Poetry is one of the most important and oldest form of literature which is based on interplay of words and rhythm. A poetry is written in such a manner that it forms sounds, images and ideas of the poet to the reader and the reader can connect to what the poet wishes to convey. The poetries written earlier strictly followed the rules of rhyme and of meter which were a set of rules governing the number and arrangement of syllables in each line. However now, the modern poets frequently ignore these rules and many a times the poems do not rhyme or fit any particular meter. But still these poetries create a beautiful impact on the reader’s minds through the magic of its words.

Indian poetry has a long and rich history dating back to ancient times. Due to the diverse nature and culture of India, Indian poetry has been written in numerous languages including Sanskrit, Hindi, Oriya, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali etc. Kalidasa is regarded as one of the greatest poet of all times and he had great impact not only on Indian poetry but on world literature as well. In the medieval period several great poets like Rahim, Kabir and Tulsidas emerged. Several other poets emerged during nineteenth and twentieth century like Mirza Ghalib, Rabindranath Tagore, Mahadevi Verma, Sarojini Naidu etc.

Ramcharitmanas written in Awadhi language by Tulsidas is one of his greatest works. It literally means ‘Lake of the deeds of Rama’ and is essentially a poem which tells about Rama who is one of the major Hindu deities. He chose Awadhi as the language of his work so that the story of Ram could be accessible to general public and not just to the Sanskrit speaking elites. Ramcharitmanas is regarded as one of the greatest works of Hindi literature and has been acclaimed as ‘the tallest tree in the magic garden of medieval Indian poetry’. Similarly, Meghaduta written by Kalidasa is a lyric poem which literally means ‘Cloud Messenger’. It is a poem about how a subject of King Kubera (the god of wealth), after being exiled for a year to central India for neglecting his duties, convinces a passing cloud to take a message to his wife on Mount Kailasa in the Himalayan Mountains. The subject describes the beautiful sights the clouds will see on its northward course to the mountains.

Gulzar is a well known name in India today and is considered as one of the most famous living Indian poet. Nowadays, he is more known as a lyricist who has contributed immensely to the Indian Film Industry but his contribution towards literature cannot be overlooked. Another well known name is of Harivansh Rai Bacchan and his most renowned work is Madhushala. It provides for deep and philosophical views on various aspects of life and society. The book was a huge controversy at the time when it was published as in the prevailing Gandhian Era it was believed to glorify liquor consumption. However later, Mahatama Gandhi himself read the whole book and was so mesmerized by the essence of the poem that he himself urged the youth to read it once.

So poetry, one of the oldest forms of literature, holds huge importance in the literary history and also the events relating to many of these works makes it of even more importance as it helps in knowing the prevailing conditions and thought process of society at the times when these were published. The oldest manuscripts we have are in the form of poems and most renowned of these are Vedas. The Ramayana and Mahabharata were also originally poetries written in Sanskrit and were later translated into many other Indian languages. Therefore, it would not be wrong to say that poetry gives powerful insight into the culture and have easy and immense connect with anybody who reads them.

Komal@Samacharline