Prayers to the Flame: Niranjan Mohanty and Stephen Gill

Dr. Sudhir K. Arora

While studying a literary text, comparison and analysis are the two mechanics that work silently somewhere in the mind of a critic. He, no doubt, takes interest in the perusal of the literary text but, side by side, many portals where new thoughts begin to originate, open giving their ways to the mainstream of thought-process. It is a human tendency to differentiate things from others by comparing them. The critic, notwithstanding his impartiality, reserves some hidden parameters that emerge whenever he reads or studies the text. These parameters begin to work as patterns switching on the critic’s mind in order to attract his attention so that he may work considering them as base before coming to any conclusion about the particular text that he is studying or evaluating. Comparison and analysis are the tools that sometimes help “in providing a better perspective for the text that is to be studied and, sometimes, disappoint by offering a weak scenario on being compared. Hence, there may be a chance for a prejudiced assessment as it is generally believed that a text differs and must differ from the other text and no comparison should be motivated as different texts come from different environments” (Contemporary Vibes 52). Every mechanism has its own merits as well as demerits. Comparative literature that embraces comparison and analysis more than any other devices open the new avenues for fresh critical viewpoints which help in making an appraisal of the text by revealing similarities and dissimilarities with the other text or ideal text that is in the mind of the critic while studying the text in hand.

While studying Stephen Gill’s The Flame, the other text that comes to the mind is Niranjan Mohanty’s Prayers to Lord Jagannatha. Both the texts have come from different pens and are the product of different environments. But, they have some similarities which make them alike and also dissimilarities which differentiate them from each other making them distinctive texts in their own way. The very titles The Flame and Prayers to Lord Jagannatha reveal the religious connotations. People in the Vedic age used to worship fire and even today the Hindus continue to lit fire during worship. The flame with the cross is used in the Methodist church. Fire is one of the five elements, other being earth, sky, water and air with which a man is created by the Almighty. Hence, the holy flame comes in the form of candles which flicker in churches, temples and mosques. Stephen Gill dedicates his verse to the eternal flame which “knows no occupation, faith nor complexion and cannot be imprisoned within human bonds. It has engulfed millions, whose names can be traced in every age and land. This flame is known to engulf mortals even today, melting unknown metals into one” (The Flame 28). Niranjan Mohanty has dedicated Prayers to Lord Jagannatha to “the particles of dust that sleep on the twenty two steps”. He loves Lord Jagannatha to the extent that he does not hesitate in chiding and abusing because he feels Him in him. He shares everything with Lord Jagannatha, “the living and loving God”. He writes: “Lord Jagannatha, a name that consecrates every heart, a name that brings in the nectar of salvation, a name that rings infinitely the bells of love within, a name that endears us to the ecstatic aspects of our existence, a name that redeems us from pain and penury, a name that helps us measure the invisible dimension of our blood’s flow, a name that sanctifies our dialogue and speech, a name that emboldens and ennobles us in the midst of asphyxiating problems, a name that guards our hearth and home” (Introduction, Prayers). The titles of both the texts clearly reveal the religious connotation though they are something more than mere religious in nature as they also embrace the contemporary scenario highlighting the various problems. Both the texts are epical in nature. The Flame is divided into eight parts and sixty two cantos covering 152 pages including Author’s Preface of 21 pages while Prayers to Lord Jagannatha is divided into 15 parts covering 168 pages and an Introduction of 7 pages. Both the poets claim for the length of their poems. The Flame is a long poem about the destruction caused by maniac messiahs. No poem on terrorism is as long as The Flame. Niranjan Mohanty’s Prayers to Lord Jagannatha happens to be the longest prayer poem in the Post-Independence period. For Mohanty and Gill, Prayers to Lord Jagannatha and The Flame are their magnum opus respectively. Their respective creators have high opinion about them. Prayers must have bagged at least the Sahitya Akademi prize while The Flame claims for the Nobel Prize like Tagore’s Gitanjali. The Flame is a poem of devotion to the eternal Flame taking terrorism in focus. It not only studies the psychology of the maniac messiahs but also paves the way for peace. The theme is universal in nature. No name or local habitation is given in order to make it universal in nature. Terrorism in any corner of the world is the same everywhere. Prayers to Lord Jagannatha offers multiple interpretations and the reader can go through it in any manner that he likes. It offers the contemporary scenario and predicament that a man has to face in life. Names are given to the local habitation and scenes but the poet in Mohanty succeeds in his attempt to transcend the text from regional to universal.

Stephen Gill begins his magnum opus with the invocation to the Flame. A sense of appreciation for the Flame is deep rooted in his heart. To him, the Flame is “the imperishable harmony / that reaps unparalleled prosperity” (The Flame 32). He has a strong longing “to sip the invigorating wine of fruitful returns” (Ibid) from the chalice of her peace. The flame becomes an end as she is nirvana in herself and also the means that will lead to nirvana which certainly helps “in restraining relentless brutalities” (The Flame 33). The poet in Gill with a sense of gratitude for the Flame seems to be calm while invoking her. Quite contrary to Gill, the poet in Mohanty seems to be angry with Lord Jagannatha and so begins his poem in a very abrupt manner. He asks Lord Jagannatha: “Oh Lord of the Universe, / Burn my breath before I pray; / tear out my tongue before I bray” (Prayers 1). He interrogates the Lord and asks Him whether He is really ashamed of His ugliness. He further asks Him not to take any action that would redeem him if he abuses Him with “words reproachful and mean” (Prayers 4). No doubt, he is angry but the more anger he shows, the more love he has for Him. Anger and love reveal the intensity of the intimacy between the two. It is he who asks Lord Jagannatha to grant him his scattering on “twenty two steps / where nectar is sold in the form of rice” (Prayers 9). He feels that he was foolish in chiding Him and now he realizes that the heaven is nowhere except the twenty two steps of His temple.

Both the texts are replete with the devotional touches though they focus contemporary realities. R. K. Singh writes: “Prayers to Lord Jagannatha is an exercise in meditation, devotion, exploration, and celebration of humanity and divinity at the same time” (Singh 63). Prayers to Lord Jagannatha is a series of prayers which reflect tonal variations as sometimes, the poet expresses his anger, sometimes abuses and sometimes reveals his love to the extent that he expresses his longing for becoming His bride. “Will you not make me a flower / in your garland? / Choose me to be your bride? (Prayers 5) To demonstrate his love, he asks Lord Jagannatha to tear him apart “Jarasandha-like” so that He may see His honeyed name there. “Tear me apart Jarasandha-like: / one either part of my tormented trunk / you shall discover your honeyed name” (Prayers 88). It is His name with which he begins and ends his day. He considers Him “a swing” and enjoys “a joy-ride” (Prayers 155) so much that while swinging, he himself becomes a swing. He is ready to be one with the Lord and for this he does not care if he has to be a harlot for Him. Mark the intensity of love: “When will you make me a harlot / in your Bliss bazaar, Oh Lord? / When will you taste my warmth? (Prayers 126) “Words like ‘Bliss bazaar’ and ‘my warmth’ are quite penetrating and have layers of meanings with the commercial and the devotional implications. When the poet wishes to be a harlot, he intends to be redeemed. Sublimation is the concealed goal he yearns for” (Points of View 109). The poet in Mohanty in his devotion becomes Mirabai who has sacrificed herself for her Girdhar: “Wherever he asks me to sit, I sit / if he sells me, I shall be sold” (Nilsson: 44). Equally devotional is the poet in Stephen Gill to the eternal Flame. To him, the Flame is “the white louts that buds / from the undisturbed waters / of uncommon patience” (The Flame 36). She is the creation that can be seen “through the glasses of peace” (Ibid). She lives in his veins and takes care of him by sweeping away “the cobwebs of despair” (The Flame 42). He cannot think of his existence without her and, hence, always relishes her presence in his memory. “Your memory / is the wine that matures / in the cellar of my aspirations” (The Flame 113). It is also surprising, rather a mystery that he has not met her yet he never feels apart from her. “What an impenetrable mystery / we do not meet / yet are never apart” (The Flame 115). He wishes to be a sufi in his worship and love for the Flame. “I wish to swing / under the wings of our affinity / on the steps of a sufi” (The Flame 137). Hence, both the poets are devotional to the core. What Lord Jagannatha is to Mohanty, the eternal Flame is to Gill. Both the poets love their respective deities to extent of madness of a sufi or a prophet. They establish their relationship in romantic vein. It is through the eyes that they wish to be lost in their respective divinities. The poet in Mohanty is in love with the rotundity of his Lord’s eyes. He states: “It’s true that nothing possesses me / so madly, so deeply, so neatly / as does the rotundity of your eyes, Oh Lord!” (Prayers 78). For Gill, the Flame’s eyes become “a seaside retreat / where mystic flames reign” (The Flame 37). He is ready to die for the sake of her eyes and smile. “Your look / mysterious / a knife so sharp / your smile / takes my life” (The Flame 122).

Both the poets are quite shocked at the falseness and the artificiality of the way of life adopted by the people. What they are outwardly are not so inwardly. The dissimulation on the part of the most of the people makes the gentle people only cry as they fail to persuade them to come to the right path. The poet in Mohanty is well-aware of the way of the world and the people who live in it. Mark the poet’s pain, hopelessness and helplessness regarding the people:

My people are no longer my people.

False, false their bondage,

their pitiless faces beyond faces.

They are ghost, evil spirits

who know how to torture and inflict pain

on the innocent who do not know them. (Prayers 13)

Such people are interested in giving pain to the innocent people who even do not know them. Their only job is to torture which they do impetuously without feeling any shame or guilt. Like Mohanty, Stephen Gill also feels that “the contemporary man does not have the humanitarian spirit because of his materialistic attitude. Materialism has made him immune to human feelings. What he wishes is the pleasure of the flesh. Even love and friendship are not as genuine as they used to be. Love is sold; weddings are led by gains and friendship is based on needs (CanAsian Times 15). Such people are powerful not because they are strong but because of the weakness of the common people. The poet calls them avtars or incarnations ironically because they are the incarnations of wickedness, oppression and meanness. These are the people who do not feel any hesitation in killing innocent people for their advantage. It is not easy to recognize them as they cover their heinous faces with the sanctimonious dress. People think that they are their messiahs but in reality they are the maniac messiahs who know only one language—language of destruction. With their power, they solely intend to create darkness by putting out the light of the Flame.

With knowledge,

easy money and weight

they become maniac messiahs

to snuff out the flickers

of the inner blaze. (The Flame 102)

When the poet sees such maniac messiahs spreading terror through killing the innocents, he cries in pain. Mark the excerpt:

When the avtars of savagery

mow down defenceless innocents

and

tear down the towers of routine

and

deep pain goes deeper

inside. (The Flame 48)

Destruction is their pastime. Freedom becomes an object of envy in their view. Nightingale that sings the song of freedom is unbearable to their ears. Hence, in a very diplomatic manner, they “still the nightingale of freedoms / uprooting the tree where the bird sings” (The Flame 102). The poet in Gill has depicted the very nature of such people who are the real enemies in the garb of messiahs.

They crush buds

with bulldozers

wearing the gown of sanctimony

to cover the nakedness

of their disease

that eats away

the flesh of peace. (The Flame 134)

Hence, both the poets agree to the fact that people are not so as they used to be because of their selfish motives. They seem to be gods from outside but are indeed devils from inside.

Both the poets—Mohanty and Gill have painted the contemporary landscapes in true colours. The poet in Mohanty asks the Lord to give him the strength of His eyes in order to “see things, and seeing them as they are” (Prayers 9). He is against terrorism which has emerged as monster with the intention of swallowing the whole world. He does not favour the activities of the terrorists as their only aim is to weaken the economy of the country and to spread an atmosphere of terror through rape, exploitation, threatening etc. It is shameful that Indira Gandhi was killed by her own guards. The poet has not mentioned the name of Indira Gandhi but the excerpts are about her. How ruefully, he states: “They gunned her down / in her own garden— / her own guards, her disloyal guards / for whom blood was all, / and perhaps, more foolishly, blindness was all” (Prayers 17). He narrates an incident of rape that took place in Punjab. An old woman tells her misery that five gun-men “tasted the warmth / of the grand daughter, / whose frantic attempt to cry freely / was silenced by the anger / of the bayonet’s blood-scented thud” (Prayers 55). No doubt, he writes poems but not to see his countrymen “bleed on briars” (Prayers 109). He depicts the contemporary scene by referring to the Ram-Janam Bhumi—Babri masjid issue without naming it. His depiction of this contemporariness has the element of universality as he follows the moral tone with sarcastic touch. Mark the depiction: “Are we born to demolish mosques / and temples? Rob the deities / of their robes? What else is cruelty, Oh Lord?” (Prayers 111) He asks for the parameter of victory. “Is the breaking of temple or mosque / the insignia of our victory? / Is killing men, women, children/ the almanac of our bravery?” (Prayers 112) He laments over the pitiable condition of his people who feel pride in “in loot, larceny, lewdness” (Ibid). How paradoxical it is that “Prices of everything go up” but “the price of human flesh / has become cheaper here!” (Prayers 126). This is the world where is lost “the golden coin of faith, / The house in the dark, the sky skyless” (Prayers 109). The poet has raised various contemporary issues and problems which are not only of India but of the whole world.

Stephen Gill knows that the world is suffering form the disease of terrorism and, hence, adopts the path of non-violence. In Preface of The Flame, Gill quotes terrorism as described by a panel of the United Nations. The quote states: “Terrorism is a deed that is intended to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians or noncombatant with the purpose of intimidating a population or compelling a government or an international organization to do or abstain from doing any act” (Author’s Preface, The Flame 21). The scenes depicted in The Flame are not the scenes of any particular country but of all countries as such scenes occur everywhere. Terrorism is terrorism. The enemies of humanity are the enemies of all whether they live in Canada, India, the USA or anywhere. The Flame is replete with the scenes of the aftermath of the terrorists’ attack. He presents the scene of destruction caused in a building. Because of the attack, the building “creaked, shifted and groaned” (The Flame 64) finally resulting in falling down along with the children, women and men inside it. The volunteers enter but often are forced to retreat from the ghastly wreckage. The rescuers wear the masks “to ward off / the stench of decaying flesh” and gather “pieces of flesh / amid pools of blood” (The Flame 66). They enter the area of “no-go zones” but come back with tears as “they could not get to the dying / even risking their own lives” (The Flame 67). They work against odds, face unfamiliar sights, smell death and speak through eyes. Behind the concrete slabs and filing cabinets, they recover the victims “with ruptured eyeballs / and fractured ribs” (Ibid). The scene is distressing and pathetic as no one is found alive. Not to talk of human beings, even dogs are affected by the perfidious condition to the extent that they feel “dispirited / for not finding alive” (The Flame 68). He presents another scene which will force the reader to weep. A teacher starts telling a tale to the children but suddenly windows come crushing and the ceiling begin to drop. The sight frightens the children who become soundless and do not know “how to run / where to hide / and how to crawl under desks” (The Flame 70) as they had “no shelters / or grottoes / within the day care centre” (Ibid). The day care centre disappears in no time like “a wax toy / in the raging fire of the wrath” (Ibid). With jackhammers and chainsaws, the rescuers remove obstacles “to dig out the nursery / buried under a pile of rubble” (The Flame 72). They see babies “shrouded in blood” calling “brokenly for their dads and moms” (Ibid). They find the babies under doors’ wall and cement beams. They remove bricks cautiously in order to reach two alive toddlers. Mark the excerpt for pathos when the cop who takes out one infant alive and pauses to breathe:

While carrying an infant

when a cop paused to breathe

he looked down.

He was standing

on a dead child. (The Flame 73)

The rescuers while searching for the babies feel exhaustive because of the repulsive sights of the “babies wrapped / around the poles” and the mangled carcasses “entombed under the beds of steel” (The Flame 73). Playthings and papers were found scattered with arms and legs. With tears in their eyes, they grasp the slain children with trembling hands. These rescuers become so emotional that they think of their families. On seeing such a pitiable sight, a doctor cries and a nurse feels sick when they collect hands, legs and other parts in separate bags. Nurses wrap their bodies in white sheets and an attendant tag “the feet of twenty infants / on the first day” (The Flame 76). Their bodies are “too small / to match their parts / from fingerprints” (Ibid). People become restless in thinking how they will live without a brother, child, wife or mother. The people express their anger when they find media focusing more the culprits than “the emotional bruises / of the sufferers” (The Flame 84). Gill’s heart is bruised to see the destruction caused by the maniac messiahs who, as they are ethically poor, feel proud of their power. Is it power to kill the innocents? He talks of terrorism which for him is “an extreme form of ambition for power to rule others” and further, he talks that it is “the work of organized groups that carry out the bloodshed of innocent citizens to gain political, national or religious power. They disregard human life. They do not belong to any organized armed forces and therefore do not follow any rules of the war. They strike whenever and wherever it is possible. Often they call themselves liberators, separatists and jehadis. They shun democratic means to achieve their objectives” (Preface, The Flame 20).

Both the poets—Niranjan Mohanty and Stephen Gill wish to learn from Lord Jagannatha and the eternal Flame respectively. Mohanty asks his Lord to teach him “how to sharpen belief / and polish the stone of faith / in the essence of a human heart” (Prayers 25). Gill also needs the softness of the eternal Flame to weed out the darkness, evil, misery and hard days. Mark the spirit of the poet’s surrender: “Accept me readily / I am a lamb unclaimed / I need a good shepherd” (The Flame 129). He wishes to wage a war against terrorism and maniac messiahs by making the masses aware of the evil design and the need to be united against such destructive forces. He knows that the path on which he walks is full of thorns but he will continue his “odyssey / through the barren regions of the moor” (The Flame 152). He has a vision which he wants to translate into reality. Like Gill, the poet in Mohanty also believes in democratic ideals and with these ideals, he dreams of a peaceful world. Cosmopolitanism is the mantra that he continues to chant. He asks Lord Jagannatha to make him “tolerant of everything, and love everything” so that he may learn how “to embrace things as they are” (Prayers 168). Through these prayers to Lord Jagannatha, he wishes to reach “the shore / of other people’s voices” (Prayers 95). Human factor is quite latent in prayers which prove to be a medium, a bridge for connecting him to God and people. The name of Jagannatha is the key to a peaceful life and, so he recommends for the Jagannatha culture which strongly condemns oppression, exploitation and destruction. Stephen Gill sees solution of the present day world in the Flame that is “the binding force / for families, planets / every atom / and every part of every individual” (The Flame 135). He strongly believes that “Life disintegrates / where the rays of flame / do not reach” (Ibid).

Both the poets—Mohanty and Gill have developed the poetic idioms for articulating silences and noises prevalent in life. Gill is expert in employing the fresh images with a miraculous effect. He never favours the use of clichés and proverbs. What he cares in his verse is its continuity. His phraseology is imaginative and innovative as he always tries to articulate his feelings in a different manner and for this, he uses various images which he takes from nature. He makes the reader think over the scene that he depicts. He articulates in such a way that the reader begins to associate himself with the poet. So far as Mohanty’s poetic idiom is concerned, it is wholly flawless and the reader while going through the lines realizes the predicament of life. The charm of Mohanty’s poetic idiom does let the reader feel satisfied. It makes him curious and hungry for swallowing the complete text. He keeps the reader in suspense to let him know what will happen next. He has exploited the technique of fusion—fusion of images and figures. What makes Mohanty and Gill similar in articulation is that both of them have chewed “the betel of pain” and so wish to be “twigs on the tree of fraternity”. As both believe “in peaceful co-existence” (Prayers 147), they sing “the song of liberty, equality” (Ibid) and for promoting the values of life—peace, love and tolerance, they will pursue “odyssey through the barren regions of the moor” (The Flame 152). They articulate their vision of life successfully through their distinctive respective poetic idioms. Gill’s vision for a world “Where the dove flies without fear / and the lilies of justice / blossom for all” (The Flame 146) is well reflected in Niranjan Mohanty’s determination of being “tolerant of everything” so that he may “love everything” and “learn to embrace things as they are (Prayers 168).

Niranjan Mohanty who is a pilgrim of love through his Prayers to Lord Jagannatha wishes to spread love, tolerance, cosmopolitanism—the message of Jagannatha culture. Jagannatha culture teaches humbleness and offers a positive approach to life. His praying to the Lord is for the welfare of the people. With the cementing force of love, he talks of connecting homes and families. Same is the action plan of Stephen Gill who has devoted his life not for himself only but for the welfare of the world which is in grip of terrorism. “Stephen Gill wishes to instill peace and love in the world with the intention of turning it into a paradise where honesty and integrity will rule. He dreams of a world free from the clutches of terrorism. He has his action plan—plan of making the masses conscious of the so-called people who outwardly seem to be messiahs but inwardly conspire to spread the terror… The poet in Gill is, indeed a true humanist who is determined to continue his odyssey against all the destructive forces in order to bring love and peace in the world” (CanAsian Times 15). Hence, both the texts—The Flame and Prayers to Lord Jagannatha, in spite of being different in environments offer some viewpoints which are applicable not only in India or Canada but in every corner of the world as men may differ in dress or stature or education but never differ in human nature. Both the poets have attempted to depict predicaments in life faced by every man irrespective of caste, colour or creed. Both believe in one religion—religion of humanism as they are human to the core. Humanitarianism is the only way of life which they have promoted. The poet in Mohanty offers his prayers to Lord Jagannatha for the welfare of the people while Gill offers his prayers to the Flame asking her for a world where there is justice, love, harmony, peace, security and brotherhood.

Works Cited:

Arora, Sudhir K. “Krishna and Candida: A Comparative Study”, Contemporary Vibes, edited by Anil K Sharma, Vol. No. 4 Issue NO.: 13 Oct.-Dec.-08 Chandigarh. 52-55.

Arora, Sudhir K. “Postcolonial Consciousness in the Poetry of Niranjan Mohanty”, Points of View, (ed.) K. K. Sharma, Vol. XIV, Number 2 Winter 2007, 105-12.

Arora, Sudhir K. “Stephen Gill’s Muse: Humanitarian in Nature”, CanAsian Times, Ottawa, July 4, 2009: 15.

Dwivedi, A. N. John Donne, Selected Poems, (PBD: Bareilly, 1985)

Gill, Stephen. The Flame (Canada: Vesta, 2008)

Mohanty, Niranjan. Prayers to Lord Jagannatha Delhi: Indus (Harper Collins), 1994.

Nilsson, Usha S. Mirabai (Sahitya Akademi: New Delhi, 1969 reprint 1977)

Singh, R. K. “Niranjan Mohanty: A Poet of the Bhakti Cult”, Creative Forum, Vol. 17, No. 2 July-Dec. 2004, 63-68.

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Dr. Sudhir K. Arora has authored several research papers. He has co-edited Thunder on Stage: A Study of Girish Karnad’s Plays. His area of interest is Indian Writing in English and Postcolonialism. His publications include: A Study of Kamala Markandaya’s Women, A Thirsty Cloud Cries, and A Key to Literary Terms and Forms, The Poetic Corpus of Stephen Gill, and The Flame Unmasked. He is with the Dept. of English, Maharaja Harishchandra P. G. College, Moradabad. (UP) affliated to M.J.P. Rohilkhand University, Bareilly, UP., India