“My Love, My Seasons” is a collection of fifty poems of the Odia poet Shri Tapan Pattanaik, translated into English by Dr. Namita Laxmi Jagaddeb. The poems carry the poet’s leitmotif of love, loss and longing. They invariably exhibit his acute perception of a relentless Time that impedes the flow of life, love and relationship along the rotations of seasons. The poems abound with sparkling metaphors drawn from the countryside Odisha on which the poet has dispersed his agonies seeking comfort, away from the crushing force of Time. Thus, sun, moon, stars, hills, forests, lake, rivers, rains, light, shade, and many more have come alive in the poems as natural companions of the poet engaging him in intimate dialogues on love, life and the beyond. Thanks to the superb craftsmanship of the translator; she has efficiently captured the poet’s unique thoughts and feelings in an exquisitely matching diction that recreates the lyrical intensity and free flowing rhythm of the original poems.

The palpable transformations across the global arena in the aftermath of the cyber revolution and information technology explosion caused serious concern among aficionados of literature about its future. But their apprehensions appeared to be unfounded when literature withstood the onslaughts and emerged unruffled, being ensconced on a firm saddle. Literature, with its diverse genres, entertains and enlightens readers with new insights and perspectives on life, releasing them from the labyrinth of cares and anxieties, and infusing in them resilience and enthusiasm.

A creative writer observes the situations with his organic sensibility and shares his emotions and feelings passionately through objective correlatives. The writer, by the alembic of his imagination, creates an oasis in the desert of life, paints a rainbow amid the stormy tumult of society. The writer’s alchemy of creativity with the wizardry of images enthrals the readers, keeping them in a mesmerizing spell.

Against this backdrop, it is seen that translation occupies a paramount position in promoting literature on an international platform with a wider clientele. The poetry collection in Odia, “Kebala Premare” of the renowned Neo Romantic poet Dr Phani Mohanty, is translated into English as “Only in Love” by Dr Sonali Sahu. Dr Sahu has done a wonderful job in making an impeccable transfer of feelings, emotions, and thoughts of the veteran poet Dr Mohanty from the source language to the target language. I am sure she must have come across problems in finding substitutes for certain emotions, colloquial expressions, yet she has managed to overcome them by presenting the tone, tenor, and essence of feelings. Poetry in Indian languages contains certain features, such as verbal imageries, local myths, inflections, and colloquialisms, that prove to be a translator’s nightmare. Dr Sahu, with her maturity, expertise, and command over both languages, has successfully overcome the situation.

The veteran poet Dr Mohanty meticulously adheres to the poetic diction suggested by Wordsworth, always using ordinary, common, simple, and colloquial language really used by men in their day-to-day lives, for which he is widely hailed by the readers as a Neo-Romantic poet. Dr Mohanty’s poetic career spanning across five decades with more than six dozen poetry collections, numerous awards and accolades like Odisha Sahitya Akademi and Kendriya Sahitya Akademi have endeared him to the charmed circle of hordes of readers for his unique theme of love, longing, regret, passion, despair, and positive affirmation depicted with simple diction, colloquial language, and lucid expression flowing uninterruptedly from a weary heart stirred with the subtle nuances and vagaries of love.

In this Collection of poems, “Only in Love,” Dr Mohanty treats the concept of love as a pilgrimage of the human soul, an endless journey from the known to the unknown, from the physical to the metaphysical, from the real to the surreal, from the terrestrial to the ethereal, from the amorous to the philosophical and from the trivial to the sublime dimensions. The emotions, feelings, and passions in colloquial idioms unwaveringly flow like a stream where the heart understands perfectly, long before the mind attempts to decode it.

— Kamala Prasad Mahapatra

The sonnet is possibly the oldest poetic form which has been practiced by poets worldwide. “PRATICHI SE PRACHI PARYANT” is an anthology of translated Hindi sonnets from western countries (translated by Vineet Mohan Audichya) and from Odia (translated by Anima Das). Western poets whose sonnets are part of this anthology include – William Shakespeare, John Milton, William Wordsworth, John Keats, Robert Frost, Edna St. Vincent Millay and many others. Odia poets whose sonnets are taken in this anthology include – Madhusudan Rao, Gangadhar Meher, Baikunthanath Patnaik, Mayadhar Mansingh, Sachi Routray, Guruprasad Mohanty, Ramakant Rath, Girija Kumar Baliarsingh, Binapani Panda and many others. This anthology would add a special flavor and place in Hindi translation poetry.

ମହାକବି କାଳିଦାସ କୃତ ‘ଋତୁସଂହାର’ ସଂସ୍କୃତର ପ୍ରଥମ ସ୍ୱତନ୍ତ୍ର ଋତୁକାବ୍ୟ । ଏହା ଏକ ସ୍ୱତନ୍ତ୍ର ଋତୁକାବ୍ୟ । ଏହା ଏକ କ୍ଷୁଦ୍ରକାର ଆଦିରସାତ୍ମକ କାବ୍ୟ । ଏହାକୁ ଖଣ୍ଡବାକ୍ୟର ଅନ୍ତର୍ଭୁକ୍ତ କରାଯାଏ । କେହି କେହି ଏହାକୁ ଗୀତିକାବ୍ୟ ମଧ୍ୟ କହନ୍ତି ।

‘ଋତୁସଂହାର’ ଶିରୋନାମଟିରେ ସଂହାରର ଅର୍ଥ ହତ୍ୟା ନୁହେଁ । ଏହାର ଅର୍ଥ ହେଉଛି ସମାବେଶ ବା ମାଳା । ତେଣୁ ‘ଋତୁସଂହାର’କୁ ‘ଋତୁ ସମାବେଶ’ ବା ‘ଋତୁମାଳା’ ହିସାବରେ ବିଶ୍ଳେଷଣ କରାଯାଇପାରେ ।

‘ଋତୁସଂହାର’ କାଳିଦାସଙ୍କ ପ୍ରଣୀତ ପ୍ରଥମ କାବ୍ୟ ରଚନା, ଯେଉଁଥିରେ ଭାରତୀୟ ଉପମହାଦେଶର ଛଅଟି ଋତୁର ବର୍ଣ୍ଣନା ରହିଛି । ଛଅ ଋତୁର ସୁନ୍ଦର ବର୍ଣ୍ଣନା କବି ଛଅ ସର୍ଗରେ ବା ଅଧ୍ୟାୟରେ କରିଛନ୍ତି । ପ୍ରଥମ ସର୍ଗଟି ଗ୍ରୀଷ୍ମଋତୁ ବିଷୟକ । ପରବର୍ତ୍ତୀ ସର୍ଗ ଗୁଡ଼ିକରେ ବର୍ଣ୍ଣିତ ହୋଇଛି ଯଥାକ୍ରମେ ବର୍ଷା, ଶରତ୍], ହେମନ୍ତ, ଶିଶିର (ଶୀତ) ଓ ବସନ୍ତ ଋତୁ । ବର୍ଣ୍ଣନା ଖୁବ୍ ମନୋହର ଓ ନୈସର୍ଗିକ ତଥା ସ୍ୱଭାବିକତା ବେଶି ମାତ୍ରାରେ ପରିଦୃଷ୍ଟ ହୁଏ । ଏଗୁଡ଼ିକ ଦୁଇ ପ୍ରଣୟୀଯୁଗଳର ପରସ୍ପର ସଂବାଦ ।

ପ୍ରତ୍ୟେକ ଋତୁର ସଂଦର୍ଭରେ କବି ନ କେବଳ ସମ୍ବନ୍ଧିତ କାଳଖଣ୍ଡର ପ୍ରାକୃତିକ ବୈଶିଷ୍ଟ୍ୟ, ବିବିଧ ଦୃଶ୍ୟସମୂହର ଚିତ୍ରଣ କରାରାଇଛି ତାହା ନୁହେଁ ଅଧିକନ୍ତୁ ପ୍ରକୃତି-ଜଗତରେ ହେଉଥିବା ପରିବର୍ତ୍ତନ ଓ ପ୍ରତିକ୍ରିୟାକୁ ଯୁବକ-ଯୁବତୀ ଓ ପ୍ରେମିକ-ପ୍ରେମିକାଙ୍କର ପ୍ରଣୟ ଜୀବନ ଉପରେ ପଡୁଥିବା ପ୍ରଭାବର ବି ରୋମାନୀ ଶୈଳୀରେ ନିରୂପଣ ଓ ଆକଳନ କରିଛନ୍ତି । ପ୍ରକୃତିର ପ୍ରାଙ୍ଗଣରେ ବିହାର କରୁôଥିବା ବିଭିନ୍ନ ପଶୁ-ପକ୍ଷୀ ତଥା ନାନା ବିଧ ବୃକ୍ଷ, ଲତା ଓ ଜୀବ-ଜନ୍ତୁଙ୍କ ବିଷୟରେ ବି ଭୁଲି ନାହାନ୍ତି । ସିଏ ଭାରତର ପ୍ରାକୃତିକ ବୈଭବର ସହିତ ତା’ର ସ୍ୱଭାବ ଓ ପ୍ରବୃତ୍ତିର ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣତଃ ପରିଚିତ ଅଛନ୍ତି । ପ୍ରସ୍ତୁତ କାବ୍ୟଗ୍ରନ୍ଥଟିକୁ ପଢ଼ିଲେ ଭାରତର ବିଭିନ୍ନ ଋତୁଗୁଡ଼ିକର ସୌନ୍ଦର୍ଯ୍ୟ ସଂପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ରୂପରେ ଆମ ଚକ୍ଷୁ ସମ୍ମୁଖରେ ଉପସ୍ଥିତ ହୋଇଥାଏ ।