31/08/2022
Prajna Dutta’s poetry is an effervescent example of simplicity merging into complexity. Evidently a fresh voice, full of enthusiasm and novelty, the poems are often minimalistic and stark. At times full of existential angst, the poems do reflect these turbulent times and react to the world in the time of the pandemic.
The accompanying visuals are appropriate in their abstract shapes and quirky designs. It is as if caricature has joined hands with gentle fantasy.
Dreams are present as are several chronicles of daily life, so full of monotony. Amidst the humdrum is a strong sense of identity. Prajna’s verse is often autobiographical, so full of insightful subjectivity. He feels, he wonders, he wanders and discovers so much.
The poetic diction is largely eclectic with a variety of stylistic patterns. This is not at all a fault; on the contrary, it makes his poetry all the more interesting if not intriguing.
The graphics add to the entire experience; it is almost as if the entire composition is a piece of opera music with the poems becoming the libretto and the graphics taking the place of the songs.
While reflecting upon the confusing nature of today’s world, the poems themselves become acutely dissimilar. They present an instability that mimics the postmodern condition and often turn into meandering agents of discursive thought.
All the while, dream battles
with the mundane in a peculiar struggle that seeks to examine the dialectic between the absurd and the real.
Prajna’s verse deserves repeated visiting and if the simplicity of some of the poems is disconcerting, it is,
perhaps, the intention of the creator whose overall endeavour is highly commendable, to say the least.
Ashoke Viswanthan.
Coming shortly “5 shorts of 3 dozen” by G**o Prajna Dutta
