Susheel Sharma's Unwinding Self: A Timeless Testimony to a Poet's Perspective

Abstract

Indian English poetry in the twenty-first century has evolved and gained a distinct identity and even eminence. It is deeply nuanced just as the heterogenous society it represents and echoes. It has expanded its horizons as it has become more inclusive and diverse. It is constantly in dialogue with the land's socio-political cultural history and relates well to the quaint innocuous voices of the 'self'.With the growth of Indian English poetry's stature, Indian poets have gradually carved out a niche for themselves. The present study reviews Susheel Kumar Sharma's poetic journey over the last three decades, during which he has documented his "lived" and "felt" experiences with a degree of candour and efficacy. The poet has three anthologies to his credit and he courageously applies dialectics tomatters of faith. He submits to his conscience, explores the externalities, and internalizes the true spirit of his being. Susheel Kumar Sharma, a poet with a rationalist's mind and a sceptical sensibility continually engages with his world, culture, and most importantly, with himself. His poetic articulations freely draw on the culture, folklore, mythology, and contemporary reality of the land. His anthology is a distillation of the aesthetic, moral, and theological choices he made at pivotal points in his life. It's invigorating to read the poems of this anthology, which are infused with reflections on self-awareness and self-knowledge.