In Memoriam — Keki Daruwalla: Some Favourite Moments in His Verse, by Anand Thakore
Some poems ask to be heard, not read. Anand Thakore pays his…
Read more →In Memoriam — Keki Daruwalla: Adieu, by K. Satchidanandan
Forty years, many countries, one last farewell. K. Satchidanandan remembers a poet who never needed power to earn his place
Adieu, dear Keki! Keki Daruwalla was more than a great Indian poet writing in English to me.
A friend for at least 40 years, we have travelled together to many countries, the last being Syria, and read together in several poetry festivals and gatherings. He was a regular invitee to Sahitya Akademi, Delhi when I was its executive head. He also came to the Kerala Litfest and my daughter, Sabitha Satchi, had a public conversation with him.
He was a true gentleman and a mentor to several younger poets writing in English, especially those in Delhi. He tried to keep his cool even when he passed through days of trauma and stress when his wife passed away in an accident, and was always, fearlessly, on the side of justice.
He never abused his power as a top officer to win recognition as a great poet; in fact he never needed to. Farewell, dear Keki! Remember your lines,
“And deep in the night, in the clarity of dream,
the seafarer will garner his rewards,
raking in his islands like pebbles from a stream.”
K. Satchidanandan
K. Satchidanandan (born 28 May 1946) is an Indian poet and critic, writing in Malayalam and English. A pioneer of modern poetry in Malayalam, a bilingual literary critic, playwright, editor, columnist and translator, he is the former editor of Indian Literature journal and the former secretary of Sahitya Akademi. He is also social advocate for secular anti-caste views.