Poet, literary critic, scholar, bilingual translator, SO. PA (S. Pathmanathan) hailing from the North of Lanka is a well-known figure even in the South.
His works include Sri Lankan Tamil Poetry, Tamil short stories from Sri Lanka, and M. Shanmugalingam’s plays, translated from Tamil into English. He has brought out three volumes of his own poetry written in Tamil. He has also translated two volumes of poems from English to Tamil. Five CDs of musical songs also stand to his credit. For his book in Tamil titled Burmiya Bhikku Sonna Kathaikal, he received a Sahitya Award. He has participated in the SAARC Literary Festivals for four years . He was invited by the Goethe Institiut as one of the 51 South Asian Poets to attend the translating Poets Festival.
His works in Tamil are: Africkak Kavithai, Southern Lankan Poetry, Ninaivuch Chudarkal, Suvadechamand Burmiya Bhikku Sonna Kathaikal
The book under review is the second edition of Theaasiak Kavithaikal published in 2018 by S. Godage Bros, Private Ltd. It has 198 pages, and is priced Rs 750.
The 86 poems found in the collection are by SAARC poets. They were first called Regional Poems of the Commonwealth Countries, and are now reckoned Post-Colonial Poems.
The book is dedicated to Padma Shri, Ajeet Cour as a token of appreciation for her contribution to the Literature of the SAARC region
The foreword by Dr Sitakant Mahapatra says, “Sri Lanka is a country where literature, particularly poetry is extremely popular.
This anthology will give them an opportunity to read some of the finest poems of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and other countries, in Tamil translation. It would have been even more useful if the English versions of the poems appeared side by side the Tamil.” He adds: “Needless to say, the poems have diverse themes, styles, and various levels of articulating emotions.”
Apart from this information, we must know what the translator, So. Pa, himself says. His note written in English and Tamil are worth quoting in the first few pages, rather than I giving my own views.
Here is So. Pa (S. Pathmanathan):
“Plurality and diversity contribute to the richness of SAARC poetry. It enables ‘the aspirations and struggles, the dreams and anxieties, the values and accretions, the sensitiveness and nightmares of the people and societies which inhabit the region’
The poetry of this region is an amalgam of history, myth and socio-political upheavals, ‘poetry, is one of the finest flowers of civilization and, in spite of all the assaults and hurts, it blooms eternal.’
The SAARC region witnessed the conflict between East and West, Tradition and Modernism (Modernity), Colonialism and Liberation. In the turmoil ‘Poetry itself became a battleground’. The emerging Poetics of liberation was also poetics of resistance.
SAARC poetry gave expression to the anguish and yearnings of the people of the region. It has been able to cut across geographical boundaries and political differences, and come to stay as continuum of humaneness, of shared values and anxieties, mutually relevant insights and revelations”
Poets have refused to succumb to racial fanaticism and religious fundamentalism. They have always stood by the weak and marginalized sections of society like Dalits women and children. Poetry has been the voice of the oppressed.
Yet, Poetry has not lost its touch with Beauty. The vast output of Love poetry in every language is proof enough.
Nor have our poets given up Religion and Spirituality. The Sufi and the Siddhas have used poetry effectively to reach out to the masses.
So, we of South Asia have a rich tradition of poetry coming down to us from Vedic times. We celebrate the diversity of landscape, language and culture.”
In his Tamil version of his Note he says, apart from the 79 translated poems, he had added nine Tamil poems.
I noticed that the translator has included the poems of the following Lankan poets: W A Abeysinghe, T, Ajanthakumar, Anaar, Anamika, Ariywansa Ranaweera, Daya Dissanyake, T. Jayaseelan, Karunaharan, Kumara Hettiaratchi, Mahagama Sekera, Monica Ruwanpathirana, Parakrama Kodithuwakku, R S Muralitharan, S Pathmanathan, Sararth Amunugama, Solaikkili, Thuvarahan, and Viviemarie V Meddawattegedera.
Brief notes on the poets selected for this anthology is also useful.
We must congratulate So. Pa for the production of this book. He deserves all praise.