The Problem of Poetic Craft
and Technique in A. K. Ramanujan’s Poetry: A Study of
Selected Poems
Dr. Aktar Islam
ABSTRACT
A.K. Ramanujan is one of the most prominent
Indo-American poets. He was born in Mysore city (presently
Karnataka) on 16th March 1962. He was not only a poet but also
linguist, philologist, translator and playwright. He is truly a born
poet who has given a new direction to the poetry along with other
Indian poets viz. Nissim Ezekiel, Dom Moraes, K.N. Daruwalla,
Jayanta Mahapatra, R. Parthasarathy and so on. He is bi-lingual,
having written both in his native Kannada and English. His poetry is
largely autobiographical and thought-provoking. In Ramanujan’s
selected poems, the careful arrangement of words, vivid imagery, and
subtle irony create a unified artistic effect. Poems like The
Striders, A River, Conventions of Despair, Prayers to Lord Murugan,
Small-Scale Reflection on a Great House and two love poems for his
wife 1 and 2 and Obituary illustrate how personal memories and
cultural experiences are transformed into universal poetic
expressions. Through contrast, symbolism, and controlled structure,
Ramanujan presents tensions between tradition and modernity, family
and individuality, and memory and reality. The significance of
Ramanujan’s poetry lies primarily within its textual richness and
artistic (poetic) craftsmanship rather than external
interpretations.
Keywords: Indo-American, Bi-lingual, Irony, Symbolism, Paradox,
Memories, Craftsmanship.
