‘Rang’ - an insightful poetry

Arshad Mahmood Nashad’s collection titled ‘Rang’ is no doubt one of the most important poetry releases. There is lushness to the language the poet uses. In this, you can see the poet’s considerable demonstration of skill, its resistance to dominant perspectives, and its light wrought of desire.

He makes it available to those who take the time to read it. If the ghazals were less serious, this could come off as a wisecrack, just another abstract feat. In his upfront yet capacious expressions, its complete embrace of hope, happiness, beauty, and elated representation of his era, the poet is outstanding.

He is a poet of insightful wealth and compassion. In this poetry collection, the flashes that stay with us the lengthiest are the ones that mirror modern sensitivity, a variety of life’s colours, and odour.

It is not a voluminous book, but never looks lacking in expressive splendour but appears bursting at the seams. Some may find that Nashad has grown too snug in his demonstrative style but to me, it all shows his mastery over creating ‘ghazals’.

The thoughtful magnificence of Nashad’s poetry is too infinite and profound to condense or elucidate, so the poet just sits with us, not shocked, confused, and down, but willing to exhibit what optimism, pleasure, exquisiteness, and colours of life mean. Yes, he unveils life’s garden, a smell of flowers, and the fabric of the days spent therein.

Approved, some ‘ghazals’ are prickly, challenging webs necessitating important labour from the readers to grasp. However, some are small gifts: specks of the connotation that slide right past the reader’s poetry ramparts and camp in his/her head. It is a leisurely style, cool and meditative.

Nashad’s ‘ghazals’ treat nature as something wonderful and pleasing, something to be interested in and adored. This is what he does so nicely. He shows us the dyes of life as we are all living it and the individual experiences life brings about.

His ‘ghazals’ have the innate influence good poetry provides. He is in control of his word choice, every line a considered beat, each verse its own cocoon of wisdom. This is a book to read front to back, then at random, and then front to back again.

Nashad’s poems are no less rich for being generally pleasant. You do not have to love poetry to love these ‘ghazals’. There is no clandestine key necessary to unfasten them. They communicate and we listen to them loud and clear.

His poetry is the work of a literary figure. Free of distaste but not of morals. His work questions how to be or to become a thinking, caring, communicating person. In the ‘Rang’, one feels the poet cresting a wave, a new wave that will crash onto new lands and unexplored territories.