Dream India Dream:Re-kindling a Post Colonial Perspective Through Manas Bakshi's Vision of India

Abstract

In an era when colonial legacies are being abandoned and national identities are being re-claimed, literature, rather than history, is recognized as the most reliable source of information on monumental events, epochs, and upheavals that mark the evolution of various civilizations. Since both literary works and historical events are influenced by social dynamics, they can both point to watershed moments and spark transformation. Poetry, in a reasonable sense, also qualifies as an authentic record of times and a way of looking at life with an attempt at drawing greater meanings from one's circumstances of existence than may be apparent through other modes of expression. Poetry, with its ability to evoke emotions, communicate complex ideas, encapsulates the essence of human experiences in a manner that is both subjective and universal. Apart from enabling the quest for self-knowledge and self-fulfillment, poetry has also helped humanity survive against demons of destruction and annihilation. It has aided as a sure and steady toolforsocialcriticism,provingitslastingsignificancenotonlyfor humanitybut to other lifeforms and the planet as a whole. The latest compilation of poems brought out by Manas Bakshi, titled Dream India Dream,published in 2022, constitutes a significant addition to his artistic oeuvre.