Navigating Social Realism in the Poems of Jayanta Mahapatra

Abstract

Jayanta Mahapatra, one of the most distinguished poets of India who believed poetry as the best medium for the expression of experiences of reallife. He has made enormous contributions to contemporary Indian literature. He was one of the three prominent figures in the arena of Indian poetry in English, who are regarded as the founding fathers of Indian poetry in English, together with A.K. Ramanujan and R.K. Narayan. The subject matter of his poetry is always inspired by the realities of the society what he himself was a witness. He attends to the anguish and suffering of people at the back of the queue. The marginalised and downtrodden people are the characters of his poems. Extreme poverty, starvation, prostitution, patriarchy etc. are the major focuses of his poems. He is a poet born and brought up in the temple town of Cuttack, he tries to comprehend the reality of human nature. He attempts to start a dialogue between religious ceremonies and daily life problems of common folk. In order to gain a deeper understanding of society, Mahapatra's poetry serves to reveal socioeconomic facts. Its goal is to depict its members' true sociopolitical and sociocultural characteristics. He begins with his capacity to create new connections and weave new meanings that cause his heart to resonate emotionally