slogans
Become an additional burden
For the people
And hinder theirProgress.
Those principles
Which came to adopt us
Have been taken adoption by
Wrong persons.
See our state!
Anger is forgotten
Cowardice has become
Our national character.
Valor and self-respect
Have gone.
DejectionAnd depression
Are ruling our minds.

The abuse of power by bureaucrats is sarcastically mocked by the poet in another poem titled’Lame excuse.
’Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Then for every mistake committed by the authorities a reason is explained and the abuse of power is justified.

Lame Excuse

He spoke
In an obscene manner
And got arrested
That person spoke
With a force
Therefore
Held under arrest.
This person
Spoke in a lower voice
In a very calm manner
Even then he was imprisoned
Why?
Because he
Spoke confidential matters.
Yes.
In our country
We wont Arrest people
Without any reason.

If you have the opportunity to read this volume titled’ Agonies of Independence"you will enjoy the humor, wit and sarcasm exhibited by the poet in his poems. He criticizes to make us realize our follies and to correct us. This sort of constructive criticism will elevate our country.

More Poems from "Justice under detention"

‘Justice under detention’ is an interesting compilation of poems, which are written in various themes.
The social awareness and firm commitment of the poet is expressed powerfully. Satire is the primary technique, which helps poets of Selvaganapathy’s kind.He is describing our country, as a refugee camp.everywhere there are bombings, terrorists and political murders. So the under-privileged loose their belongings and run for shelter.If we take a tour throughout the country then we will also agree the poet’s view.

Refugee Camp

These people are
Not from any alien country
They belong to this soil
But they are refugees
As they are poor
Yes
IndiaIs currently
A refugee camp.

The poet thinks that nobody is really interested in the international peace and solidarity. Everybody pays mere lip service and does not seriously work to achieve it. He ridicules them as ‘Peace Brokers.’

Rituals of Peace

All countries
Are imprisoned by
Their borderlines
The whole mankind
Is bound by various divisions
Some people in the earth
Divide the majority
To gain leadership for them.
People divided
For the advantage of a few
Quarrel, fight and die as victims.
Under the surveillance of clouds
Bombshells thunder and rain.
Brokers of peace
Run hither and thither
With umbrellas havingSo many hole.
The fingers tune
With much strain
But from the fiddle
We can hear only the
Military band.
All countries
Are imprisoned by
Their borderlines
The whole mankindIs bound by various divisions

The poet has described the beauty and significance of silence in a long poem. Together with our experience we derive from this long poem many inner meanings.

A Loooooooooooooooooooong Talk about Silence

Oh Silence!
We talk much about you.
But whenever we attempt to utter
Any word about you
Our words get tired
And dropped in vain.
We belong to the language of sound.
Tongue is our podium
Sound is the toilet set
We enjoy seeing
Your drama
Which implies a thousand meanings.
You are alsoSpeaking
Like a cloud
Which rains
Without any lightning or thunder
Among the languages
You are the mostAttractive language.
Your empire is
TheBoundary of dictionary.
You are the language
Spoken by my lady- love.
That is why I wish to
Get acquainted with you.
Oh silence
You begin to speak
When ourSound symbols
Miss their meanings.
You never
Dissolve in words
But words get dissolved before you.
Some preys
Which are not caught byWord-baits
Are caught up in your net.
Meanings get suppressed
By soundLike a song
Suppressed by its background music.
You are a superb song
Which does not need any
Background music.
You are
Language of the soul which never pollutes
The meanings.
You are an easy chair
To take rest
When the sounds tire us.
You are an armchair
For the noisy words
When they want some rest.
Poets and lovers
Have their dreams only in your lap.
Our languageIs the language of
Those who speak.You are theLanguage of those who act.
We are the users of
Noisy language ruled by sound.
We damage our
Ears by various sounds.
When are we going to
Fill up our minds
With this precious thing-Silence.

The poet had taken part in agitations conducted by the Government College Teachers’ Association and had been kept under arrest for a week. When he was in Chennai Central Jail he had authored the poem titled"Justice under detention."His satire and humor are expressed in an efficient way in it.

Justice under detention

A day came
To the intellectual birds
Which never
Dreamt of Jails in their lives.
If ornaments became
Hand-cuffs
Shelters may also become Jails.
If shelters become jails
What significance
Jails do have?
Therefore
We-
Branded as intellects and
White collared people-
Came to a decision
At least in the eleventh hour
` To fill up Jails!"
What is the difference between
Living in JailsOr Outside Jails?"
Those who celebrate
Independence Day in
Pompous palacesImprisoned us.
Those who gave us recognition
Once a yearDuring Teachers’ day
Made us students
And sent us to a school.
Those who spoke about our sacrifices
Gave us another opportunity
To perform
Sacrifice once again.
They made us count the prison bars
And taught us aNew lesson.…………………..
We, Preceptors
Had been taught
Many new lessons

Justice under detention

"Justice under detention" (‘Kaithu ceyyappatta niyaayangal’) is the second volume of Selvaganapathy’s poems published in 1981.The literal translation of the title of this volume will be-‘Righteous virtues under arrest.’ But to carry the sense meant by the poet, "Justice under detention" will be the apt phrase.

The very first poem in this collection is’Voice of the poet’which gives the proclamation of the poet to the readers.
My poetic voyage
Continues here
With a simple motive.
I write poems on
Problems which affect us..
Not to preach
But to stress the need of
A revolution
In the minds of readers..
I do not wish
The lines of my poems
To be remembered by the people.
Instead of that
If any single line
In my poem
Helps the people to get
Elevated in their position
It is sufficient for me.
My poetic mission
Does not aim
To entertain people
I sincerely wish to
Educate them to agitate.
My poems do not
WantTo act as magnet
They willExplode likeSulfur
They wish to pat you
Not to make you sleep
But to wake you up
The rage and anger
Which were expressed
By the Nature
Through Earthquakes and tempests
Are now disclosing their dimension
Through my poems.
I am not a person
To camouflage myself
In grand old words.
I have come to
Agitate and shake up
The entire world
By New words.
Let us have a resolution.
Instead of speaking
To get applauded
Let us speak sincerely
And seriously.
Hereafter
If poems come as weapons
Let us recognize them.
If they come as
Mere paperwork
Let us reject them
With rapt attention.
We do not want
Any relation withLove lyrics.
Let us create Fiery poems
Which stir up our minds.
Because
We do not want
To camouflage ourselves
In grand old words.
We have come to
Agitate and shake up
The entire world
By New words.

The above-mentioned poem titled "Voice of the poet" clearly indicates Selvaganapathy’s literary theories. For him poetry is not for entertainment; It should not be an intellectual exercise to fill up papers; It should prepare its readers for an agitation against social evils; an agitation to defend human values and wipe out the plight of the poor.The ‘grand old words’ which he does not want are ‘Destiny’ Fate’ ‘Karma’ ’sin’ and virtue. These old words humiliate the mankind and diminish the mighty intelligence of the man.When the whole solar system obeys to the command of man and the atom splits to give an abundant source of energy, what is the meaning of hiding ourselves in the old words?Selvaganapathy is a poet of the mankind. His vision scans through centuries to foretell the advancement of the mankind.Let us make our progress a successful one, by discarding old words and finding new words of positivism and pragmatism.

A Symbolic poem by Selvaganapathy

The Boat.’ is a symbolic poem by Selvaganapathy in which the symbol gives a kaleidoscopic and multilayered meaning to the poem.
Just have a glance of this poem and guess the meanings which it narrates to your mind instantly.
The Boat

We have to travel across the ocean
Which will be the boat to come here?
Which boat is efficient for our voyage?
The boat which arrived is a broken one.
There may be various types of boat
Boating spots are innumerable
Anyhow we have to cross the ocean
Does anybody know it in the earth?
The boats lack the knowledge of their direction
They are also powerless and feeble
The Boatman is drowsy
Alas!Comrade!
We are yearning!
We have to travel across the ocean
Which will be the boat to come here?
Which boat is efficient for our voyage?
In the houses of boatmen
The oars are used as firewood!
Oh!Boatman!
We believed you
On what belief we will pursue our voyage?
All the boats are with holes prominent
Oh Comrade!
Choose our path and slogan
Even the boatyard is damaged
Oh ! our time is coming to an end.
We have to travel across the ocean
Which will be the boat to come here?
Which boat is efficient for our voyage?