Lalit Gupta
During last 16 years, since the time he started writing in Dogri, Inderjit Kesar has written extensively in literary genre that include poetry and novel. His latest book titled ‘Soch Tarang’ is therefore a personal landmark for the writer as he has successfully ventured into the rather a special and somewhat difficult literary form of essays.
What makes ‘Soch Tarang’, an anthology of 28 essays, so special is brevity of essays which successfully holds the reader’s attention for a short duration on a specific, limited subject. The choice of which in the book again makes it distinctive for most of the chosen themes and issues have so far not been touched by writers of Hindi or other Indian languages.
The topic of each essay in the anthology is woven around a typical Dogri adjective which has a definitive socio-cultural context in Dogra society. Due to the creative and artistic treatment of Inderjit Kesar, not only the chosen topics in the book get expounded by argument and analysis but appear to the reader with an expanded context laced with unique contemporary relevance. The topics covered are ‘Pajj’-The Cover Up, ‘Suaagat’ –Welcome, ‘Niaane’-Children, ‘Koura’- Bitter, ‘Bsaah’-Trust, ‘Kirtghaan’-Ungrateful, Reet-Ravaaj—Customs, ‘Phoud’—Bragging, “Chugli”-backbiting, “Ghamand”- Arrogance, Mobile, ‘Haq’- A Right, ‘Aham’-Conceit, ‘Marhakkhe’-Masks, ‘Sakkhana’- Empty, ‘Grahonda Suraj’-The Setting Sun, ‘Shakait’-Complain, ‘Ikk-Mikk’-To become One, ‘Darr’- Fear, ’Prem’-Love, ‘Dreyaid’—Crack, Badho-Badhi- To Compel, Chaahka-Hesitation, Chimchagiri-Sycophancy, Trakki- Development, ‘Biradh Aashram’-Old Age Home, Gujjh- Bribe and ‘Laara’-False Promise.
What makes these essays an interesting and entertaining reading is the lucid style in which Inderjit Kesar, without standing on a high pulpit, thread bares the chosen topics like Chugli or Pajj et al, thereby revealing layers of meanings and as well as ethical positioning of concepts in today’s fast changing contexts for the imagination of readers. The plethora of illustrations based upon myriad sometimes diagrammatically opposed day to day situations, through which he illuminates his argument or analysis or interpretation, despite having an overt local reference also have a universal relevance and appeal.
Inderjit Kesar, the author of three novels and around a dozen poetic anthologies, with his latest book of short essays, ‘Soch Tarang’, has clearly shown a streak of a reformer who wishes to persuade the readers to thought and action out of the deepest concern for human advancement.
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