HEIDI POUWELS writes in The Journal of the American Oriental society

".......While I do not wish to take sides, the issues Nirala's romantic poetry raises are very relevant to current debates. Most obviously, the Hindi-Hindu connection is very much in the thick of contemporary political debates, sparked by the rising tide of Hindutva, which spill over into the literary world. The endorsement of the slogan Hindi, Hindu, Hindustan by the influential contemporary Marxist critic Namvar Singh (in the October-December 1997 issue of the journal "Kala Prayojan," published from Udaypur) provoked a polemic reaction in "Hamsa", as a selling out of Marxism to Hindutva forces. (24) In such a context, Nirala's political ideas take on a new dimension. For example, Nirala's poem "Ram ki Sakti Puja" (1936) has been criticized for being reactionary and for reinforcing orthodox Hindu feudal forces, in an article in which the author deplores the lack of solidarity of Marxist literary critics with the Dalit cause. (25) "
Diptych in verse: gender hybridity, language consciousness, and national identity in Nirala's ......

"Jago Phir Ek Bar".(Hindi poetry)
Publication: The Journal of the American Oriental Society
Publication Date: 01-JUL-01A uthor: Pauwels, Heidi UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON