Dina Nath Nadim (1916-88)
With Dina Nath Nadim’s poetry, a new phase was introduced in Kashmiri literature. Dina Nath was born in Srinagar. He received his B.A. degree in 1943 and obtained his B.T. degree in 1947. For several years he taught at the Hindu High School. After independence, he was appointed Assistant Director of Social Education. Nadim introduced various poetic styles into Kashmiri.
He was the first Kashmiri poet to write in ‘blank verse.’ He used the Kashmiri language with great grace and craftsmanship. He depicted the beauty, the poverty and the plight of Kashmir in his poetry.
Nadim has also composed poetry in folk style. In 1971, He received the Soviet Land Nehru award (1971) and the Sahitya Akademi award (1986) for his book, Shihil Kul (poetry). He travelled to Russia, China, and other countries and was greatly influenced by communism and by progressive writers.
Nadim also wrote the first opera in the Kashmiri language, entitled, Bombir ti Yembirzal (The Bumblebee and the Narcissus). Dina Nath Nadim has greatly influenced Kashmiri poets. Nadim’s dexterity in stylistic innovation and the freshness of his themes helped him to acquire that stature. He seems lo use words playfully, with intriguing combinations and creative effects in a seemingly effortless display of craftsmanship. One is left wondering, “why could not I think of that”. Not many of Nadim’s contemporaries could think of comparable devices, which explains why as his contemporary Lone says, they “were not only influenced by Nadim, but also inspired to write in his vein. Some of them went to the extent of copying his style while some adopted his themes in their poems.”
The secret of Nadim’s art seems to lie in his intuition for an effortless use of a highly appropriate vocabulary, a keen ear for the sound and rhythm of his native language, and, above all, an artist’s instinct for combining all his formal apparatus in fresh imagery. Nadim passed through many stages, and at each stage he engaged in distinct thematic and stylistic experiments. As Braj B. Kachru observes, “That process still continues; so does the Nadim Era.”
