The Hindu Business Line : A case for poetry

A retired Chief Justice of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka High Courts, and a former judge of the Supreme Court, Justice S. Mohan has yet another face — of that of a poet.

The old single-storeyed bungalow is tucked away quietly in the middle of a busy thoroughfare. Here lives a retired Chief Justice of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka High Courts, a former judge of the Supreme Court and the man who was once the Acting Governor of Karnataka. Here also lives a poet and now, the first Indian President of the World Congress of Poets (WCP). Dr Justice S. Mohan holds both pens easily and successfully. "I used to write poetry occasionally. One of these poems caught the eyes of those who were then organising the World Congress of Poets. I was invited to deliver the keynote address at the San Francisco gathering in 1981. I went on to be appointed a member of the Indonesian committee," explains Justice Mohan, "Since then, I have attended all the conferences except the one held in Bangkok in 1988, when I was transferred from Chennai to Karnataka, and then again I missed the Istanbul Congress held in 1991, at which time I was sworn in as a Supreme Court judge." In keeping with poetry's intrinsic universality, the motto of the WCP is `World Brotherhood and Peace Through Poetry.'

He says that today there is much greater awareness about poetry. "People understand that it is not a mere collection of words. I have always felt that verses come from the depth of your heart. You see it in schools — children respond so poignantly to poetry. A boy who had lost his mother put together his thoughts in a four-line poem and it was so profound. Poetry gives such clarity of thought, makes the mind cultured, crystallises emotions and expresses them in a fine way." And yet, the author of several poetry collections himself, regrets how little time we spare for poetry in our lives, "It is so difficult to find publishers and, even more so, buyers of books on poetry. I am not referring to English alone but to poetry in general. How many of us know our Sarojini Naidu and Rabindranath Tagore? I appeal that poetry be made compulsory at school level itself so more young minds understand and experience its beauty."

Judging the judge, it becomes obvious that he is also a Tamil scholar, "Knowingly or unknowingly, Tamils are wedded to poetry. At birth we have the thaalaatu sung to welcome the baby, in death we have the oppari which extols the virtues of those who have passed away. There are songs sung when little girls plait their hair or go out to play, when there is a wedding or when a baby is expected, there are songs sung while breaking stones, while sailing or fishing, each unique and completely beautiful. The world's philosophy and the finest religious teachings are to be found in Tamil poetry. The Devarams, the Divya Prabandham, the songs of Avvaiyar and Manikkavachagar are sung even today, after thousands of years. I must say English is undoubtedly deficient in comparison. People ask `What is in Tamil?' They don't know. I would like to ask them, `what is not in Tamil?' I am saddened that many of us do not really understand. They don't know what they are missing."

The WCP, which was formed in 1969, is a non-profit organisation based in the US. Through its official languages of Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Hebrew and Spanish, WCP seeks to foster mutual understanding of people from diverse cultures through poetry. As the first Indian President, Justice Mohan looks forward to compiling an anthology of poems by world leaders. He would also like to see another Congress held in India, as it was way back in 1986 but, "It is very difficult to find sponsors and support for an endeavour of this nature. I am nonetheless hopeful of ensuring WCP comes to India again."

At the 1984 Morocco Congress, Justice Mohan chose to recite a harvest poem in Tamil. The then President of Senegal and subsequent Nehru Peace Prize awardee Leopold Sedar Senghor interrupted him and told him to stop, saying, "This is my song!" And then, to the amazement of everyone present, he proceeded to sing the same verse as a Senegalese folk rendition. Here was the universal power of poetry. All for a song!

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