Harindranath's Reflections are the reflections of a many di mensional sun of consciousness on the mirror like lake of a creative mind. They inspire in us many a mood. They make us wonder afresh on things we thought we knew well and bring issues and ideas hitherto considered remote closer to our nearest. One feels grateful for the facts that such reflections are still undertaken. The poet had the unique privilege of living in the Ashram of Sri Aurobindo at Pondicherry, in his early phase, when he could draw the Master's attention to his aspirations. Though these Sparkling Reflections must have become prominently formed much later, they had been ignited at this stage of his life. Whatever be their chronology, one comes across in them impressive flushes which can be linked to Sri Aurobindo's vision of man's evolus ionat v journey.
Poet, Artist, freedom-fighte and Patriot, Hardindranath Chatto padhyaya is the youngest brother of Sarojini Naidu, the "Nightingale of India" and his eldest brother was Virandra Nath Chattopa dhyaya, a famous revolutionary whose main field of activities was abroad. His first collection of Poems "The Feast of Youth" was published when he was 19 years old and it received high appreciations from Shri Aurobindo Ghosh in 'Arya. When a journalist enquired of Rabindra Nath Tagore; "Sir after you who. He replied at once: "My mantle falls of Harindranath". He is a gifted painter and a pioneer in stage craft. was a member of Parliament from 1952 to 1957. In 1972 he was awarded Padma Bhusan. He was the winner of Dr. B.C. Roy National Award for literature and the recipient of Honorary D. Litt. in literature. He is the producer emeritus for All India Radio and Television since 1973. He played many character roles in Hindi, Bengali and English Films. He has written over 2,000 English Sonnets, Lyrics, Essays, One Act Plays, Stories, Novels etc.
"This is not only genuine poetry, but the work of a young, though still unripe genius with an incalculable promise of greatness in it. As to the abundance here of all the essential materials, the instruments, the elementary powers of the poetical gift, there can be not a moment's doubt or hesitation. Even the first few lines, though far from the best, are quite decisive. A rich and finely lavish command of language, a firm possession his of metrical instrument, an almost blinding gleam and glitter of the wealth of imagination and fancy, a stream of unfailingly poetic thought and image and a high though as yet uncertain pitch of expression, are the powers with which the young poet starts. There have been poets of a great final achievement who have begun with gifts of a less precious stuff and had by labour within themselves and a difficult alchemy to turn them into pure gold. Mr. Chattopadhyaya is not of these; he is rather overburdened with the favours of the goddess, comes like some Vedic Marut with golden weapons, golden ornaments, car of gold, throwing in front of him continual lightnings of thought in the midst of a shining rain of fancies, and a greater government and a more careful and concentrated use rather than an enhancement of his powers is the one thing his poetry needs for its perfection." This is the tribute-- a rare treat indeed- which Harindranath received from Sri Aurobindo who reviewed his first book of poems, The Feast of Youth, in the Arya of November, 1918. Sri Aurobindo found in him a spontaneous and inherent poetic gift of high quality which he expected to flourish in the course of time. To what extent Harindranath has justified this expectation is a question that should be left for another time. All we know is, his has been a restless soul travelling from pasture to pasture-- though whether from pasture old to pasture new or vice versa is again another question to be examined. He had the unique privilege of living in the Ashram of Sri Aurobindo at Pondicherry, in its early phase, when he could draw the Master's attention to his aspirations. My feeling is, though these sparkling "Reflections" must have become prominently formed much later, they had been ignited at this stage of his life. Whatever be their chronology. One comes across in them impressive flashes which can be linked to Sri Aurobindo's vision of man's evolutionary journey: "Out of the rough black stone of animal desires and propensities man appears slowly but surely, losing the dark hue and chiselled into the higher being by the hand of error whose blows are myriad and terrible. "Dogma is the bane of the intellect holding it in thrall withdrawing it from the plasticity of spiritual illumination. "I cannot help beginning to believe that humanity, which is the sum total of individuals, is as a mountain possessing a base which slowly rises to a peak which it supports- It is a graph which rises and falls through the ages; it is at the apex of its upward movement that the great are born-- while, at the same time, a broad mediocrity remains at the base by way of support. The small peak-measuring minority through whom evolution fulfils itself thereby continuing to evolve." This theme is distinct in one of his early poems, Futurity. Time is Eternity's womb-hole ensconcedly bearing Each man like a foetus information projected Warmed into ripeness conceived by some far evolution; Sealed grave-lids of eyes, strange image of funeral pathos, Rawness of limb awaiting the strength of a giant Moment of master-maturity, rounding of motive, Sidereal substance, stranger to dream and delirium.
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