Sushant Thapa

The poetry book Conscience’s Quantum, written in English by poet Rupsingh Bhandari of Nepal, begins with hope. The idea that words are alive sounds like devotion. The desire to develop poetic proximity with the greatest minds of the world is valued. The poet’s quantum is very large and it incorporates multi-dimensional aspects. Mt. Everest is asked to walk with the common people. Sentiments of common flat residents boil when they perceive Everest. The silent tower is used as a metaphor and Mt. Everest has also been personified. The poem titled “Mt. Everest” in this collection is a unique depiction of human weakness, only to be compared with the bold and mighty Everest. The quality of standing tall and the loneliness of Everest can teach a chapter to the commoners, they can elevate their life.

How families can be global is reflected in the poem titled “Family.” Bhandari is a poet of heavenly love and humanity.
“Everyone enters from the temple exists from the pub.”

I want to quote the above-mentioned line from the poem entitled “Society: Being an Evil Scripture.” This is a line that celebrates the decay of values in modern times. The poet sees a huge gap in tradition and society. Traditions have only been a neglect of the society when they should be going side by side with the society. The line is social as well as utterly poetic. This is a social awakening function not undermined by poetic eyes.

The poet is very clear to describe the function of poetry in his poem titled “Poetry: Telepathic alchemy.” There is a poem titled “Nepal” which again is a figurative attempt to raise consciousness. The county needs to be shaken from its slumber and poetry plays a huge role. “Memory” is also a subject of Mr Bhandari’s poem. This collection has theoretical poems as well as poems full of craft. Natural and humanly constructed imageries and figurative languages fill the depth of the poems.

“When a digital crow lays its eggs in scarecrow’s head, age chirps fearlessly hiding its password.” (Digital Dancer)
The above-mentioned lines show us the thin divide between the digital world and reality. Scarecrow is the imagery of sight. It is concerned with human labour or agricultural fields.
“I can’t stop the pain of rainfall
where the muddy lies roar and disappear.” (The Pleasure of Living in Lies)

The pain of rainfall is fate. It can be personal and yet commonly amplified pain affecting even the commoners and farmers. This line fits different situations, poetry can have layers of meanings. The title itself sounds oxymoronic—The Pleasure of Living in Lies. The poetic devices have been meticulously used in the poems. Imagination and universal elements are prevalent in Mr Bhandari’s poems.
“The mystery of success is a failure.” (What is the opportunity?)

The above-mentioned line defines both success and failure if we look at it closely. The poet urges us to get prepared and grab the opportunity.
Poet Rupsingh Bhandari uses metaphors to describe the pathetic situations in politics, and for him, politicians metamorphose into bloodsucker parasites after the election. The poem where he talks about politics is titled “Polluted Politics.” The poet is also a critic here, he does not place himself on the high pedestal and remains away from the public underpinnings which are related directly to the commoners. The poet uses the word “vermiform” for the politicians, which means “worm-like.” This is a good use of the word. In the poem, the poet talks about a “quantum leap” which according to him is a divine transformation from being a poet and changing to a political poet. This very task of being a political poet is very social.

We can know how the poet uses his wordplay by looking at the title of the poem “Fire’s Cream.” This title has good wordplay and is creative. The poet relates the fire’s cream with spiritual growth. Fire’s cream is different from normal cream, it burns and raves. Maybe the poet wants to walk on the hard path, which is not something related to physicality. He speaks not only for physical appendages but also conceptualises far beyond the bodily dimension.

In the poem titled “Creativity,” the poet says that one is a co-creator with the universe. This definition of creativity is very simple and yet powerful. It conveys a soothing message with an urge to mingle with the universe. The poet also says creativity is nature’s request. This line reads as a sort of conversation with nature and understanding what it says. We know that ultimately nature is supreme and it takes its course.

“The taste of honesty is salty: if it is drenched by sweats and tears.
Nothing measures it except truth.” (Honesty)
The above-mentioned lines speak clearly for themselves. The taste of honesty is not sweet, it can be salty, and being honest can still be worthy. Being honest is to accept the truth and not to cloak it with artificiality.

“I am imprisoned in you since your eyes arrested me.” (In love’s Prison)
We can see how the poet talks about being imprisoned in love. Rupsingh Bhandari is a poet of aesthetics and love. He also beautifies his verses with grace and ease. Apart from being a poet, Mr Bhandari is also a social worker who loves painting and also composes music. Above all, he loves to play with words as if they are alive. This collection of poems has beauty, truth, wisdom and after all conscience. The title of the book is correctly placed. We get a wide-ranging view of conscience from the microscopic to the macroscopic level. The poet can fill us with creativity and guide us through conscience. We do not lose the mindful ability of the poet to enlighten us. The whole anthology guides us from darkness to lightness, the insights of the poet is capturing. The poet washes his heart through poetry, he takes relief in his words. I placed Mr Rupsingh Bhandari as a poet of intellect. I wish him all the best in his literary life. May he continue to guide us with his mindfulness in the days to come. This anthology is worth reading.