Enriching Minds and Cultivating Hearts: The Pedagogical Significance of Sudha Murty’s Work https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11103496

Enriching Minds and Cultivating Hearts: The Pedagogical Significance of Sudha Murty’s Work

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11103496

Author(s): Nikita Bhardwaj

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11103496

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Volume 15 | Issue 2 | April 2024

Pages: 99-105

The Criterion: An International Journal in English Vol. 15, Issue-II, April 2024 ISSN: 0976-8165
www.the-criterion.com
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10448030
K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar: A Poet with Paradigm Shift
Dr. Suruchi Upadhyay
Assistant Professor,
Department of English,
DAV PG College, Siwan,
(A Constituent College of Jai Prakash University, Chapra).
Article History: Submitted-17/03/2024, Revised-10/04/2024, Accepted-25/04/2024, Published-30/04/2024.
Abstract:
K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar (1908-1999) was primarily known as a critic, than as a poet. He
was the first one who acknowledge and give Indian English Writings a distinct place in
Literature, by writing a voluminous book, Indian Writings in English in (1973). The current
paper aims to put forth the idea that he was significant critic yet most neglected poet in the Post-
Modern Era of Indian English Poetry. Further, to trace out the qualities from his poetical texts
namely: Microcosmographia Poetica (1978), Sitayana (1987) and Krishna-Geetam (1994) and
lastly highlights his contribution to Indian English Poetry.
Keywords: Indian English Writings, critic, poet, Post-Modern Era, Indian English Poetry.
K.R. Srinivasa Iyengar is one of the doyens of Indian English scholars. He provided
Indian English Literature with an independent identity and recognized it as a major subject of
study at University Level. Apart from being a literary historian and a critic, he is also a
biographer, reviewer, translator, editor, transcreator, letter-writer and above all a poet of par
excellence. It is a pity to know that he is hardly known as an outstanding poet. However, it is the
need of the hour that his poetical works should be evaluated in a proper perspective. To establish
Iyengar as a poet of equal competence who wrote epic poetry against the existing poetic trends of
satire, pastiche, montague in the era of Modernism and Post- Modernism.
In his late sixties Iyengar produced some fine poetry. He wrote in English and the range
of his poetry vary from the descriptive, narrative, reflective, dramatic, heroic to the tragic, ironic
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and satiric. His poetical works were overshadowed by his critical works. Even his poetry fails to
evoke the type of response it deserves. The influence of his poetry remains confined only to a
small group of the Aurobindonian Circle. In the Modernism and post-modernism, Iyengar carries
forward the trend of spiritual poetry. He even goes far beyond and uses Indian myths and
interprets these myths in evolutionary terms by taking the best elements of the Eastern and
Western Epics. However, he makes Indian myths relevant to contemporary times by infusing
feminist ideologies, philosophy, religiosity and spirituality.
The indifference towards Iyengar’s poetry raises many questions. Is the cold response to
Iyengar’s poetry is due to the fact that he discovers his poetic talent relatively late? Or are his
poetical works overshadowed by his critical works? Or does he write in a spiritually barren age?
Or the mythical themes which he uses become redundant to the modern and postmodern poetry?
Or is his poetry beyond the understanding of familiar readers? Or he wrote epic poetry in an age
which is dominated by the triviality of subject matter? Or he carry forward the trend of spiritual
poetry initiated by Sri Aurobindo? Or is his poetry devoid of intrinsic values? There are several
questions of these types. These questions can be answered in the light of historical development
of Indian English poetry. It will allow to know the historical relevance of Iyengar’s spiritual
poetry. It is done through the fourfold phases as envisaged by Markarand Paranjape in his book
Indian Poetry in English.
K.R. Srinivasa Iyengar’s poetry does not find the type of recognition it deserves. His
poetry suffers from studied silence of the critics, historian and anthologists. Its the need of an
hour to evaluate his poetry in a proper perspective. Iyengar objectively studies Indian English
poetry, its various themes, forms and finds his poetry as an essential medium of expressing
Indian consciousness through the four phases colonialism, Nationalism, Modernism and Post
Modernism.
The first phase, ‘Colonialism’, spans from 1825-1900. The major poets of this era are
Henry Derozio, Michael Madhusudhan Dutt and Toru Dutt. The poetry of this phase is imitative
and derivative. It lacks any sort of identity. It only expresses the narrow segment of a society.
The second phase, ‘Nationalism’, extends from 1900-1950. This phase tries to attain its original
form by being less initiative and derivative in nature. It reflects spirit of romanticism,
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spiritualism and marked influences of British poetry. It is the golden period in Indian English
Poetry. It has produced great luminaries like, Sri Aurobindo, RabindraNath Tagore and Sarojini
Naidu .
The third phase, ‘Modernism’, starts from 1950 . This phase is remarkable for its vigorous
search for thematic and formal identity. It is influenced by modern movements like
Existentialism, Confessionalism, Surrealism, Feminism and Dadaism. The poets of modernism
phase were influenced by foreign poets like William Carols William, Robert Bly, Ezra Pound,
Walt Whitman and Allen Ginsberg. The poets of this era write poetry on Indian scenes and
develop their own poetic modes and linguistic techniques. Modernism gives such eminent poets
like Ezekiel, Ramanujan, Parthasarthy, Kamala Das, Dom Moraes, Arun Kolatkar, Keki N.
Daruwalla and Gieve Patel.
The fourth phase, ‘Post Modernism,’ begins from 1980’s.. It gives a distinctive identity to
Indian English Poetry. The poets engage themselves to develop new forms and themes to write
poetry. They write poems on local scenes and trivial subjects. The poetic techniques of this
phase was parody, pastiche, juxtaposition, collage, montage etc. It is the superficial nature of
poetry that is a marked characteristic of this age. They highlight common places, things and
persons. The familiar poets, were Mahapatra and Mehrotra, Agha Sahid Ali, Manohar Shetty,
Saleem Peerdina and Vikram Seth..

These were the poetic trends when Iyengar began his poetic career. He wrote spiritual
and religious poetry which is against the trend . A serious effort is required to locate and
establish him as one of the significant poet in Indian English Poetry. To ascertain further from
the study, we find that Iyengar is a poet with revolutionary zeal. He swims against the poetic
currents of his age. He is against the satiric, the ironic and the trivial poetry written during the
era of Modernism and Post Modernism. He believes that the conflicting and diseased mind
whether, sub-conscious or unconscious, cannot produce a good poetry to cater to the aesthetic
needs of ailing humanity. Iyengar was the one who dares to take up challenging task to recover
the lost glory of poetry spiritual poetry.
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He restores poetry and makes it dignified in its expression by making it a vehicle of
spiritual experiences. By his poetic works Microcosmographia Poetica (1978) Sitayana (1987),
Saga of Seven Mothers (1991) and Krishna–Geetam (1994), Iyengar gives mankind and future
poets the idea of what good poetry is, but even goes far beyond, that by making spiritual
poetry a powerful mode of expression.
Iyegar started writing in an age which is dominated by triviality of subject matter. He
restores the thematic grandeur by celebrating human dignity. His poetry paints the beauty of
consciousness, spirituality, philosophy and religiosity (in terms of faith).
In his Microcosmographia Poetica Iyengar presents the blueprint of Spiritual Poetry.
In this poetic manifesto, he outlines the aim of poetry. Poetry for him is an instrument of
transcendence. It aims to create a meeting point of Heaven and Earth or more precisely between
divinity and humanity. Iyengar through his poetical works acts as beacon to spread a message of
hope, peace, and happiness to the confused voyagers of the world. In his epic trilogy Sitayana
(1987), Saga of Seven Mothers (1991), and Krishna– Geetam (1994), Iyengar takes new themes
of womanhood, evolution of feminine and masculine consciousness and infuses spiritual,
modern, philosophic and upanishadic wisdom, which is against the existing trends of
Modernism and Postmodernism.

Iyengar even goes far beyond that, and establishes the essence of Indian legends and
myths by making them a relevant source for his poetical works. He recovers their pristine glory
which has suffered a great setback in the hands of Modern and Postmodern poets. The new poets
either overlooked or misinterpreted Indian myths. It is only, Iyengar who highlights Indian
myths and interprets them in their proper context by making them relevant to the modern time.
He makes Indian myths the vehicle of expressing scientific ideas especially in evolutionary
terms. It is Iyengar only who uses different versions of myths in his poetical work to teach
everlasting truth to humankind. He stands far above than his fellow poets like Parthasarthy,
Daruwalla, Arvind Kumar Mehrotra, Saleem Peerdina etc, who concentrate on trivial issues and
degrade the divine like character of humanity. In order to set them right, Iyengar interprets man
and his consciousness in terms of divinity.
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So, Iyengar attempts to continue and promote Aurobindo’s effort of reappraisal and
evaluation of the myths of India, which are indeed the treasures of spiritual wisdom. He uses old
myths, refines them in modern terms. He preserve their antique strength, depth, simplicity of
message which can be cherished by the contemporary generation.

Iyengar goes on to poetize man as a heroic figure who overcome odds coming in his
spiritual path. Iyengar looks for new orientations and opening of fresh channels of philosophical
wisdom, spiritual experiences and myths to make it relevant to the contemporary time. The era in
which the poetry assumes the form of Irony, Satire, Collage, Pastiche and Montage, Iyengar
extensively uses epic form for his verses. As a follower of Sri Aurobindo’s idea, that epic poetry
is the only medium to express exalted ideas ,Iyengar tries to keep the epic tradition alive and
make his poetry a medium to highlight different states of consciousness passing from the
Ordinary Mind to the Higher Mind. He combines the best elements of Eastern and Western
Epic.

Keeping in mind the views of Sri Aurobindo, Iyengar in his epic trilogy, Sitayana, Saga
of Seven Mothers and Krishna-Geetam presents a confluence of spiritual, aesthetic and religious
elements. In these epics he focuses his attention on the ascent of human soul and the descent of
divinity producing a Spiritual Poetry of the highest order.
We find Iyengar as a true heir to the poetic legacy of Sri Aurobindo. Though poets like
Nolini Kant Gupta, Dilip Kumar Roy, K.D. Sethna, Nirod Baran endeavoured hard to continue
the poetic tradition established by Aurobindo, but they cannot sustain and promote reader’s
interest in Spiritual Poetry. They tried to keep that tradition alive but hardly succeeded. It is only
Iyengar, who lives up to the promise shown by Aurobindo in his the Future Poetry. He even
goes on to expand his poetry by making it an instrument of attaining Higher Consciousness .He
demonstrates that the heroic poetry can be produced in an age which is known for its triviality,
ugliness, conflicts, frustration and mental disorders. His poetry can well be panacea for the
suffering humanity.He effectively incorporates religiosity, mysticism and makes a literary art not
one dimensional but it covers all the dimensions of one’s personality.
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If going against the tide of contemporary poetry is a mark of originality, Iyengar is
certainly a great poet. He stands firm and continues the tradition of spiritual poetry of Sri
Aurobindo. He begins his mission with Microcosmographia Poetica (1978). The book gives us a
fresh and extended interpretation of the Spiritual Poetry by Sri Aurobindo. Iyengar refreshes his
master’s views but also goes on to add some points to it. Sri Aurobindo’s Future Poetry exhibits
the inner most truth of life and transcends intellectual and sensational responses among mankind.
It not only limit itself as a poetry of an ordinary men and manners, but it is a poetry of spirited
soul with a more developed psychic and intutive mind. This type of future poetry will change
human life and add spread spiritual values.

Iyengar conception of the Future Poetry is slightly different from his master. No doubt,
his future poetry will cater to the spiritual, psychological, mental and philosophical needs of
ailing humanity, but will also entail freedom of spirit, love for life, glory of word and inner
beauty of consciousness. Iyengar’s future poetry will give true delight to its readers by making
literature an integral part of social consciousness.
Iyengar’s Sitayana (1987), produces a new vision of an old myth and makes it fully
attuned to the emotional, intellectual and spiritual needs of the modern humanity. He recast the
story of Valmiki’s Ramayana and presents it from the point of view of Sita. He even
incorporates best elements from Tulsidas’s Ramcharit Manas and Kamban’s Ramayana.
Sitayana is an epic based on the theme of womanhood where Sita is a primordial shakti and a
representative of women and their woes.

Iyengar’s Sita is neither Sita of Valmiki’s Ramayana, nor of Kamban, or Tulsi. She
undergoes a complete transformation and reflects the best elements of feminine psyche. All
female characters are given the voice of their own and they protest against male-dominated
society; whether it is Sita, rishipatnis (Lopamundra, Ahalya), Rakshshas women (Mandodari,
Sulochana, Trijata, Anala) or Queen’s of Ayodhya (Sumitra, Kausalya).

There are innovations in techniques of narration and form of poetry. Iyengar uses stream
of consciousness, reveries, monologue and dream technique to make the story of antiquity
relevant to the contemporary time. He takes the unique blend of the Eastern (spiritual, religious,
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and aesthetic elements) and the Western (heroic, invocation, grand language, media res) epics to
elevate the story in cosmic terms.
The epic trilogy, Sitayana, Saga of Seven Mothers and Krishna-Geetam, employs
Iyengar’s own metrical form of 10-7, 10-7 unrhymed quatrains. Time and again in the texr we
find philosophic, upanishadic, scientific, social, spiritual and evolutionary perspectives of Sri
Aurobindo.
In Sitayana, the focus is on the feminine perspective. Similarly, in Saga of Seven
Mothers Iyengar accomplishes a great poetic feat by making the story of Seven Mothers of
Indian Mythology the symbol of seven roles of womanhood. They face difficult situations and
their gradual growth is carried forward from the Satyug, Treta, Dwapara and Kali. Iyengar
poetizes the legendary tales of these female figures. He shows them as an incarnation of Adya
Shakti in various forms of female consciousness.
The Seven Mothers from Devahuti to Kannaki, gradually ascent in their consciousness.
There is gradual transformation in their mind. We see change from Ordinary mind to Overmind
in Kannaki and lastly she achieves Supramental Consciousness. Through, these characters
Iyengar tells that while leading an ordinary life and facing complex situations one can achieve
spiritual enlightment.

Krishna-Geetam (1994) is also an example of Iyengar’s poetic genius. With his
tremendous poetic powers, Iyengar re-works the myth of Vishnu’s Ten Incarnations in terms of
evolutionary process and the development of human consciousness through different forms of
life. He created the unique personality of Lord Krishna which is at once human and divine. He
interprets Krishna in terms of modern consciousness.
Krishna’s Consciousness is human when we see child Krishna, whereas divine, when he
liberates evil from Earth and his future role unfolds in when his consciousness acts as a symbol
of ananda, beauty, truth and power as well as saviour to human life. Even after the withdrawal of
Krishna, Iyengar relates Krishna Consciousness to Buddha, Mahavira, Meera, Goda Devi and
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
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By using Vishnu’s Ten Incarnations from Fish, Tortoise, Boar, Man-Lion to Dwarf Boy,
Parashurama, Raghu Rama, Balarama, followed by Krishna and the Kalki in near future. Iyengar
effectively delineates the gradual evolution of masculine consciousness in terms of an
evolutionary process. The first one is of animal consciousness (fish, tortoise and bear) the second
is human consciousness (man- lion to dwarf boy Parashurama), the third category consists of
divine consciousness (Raghu, Rama and Balarama), nonetheless the last is the confluence of
Human and Divine that is Krishna consciousness and Kalki in the near future carries forward a
new consciousness, a nav chetna which will sensitize the mind and the body.

However, inspite of contributing so much, still his poetry is never recognized and popular
as it has not been put as yet in proper perspective. Critics were either hostile or indifferent,
paying little attention to its poetic excellence. They are blind to the beacon light of the future
poetry still relishing the post-modernist triviality and irrational aspect of humanity. They refuse
to open their eyes to the tremendous beauty and splendour of epic poetry and its mythical
wisdom.
However, we can say that his poetry will always be relevant as it gives a new note of hope,
and re-interprets Indian myths in terms of modern ideas to make it relevant in the contemporary
world. Indeed, his poetry presents a tremendous poetic wealth which challenges to future
scholars. He is perhaps the only poet after Sri Aurobindo, who uses epic form with an
unprecedented success and contributes a new type of modern religious epic. Iyengar’s poetical
works leave an everlasting message to ailing humanity to bloom and spread their petals, to
emerge from the darkness of chaos and to mingle with Supramental Consciousness.

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Dharwadker, Vinay and A.K. Ramanujan. The Oxford Anthology of Modern Indian Poetry. New
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_________..Microcosmographia Poetica. Calcutta: Writers Workshop, 1978. Print.
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________..Saga of Seven Mothers: Satisaptakam. Madras: Samata Books, 1991. Print.
________..Krishna-Geetam: Delight of Existence. Madras: Samata Books, 1994. Print.
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