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The Glorious Paradoxes of Vinda Karandikar
This year marks the birth centenary of one of modern Marathi literature’s most important poets, in whose work we find Gandhi jousting with Freud, Marx, Russell and Savarkar.
Vinda Karandikar (1918–2010) was both a multifaceted poet and a brilliant performer of his works. Influenced by an array of thinkers, he introduced many radical ideas into Marathi poetry, making an immediate impact. He was also an essayist, literary critic and translator. He is perhaps the most decorated Marathi writer, receiving several awards from various state bodies. The Jnanpith Award for 2003 represented a befitting climax in the public recognition of his literary endeavours.
He was influenced both by Western thinkers, such as Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx and Bertrand Russell, and by Indian ones, such as Vinayak Savarkar and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. This made for many interesting paradoxes in his work and life. No one can claim to have lived a life free of contradictions. But because Vinda’s métier involved thinking and expressing himself, these paradoxes became more explicit and visible.
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