Kabitie Marigala Pare

What does poetry actually do? Does it really give voice to the voiceless? Does it bring solace in turbulent times? Does it change anything at all? Is it only an individual quest of a poet who tries to appropriate causes and characters without actually doing anything about them?

Nikhilesh Mishra tries to find answers to these questions in his second poetry collection, "Kabitie Marigala Pare" (After a Poet Dies). He blends what-is with what-could-have-been in an attempt to test the potential of poetry. In these poems, one would find glimpses of grief, vulnerability, loss, anger, love, happiness - often merging into each other. The collection underlines personal agony and at the same time, blurs the boundaries between self and the other.