THE FOLLOWING POEM BY DIGVIJAY KUNWAR WON THE PRIZE OF ONE LAKH RUPEES IN WINGWORD POETRY PRIZE 2018.
The poet talks about how everyone writes on the surface of the words but when a poet indulges deep into the sea of thoughts and words, it is different. The poet uses metaphors of sailing through a lake of thoughts. He says if he could pick some words and use feelings as bait in the trap, he might find a lonely shore. The dripping relations from the shore could wash the dirt of enmity from his hands. He goes on to say that if he pulls the sun down from the sky and submerges it into the sea, the moon that is drowned in the depths will also burn in the sun's flames. It might be a metaphor for the raging thoughts that burn the humble and kind feelings. After which the sun will not be raging as before. The rage would lower and the poet can then return the sun back to its hot place. Through the poem the poet wants to highlight that it is easy to write on the surface of the words but it is one thing to go into the depths and write about thoughts and emotions. The metaphors used in the poem is what makes it different and appreciable.
सतह पर तो सब लिखते हैं
क़लम जो काग़ज़ में डूब जाए
तो कभी ख़यालों के दरिया से गुज़रते
मैं कुछ तैरते सुर उठा के रख लूँ कश्ती में
मैं शायद हर्फ़ के जाल पर इक काँटा फँसा के
उसपे जो टाँग दूँ एहसास का चारा
क्या पता बीच दरिया के
मिल जाए कोई तनहा किनारा
जब हथेली में उठाऊँ मैं उस किनारे को
उससे रिसती कुछ बूँदे रिश्तों की
मैं जमा कर लूँ अपनी मुट्ठी में
और धो लूँ अपने हाथों से मैल रंजिशों की
मैं आसमाँ से जलता सूरज उतार के
गर झोंक दूँ स्याह समंदर में
वो चाँद जो डूबा है दूर गहराई में
वो इसकी भीगी लपटों में जल जाएगा
सूरज भी कुछ देर आलसी हो जाएगा
फिर उठा के उसे मैं उसी तनहा किनारे की सीढ़ी
चढ़ा दूँगा दोबारा आसमान पे
लौट जाएगा फिर वो अपनी गर्म बस्ती में
सतह पर तो सब लिखते हैं
क़लम जो काग़ज़ में डूब जाए
तो कभी ख़यालों के दरिया से गुज़रते
मैं कुछ तैरते सुर उठा के रख लूँ कश्ती में ।।
Kunwar Digvijay is the recipient of the Wingword Poetry Prize 2018. He is a poet who has chosen Hindustani as his medium of writing. This comes from a deep rooted belief that Hindi and Urdu are not two different languages, but two faces of the same coin. His major influences have been Ghalib, Gulzar, Tagore, Frost and Shakespeare. Music, sports and binge watching TV and web series are his alternate fixations. He lives in Delhi with his parents and younger sister.