Theatre Bishayak Kabita by Bratya Basu [Hardcover]

Those who speak in dialogues do not understand the meaning of these; those who understand the dialogues primarily seek silence.

A poet is a human being. Like any other person, they observe the arrangements of life. Yet, they see something that the general public does not see, something that is shown in poetry. In this collection of poems, poet Bratya Basu is the introspective seer, one who wishes to view his individual observations in the mirror of self-reflection, to understand them. The bridge between seeing and understanding here is theater, which also serves as the poet's personal, self-fulfilling domain. The illuminated life between the two wings and the seemingly dark yet profound truth of life outside those wings - the poet searches with sharp precision through every possible lens of the theater. Sometimes as an actor, sometimes as a director, sometimes as an audience member, sometimes merely as a prompter. Each observation becomes a personal engagement. The instability, mystery, pain, shame, discomfort, contradiction, and insecurity of life seem to be alive and moving in every stanza of the poems, like characters themselves. Just as a break occurs in the excitement of a climactic moment on the stage, this collection signals a pause for the reader as well, announcing, "I will return after the scheduled break." Through the fleeting moments of theatrical life, we are cast into the profound vastness of a greater life, beyond the painted scenery of the stage, introducing for the first time in Bengali a new language of theater-inspired poetry: Theater-related Poetry.