‘I Do Not Know Why’ by Aftab Seth: Muse is back, poetry flows again, and you’d know why

Aftab Seth has had an enviable and varied life as a diplomat, as a theatre personality and, more recently, as an author. But many may not be aware of his talent as a poet. His first book of poems, ‘Pillars of a Landscape’, published in 1992, was praised for its lyrical quality. He has now returned to the genre with an anthology of poems which he composed on different occasions stretching from 1987 to 2021, but each reflective of his aesthetic sensibilities, evocative of changing moods and sometimes, just describing ordinary people going about their ordinary work.

There are altogether 26 poems and each is beautifully accompanied by some fine paintings chosen by his daughter, Priyanka. This is a book that one may read from cover to cover on a lazy afternoon, savouring the range of emotions and insights that the poet brings to us.

The title of the book is drawn from poem number 5. It is full of the pain of parting and the disjointed memories that fall into no neat patterns and carry no explanations. There is sorrow but also the glow of human togetherness. It is certainly one of the best poems in the anthology.

Aftab is one of our Japanese language experts and has spent considerable time in Japan. It should come as no surprise that some of the poems reflect that understated quality for which the Japanese are well known. The haiku, or the traditional three-line poem, for which Japanese literature is admired, is marked by its minimalism, conveying a deeply felt emotion, a spiritual insight or even a comforting glimpse of Nature. Here is Aftab’s haiku:

Early autumn rain

Glistening leaves shine

Silent tear drops

Some of the poems are accounts of travel to distant places or encounters with different people. A fine example is ‘The Pharaohs Have Written on Your Leaves’. It was written in Egypt’s capital, Cairo, where Aftab served as a diplomat between 1976 and 1979. The poem evokes the grandeur of ancient Egypt, its fabulous cities and its celebrated rulers. The river Nile has seen it all and has nurtured powerful rulers who filled their coffers with unimaginable wealth that made possible the greatest building exercise of the ancient world. That has not ended. Nasser’s gigantic dam at Aswan is a latter-day folly:

I see the pylons of Nasser

Stride past the Colossi of Memnon

Across the Theban hills

To suck the sap of Aswan

Aftab was India’s Consul-General in Karachi from 1988 to 1992. This was one of his favourite diplomatic assignments. His residence in the up-market Clifton Enclave became the gathering place of Pakistani politicians, scholars, writers, artists and musicians. Karachi was very different from the more edgy atmosphere of Islamabad and Aftab made the most of it. One can, therefore, appreciate his sense of loss and deep regret when he learnt about the brutal sacking of the Consul-General’s residence by a violent and marauding mob, angered by the destruction of the Babri Masjid in December 1992.

His anguish is palpable in the poem, ‘Broken Toys’, which juxtaposes the spirit of friendship that stretched beyond borders with the utter and wanton destruction of a place that once resonated with the poetry of love and the strains of remembered music.

Poetry went into slumber after 2003 and to use the title of this book, ‘I Do Not Know Why’. It is good that Aftab has recovered his muse, penning the final poem of the anthology, ‘A Renewal’. He explains what led him to try his hand once again at poem writing: “A series that I saw with beautiful music and sensitive acting, called ‘Bandish Bandits’, impressed and moved me and inspired me after a long gap to write a poem.” It is a fine poem, conjuring up the quaint splendour of Mehrangarh in Jodhpur and music rekindling a sense of togetherness and love, with a gentle touch which needs no words.

One hopes that poetry will once again flow because there is much more that Aftab has to tell.

— The reviewer is a former Foreign Secretary