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| Home > Book Reviews of Literary icons > Do Chattanen
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| | Do Chattanen (Two Rocks, 1965)
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 Harivansh Rai`s Do Chattanen (Two Rocks, 1965), contains fifty-three poems. Written between 1962-64, this collection of poems received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1968. Alongwith a number of other poems, the most important is the title poem `Do Chattanen or Sisyphus vs Hanuman`. The poet presents two points of view of life by using Sisyphus, the symbolic character from the Greek mythology, and Hanuman as symbols. Both Sisyphus and Hanuman aspire to become immortal, but their means are different. The former symbolizes the faithless western man of 20th century and the latter immortality through devotion, absolute faith and humanity.
Besides this long poem, the poet reacts to so many things during his seventh decade such as the Chinese aggression, Nehru`s death, anger of youth, his old age, contemporary literary scene, academics, etc., in the rest of the work. "For its vigour of expression and maturity of outlook, the book has been hailed as an outstanding contribution to contemporary Hindi literature", says the Award citation. However, the poems of Do Chattanen represent clarity of meaning and lucidity of expression of Bachchan`s poetry.
All the experimental poems, including 76 poems chosen from a poetic career of 50 years, Kavitai ki Adhisadi, was published in 1981.
The influence of Mahatma Gandhi on Hindi writers has been distinctly profound during the decades following the Satyagraha (1921) and before the end of the Second World War. And Bachchan too has not escaped from it. He had brought out his collection on Gandhi, called Khadi Ke Phool (1948), in collaboration with Sumitranandan Pant, which contains 93 poems of Bachchan and 15 of Pant. Both the poets had paid homage to Gandhi. Besides, he himself had written a collection of poetic tribute to the Mahatma in Soot ki Maal, mourning the death of Gandhi. Both these books on Gandhian themes are of great poetic value.
However, the poetry of Harivansh Rai had brought range, delicacy of feeling, ruggedness, ease and strength to the romantic lyric. Being born in a family known for its scholarship in Persian and its devotion to Vaishnav faith, his poetry combines the best of Sanskrit and Persio-Arabiv poetic traditions. He had set a model of lyricism in Hindi and his contribution in changing the temper, approach and style of poetry during the 30s has been very significant.
The varied influences of Kabir, Keats, Tagore and Omar Khayyam were evident throughout his poetry, as also a deep appreciation of Shakespeare. He had also translated Shakespeare`s Macbeth and Othello, sixty-four Russian poems into Hindi entitled Chaunsath Rusi Kavitayen and 101 poems of W.B. Yeats. For his Hindi translation of Russian poems he was honoured with Soviet Land Nehru Award in 1966.
Bachchan had also translated the Bhagvadgeeta in Awadhi entitled Janageeta (1958) and also in modern Hindi, Nagargeeta (1966). Some of his selected poems have been translated into many Indian and foreign languages. Besides, he had written essays, travelogues, and edited several volumes of his own poetry and that of his contemporaries. He has contributed to the Indian film Industry with his songs `Rang barse` from Yash Chopra`s `Silsila` (1981) and `Koi gata main so jata` for the movie `Aalap` (1977).
The great achievement of Harivansh Rai in prose writing was his autobiography in four volumes Naye Purane Jharokhe (Windows New and Old) beginning with Kya Bhoolon Kya Yaad Karoon (What to Forget and What to Remember). Considered as a seminal work which was to carve out another niche for himself, the work is distinguished by its graceful confession and intimate account of his innermost feelings in situations of great tragic dimensions.
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