Vihang Naik

Vihang Naik Poems

Vihang Naik Biography

Early Life and Education: Vihang A. Naik was born in Surat, South Gujarat on September 2,1969. He did his BA in English and Philosophy in the year 1993 and did an MA in English Literature and Indian Literature in translation in the year 1995, all from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. He received his primary education from Navrachana School, Vadodara. Career: After a collection of English poems, City Times and Other Poems (1993) , his collection of Gujarati poems, Jeevangeet, in 2001, dedicated to the cause of victims of the 2001 Gujarat earthquake was published by Navbharat Sahitya Mandir, Ahmedabad. After his publication of collection of English poetry, Making A Poem.; Indialog Publications from New Delhi brought out his English poetry collection Poetry Manifesto (New and Selected Poems) in 2010. He taught English for more that a decade in UGC recognized Colleges affiliated with Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University, North Gujarat, India. Bibliography: Books Poetry Manifesto: New and Selected Poems, (Poetry in English) New Delhi: Indialog Publications, India 2010. ISBN 81-8443-033-7 Making A Poem. (Poetry in English) . Mumbai: Allied Publishers, India 2004. ISBN 8177645846 Jeevangeet. (Poetry in Gujarati) . Ahmedabad / Mumbai: Navbharat Sahitya Mandir,2001. City Times and Other Poems (Poetry in English) . Kolkata: Writers Workshop, India 1993. ISBN 8171895662)

The Best Poem Of Vihang Naik

The Banyan City

To unearth the roots
of a banyan
is never easy.
Chop or hack. The old banyan
with the roots spread
over a century.

This aged city,
facing the withered glory,
now wrinkled, cracked,
weather-beaten,
with dim eyes,

has stood the time.
The heavy breath,

breathing. A river turns
into a gutter. There is humming
of vehicles. The city mumbles.

You grapple for meaning
in the traffic of noises.

The old banyan

is no more. You can no longer click
that tree at the crossroad, combing
the National Highway number eight
when you enter Vadodara.

The roots won't die.
You witness rebirth

in the mould of stone. A sculpted ghost.

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