Vihang A. Naik

POET :  World Poetry Society , Intercontinental ( India ) : A Poem And Questions - ..."Words delivered / grow into a rumor / as truth / in a poem . ( A Poems And Questions ) -  Vihang A Naik . Writers who have ever been intensely fired by the inspiration to write a poem , will distinctly recollect those familiar feelings of isolation or pressing calls to inward cogitation so that a timeless new perception might be revealed. For , suddenly it seems , that the very representation of a particular thought or action , or of something seen or experienced , becomes of more immediate importance and consequence to the poet than what has not only transpired , but has subsequently passed into the dim recesses of time itself . If , then , the poem that remains can claim essence of timelessness , what then is the decided mission of the actual poet whom the poem reflects ?.

Vihang Naik is a Gujarati poet of great distinction , whose work has not only been featured on ALL-INDIA RADIO , but has also been welcomed by the cognoscente at university literary gatherings , where fellow-lecturers and associate litterateurs have rated his works highly. the list of poetry magazines and accompanying anthologies in which various submissions have featured over the last decade is really too extensive to be mentioned in this comparatively short review . However , it is relevant to point out that in his current publication , 'Making A Poem' , Vihang conducts a searching examination of his own mercurial innate powers of poetical motivation , for he knows himself to be a born poet . - But why , how , and for what express purpose ? he duly ponders.

Many of the poems included are minimalistic yet concise , as enjambment hastens a flow of words to slip like ghostly shades from line to line. His classical roots show to noticeable effect in his poem , 'A Play ' - Surely an evocation of Shakespearean musings : "You may muse/ and play your part / whatever it be ./ Poet , philosopher / or a fool . Doesn't make much difference".......

In his poem , 'The End Of An Affair ' , Vihang outlines , with moving eloquence, his actual feelings during moments when a former loving relationship had been brought to a close . Elements of poetry , prose and song spell out the death-knell of his doomed romance.

'Making A Poem' is a collection which provides considerable food for thought . Obviously it would make even more sense to the reader , with a little more knowledge of the background of the poet ... - In short , well - edited , thoughtfully produced collection that will certainly please those who aspire to his particular genre .

All the poems in the collection are worth reading. - something of an achievement for a young poet bringing out his  collection in English . One is amazed by the poet's control and his technique as well as the philosophical depth of many of the poems. This is only a first collection and one can expect very good poem from Vihang in the future.

- Bernard M. Jackson ( I.W.A R.A.T.A ) .
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Hon. Sec. Cinque Ports Poets . England .

Jackson , Bernard M . Rev. of Making A Poem , by Vihang Naik . Ed. Krishna Srinivas. Chennai , India : POET : World Poetry Society , Intercontinental  ( Chennai , India ) , ( jour issue ) ,  Aug 2005 .Vol.46.,  No . 8.,  p.61 - 63.