ಕುದಿವ ಕಣ್ಣೀರು | Kudiva Kanneeru (Poetry collection)

Dalit poetry has a history of five decades. Its specialty is that it gave a voice to the voiceless. Initially, anger and outrage emerged. Language and idioms never heard before entered Kannada poetry. The pain, hunger, poverty, and exploitation of the grassroots communities in rural India were introduced to Kannadigas. In subsequent decades, poetry changed its course and opened up with rich experiences. It focused on the subtlety of poetry. I believe that Dalit-Bandaya literature brought completeness to Kannada literature, which was until then partial. The flow of poetry also changes with time. In this era of AI (Artificial Intelligence), change has gained extreme speed. But in the Indian context, the 'caste system' has remained stagnant. It is immune to the contagion of knowledge. The result of this is the 'Kudiva Kanneeru' poems.

Vikas R. Maurya is already a promising writer. He has also made a name for himself as a translator. Since this is his first collection of poems, there are some limitations. Poetry is essentially a critique of life. Therefore, poems of self-reflection are abundant here. He can be called an experimental poet. He can write 'Kannada is like an outer garment', and he has cultivated the compassion of the Buddha. There are verses like, "If bombs that fly in the middle of the night/had wings/they would have given up their lives while flying." I wish that his poetry grows wings and soars high.

-Dr. Moodnakoodu Chinnaswamy