By Dr. D Anjaneyulu, M.A., B.L., D.Litt.
Author and Journalist, Ex. President: Madras Press Club
and
Member: Authors Guild of India.
When Mr. A.R. Narayanan rang me up to ask me for a
foreword to his book of verse, I did not know what I was
in for. Because I had not met him before, nor had I read
any of his written work. But I was instantly impressed by
the simplicity and sincerity, earnestness and anxiety in
his voice, and I readily agreed.
At the outset, I must say that I was attracted by the
title of the work "Truth and the Myth couplets Quips".
'Couplet' reminded me of the heroic couplets of Alexander
Pope (Dunciad and the rest) and those of John Dryden (Mac
Flecknoe and so on). 'Quips were reminiscent of the
witticisms of Bernard Shaw, the epigrams of Oscar Wilde
and the paradoxes of G.K. Chesterton. A combination of
the two should be quite spicy, I imagined. Nor was I
disappointed. For, I found them undoubtedly spicy and
readable.
The couplets in this booklet cover a wide range of
subjects of general interest of God and Man, of life
and death, of truth and lies, of profession and practice,
of politics and profit making and many other things. The
concept of truth and myth seemed to remain upper most in
the mind of the author, as when he says:
"In the beginning was the word;........ word was
truth;
Now word of truth has become old-fashioned myth"
He is refreshingly frank in the expression of his views,
be they traditional or modern or a happy blend of both.
This, for instance, of God and Man:
"Who created man is unsolved mystery
But creation of God is mans mastery"
"If everywhere the God fill
Where, on earth, do devils dwell?"
The author has no patience with man's capacity to deceive
himself and others, and man's flair for hypocrisy. And
rightly so too, as we are all sure to agree:
"Say one thing and do something else
Is the first step towards success".
"Man is prisoner of his own mind;
None else can bail him out of the bond
Sometimes, he is philosophical and unconventional, as in
the couplet:
"If our God is present everywhere,
Should one go to temple for prayer?"
Or
"Why need middlemen
Between God and man?"
At other times, he is satirical, with elements of irony
and sarcasm. But he is always effective, because he is in
right earnest.
This might be his first attempt at poetic composition,
but there is maturity of thought and depth of feeling,
which come from his variety of experience in life. I wish
more power to his elbow; and hope that this collection,
or may be selection, of couplets, will have a wide circle
of readers. The quips are thought provoking, without
being too harsh or hurting.