Kannan G

Kannan G Poems

Kannan G Biography

When he was six years old he scribbled the rhymes: “My home is my school I sit on a stool With no teachers to rule I keep myself too cool “My home is my school Myself my teacher So I’ll become no scholar I’ll become no fool” Perhaps his efforts to clothe his thoughts and sentiments with words have their beginning in these humble lines. When he was around 10 years of age he sent a poem to the children’s magazine “Twinkle”. In return, he received a post card from its editor the well known “Uncle Pai” stating his inability to accept the poem as “Twinkle” had then no space for poetry. But he had further added that “Poets are not made overnight. But you seem to be a budding poet. Keep writing. Best wishes.” That served him as a motivation and he kept the flame burning. Years later when he was 20 years old a poem of his appeared in print for the first time – in the “Youthfully Yours” page of the newspaper “Indian Express”. That served as an inspiration for his family members, especially his sisters, and his eldest sister started salvaging the poems he would sometimes scribble on paper and carelessly throw away. By then he had grown up enough not to have any interest in things such as saving his writings, publishing etc. He was more concerned with exploring the different facets of Life that now posed before him great adversities and innumerable challenges. Having been disabled by paralysis of both lower limbs (since when he was one and a half years old) life had gifted him its own extra share of trails and tribulations. So, fortunately, somewhere up the way, he lost all interest on himself and even as a child, began to become worried more by the sufferings of others than by that of himself. Before he crossed his teenage he knew from somewhere deep within him that he could find satisfaction in life only by pursuing something like social work. But the odds were all always ranged against him. But only that he was not that willing ever to give in (see some of his earlier poems) . From around four hundred of his poems that had been salvaged and preserved by his sister over the years (after abandoning a chunk of them, most of them for their too personal elements and identical themes} he posted a composite selection of around a hundred poems in PoemHunter.com, starting February 2010. These poems speak of many things ranging from the cries of personal emotions to empathetic heart-beats of others, from some miseries and injustices he saw around to some messages he had luckily gathered, from some philosophical musings on life to some mundane situations that he had come across, from the agonies and disasters that plague life to the unflinching optimism that he ever cherishes. He says: “If not for the love and invaluable support of my mother I would never have been alive to pen these poems. If not for the dedication of my eldest sister these poems would never have survived to see the light of the day. If not for the constant inspiration and encouragement from my niece Anjana (14 years old in 2010) I would never have bothered to present these poems before you now.” Subsequently he started posting here hundreds of his new poems. Some of them earned very encouraging comments from many of his readers and fellow-poets too. For quite some time in 2011, he was fortunate to be among the top 500 poets in PoemHunter.com. On the 4th of September 2011, he was, ranked 37th in the list of the ‘Top 500 Poets’ of the site. In early 2013, except for 21 poems on Baba Amte, he withdrew all his other poems from this site. His poems deal mainly with life in its varied hues and dimensions. They are more often empathetic and socially inclined. They are reflections of his thoughts and feelings which are mostly of a compassionate, positive and philosophic nature. The voice, style and structure of his poems are generally determined by the theme of the poems, the time of writing and the emotions involved. He pens structured poems as well as free verse. By and large, his poems are lucid, straight-forward and easy to understand. He has also written hundreds of self-styled, three-liner, micro-poems called Laikus, on varied subjects.)

The Best Poem Of Kannan G

(a - Baba Amte - 2007+2008) Heartfelt Tributes To Baba

Towards the middle of the last century a man was moved to the core by the unbearable miseries, agony and social ostracism being suffered by victims of leprosy. It was sufficient to help him realize what his life’s mission ought to be. He wanted to be faithful to his conscience. He relinquished his luxurious life style, his lucrative profession and voluntarily embraced poverty to identify himself with the deprived and the depressed. The rest of his life was a saga of struggle, a struggle against the infirmities of the mind of man, a struggle against the cruelties of the world. The rest of his life was a poem in action; a beautiful poem of self-less service, of creative compassion, of unflinching faith, of determination, love and peace. That was the great social worker BABA AMTE.

I am a humble friend of Baba Amte and his Anandwan. I have fortunately had the opportunity to experience in person the greatness of this really wonderful person, from a fairly close range, although for a short time. The 21 poems included in this collection issued forth from my heart during these periods of my closeness with him. They speak something about his ideas and ideals, about his work and his wisdom. Hence I desire to present it before the general public, as a humble service of mine. If it serves to inspire anybody, if it serves to spread his message, at least to some extent, I think, humanity would be to that extent, happier and more peaceful.

If inspired and interested, you are hereby requested to kindly provide link to these poems to as many friends of yours as possible and help spread far and wide, his messages of supreme love, selfless service, peaceful coexistence, universal brotherhood of man..........

We were suffering seriously
From mental leprosy;
As Christ
You healed us
So compassionately!

We were wavering Arjunas
In the battle field;
As Krishna
You charioted us
To combat valiantly!

We were groping hopelessly
In dark self-pity;
As Buddha
You enlightened us
So luminously!

We were enslaved shamelessly
To obscene superfluity;
As Gandhi
You fought for our freedom
So non-violently!

We were living insecurely
Destroyed by disunity;
As Vinobaji
You gifted us lands
Of communal harmony!

We were denied awfully
The worship of work;
As Sane Guruji
You opened for us
Temples of opportunity!

You did a lot of work;
You have left for us a lot!
As Baba Amte
You inspire us unceasingly!
You awaken us silently!

O dynamic embodiment
Of creative humanity!
We feel you ever as so many
As Christ, as Krishna, as Gandhi
As a mechanic, as a healer, as a revolutionary
As a bird, a nest, a tree
As a mine, a mountain, a sea
As poetry, as electricity
As ………………………….
……………………………….

The more we try to realize you
The more mysterious you seem to be!
But the more we try to realize you
The more enlightened we become
To live our lives rightly
To love others sincerely
To serve others selflessly
To …………………………
….…………………………..

Epilogue:

Struck by age and disease
Although wounded lay your body
As Bhishmacharya
Even from your bed of arrows
You commanded us so brilliantly!

Now, O Great Soul
You have liberated yourself finally
From the shackles of mind and body!
If not for your love of humanity,
If not for your sacred journey
From sympathy to empathy,
If not for your humane creativity,
When alone would you have been free!
It’s great that you journeyed with us this far
You have now reached immortality!
We are now left with the company
Of your thoughts and deeds only!
But by them we will still be led
O Supreme Commander of Humanity!
We shall ever be proud to be
Soldiers of your great army
Of courage & confidence
Of passion & perseverance
Of love & compassion
Of ……………………
………………………………

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