Tell Me, Please...: Preface by Abnish Singh Chauhan

In 2009, I began sharing my English poems on a few web portals. This led to connections with remarkable poets like Paddy Martin and Marie Shine, who later provided valuable feedback on my poems. At the time, Marie Shine was planning to compile poems from various poets into an anthology and invited me to contribute. I was delighted to send her my poems, and in 2010, ten of my poems were published in A String of Words, an anthology she edited. During this period, Sonnet Mondal also featured my poems in The Enchanting Verses Literary Review for the first time. In 2013, Dr Charu Sheel Singh and Dr Binod Mishra graciously included my poems in Exiled Among Natives: An Anthology of Contemporary Poetry, a book they edited.

In 2016, when Cultural and Philosophical Reflections in Indian Poetry in English (Vol. 5) by Dr Sudhir K. Arora was released, I was thrilled to discover that he had mentioned me with great generosity. As time passed, in 2023, my poems caught the attention of Prof. Satish Kumar, who offered significant insights into my work in his book A Survey of Indian English Poetry. Therefore, I called him on phone to express my gratitude. During our communication, he kindly recommended that I should consider publishing my own collection of English poems.

In the same year, I was interviewed for a faculty position at Vignan University, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. After completing the HR and technical rounds, I was interviewed by a panel of the top management, led by Dr. P. Nagabhushan, the Vice Chancellor. During the question-and-answer session, Dr. Nagabhushan asked me, “You have written books in both the languages and have a collection of poems in Hindi. Do you not write poems in English?” I responded that I had indeed written some poems in English, but I had not yet published a book in the language.

I believe that time is the force that shapes everything. Perhaps this is why, during the last decade and a half, I composed navgeet (contemporary Hindi lyrics), which were published intermittently in various newspapers, magazines, and edited anthologies of poetry. Alongside this, I wrote poetry in English, much of it in my personal diary. Recently, as I went through this diary and reflecting on the encouragement of the intellectuals mentioned above, I felt that these compositions deserved to be gathered in a book. And so, this collection of poems in English came into being.

The Mahabharata states, “कर्तव्येन कर्ताभि रक्षयते” (“kartavyen kartabhi rakshayate” — ‘Bhishma Parva’, 58.27) — “only duty protects the doer.” To follow this path, one must transcend the ego of being the doer. While embodying the ideals of service, love, and sacrifice, one must remain selflessly committed to the well-being of all the living and non-living entities on the Earth. Consequently, the poems in this collection are a humble attempt to reflect these ideals shaped by my personal experiences and exposures, and are offered to the thoughtful readers with the hope that they may engage with them in their own unique ways, interpreting them through their own perspectives.

Here, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Dr Sudhir K. Arora, whose wisdom and kindness have blessed this book with his “Tell Me, Please...: Reflections in the Foreword.” I also sincerely thank the esteemed critics for offering their valuable acumens in ‘Connecting to the Past,’ as well as the generous publisher (Mr Sudarshan Kcherry) for his support and endorsement of this modest effort.

The blessings of my revered guruji Sri Sri Anandamurti, and the love and encouragement of my respected parents— Shri Prahlad Singh Chauhan and Smt. Uma Chauhan, have been a constant source of inspiration for this collection. The good wishes of my dear younger sisters, Priyanka and Deepika, my dear younger brother Shivam and his wife Radhika and their son Vitthal, have also been invaluable. Furthermore, the unwavering support of my life companion, Neeraj, and my two sons, Om and Som, has played a significant role in the publication of this book.

Finally, I fervently recall the words of Sri Rajendra Das Ji Maharaj, the revered saint and spokesperson of Hindu spirituality at Shri Malook Peeth, Vrindavan: “The devotees are fearless.” With a heartfelt desire to be endowed with unwavering courage and sincere devotion to the righteous cause, I humbly present this work to the learned scholars of the past, the present, and the future.