This is the first collection of 541 haiku, randomly selected as said in the preface, out of some 3000 haiku written till the publication of this book in December 2006. Narayanan being a prolific haijin, I suppose that by this time he has written nearly 4000 haiku. He runs a website for this end with allied genres of poems and literature: Wonderhaikuworlds.com. As it is obvious with the poet, infinite and eternal are parts of his enterprise as his mind is infused with philosophy and metaphysics though it is better not to go for the mystic and apocalyptic. Narayanan has shunned the path of the conventional- writing in three 5+7+5 syllabic feet- as in the Japanese original. He writes mostly in three feet but almost without any other punctuation than some curved dashes, used as kire-ji or cut off point in a haiku though such dashes do not seem always to have been used at the right place. He moves round places and writes his experiences poetically, as sashei suggests, descriptive of a scene rather than about abstractions or thoughts on the scene. Sashei also suggests that they should emanate directly from experience as opposed to imagined scene. Best is describing while observing, as advocates Shiki. In some haiku Narayanan keeps his words but in many he differs immensely from the haiku convention in many respects as he imposes his philosophic ideas, poetic imaginations and even practises anthropomorphism through his haiku. Some are highly poetic, enigmatic with religious allusions and some are created merely out of joy. His observations in general are penetrating. Sometimes they bring out the infinite out of the finite. There is a sensation, a joy of observation in many haiku. The usual gift of reading him is ananda. But it must be noted that sometimes too much of reflection; philosophic, imaginative, anthropomorphic or poetic imposition breaks the structure of the haiku poem. As it is a large collection of haiku though brought out with lavish space, three in one big page, we have to be satisfied in tasting a few of them here. The intending reader may proceed to obtain the book to read Narayanan leisurely and thoroughly. Though most of his haiku speaks about Nature, some are different. Let us observe with him. Warming her hands all alone in winter fire the ancient woman- (29) We are getting a sure turn at the last line with the word, ancient; as if the scene has been continuing from the dim past, in the open field in winter under the sky.
A light puddle cupped in a fallen yellow ochre leaf- (30) boy bends for stone- dog on all fours remembers pain- (34) funeral ceremony- red-ants carry grasshopper- distant bhajan in air- (58) Just a coincidence or imaginative? sunlight shadows three empty chairs in erratic angularities (59) Is not the viewing erratic? musical ecstasy- a humming bird sips from a hibiscus- (152) Did you hear from so close a range? Now we shall see a few haiku, spoilt to be something else, for reasons of being too much poetic, anthropomorphic or bit childlike. a distant flute awakens a new dawn- a half sun hesitates wondering- (9) Shall we say wandering? I am a butterfly I not only flip flutter and fly I also laugh and cry- (19) afternoon breeze- a dragonfly dreams among dry fallen leaves (49) pigeons at the bus-stop discuss human nature- humans watch pigeons- (95) creations dissolutions Mahaashoonya Spandas, all blazing in a twilight- (172) There are really many more interesting haiku in Narayanan’s beautiful collection. One may differ in their selection for in spite of all rules, choice is often subjective, specially about these things.
© Aju Mukhopadhyay, 2008
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