Jayant Mahapatra’s writings spanning over 50 years have left an indelible mark on Indian English poetry.
A tribute to poet Jayanta Mahapatra by lyricist Gulzar
He who was a poet used to remain silent
And say the strangest issues
Along with his eyes skilled at one’s ears he would hear
To the sound of mute silences
He would gather the shadows of the moon
And the damp drops of sunshine
Filling the dry leaves of the evening in his cupped palms
He would rattle them
Poet-lyricist Gulzar.
From this dense forest of Time
He would pluck ripe-unripe moments
Sure, he, that unusual poet
Would get up within the evening and
Elevating on his elbows
Kiss the moon on its chin
I heard he departed from the earth yesterday
— Translated from the Urdu authentic by Rakhshanda Jalil