Parents salute martyr son through poems and pottery

Bhopal, Oct 9: One of the myriad emotions in late Jitendra Kumar Sharma's poems, painstakingly painted on eye-catching glazed ceramic pots by his aged wife Nirmala, is the boundless affection of a father for his only son who made the supreme sacrifice in the war against terror as an officer of the Indian Army.

In 'Phoolon Ki Ghati', Mr Sharma -- who taught English and retired as Kendriya Vidyalaya principal in Hoshangabad -- wrote about the sheer excitement of journeying in the lap of nature with his son Shaheed Captain Devashish Sharma, Kirti Chakra posthumous).

'Chhota Sa Haath', penned way back in 1972, contains vivid references to his son's childhood.

As per the Headquarters, 8 Mountain Division, on December 10, 1994, the Army Medical Corps officer ''rendered medical aid under intense fire from terrorists'' to wounded personnel of 26 Punjab while the battalion was carrying out a cordon and search operation in Kashmir's Dangarpur village.

Despite being fatally wounded, Capt Sharma shot a fleeing militant and continued to render medical aid to the soldiers.

Selected poems will be recited at a two-day exhibition, of about two dozen painted pots, beginning at the Alliance Francaise, Bhopal, on October 15.

''My husband passed away on May 16 this year and my effort is a tribute,'' Ms Sharma, who taught Economics at kendriya vidyalayas, told UNI at her local residence where she has a well-equipped workshop for creating her pots, which have been exhibited on several occasions.

The ceramic is heated to a whopping 1,280 degrees Celsius in a 2 feet X 2 X 2 furnace assembled by ceramics artists Manna, from the city-based Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, and Mukesh Prajapati prior to Ms Sharma's exhibition at Mumbai's Jehangir Art Gallery in 2001. ''The furnace's interior is layered with glass wool for insulation,'' Ms Sharma explains.

Mr Sharma also served as the principal of the Kendriya Vidyalaya at Meenambakkam in Chennai. Since 1986, the family began living at the Shahpura house here.

''He started writing in his youth and also penned novels and short stories. Besides, Sharmaji was interested in theatre and associated with the Rajiv Verma group for a while,'' Ms Sharma reminisces.

Her husband had four published poetry collections, two short-story collections and three novels to his credit.

''The poems are in 'Ispat Nagri', 'Aaine Mein Chehra', 'Aise Bhi Toh Sambhav Hai Mrityu' and 'Rath Jaga'. The last was brought out by his close friend and eminent poet Ashok Vajpeyi,'' says Ms Sharma.

The novels, for which Mr Sharma received the Muktibodh Fellowship, are 'Aurat Mard' -- centering on his wife and himself -- 'Nirvastra', on the mistakes the author made in his life, and 'Nirshranstha' about how a person can be strong and cruel. The short-story collections are 'Wahin Se Katha' and 'Meray Shahar Ke Ghode'.

Mr Sharma's feelings are reflected in the lines 'Maine kavya rachna ko sukh ka sadhan samjha tha...

Hriday ke chitde huey tukro ko jab maine kavya-sa sanjoya Mujhe laga Pahin lia hai maine apna hi hriday aasteen par' (I had understood that composing poetry was a medium of joy But when I arranged the shreds of my broken heart I felt As if I was showing my feelings openly)

UNI