Mirroring Beauty

Poets are people who love to explain aestheticism through words with high faith and say they are always keen and try their best to admire truth beautifully. Poet Kalanidhi Dahal, with his newly launched under-review poetry book entitled "Aafain Bhaye Sundara",  imagines how beautiful our society would have been, had we made our thoughts and deeds beautiful.

But, this is only an imagination, which can't be real. The real world, therefore, is different; and this real world where we live and work keeps changing with conditions of various interests. Poets like Kalanidhi have anger, too, but this anger is not like slogans; it is sweetened with poetic sense in the garb of beautiful words. This delightful feature is there in almost all the poems in this anthology by Kalanidhi. 

Kalanidhi is particular in composing poems in sweet classical metres. He is devoted to this genre and is known, too, for this quality. One more thing about him is that the poet is equally skilful in the recitation of such poems. 

The poet's talents have been praised in the preface by authors Govinda Raj Bhattarai, Ghanashyam Nyaupane 'Parishrami' and Devi Nepal in this collection. 

Bhattarai's remarks read sharp: 'The poet (Kalanidhi) is a dangerous, fearless and highly impressive creator.' Indeed, the poet's creative canvass, too, is large and admirable because he has mentioned that 'he writes poems because the poem is life for him. 

The under-review collection of poems entitled "Aafain Bhaye Sundara" wears an artistic cover, made of a sweet amalgamation of both abstract and non-abstract meanings. Kalanidhi writes both kinds of poems with metre and without. 

But, over the years, with devotion and talent, he has achieved a kind of mastery in writing poems in metre and the 'Sardulabikrita' is the much lovingly used classical style of writing for him. He is not only polished in this style, but he also feels the ease of sentimental flow while writing in it. 

There are ninety-one poems in "Again Bhaye Sundar" and it is a huge number for a 170-page collection. To limit ideas artistically, and talent to talk about the whole universe of truth in a few lines of words is a much-cherished feature of poetry writing. The best thing to note about Kalanidhi is that he commands such skills and talent. 

 The poet demands poetic mood from readers to turn the pages of this collection with the book title Again Bhaye Sundar, which carries intrinsic meanings. Man can either be beautiful (Sundar) or not; but he may be ugly, too.  to see it this way, especially to admit own flaws and weaknesses, is a hard thing. 

Therefore, the chance is 50/50: So, one may be good or bad. Here, in the line of poetic thought, the ideal is to acquire a good habit, which means Aafain Bhaye Sundara (If a person himself is beautiful) is the epitome supposition for good outcomes. This is the bright poetic line of Kalanidhi. But, in practical life, this supposition often goes wrong because a selfish attitude seems to be supreme. This is a danger. So, the poet in this collection warns all against the pressure of the paucity of Sundar (beautiful) people in governance and public affairs.   

It is not possible to analyse all the 91 poems in this collection here. But, the gist point needs to be mentioned -- the poet is artistic to decorate his expressions even with suitable Sanskrit words. 

After all, Sanskrit is the mother 

language of Nepali and its meaningful use always embellishes poetic expressions. 

The book title poem – Aafain Bhaye Sundar – needs to be discussed a little more in this regard. The definition of beauty, according to the poet, is as deep as the ocean. Yet, the poet attaches paramount importance to wisdom because he thinks mankind will surely be beautiful if they start to do good by utilising the virtue of their wisdom. 

However, while saying so, the poet has become a universal man.  His words have sung the beauty of doing better for others, which means if others' wounds are healed with care and medicine, it is the feature of being beautiful for the poet. 

Thus, to come to the core point to discuss Kalanidhi's poetic vision, the poet is dissatisfied with many who are in the lead role to make societies beautiful. So, he urges one and all again and again only to make the self pure and beautiful. It is the gist theme, which is in the sweet singing form of poetry in this under-reviewed anthology of poetry entitled "Aafain Bhaye Sundara".