Selected Poems of Anuj Lugun

Dr Pragya Shukla has undertaken a very complex task of translating twenty-four poems written in Hindi by Anuj Lugun about “a civilization of water, forest, and land.” The civilization that Dr Lugun speaks about has been created over a vast space of the Chhotanagpur plateau region of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand and the western part of West Bengal. The region itself emerged out of cosmic events in the early years of the earth. This big geological drama can still be perceived in the open theatre of nature—rugged hills, tables, swift rivers and waterfalls, red soil, unique flora and fauna. In this primordial landscape, another drama unfolds with the humans occupying their place since time immemorial. The past of the ‘civilization’ can still be perceived in the rock paintings, megaliths, and cupules scattered throughout the region. At the same time, the present tries to keep up the traditions adoringly in the face of death, destruction and development. In these regions blessed with abundant natural resources, the tale of exploitation began with the enforcement of the Brahminical ideology of segregation and marginalization. This exploitation evolved into a systematic dehumanization and criminalization during the era of British colonialism. Today, this troubling legacy persists as development models implemented post-Independence have continued to perpetuate exploitation and inequality in these lands.