With
the publication of Khamoshi di Awaz (The sound of silence) in 1998, Amar Jyoti
had arrived on the scene with eclat. Earlier her collections of poems, such as
Maruthal vich turde pair (1985), Mainu Sita na kaho (1998).and Daropadi ton
Durga Takk (1990), had made their mark in no uncertain terms. In 1990, she left
Chandigarh, where she had been editing Pankharian, a Punjabi monthly for
children, for Amsterdam (Netherlands) as a broadcaster over Radio Voice of Asia.
In 1994 she switched over to Radio Indian Times to present programmes regarding
Indian literature and culture. She pays occasional visits to the land of her
birth so as to be in touch with the soil that nourished her poetic faculties in
days of yore.Her poems are the voice of the woman of today who is eager to put her signatures on the sands of time. She is ever in quest of the meanings of her life and the role she is destined to play in this world. Like Sassi, the legendary herione of a folk romance, she is walking bare-footed on the parched sand. In Punnu, of course, she can find the ultimate fulfilment of her desires. She has covered a long distance and it is well-nigh impossible for her to bear the pangs of separation any more-
It is difficult for me to drink
the poison of the blisters of my feet
that are always roving in the desert of my mind. Amar Jyoti is conscious of the fact that woman always gets lost in the labyrinths of relationships but she has no identity of her own. In her parental home, she is paraya dhan (Another person's property), whereas in the house of her in-laws she is begaani dhi (Someone else's daughther). As a result she regards herself as a rootless person, without any permanen address. In the poem Swaal binajawaab (A question without an answer), the poetess says-
He asked me my home address
I replied, What do I know ?
He asked if I were a gypsy.
'No' I replied again.
'In exile ?'
'No',
'Banished ?'
'No'.
'Who are you then ?'
'A woman, merely.'
This feeling of rootlessness is further enhanced in an alien land. The language one speaks, the dress one wears and the food one cooks appear incongruous in exotic surroundings. At such places the pain of being a woman becomes even more acute because she is viewed there as a curio. Strange inquisitive looks peruse her face and she recoils more into the shell of her misery. She has a bitter realisation that in her own country, she was considered at least the property of someone, whereas in a foreign country, she is regarded as the property of no one. In the poem, Be-watan (In exile), she expresses the sentiments of this sort--
You cannot open your lips
You cannot shout aloud
You cannot rollick in the street
You cannot enjoy a hearty laugh
The meanings of a guffaw
have been lost even to us
How can our children know about it ? In the course of her musings about the fate of womankind in the past ages, Amar Jyoti dwells deeply on the plight of Sassi whose footprints, she feels, have been imprinted on the surface of her mind. Then she is reminded of Daropadi who was insulted in an open court by the unthinking people. She was the victim of rapacity and lustfulness. A mere body, devoid of a soul or a mind. Would that Daropadi had assumed the form of the goddess Durga and avenged the wrong-doings meted out to her. In the poem Mannat (A Wish), the poetess says-
Mypen wants the earth
spared of more ravages
at the hands of its masters.
On its part
the earth should desist from playing
the role of Daropadi
and reincarnate itself
into Durga
Amar Jyoti is not a sentimental poet, nor is she the victim of the phobia of male chauvinism. She is down to earth in her approach to the life of love and the love of life. She is the one whose innocent dreams have been shattered on the anvil of bitter experiences. Her longings for leading a life of her liking are not the outcome of narcissism. Rather, she wants to share the joys of life with men on equal footing. Indeed her refined sensibilities can weave a palpable design when she is face to face with the image of true love-
You have entered my life
in such a manner
as has enwrapped me
in the cloak of
silken feelings.
She is deeply immersed in folklore, apart from having interest in Indian mythology. Such an awareness of legendary and mythical personages gives a classical touch to the poetical rendering of her intimate feelings. In a forthright manner, she demands of Bulhe Shah the gifts of sincere feelings and honest living-
O' Bulhe Shah!
You scoffed at the shams of your age.
Now teach us to live
With dignity and honour.