Abstract

This paper endeavors to look at the conflicts expressed by modern Indian poets in their effort to craft a new poetics by using English to express Indian thoughts and emotions in an Indian setting. Another important issue that merits investigation is the contribution of these Indian poets to the English language and the extent to which they have been successful in not only indigenizing it but also extending its boundaries in terms of style and content to say what it has never been used for before and in a manner which combines the traditions of English and native Indian languages. Finally, it is of interest to examine the dialogue the poets have among themselves and their poetic ancestors. The two poets who have been taken up for detailed analysis are Jayanta Mahapatra (1928–) and Attipate Krishnaswami Ramanujan (1929–1993). Both of these poets belong to the same generation, so a collocation of their poetry yields very interesting insights. At the same time, since both of them come from different parts of India and have distinct linguistic and cultural legacies, their poetic dilemmas and resolutions merit juxtaposition.