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Queen Of Poetry

Chandani Shah’s poems pulsate with the pleasures and pains of life

By AKSHAY SHARMA

"Dharti bhai ek choti sahi hera arule kulcheko" (Become the earth once and endure the people’s stomping on you)

"Ago bhai ek choti tapera hera" (Become the fire and try to warm yourself)

These words of Chandani Shah — the name the late Queen Aishwarya Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah used as a poetess — have not come out of her imagination, says an admirer, but point to the truth of life she experienced. Critics agree that her poems reflect the realities of life.

Chandani Shah’s lyrics have pervaded the airwaves since 1973 when she wrote "Timi lai jati nai maya...". One critic sees strong influences of William Shakespeare and Wordsworth in Chandani Shah’s works. Her unstinting use of powerful words is an important hallmark of her poetry.

Chandani Shah describes nature in all its beauty and diversity. Her poems are acclaimed for their soothing qualities and aliveness. "She presents a wide range of topics so beautifully in so powerful and vivid words," says another fan. Her works have been closely associated with her love for the world and underscore her commitment to the well being of Nepal. Chandani Shah’s poems also relate to the eternal things of life and she uses a cogent combination of words to support her ideas. Her poems brim with profound tributes to the intrinsic worth of human endeavor.

Through her lyrics, Chandani Shah delves deep into the merits and significance of being born a human being. "Her poems, which are down to earth in their style, usually seek to dive deep in to the sea of knowledge of life," says an admirer. In 1976 she wrote one of her masterpieces "Ansu ra suskeraka bachaharu" (Tears and the long-drawn sigh of promises), in which she captures the bitter and unavoidable realities of life.

Her songs "Ichha, akanchya ani" and "Ukali oraliharuma", penned in 1977-78, center on everyday happenings of life. She underscores the traditional link between life and nature through the profuse use of words like ‘ukali’, ‘orali’, ‘bhanjyang’, ‘chowtara’, ‘daha’, ‘himal’, ‘chahara’, ‘khola’ and ‘kahre’. The realism of her work is manifested in her consistent portrayal of the bitterness and pain that life inevitably offers us.

The contrasts and parallelism evoked by such common words as ‘ukali’ (ascent) and ‘orali’ (descent) are aimed to provide an apt definition of life. This lyrical pairing of happiness and sadness, good and evil, among other things, encapsulates an experience that humanity has enjoyed and endured throughout the ages.

In "Hario khet bich bageko khola talatala tahaldai, jivan mrityu bich sacho maya agaldai" (Among the green plantations I walk along the rivulets, by keeping in my embrace the true love between life and death), Chandani Shah ventures to probe the meaning of existence.

Hardship and tragedy haunt life. As Y.B. Yeats writes, "When we begin the journey of life as we begin to realize that the life is a tragedy in itself." To live is not only to finish one’s pre-destined tenure in the world, nor is it to lavish in the pleasantries of life and squander one’s time, money and energy.

Those who are in a perpetual quest for eternal survival want to know the true meaning of life. Chandani Shah’s poems represent a journey on the quest for permanence. Many of her poems are tragic. She seems to tell us: Tragedy is an inextricable part of life, it will travel with us through our lives. If we seek to laugh during our moments of happiness, we must be prepared for the tragic side of life as well, otherwise life becomes devoid of meaning.

Some of her songs on human values are full of condolences: Ama bhayera badhi here santanka pirharu (I looked at sufferings of my family as a mother) Ama banera badhi here santanka sukha haru (I also looked at the happiness of my family as a mother)

The potent positioning of the transient elements of unhappiness, hurt, tragedy, dissatisfaction and frustration with the eternal truths of life is Chandani Shah’s forte. This is why her poems and songs contain enduring value.