Free verse and loose rhyme

OUR EARTH, MOTHER EARTH: S. N. Mishra; Minerva Press, A1/304, Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi.

Rs. 180.

IN AN evocation of the universe creation, the poet uses scientific theories to place the origin to more than 30 billion years ago when ``a complete void prevailed'' and ``time and space began to merge'' to make Nature. He uses free verse with loose rhyme to describe the creation of the universe including the earth in the first half of the book which runs to about 100 pages, and in the other half to pay for man's redemption, his health and for the possible colonies in other planets. The poet claims to enjoy cosmic bliss in describing the emergence of quarks, mass, energy, waves, protons, neutrons, matter and anti- matter. He gives up the mythological obsession of Indian writing in English and moves towards a scientific arena. But the epic venture does mix up myth with science, despite the poet asserting that he goes by science. The reader is left to wonder when and where science slips into myth; the poet fails to give the source of his scientific knowledge even while he discusses related issues in the epilogue.

On the birth of the man, the poet says:Gods and giants were so much alive; For more than two lakh years on Earth; They were annihilated in catastrophes; To yield a place for human birth.

According to the poet, gods married giants to create a species called man. ``Giants and gods continuously play in the head and heart of every man'' which results in the good and bad nature of the man. The poet anticipates a perfect man who would give up the traits of a giant in him and who would have genes that could escape the attack of diseases. The poet fairly succeeds in his effort to instill the idea that Mother Earth is ``so powerful in our creation, protection, existence and in the recycling of our life force.''

I. ARUL ARAM

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