Socio-Political Consciousness in K.B. Rai’s Poetry

Till now recent Indian poets in English have mostly ignored social issues in their poetry either because they do not consider social issues worthy of poetic treatment or they themselves are from a social class which was not directly affected by the problems of the masses. K. B. Rai, the modern Indo-English poet of much repute and recipient of several awards in India and abroad writes poetry of socio-political protest and does not approve of an ivory-tower of drawing room approach to Indian life and its dilemmas. He strongly believes in the participation of poetry in politics. For him, poetry is a form of resistance and protest against injustice to man, tyranny and cruelty on man. Politics too is another manifestation of human thought and imagination. O.P. Bhatnagar, himself a socio conscious poet writes: “Poetry must have active involvement with its times and its concerns.” (Future Directions:1983, 115).