POET SIRPI -

AN ADVOCATE OF SOCIALIST REALISM

Poet Sirpi Balasubramaniam, popularly known as ‘Sirpi’ is a poet with deep conviction in socialism. He has brought out many volumes of poems and still carrying on his writing, which he considers as a mission.

In his preface to his compilation of poems, the poet proclaims thus:

“I am the Son of Tradition;

Comrade of Modernity;

My land is my theme;

My people are my characters.”

The poet proves himself true to his proclamation and he never swerves from socialist realism. Romanticism is not totally absent, but it adds adoration to his narration of love-poems.

His poem titled “The Pen is speaking” explains the poet’s ideology and attitude towards life.

He explains the dilemma faced by the intellect when he has to sell out his knowledge just for his livelihood and is unable to contribute anything towards the welfare of the country.

Just the first two stanzas of this poem will be sufficient to point out his social awareness and commitment.

The Pen is speaking!

Let us move high till the sky

If death comes in the way let us die

Even we can reach the entrance of Eden

If there is a pain enjoyable

We can suffer blissfully

If not

We can be a beginning without end!

An initiative without a follow-up!

Let us toil in this soil

Sell our knowledge

To fill up our stomach!

We can see our world

In vessels filled with food!

Wasting our energy

By watering the desert

We will get exhausted!

Sometimes

We may find perfection

Even in a half;

Sometimes

A Half-baked state may

Lead to blissful end.

This poem is highly symbolic but every inquisitive reader will definitely understand the meaning. Obscurantism is totally absent in Sirpi’s poems as he wishes to be explicit in conveying his message to the reader.

In his poem titled “To the angel of peace” Sirpi narrates the sad events, which were totally inhuman like the destruction of Hiroshima, and Nagasaki. He says the fall of Nazis imperialism and Fascist vandalism is not enough. He believes that only when the whole world turns to Marxist Leninism, as its way of life there will be real peace and solidarity in the world.

“Zeniths will be demolished” is the narrative told in free verse by Sirpi.Here the landlord belongs to the upper caste and agricultural laborers belong to the Dalit sect. The landlord commits all kinds of atrocities and the agricultural laborers unite to fight his tyranny. The landlord finds pleasure in seducing Dalit women. Dalits who belong to the younger generation unite to agitate against the landlord when he sexually assaulted a Dalit girl Arukkani.When they make their protest to their landlord their huts in the slum is set fire by the landlord’s servants. Most of the Dalits are burnt alive.

But the poet tells:

A small group is

Running under the leadership of Chinnan.

In that forest we can see

Teak woods which won’t bow to anybody

Vagai trees will cross swords

Even shadows will transform into realities

Storms may occur

In those storms

Zeniths of the mounts

Will be demolished.

The treatment of the theme is highly remarkable. Here there is no communal clash. The oppressed stand against the oppressor. The exploited unite and act with a hope that one day they may succeed, shattering the peaks of power.

Sirpi conveys the message that we have to unite to fight against all social evils and the fight should be in a democratic way. We will succeed definitely in the end

Destroying and demolishing power centers.

Let us unite and agitate in a democratic way as shown by Sirpi.

Hope we will shatter the obstructions to progress and redeem the oppressed from the clutches of Ignorance and self-made slavery.