Maki O enthralled lake

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'Maki, O! enthralled lake'
— A critical commentary on Nomita Khongbantabam's book of poems 'Maki Pat-o-Nung-Onbi —

By: Oinam Anand *

Poetry is a magical spirit.

It is the creation of the soul's reaction to the objects of life and nature, and at the same time it is also the reflection of the poet's mind on seeing both beauty and ugliness of the society in which the poet lives.

A poem is not an essay in a single emotion. It is a conglomeration of various major and minor emotional tones which when appropriately co-mingled with the domain mood, produces a unified impression. What has been said here is one of the most fundamental concept of poetic appreciation as explained in 'Natya Shastra'.

Still it is natural to talk about poetry because we have to place that emotion, that sublime taste, that experience we derived from reading a poetry with the totality of our life's intimate concerns to see how it enters our inner life.

From this point of view Nomita Khongbantabam's maiden collection of poem entitled 'Maki-pat-O-Nung-onbi' has succeeded in carrying its reader to an emotional level that enables the reader to forget their ownselves for a while.

Her book is a collection of altogether 56 poems on varied themes and subjects ranging from the poet's experience as a traveller and her desire to discover the hidden beauty which remain unknown in different parts of Manipur, the poets love for the mother land, the love for the mother Nature to the existing present problems of the society and her voice against the social malpractices.

Her poems can be grouped into

(i) Psychological: such as 'Manglan', 'Ahingba Nah- akpu Kanao'
(ii) Patriotic: 'Eidi Pamjei', 'Ngasigee Athoubasing', 'Manipur', 'Honglaba Leingaklon'
(iii) Nature or pastoral poems: 'Yeningna Shanglare', 'Kwatha Lamdam Lamungsi', 'Hada Chekla Sh- angpheilok', 'Khayang Phunthagee Eeshing Ch- aibi', 'Maki-Pat-O-Nung- onbi', 'Hunpung Lamdam Lamnungsi'
(iv) Poems on social matters: 'Hing- lingeida Peeyu Hairakle', 'Chindata Nupeegi Izzat', 'Meitei Eeyek Kaoganu'.

In her poems she raises her voice against the injustice done to the society. Now in our present society, behind the curtain of law, there are some forces in Manipur that whenever a man dies, he may be an extremist or an innocent civilian, it is reported on the next day that bullets and guns were found in his possession.

Then we should be allowed to posses the gun when we are alive not after our death. This point is reflected in her poem 'Hinglingeida Peeyu Hairakle' which she writes with a challenge.

The cry for women's empowerment is only in the lips. There has been tremendous amount of unanimity about women's right in the society but few come forward to implement any rule or law which is made for the safeguard of the better half.

So Nomita writes with a question:

'Chinda Nupeebudi thak wangna thangatpiri/
Law Kaya puthorakli shingnaraklaba mat- amda/
Achumba Aayin- gidamakta Nupashingna thoudang loubara?'
(only in words, women are placed in high platform/
laws are made/
when offended do men care about the law?)

In the poem 'Eidee Pamjei' the poet mocks the present day patriots. There are many pretended patriots these days in our society. They repeatedly recited the words of those forefathers who had sacrificed their lives for the motherland only to show that they are the true blood of those patriots. The poet mocks the deed of such men as that of the labour of the school students who take their lesson in their lips only to pass the examination.

Of all these groups of poem mentioned Nomita is at her best when she writes on the adoration of nature. And, why not, she has got the privilege to travel the nook and corner of Manipur as a journalist in her quest to know the real Manipur.

She is the first to write, to sing the beauty and glory of different parts of Manipur hidden from the eyes of many. In searching them and in finding them she tastes her clearest delights. She preferred wild to cultivated nature. Nature in its original form.

The poem 'Maki pat-o-Nung-onbi' bears to the fact that the poet becomes a witness (sakshi) to the creative process of the Almighty who has kept this lake, an enormous wealth of nature hidden from our sight.

A poetically blended words greet the eyes in the opening lines:

O Maki! O enthralled lake/
In the lap of the Ango Range/
At the last ring of the folded nine ranges of mountain/
Alone and far alone/
Shinning bright and quiet/
Unknown to the world
(translation mine).

The resultant state of mind is the total release from the bondage of the world for a while and for the reader, momentary detachment to isolate the individual reader from his real world. Where in the words of Wordsworth 'cares abound'. The poet wishes to involve the entire landscape and thus perfecting a romantic picture to induce in the reader of corresponding mood which she feels when she was standing beside the lake.

The poet's love of the countryside, such type of enchanting description of the nature and natural objects both living and non-living are found in abundance in her poems like 'Hunphung Lamdam Lam- nungsi', Khayang Phung- thagee Eeshing Chaibi, 'Hada Chekla Shang- pheilok' etc.

As it is the first volume of poems, there is certainly flaws specially in craftsmanship and choice of words which needs to be ironed out. But in overall assessment it is a good book of poems worth reading specially the short poems which are forceful, pregnant with meanings and prophetic.

Nomita Khongbanta-bam has a considerable gift of fantasy with which she used to decorate her poems. She stands mid-way between a journalist and a poet to become a poet journalist. It is a new experience, a real fresh. It is to be continued

Oinam Anand wrote this article for The Sangai Express
This article was webcasted on July 31th, 2006

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