Poetry is an art of articulating through words. Poets have a special art of expressing things by using the minimum of words. India as a nation has always given a number of legendary poets to this world. But in the throng of these poets, there are some other poets who showed their commendable work yet did not get recognition for their endeavors. This blog enlightens those lesser-known poets who have always delivered best.
1. Arun Kolatkar
Kolatkar was born on November 1, 1932, in Kolhapur. He was a prolific writer of both Marathi and English. ‘Jejuri’ was his first book of poetry which consisted of 31 poems. He won the Sahitya Academy Award for his finest Marathi art ‘Bhijki Vahi’ but failed to get the due recognition for his work.
2. Sarojini Naidu
Sarojini Naidu is mainly known as a freedom fighter. She was born in a Bengali family and was a noted poet who loved to write in melodic style. A ‘Golden Threshold’ and ‘The Feather of the Dawn’ are amongst some of her great works.
3. Gopal Singh Nepali
Born in 1902, Gopal Singh was an acclaimed poet of Hindi literature and lyricist. He published several collections of Hindi poems. ‘Umaan’, published in 1933, is one of his praiseworthy poetries which did not get acknowledged.
4. Balamani Amma
Known as the “Poetess of Motherhood”, Balamani Amma was a Malayalam poet. She also received several honors in her lifetime. ‘Amma’, ‘Muthassi’, and ‘Mazhuvinte Katha’ are some of her best work.
5. Nandini Sahu
An Indian poet, writer, and critic, Nandini Sahu has published numbers of English books and poems under her name. Born in 1973 in Orissa, Nandini Sahu is known for her popular books ‘The Other Voice’ and ‘The Silence’.
6. Leeladhar Jagudi
An Indian teacher, journalist, and poet, Leeladhar Jagudi is the recipient of Padma Shri. The poet is not recognized for what he has delivered as a poet. ‘Natak Jari Hai’ and ‘Shankha Mukhi Shikharon Par’ are his great works.
7. Amit Chaudhari
A novelist, poet, essayist, literary critic, editor, singer and music composer, Chaudhari dons many hats. Some of his best works include ‘A Strange And Sublime Address’, ‘Afternoon Raag’, ‘Odysseus Abroad’, ‘Freedom Song’, ‘Two Years In The City’, ‘The Immortals’, ‘Real Time’, ‘A New World’.
8. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
An Indian-American author and a Professor of Writing, Chitra is a prominent name in the modern Indian literature. However, not many people know that she is a poet of marvelous skills too. Her acclaimed works include ‘Mistress Of Spices’, ‘The Palace Of Illusions’, ‘Oleander Girl’, ‘Sister Of My Heart’, ‘Queen Of Dreams’, ‘Before We Visit The Goddess’.
Whenever the term poetry comes, there are just a few names that strike our mind – Rabindranath Tagore, Nissim Ezekiel, Sumitranandan Pant, Harivansh Rai Bachchan and few more. All these poets have given us so much to be proud of. But, there are some more poets, either left unrecognized or not given due credit. They are those who always deliver some tremendous art out of their creative box but their work fails to reach out. Also, in the arena of poetry, it is easy enough to name men – from Rabindranath Tagore to Nissim Ezekiel and Sumitranandan Pant – who have contributed to the wealth of Indian literature, but most of us are left stumped at the prospect of naming female poets.