“Groaning humanity fires up my poetic imagination.”
Arbind Kumar Choudhary, Poet

Dr Arbind Kumar  Choudhary, is an awarded editor and author of nine poetry collections. His  poetic   soulscape   that   has   been   glittering   in  Cambridge     Dictionary   of   English   Writers,   London   and    World    Poetry   Almanac,  Mongolia   besides   a  number   of    Indian   and   western    poetical   works   has   bagged   the   crown    of   the   best   literary   journal  of   India   in   2011, Life   Time   Achievement   Award   in   2010    and   Mandakini  Award   2011.

Dr B.K. Dubey is presently heading the Department of English at Chandrakona Vidysagar   Mahavidyalaya, Chandrakona Town, Pschim Midnapur,   W.B.-721201.

Bijay   Kant   Dubey   has   more than eighteen poetry  collections  in  English   to    his   credit   till   date.

BKD: Please tell me about your genre, as a poet. Which kind of poetry do you like to write?

AKC: I do not want to be a mere puppet of the certain trends/techniques. Though  I  compose  verses  in  rhyme,  yet  I  compose  in  free  verse  also.  The   poetry   that   stirs   most  the   reader for spiritual   sanctity  is  my  favourite  theme.  All   sorts   of   disorder   are elicited through my   poems.

BKD: Tell me about your inspiration behind your poetry? Who is your favourite poet?

AKC:  Groaning humanity fires up my poetic imagination.   The Classical poets, the  Romantic  poets,  Shakespeare, Spenser, Milton, Tagore, Aurobindo etc. have   shaped   my  creative  spirit for   literary mission.

BKD:   What is the capital idea of your writings?

AKC : To expose social,   religious  and  racial    hypocrisy, superstition , discrimination , exploitation, cruelty   to  mute   animals , terrorism,  ecological   disorder,   natural   calamity and ill- notion are  the     things   that   predominate  all   through   my   poetry   collections. It   is     not    my  only duty   to   show   the    mirror   of   the    ailing   society   but   also   to   guide/ suggest   for   better   spiritual   life   in   future.

BKD: What is your   poetic motto?

AKC: The prime purpose of    my    poetic    passage   is to    perfume    the    people   with    the   message  of universalism, sanctification and spiritualism. Poetry is   to  promote    peace   for   Tom, Dick and Harry.

BKD: How did you start to get interested   in literature?

AKC:   Suffering   humanity, discrimination, exploitation, ecological   disorder, natural disaster, moral   degradation   etc.  fired up   my   imagination   to bring to light  such  hypocrisy    at    the  social    level .  Being   a professional   teacher of  English the  seeds   of     writings      germinated from  the   soil  of  my mind and  heart. As  a  result  that   seed    is   now   turned   in to   a   big  poetic tree in literary   world.

BKD: Why have you not opted your career as a professional writer?

AKC : Writing  has become the  part  and  parcel  of  my   life  not  only   because  I  am  a   teacher  by  profession   but  also  because   it  is  the    result  of  my   long  pending   inner  urges  that   I  dreamed   long   ago .  Poetry   is   my   passion, not   profession.

BKD: What   is   your    innovative   poetic   style? Give an example   if    any.

AKC: The   ascending     order    of   the    alphabets    in   a    stanza    is   my   explored    poetic    style.  Here   is   a     stanza    that     is   quoted    from    ‘Melody’ (2009) :

“The luxury of misery
Is the nunnery
For the osculatory
On the periphery of paltry.”

One   can  find  the  sequence  of  the  alphabets-  l(luxury), m(misery), n (nunnery), o (osculatory)  and  p (periphery)  in   a    single   quatrain    besides   the  rhymed       form    and     phrasal   words.

Another   example   of    the    ascending   order   of   the   alphabets – M (moon), N (noon), and O (open)    enriches   the   poetic   beauty   of   this   quatrain   of   ‘Nature’   as   is obvious from this example.

“The moon’s noon
Opens the enchiridion
For the deification
On the land of companion.”
(Nature, 2011, P 19, Poet crit, HP)

Secondly, one  can  find   the   fine   blending  between Indian and western mythical characters in   my  poems.

BKD: What are your  other activities   besides   writing?

AKC : As  a  poet  I    compose   poems   at  the   urge  of  inner  feelings, as  an   editor  I  edit   two  refereed  literary  Journals   Kohinoor  and   Ayush   and   , lastly , as   a  founding    father  of    International  Association   of    Poets,  Essayists   &  Novelists,  Bihar  I  organize  poetry   sessions   from   time   to  time.

BKD: How do you judge your books’ success? Have you ever thought about that?

AKC: Judging    the   book   is   secondary,   not     primary.  My    success lies   in    satisfaction,    not   in   critic’s admiration.       The   more    I   enjoy    pleasure,    the   more   successful    it   becomes   for   me.     Critics   share   our    ignorance, not   wisdom.

BKD : How  do you   comment   upon  the  English   writers   from  Bihar ?

AKC : Dean  Mohammed (1759-1850)  is     the  first   Indian   English  writer  who  departed  from  Patna   for  Cork ,  Ireland    and   wrote   the  first   creative  book  in   English   ‘Travels  of   Dean  Mohammed’   published  from  O.U.P,  London  in  1794 . Bihar  has  produced  a  galaxy  of   English   writers but    most   of    them      are   still   unnoticed   by  the  critics  , scholars    and  researchers .

BKD:  What   is   your   philosophy of Love?

AKC: Love   is   the   jewel   of   the   amative, for   the   amative   and   by the   amative. It is    the  universal   gift   for    all living beings in general   and   human    beings   in  particular    that  sends only in the seventh heaven. Modern  en are   deeply influenced  by   the  power of wealth, money  and   ego. People     seek love in   women, in   wealth   and in sheath   of the   sword. Those human beings, who are really in love,  love the whole beings of this earth. The climax  of love lies in  spiritual   union   with   the  divine. The  sensuous  pleasure, lust for wealth, the  world of earth, hunger     and   marriage try   their   best to  robe the  beauty of    love     in the    name   of    love. Those   who   are    in    love are the    luckiest   men   of   this   world.

BKD:  What   is   your   philosophy   of    Nature?

AKC : Nature is the universal  code of  conduct  for  all  living  beings   of   this   earth. They   must abide by   the  laws of nature  otherwise  be ready to face tsunami, earthquake, explosion  of  lava and many  other disasters that will  knock our door time  and  again. Nature is the treasury of mystery that must be  kept  intact for our bright future.

BKD:   What is your philosophy of poetry?

AKC : Poetry  is   the   voice   of    the   heart .   The   germ  of   it   lies   in  our   heart  and  at last    blooms   in  its  original   form  with     slight   alteration   in  its   form , design, color  etc.  on the  paper.   The  purpose   of   poetry  is  to  sing   the  unheard  melody         and      also     to  bring    to    light    the   mystery  of    men  , women ,   nature     and   all  other    beings   for  the   better   life   of   the races.

BKD: What   about   your   forthcoming   literary adventure?

AKC: My   tenth   poetry   collection ‘Leader’   is   expected   to   be   published   by   this   year   in   which Tom, Dick and   Harry    can   see    their   faces    without     jaundiced   eyes.  Irony,   humour  and   satire   are   the   forte   of    this   poetry   book.