Soumitra Mohan (born January 2, 1938) (Hindi: सौमित्र मोहन) is a prominent Hindi poet[1] and an exponent of the Akavita (अकविता - anti-poetry) movement in Hindi poetry.[2] He is known as a rebel[3] who voiced vehement protest,[4] and is best remembered for his poem, Luqman Ali (लुक़मान अली).[5]

Mohan has published three anthologies of poems in Hindi—Chaaku Se Khelte Hue (चाकू से खेलते हुए - 1972), Luqman Ali (लुक़मान अली - 1978), and Aadha Dikhta Wah Aadmi (आधा दिखता वह आदमी - 2018). Mohan is also a distinguished translator and has published translation of several prose works—most notably Dehra Mein Ab Bhi Ugte Hain Hamare Ped (देहरा में अब भी उगते हैं हमारे पेड़), a translation of Ruskin Bond's Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra). He was one of major poets featured in Nishedh (निषेध),[6] a landmark anthology of poems published in the 1970s. Despite having published his writings sparingly, Mohan's stature as a major Hindi poet of the 20th century is widely accepted.

Soumitra Mohan
सौमित्र मोहन
Born1938
NationalityIndian
OccupationPoet
Notable workPoetry volumes: लुक़मान अली, चाकू से खेलते हुए, आधा दिखता वह आदमी

Soumitra's celebrated long poem Luqman Ali (लुक़मान अली ) appeared in an English translation by Samartha Vashishtha—first in Chandrabhaga (Cuttack, 2007, edited by Jayanta Mahapatra) and then in the international magazine of translated literature, Asymptote.[7]

In the year 2018, Sambhavna Prakashan (Hapur, India) published a volume of Soumitra Mohan's collected poems titled Aadha Dikhta Wah Aadmi (आधा दिखता वह आदमी),[8] bringing together his work spanning the years 1961 to 2017. In his introduction to the book, Soumitra emphasizes:

"This book collects a total of 149 of my poems. It is my wish that readers know my work only through these poems. These are my 'collected poems' – even though I make no claim about this selection being my best."

"इस किताब में मेरी कुल 149 कविताएँ हैं। मैं चाहता हूँ लोग मुझे इन्हीं कविताओं से जानें-पहचानें। यही मेरी 'सम्पूर्ण कविताएँ' हैं हालाँकि इनके श्रेष्ठ होने के बारे में मेरा कोई दावा नहीं है।"

References

  1. ^ Pratibha India. A. Sitesh. 2004. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
  2. ^ The Indian Literary Review. Indian Literary Review. 1979. p. 10. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
  3. ^ Indian Scholar. J. Srihari Rao. 1981. p. 154. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
  4. ^ Mācave, Prabhākara; Prabhakar Balvant Machwe (1976). Four Decades of Indian Literature. Chetana Publications. p. 91. ISBN 9780883868065. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
  5. ^ Indian Writing Today. Centre for Indian Writers. 1969. p. 144. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
  6. ^ Pr̲abhākaravāriyar, Ke. Eṃ (1978). Poetry and National Awakening. Mahakavi Vallathol Birth Centenary Celebrations Committee. p. 5. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
  7. ^ "from Luqman Ali - Asymptote". www.asymptotejournal.com. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  8. ^ "Aadha Dikhta Wah Aadmi" on Amazon. ASIN 9381619859.


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