KOCHI: ‘Alone with everybody’ is the English translation of the poems of Santosh Alex. He is a poet who writes in Hindi as well as Malayalam. The English translations are done by him and Vijay Nair, a Delhi-based poet and lawyer.
Earlier, Santosh has published two poetry collections in Malayalam, ‘Dooram’ and ‘Njan Ninakku Oru Ghazal’ and one in Hindi titled, ‘Panv Tale ki Mitti’.
His poems, though short in length, are deep and dark.
Here is one called ‘Good Men’:
The Messiah And Socrates were good men, yet were killed. I don’t wish to be good.
In ‘Prayer’, Santosh writes:
Cymbals Rosary and Cross are not needed. A lit candle A heartfelt word Will do.
However, Santosh is mostly known as a Hindi, rather than a Malayalam poet.
Hindi critic Satish Kumar Singh says, “Santosh is a poet who has broken new grounds in contemporary Hindi poetry. He has brought back the father, mother, lakes, rivers, and a host of other humanitarian topics which has been neglected for some time in Hindi poetry. It is hard to believe that Santosh, whose mother-tongue is Malayalam, has penned poems in Hindi. The works appear simple at the first reading, but goes on to make the reader ponder upon the underlying current in the poem, which is his hallmark.” His Hindi collection has been translated into five Indian languages.
Santosh’s muse is suffused with the shades of the village and the warmth of love, the sorrows of the farmer and a concern for one’s roots. His poems advocate a humanistic approach in life.
Writing the preface for his Malayalam poetry collection, ‘Njanninakku Oru Ghazal’, noted Malayalam poet P.P. Ramachandran says, “Santosh knows the art of writing small in poetry, which is not an easy task.
The reason may be his continuous translation of poetry in the past two decades by way of which he has learnt to write precisely and give a surprise ending.” Santosh has curated two editions of the A. Aiyappan Patana Kendram’s National Poetry Festival. He is an invited poet for literary festivals. His poems have been translated and published in 18 languages, which include Indian and Foreign Languages. ‘Alone with Everybody’, which has been priced at Rs 199, has been published by Vishwabharati Research Centre, Maharashtra.