Kabita Sangraha by Sunil Basu

There are poets who seem slightly apart from the present time, almost as if disconnected. Due to their natural modesty, they sit a little away from the crowd. They could not come forward, pushing through the throng of contemporaries, yet they have a lifetime of solitary, individual poetic practice. Sunil Basu, the poet of the fifties, is one such figure. He avoided gatherings, assemblies, and crowds. He wrote less, was reticent, and shy. This poet, who was absent-minded and a lover, had a completely unique approach to wordcraft.

His first poetry booklet, Sindhusaras (published at the age of eighteen), reveals his rhythmic spontaneity and linguistic restraint, indicating that even then, he was ready. In his poetry book Timir Taranga, we find a soul in pain, where "the blue pin of tears shakes in trembling cups." Fifteen years later, in Kakhono Dossyu Kakhono Premik, and extending to his last poetry collection Nakshatrer Cycle O Ananta Brahma, the poet’s flight is original, marked by individuality, and filled with self-mockery. His innermost self yearns for love, and he longs for a trivial existence, "like an ant." In his suppressed sadness, his sarcasm becomes mysterious.

This collection of Sunil Basu's six poetry books, along with some unpublished poems, is a gift for poetry lovers, an undoubtedly joyful offering.