Wake up to climate change

HYDERABAD :  The recent deluge in Hyderabad and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has squarely brought the conversation back to climate change and its catastrophic implications. ‘Open Your Eyes,’ an anthology of climate change, poetry and prose of 63 poets and writers (three from Hyderabad) published in September is a compilation that says “change is possible”. Edited by Vinita Agrawal, the book features writers and poets from India, and abroad. Each poem/prose offers a unique perspective on the environment in its own style, with the beauty of the piece enhancing the content.

It has a diversity of voices- young and old, voices from various regions of the globe, and the urban and the not so urban. “The book looks at the myriad dimensions of climate catastrophe from the unique and personal cultural lens of the writers.

Each piece of writing is a considered exposé on an aspect of ecology that disturbs that particular author,” shares Vinita, who is an award winning poet, editor, translator and curator. Vinita conceived this collection of poems and prose last year. “At that time, I was clueless about coronavirus, as were the rest of us,” she says.

She adds, “When I penned my introduction to the book, I had in fact gained a fresh perspective on the damage done to our environment because the lockdown proved that we could heal nature if we learnt to live life differently.” Vinita is pass i onat e about fighting for the “brazen violation of Earth’s finite resources”. On the idea of this book, she comments: “When poets and writers write about such urgent matters they sensitise their readers to the problems.

They generate awareness. They educate minds to the devastating implications of their actions. Awareness leads to action. As Seamus Heaney said, ‘poetry cannot stop tanks’; but at least literature can garner greater support to the ecologists and activists who are fighting to save the planet.” Was it easy to find contributors? Vinita, the author of four books of poetry, replies: “Writers are concerned about the climate catastrophe.

They are worried about the impending disaster and would be happy to find ways through which their concern can reach the readers.” She adds, “Almost all the contributors are enviable literary figures in their own right. The craft should be as important as the content.

This is an anthology, not a dry impenetrable climate report. Hence, I wanted it to be daring and definitive.” Ruth Padel, who is the great great grand-daughter of Charles Darwin, one of our first Naturalists has also penned a poem for the book. One of the other contributors is Hyderabad-based poet and writer Nabina Das. An author of five books, Nabina talks about her poem.

She says, “It is from a series called the ‘Anima poems’, a narrative where a feminist persona, born of part folk and part my own independent dispositions, speaks about what she sees around her. It’s a commentary thread. This particular poem addresses the environmental ravages we have wreaked upon ourselves by being careless and destructive. Anima, the protagonist, speaks to us.”

Poetry- a change agent
“Poetry is not activism and activism is not poetry. But both can help each other become allies, to raise awareness, and to help attain justice. I don’t see poetry as a solution per se. It can only chart a path to a solution. It’s a change agent in that respect.

As a poet, we can remind the authorities to act with empathy and vision,” shares Nabina. “Change is definitely possible. The anthology does not rest on a notion of doom. Rather it rests on a sense of belief that we should be conscious of the harm that we are causing to the Earth,” concludes Vinita. ‘Open Your Eyes’ is published by Hawakal publishers. Priced at Rs 500, it is available on Amazon.

— Tamanna S Mehdi tamanna@newindianexpress. com @tamannamehdi