Ms. Rincy Mol Sebastian's Article on K. V. Dominic's Poetry

Ecological Issues Reflected in the Selected Poems of

K. V. Dominic

Rincy Mol Sebastian

          Environmental studies or eco-criticism have stepped up new areas of multidisciplinary inquest and is the soul of recent trends in literary studies. The environmental issues seem to go hand in hand with literature. Literary studies, especially poems have a new attention in contemporary discussion of environmental issues.

            Environmental disturbances hang over our heads to remind us of the ecological disaster. Concern for the environmental future is moved to mainstream consciousness through the issues of global warming, deforestation, nuclear issues, pollution, ozone depletion, toxins, waste, exploitation of natural resources, etc. And these problems primarily appear as scientific problems and involve only climatologists, glaciologists rather than poets or critics. But the environmental and ecological studies have opened up in literary scenario. “While literature can reduce nature to a specific ideological or humanistic agenda, it can also represent an alternative kind of human nature relationship facilitating green consciousness and place bonding” (Speek 162).

            Dr. K. V. Dominic is always fascinated by the work of nature. His poems spread the environmental consciousness regarding the relationship between God, Man and Nature. P. C. K. Prem, reputed poet, novelist and critic, estimates Dominic’s poetry thus: “The poet avers that his areas of concern are man, nature and God and truthfully this encompasses life in entirety with no derivations” (109).

            Some of his poetic works have a special space to address the major environmental problems. He uses poems as a powerful weapon to spread the message about the environmental threat caused by man to nature. The poet reminds his childhood days when there were rains for six months and all the rivers were live and vibrant with water throughout the year. To quote from Dr. Dominic’s paper presented at SAARC Literary festival at Agra: “In summer almost all rivers are dry with little flow of water.  Greedy land mafia appropriate government forests with the help of politicians and corrupt bureaucrats and deforest thousands of acres. Similarly, sand mafia mine sands of the rivers, digging them to die” (Dominic, “Kerala: God’s Own Country”).

            The present study aims to explore the selected poems from K. V Dominic’s two poetic collections, Winged Reason (2010) and Write Son, Write (2011), which exhibits the major environmental issues.

            Prof. Dominic’s first poem “Write My Son, Write” is a message to the entire humanity. Human beings have superior thought of being the finest creation of God and they have the right to destroy animals and nature for their existence. The poet says that God loves all creatures and things in this world and man has no right to exploit both animals and nature. The poet expresses philosophical views in the last part of the poem:

                                    Enough, my son,

                                    enough;

                                    nothing more

                                    to tell your species.

                                    If they heed

                                    they will be saved;

                                    other beings

                                    will be saved;

                                    plants will be saved

                                    and the universe

                                    as such will be saved.  

                                                               (Write Son, Write 37)

            The endless agony of God towards man, who is created by God in His own image, is best explained in the poem “I am Just a Mango Tree.” The tree stands like a ‘Himalayan Umbrella’ to give shelter for the students who are ‘Waiting for the buses.’ The tree is very proud of itself because it is the source of fruit, bed and shelter for all creatures. But all the happiness of the tree is thwarted, when it overhears conversation between a boy and a girl:

                        “Darling, where shall we wait

                         when they cut this tree?

                        “Dear, why should they cut this tree,

                         a cool shelter to countless?”

                        “They plan to build a waiting shed here.”

                                                                        (Winged Reason 41)

The tree can’t believe the words of the children so that she asks to God, her creator:

God, what do I hear? Is it true?”

‘True, my daughter, I am helpless.’

Can’t they spare me and

build it somewhere else?

Don’t I do them good as to all?

Don’t I have feeling and pains

though I endure in silence?

Haven’t I the right to live?

                                                                       (Winged Reason 41)

The heart stricken words of the tree have really opened up the cruel face of human being. She is also the creation of God, she also has feelings and she asks a painful question: “God, why is your man so selfish and cruel?”                                                                         (Winged Reason 41)

            God is totally helpless because he has created man in his own image. He hadn’t thought of this type of a creation in this world. Human beings are creating an endless agony upon their Creator, Father. The poet here generalizes the agony of God to the agony of all fathers. But how can a father kill his sons?

          The poet, like a true environmentalist feels that the nature moans only because of the brutal hands of man. Man’s cruel consumption of nature will lead to his own destiny and this is clearly expressed in the poem “Nature Weeps.” Man ill-treated mango tree, paddy fields, flowers and everything around him. Tigers started searching food in villages because “the people killed their preys” (Write Son, Write 71). Even the sun is angry towards man because of the act of cutting trees.

     The poet is very keen on expressing minute aspects of man’s cruelty towards all creatures. The sky is covered with the fumes of plastic so that the sound of the cuckoo is changed. The poet could identify the minute change in the sound of the cuckoo because cuckoo is singing for the poet himself. Now cuckoo is not waking him up in the morning because he has no trees to sit on (Write Son, Write 73). The poet brings out the consequences of man’s deeds towards snakes and the improper waste management:

                        Snakes appear on

roads and lanes:

their havens are furnaces

Mice and rats multiply

and trouble human beings:

man litters food around

                                         (Write Son, Write 73)         

The poet reminds us of a major problem that is the scarcity of water, which lays the foundation of our life and “going to be more precious; than gold and diamond” (Write Son, Write 91).  “Water, Water, Everywhere . . . , a poem composed on the World Water Day is a very big question focusing towards our near future. Destruction of natural resources, increasing construction, urbanization, etc. is all the pivotal causes for the scarcity of water. Absence of rains will wipe out number of lives. The poet expresses his anguishes:

Lifespan dropped to thirty-five;

thirty five looked eighty-five.

Dehydration caused wrinkles;                                     

smooth skin turned

sore and scaly;

lovely long haired women

appeared shaved-headed ghosts.

                                                            (Write Son, Write 91-92)

Water is the panacea of our life, but we get only mineral oil packed in disposable bottles, that also is hazardous for the nature: “heaps of garbage everywhere” (Write Son, Write 92). Flowing water will become a ration and many people will suffer from kidney failure. Extreme climate change and water scarcity will be a vital source to produce a wave of next world war.  The poet writes:

                        Water stolen

                        at gun point;

                        armed forces guarded

                        water reservoirs of nations.

                                                                        (Write Son, Write 92)

Scarcity of water will leads to anxiety, depression, displeasure, aggression and aversion. The climate change will bring out the danger by restricting our access to the basic needs of our life. The future is very critical in the sense that: “Sea level rose every day; / low lands disappeared / one after another (Write Son, Write 92).

            Enormous and unlawful consumption and treatment of natural resources of man has become the real problem behind all natural calamities and scarcity of natural resources. The poet foresees the tragic situation through the poem “God is Helpless,” Even God, the sole creator of the world is helpless when man prays for his mercy to have rain and save their land. The poet gives a clear answer to the doings of man in this poem. God, the merciful Almighty asks many unanswerable questions to the mankind and the poet experiences the helplessness of God.

                        “I am helpless,

                        my beloved children.

                        I did supply

                        whatever you needed;

                        The same I gave

                        to all non-human beings;

                        I created the earth,

                        an oasis for men,

                        animals and plants;”

                                                (Write Son, Write 63)

We, human beings have put an axe on our own branches. We are responsible for cutting all the trees, emitting toxic gases to impure the sky and dig our own grave. Plant and animals can’t live because of the atrocities caused by man towards them. The poet writes:                                   

                        All complain of;

                        your cruelty and torture;

                        they have no food;

                        they have no water;

                        they have no shelter;

                        and not even air

                                                                        (Write Son, Write 64)              

All creatures are pleading to God to call man back otherwise they could not live in this earth. God is totally helpless and it is we who are answerable to all questions. “. . . only if man learns to live in harmony with nature and His creations, he has the possibility of survival; if his exploitation of humanity and nature continues, nothing can save him” (Chambial 178).

            A number of movements came into existence to protest against the environmental hazards. Writing poems is a promising mission to make some changes in the minds of the readers. So environmental crisis can be always kept alive through poems and it can be used as a vehicle for social change. Here the poet’s purpose is to convey the inner and outer connection between nature and humanity. The survival of nature and humanity are interdependent. The life of nature enables the life of human beings. Only true lovers of nature like K. V. Dominic can see the reckless exploitation of nature by man. He has opened our eyes to the environmental issues through his poems such as “I am just a Mango Tree,” “Nature Weeps,” “Water, Water Everywhere . . .” and “God is Helpless.” These poems equally manifest pedagogy of environmental alertness. The poet reminds us of our responsibilities towards nature and environment.

Works Cited

Chambial, D. C. “K. V. Dominic--A Humanitarian in Conception and Socio Consciousness: An Analytical Study of Write Son, Write. International Journal of Multicultural Literature 2.2 (July 2012): 177-182. Print.

Dominic, K. V.  Winged Reason. New Delhi: Authorspress, 2010. Print.

---. Write Son, Write. New Delhi: Gnosis, 2011. Print.

Dominic, Prof. Dr. K. V. “Kerala: God’s Own Country Turning to Devil’s Own Hell.”  SAARC Literary Festival at Grand Hotel, Agra on 11 Mar. 2013. Web. 11 Aug. 2013. Reading.

     <http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=14257>.

Prem, P. C. K. “K. V. Dominic’s Winged Reason: Poems of Man’s Earthly Life and Painful Realities.”  Labyrinth 2.2 (2011): 104-110. Print.

Speek, Tijo. “Environment in Literature: Lawrence Buell’s Eco-critical Perspective.” 160-171. Web. 16 Aug. 2013. <http://www.eki.ee/km/place/pdf/kp1_18>.

Ms. Rincy Mol Sebastian is PhD Research Scholar at Calicut University, Kozhikode, Kerala, India.

 

Prof. T. V. Reddy's Study of K. V. Dominic's Poetry

Poetry of K. V. Dominic: A Study

Prof. T. V. Reddy

              K. V. Dominic, born in 1956 at the famous place Kalady, the place of birth of Jagadguru Adi Sankaracharya, the exponent of the Adwaita philosophy, is a significant voice in recent Indian English poetry and though he is a late bloomer with his maiden book Winged Reason published in 2010 his poems with their fragrance ensure his place among Indian poets in English. He is at once a poet and a critic, a short story writer and an editor who has published altogether nineteen books so far. He retired as a Professor of English at Newman College at Thodupuzha in Kerala. He is the Secretary of the Guild of Indian English Writers, Editors and Critics (GIEWEC) and in that capacity he has been encouraging many promising writers in Indian English. He is a writer with social consciousness and his poems often express his impressions and views on contemporary social situations and problems. He writes in the Preface to his first collection, ‘As a poet I am responsible to my own conscience and I want to convey an emotion or a message often through social criticism.’  So far he has authored three collections of poems – 1. Winged Reason (Delhi, Authors Press, 2010), 2. Write Son, Write (Delhi, Gnosis, 2011) and 3. Multicultural Symphony (Delhi, Access, 2014).

          Winged Reason happens to be his first collection of thirty-nine poems covering a wide range of subjects from childhood to old age, from pleasures and pains to cats, birds and animals, from feasts to singers, from politics to economics. Unquestionably this book is a social document presenting his social concerns in lyrical lines and reflecting his active participation in the fabric of social life at large. His poetry is an expression of his sympathy for the suffering sections of our society, for the poor and the down-trodden, for the helpless women and the aged. In clear terms he attacks corrupt politicians and government officials and the callous apathy of the government to the poorer sections. He strongly says: ‘Poor people are strangled through taxes and their governments do nothing for their welfare. The government is always with the rich, caring for their comfort and luxury.’ Though a Christian by birth in Kerala, known from ancient days as God’s own land, Dominic says ‘I have respect for Hinduism and Buddhism as they believe in Ahimsa.’ and his poems are a direct expression of his unbiased and balanced attitude and catholicity of outlook.    

          As the book opens, the first poem itself, ‘In Memoriam: George Joson’, an elegy written on his colleague who died in a car accident, speaks eloquently of the writer’s spirit of intense humanism. While he feels haunted by his absence, he reconciles himself with the inevitable and ends with the lines –

                         The best is to resign

                          to what He ordains

                          in time and out of time.       (WR, p. 18)

In quite contrast with the opening poem, the next poem ‘Long Live E. K. Nayanar’  is politically inspired. Like most of the Keralites Dominic too comes under the influence of the Communist ideology and he is very much moved by the death of E. K. Nayanar, the thrice Chief Minister of Kerala who is still remembered as the man of the masses. The writer bids ‘Lal Salaam’ to the leader, a true Communist and patriot and an ‘epitome of Socialism’, who championed the cause of the denied and the deprived and the downtrodden:

                          You are our polestar

                          who saves us from Darkness.  (WR, p.20)

The next piece ‘A Nightmare’ is a vivid picture of the present social situation which is indeed a nightmare to any observer with a feeling heart. It is a picture of terrible contrasts and anomalies and horrible gaps that refuse to be bridged so easily – an overfed boy whose mother beats him to eat more and a bony child crying for a crumb, a lavish wedding feast in the town hall on one side and on the other side two starving girls in rags struggling with the dogs at the garbage bin, two long queues – one at the liquor shop where beggars too compete  and the other at the ration shop, two-storeyed edifices with luxury rooms and swimming pools on one side and on the other slums and huts. ‘A Sheep’s Wail’ is an interesting piece running into a dozen three-lined units giving an autobiographical picture of a typical sheep whose piercing cry is in the nature of a plea and a complaint:

                         Man, you are the cruelest,

                         you are the most ungrateful

                         of all God’s creatures.

                         . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If a heaven is there

                         we will reach there first

                         and pray to God to shut you out.          (WR, p, 25)

While the  piece ‘Anand’s Lot’ is a sympathetic narration of the heart-piercing cries and sufferings of the kidnapped child Anand, a school-going boy, who was beaten and forced to beg and give the collected earnings, the poem ‘Gayatri’s Solitude’ is a moving description of the eighty-two year old widowed mother Gayatri who is fated to live a lonely life in an old age home, though well-furnished, in India although she is a mother of three sons and two daughters  as all of them live in the US:

                          The depth of maternal love,

                          and the pangs of separation

                          no child can gauge.                                (WR, p.32) 

In ‘Tsunami Camps’ he narrates the untold miseries of the victims of the natural disaster who ‘lost their dear ones / and fight against destiny.’ Though the Government gave kits and boxes, they did not contain essential things and their plea for boats and fishing nets and their unending wails became a futile cry in wilderness; their piercing cry –‘It’s better to kill us than torture like this’ (p.33) - failed to reach the deaf ears of the government.

               Now the poet tries to harp on his favourite subject of widening difference between haves and have-nots in the verse piece of the same title ‘Haves and Have-nots’. This is a world where capitalism rules and communism fails and the pity is even the so-called champions of socialism and communism do not put their principles in practice. As such the writer says:

                           But power corrupted;

                           leaders turned tyrants;

                           philosophy failed.                             (WR, p.37)

In the poem ‘I am Just a Mango Tree’ the writer succeeds in painting the man in true colours and even the tree complains to God regarding the inhuman nature and unlimited greed of man:

                            God, why is your man so selfish and cruel?

                            Did you create him

                            to disturb this earth’s balance?

The God sincerely regrets his thoughtless action of creating this cruel man and expresses his bitter feelings with pain and remorse:

                            My child, I created him

                            in My own image

                            but he’s gone astray;

                            My agony is endless.

                            That’s the fate of the Father everywhere.

                            I shouldn’t have created this human species;

                            But how can a father kill his sons?              (WR, p. 41)

‘Indian Democracy’ is a stark presentation of the sordid reality of the existing state of our democracy. Though ours is the largest democracy, ‘regionalism and parochialism devour nationalism and patriotism’; election campaigns overflow with ‘fireworks of lies and abuses’; holding of Parliament elections is ‘a several billion business’; ‘Criminal M.Ps are brought from jails to prove majority on floor.’ The result is we have ‘Corrupt Governments / draining the blood of people’ (p.60-61). ‘In the Name of God’ is an interesting piece presenting the bitter truth of all anti-social activities committed in the name of God; the name of God is unnecessarily dragged into all unethical acts . Criminal actions are done in the name of God and history is a witness to the killing of millions in crusades in the name of God. Now democracy gets diluted in the name of God. In the name of God superstition survives, poison of communalism spreads, terrorists butcher innocent people, teens are transformed into terrorists, higher castes indulge in exploitation, secularism is destroyed  and corruption gets promoted:

                              God is dethroned

                              in the name of God.

                              And human gods are crowned

                              in the name of God.                     (WR, p. 70)

The poet pays high tribute to the woman teacher Kaumudi who is now no more and who is a role model and a guiding spirit for all other women with her glowing spirit of patriotism, revealed in her early age of sixteen when she donated all her golden ornaments to Gandhi for the freedom struggle when he addressed a meeting at Vadakara in Malabar. She was so deeply influenced by Gandhi’s message that she pledged to wear no ornaments, followed his footsteps, taught Hindi in Malabar schools and led a simple life till her death at ninety-two:

                               Kaumudi’s dazzle dimmed

                               the dazzle of all other women in jewels and ornaments.

                               Let’s bow our head to this rarest gem.               (WR, p. 75)

          His second collection Write Son, Write, published a year later in 2011, has thirty-one poems with a Preface and a Foreword by the contemporary poet P. C. K. Prem. In this second volume the writer seems to continue his favourite theme of social reform and justice aiming the shaft of his satire on corruption which has grown to monstrous size. Finding fault with all-embracing materialism his sensitive heart grieves at the loss of moral values in all the walks of social life. The first poem which happens to be the title poem ‘Write my Son, Write’ is a lengthy verse divided into twenty-one parts that run to seventeen pages with pictorial presentation. Dominic declares in his Preface that “The opening poem Write, My Son, Write’ is indeed the manifesto of my views and philosophy. Divided into twenty-one parts, it declares my views on God, Man and Nature.” God created man with a purpose and a mission and not for fun to fill the vacuum. As such this poem starts on a solemn note with God’s words:

                          My son,

                          I have a mission

                          in your creation,

                          God spoke 

                          to my ears.              (WSW, p.21)

God asks his son to look at the tip of his pen and tells him that he is the ball of his pen, the ink that flows on the paper and asks him ‘Write till / I say stop’. He asks him to feel the symphony of the universe and it grieves Him to see that his species seldom feel His rhythm and they have become insensitive and in this respect plants and animals are better than human beings. Part three elaborates the rhythm and harmony, present in every molecule and in every atom. It is present in the majestic tramp of elephant, in the dart of deer, trot of tiger, race of rabbit, lope of leopard, swoop of swine, scud of squirrel, canter of kangaroo, tear of bear, gallop of horse, bound of bull, dash of dog, dart of cormorant, plunge of kingfisher, flit of swift, swoop of kite, plummet of eagle, buzz of bee   wing of mynah, drone of mosquito, motion of snake, march of centipede and millipede and movement of worms and insects. He says: ‘Rhythm is there / everywhere / and creates / the perpetual / harmony’ (WSW, p. 23). Part Six speaks of the importance of co-existence and cooperation and states the core of the message:

                            Your existence

                            depends on others;

                            all my creations,

                            useful and beautiful. (WSW, p.25)

Part Ten finds fault with the cruel and violent nature of man: ‘Who gave you right / to kill my creation?’ (p.29). The writer is against the killing of animals, fowl and fish for their taste and food, for their sport and fun. Part Fourteen deals with the limitations of man; what we hear, see and know is very little: ‘What you hear / is little; / much more lies / beyond your ears.’ (WSW, p.32). While Part 16 gives a brief sketch of different types of mafia, religious, political and intellectual, Parts 17&18 deal with religious mafia, Part 19 with political mafia and Part 20 with intellectual mafia. The last part 21 is more or less a summation of the lengthy verse reiterating the message that human beings can survive in this world only when they allow other creatures, plants and animals to live in harmony:

                            If they heed

                            they will be saved;

                            other beings

                            will be saved;

                            plants will be saved

                            and the universe

                            as such will be saved.                          (WSW, p.37)

The lines of the next poem ‘An Elegy on my Ma’ are written in memory of his mother who passed away on 14^th October 2010 and in this context it is good to remember that this book is dedicated to his beloved mother. His mother was a symbol of the purest love, selfless service and sacrifice and a source of inspiration and the poem has an appropriate ending:

                            Ma, we will go ahead

                            boosted by your divine words.               (WSW, p.41)

After a poem it is followed by another piece ‘Massacre of Cats’ which is a sad reference to the poisoning of his four favourite cats by his neighbour, a man of high rank in the society, and in the poet’s words this death of his cats was as shocking to him as his mother’s death. His materialist neighbours go to church every day, read the Bible every day, but they have not learnt ‘to love other beings as fellow beings. ‘The next poem ‘Aung San Suu Kyi – Asia’s Lady Mandela’ pays a glowing tribute to the patriotic leader and champion of democratic rights in Burma whose name bears the title of the poem:

                              Suu Kyi, the epitome of valour,

                              showed her people through her life

                              liberty is born from the ashes of fear.

                              Her twenty years of political life,

                              more than fourteen in solitary cells.         (WSW, p.53)

Now Dominic the poet is enchanted by the captivating sight of coconut trees which are seen in abundance in Kerala, and in fact Kerala and coconut trees go together; the result is the short piece ‘Coconut Palm’:

                              A marvel to all architects.

                              No human hand can build

                              such a parallel pillar.  

                              Kudos to the Architect of architects.          (WSW, p.56)

It is followed by an interesting poem ‘Crow, the Black Beauty’ and the writer wonders why the black crow is neglected even by poets while the white dove is extolled by all. The writer’s sympathetic heart does not approve of this colour discrimination:

                             When will the Black and the White

                             dwell in the same house

      and dine from the same plate?                     (WSW, p.57-58)

          The verse piece ‘For the Glory of God’ narrates an incident reported in a local newspaper The Malayala Manorama Sunday Supplement on 25^th July 2010 which is an instance of communal harmony of Hindu and Muslim women in the midst of communal rancour, clashes and killings. Chellamma, a seventy-five year old helpless Kerala Brahmin woman receives help and shelter from a Muslim lady Resiya Beevi at a time when religious extremists hacked off a Professor’s right palm with the intention of killing  him in that region. The verse “Hunger’s call’ is more communistic in tone and tenour and it is a plea to support the sinking life with soup and fight poverty the logical result of ‘hyperinflation and economic mismanagement’ the result of ‘the impact of globalization, / liberalization and privatization’ (WSW, p.66). ‘Rocketing Growth of India’ is a strong satire at our Government and at our so-called much boasted progress which in reality is an eyewash. Of course the rich are growing richer and poverty is growing and the gap between the rich and the poor is enormously growing. The lines of the poem ‘To My Colleague’ are really heart-rending as the piece refers to a shameful incident of religious fanaticism when the right palm of a Professor of Newman College at Thodupuzha, a colleague of the writer, was hacked off while he was returning home after Sunday Mass on 4^th July 2010:

                             India, my motherland.

                             Land of corruption, terrorism

                             and religious fundamentalism.            (WSW, p.84)

The poem ‘Train Blast’ is a description of the poignant train blast, a heinous act of the Maoists, causing the tragic death of a hundred and fifty innocent people. They think that -

                             End justifies the means;

                             Utopian ends,

                             Diabolic means.                    (WSW, p.85)  

Now the poet asks Lord Krishna why He is so indifferent and questions:

                              Can’t you punish

                             these terrorists

                             as you punished

                             Asuras?                                      (WSW, p.86)

‘Work is Worship’ is the last but one in this volume and the writer rightly states the good old saying and reiterates it by strengthening the message with good instances. God is with the person who works and does his duty without wasting his time and idling. He says God whispers in his ears:

                           ‘My dear son, live in Karma,

                            love all creations,

                            for I am in everything’.             (WSW, p.96)

The book closes with the piece ‘Lines Composed from Thodupuzha River’s Bridge’ which is a picturesque description of the river with the bridge across it that merges at last into the sea and the lines reveal the influence of Wordsworth the famous Romantic poet of Nature since his description of nature grows imperceptibly into philosophical reflections: 

                            Invigorating cool water gushing through your vein

                            overflows my mind with eternal realities.

                            Every second passed in our lives

                            is irredeemably lost for ever.

                            Invisible Time flashes in meteoric speed;         (WSW, p.99)

         In his third collection Multicultural Symphony Dominic deals with a wide range of topics embracing multiculturalism, global warming, environmental problems, and other social problems such as poverty and unemployment, child labour and dignity of labour, the deep-rooted system of caste which is the root-cause of all the social problems and superstitions like blind belief in horoscope etc.

        Thus Dr. Dominic is a poet with social awareness which fills almost all the lines of his poems and it is no exaggeration to say that his profound concern for the marginalized sections of the society forms the life force and breath of his poetry. He tries to dissect corruption at all levels, political or religious, social or academic and presents it in its true colours with all the ugliness and monstrous greed. He says in his Preface; ‘Corruption has become the hallmark of these leaders, and influenced by them the masses also deviate from the right track to the evil track. And who will save this society? My answer is: writers, particularly poets who are like prophets.’ Thus it is quite clear that Dominic is a poet of the suffering masses and oppressed sections of the society; moreover his poems are a strong testimony to his socialistic ideas, to his leanings towards communistic ideology and to his earnest zeal as a social reformer. His poems in general are more descriptive and narrative than suggestive; though he does not make use of imagery, he is richly imaginative. 

Works Cited

Dominic, K. V. Winged Reason. New Delhi: AuthorsPress, 2010. Print.

---. Write Son, Write. New Delhi: Gnosis, 2011. Print.

Prof. Dr. T. V. Reddy worked as Lecturer, Reader and U.G.C National Fellow & Visiting Professor, and retired as Principal of Govt. Degree College in Dec. 2001. He is a renowned poet, critic & novelist of international repute. His poems appeared in French journals in Paris. M.Phil and Ph.D. theses have been produced on his works. He has received innumerable national and international awards for his poetry. He has authored and published seven collections of poems, two novels, two books of criticism, and a book on grammar. He is the President of Guild of Indian English Writers, Editors & Critics (GIEWEC).