Kavita Patel
Arun
Kolatkar has secured a prominent place in the Indian English Poetry. Kolatkar,
born in Maharashtra, is considered to be a chief bi-lingual poet. He has penned
down several works in the Marathi language and has also translated many works
from Marathi to English. The works of Arun Kolatkar are abundant with scepticism.
He satirises religious practices. His attacks on blind faith are apparent in
his works. The poems in Jejuri run between The Bus and The
Railway Station. In his poems, he majorly speaks of temple of God Khandoba,
one of the forms of Lord Shiva - the supreme power of the universe,
pilgrimages, bus-stop, and the priests. The faith of the mass swarming up to
the temple of lord Khandoba is rich in itself. Jejuri is a revered temple in
the Pune district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It has its religious and
cultural significance as the temple is of lord Shiva, Khandoba. Jejuri presents
that irrespective of any caste and community, all the people worship God
Khandoba with a faith that they will be blesses by the God. On the other hand,
being the modern man, the poet also expresses his disbelief in several customs
and satirises the priest who is more worried about his materialistic needs.
Jejuri, Faith, Scepticism,
Lord Khandoba, Priest
VOL.13, ISSUE No.3, September 2021