“ They gather fame who freely give.

The greatest gain for all that live”.

            The couplet from Thirukural from the chapter ‘Pugazh’(Fame) stresses on the need to give. It illustrates the importance of giving and hold that without the act of giving life lacks incentive. In the contemporary scenario, corporates have undertaken philanthropic responsibilities. The concept of corporate social responsibility holds much significance and various corporate houses have indulged in various form of giving back to the society eg. E- Choupal by ITC etc. The provision has been codified under section 47 of the Companies Act 2013. The preachings of yester millennium have become todays legislations but the poet at that time were not even listened to let alone acknowledged.

             Poets are considered to be individuals out of their time for their farsighted lens on events and institutions. A plethora of poet have inculcated in their masterpieces, progressive vantage points of various issues. The legislations of today that the world community hold at the highest level have been previously addressed by poets in their works and were often unsung.

               Tracing the history of social reforms in India, one is sure to stumble upon the Bhakthi Movement, a progressive social reform movement heralded by poets like Basava through his vachanas, Kabir and Rahim through their Dohas couplets and many such reformers that discussed topics like equality, reforms against the caste system, developing a sense of fraternity etc. Fast forwarding to the Indian Polity of today we find that the constitution under Article 15, 17 etc  and other legislations like the Untouchability Act , Protection of civil rights act etc upholds the same topics such as equality, abolishing untouchability, sense of brotherhood etc as the basic tenets and as the objectives of the nation state.

               In the modern world led by ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity the status of women has witnessed a progressive stance. Today women have emancipated themselves from the crutches of the household and the chains of patriarchy. Women are given equal rights in all walks of life and society is witnessing a transition from age old traditions and conservative ideals to modern liberal way of life. Though considered to be a modern phenomenon, the seeds for women’s emancipation were sowed on a much earlier date by poets. History has also been a witness to women poets who strived for the development of women and advocated gender equality, abolition of sati, widow remarriage etc.

            Savitribai Phule took on the forces of caste and patriarchy forcefully during her time, and was a social reformer and educationist. She used the medium of poetry to spread awareness and her compilations are available as Kavya Phule. When on 25^th July 1856 the remarriage of the widow was made legal through Hindu Widows'' Remarriage Act, 1856, Phule couple toured from place to place to generate public support in its favour. Likewise, Savitribai and Jyotiba greatly condemned the infanticide. The Female Infanticide Prevention Act, 1870 was passed in British India, to prevent murder of female infants.

              Barathiyar in his ‘Puthumai Pen’ talks that women must tear down the so-called protective veils and work with valour and no fear and strive for equal opportunities on par with their male counterparts. Today governments across the globe have passed progressive legislations to remove the glass ceiling and usher in equality of genders in all walks of life. In the Indian context the Equal wages act has been passed and the constitution also directs the government under article 39 to uphold the same.

              The lyrics of Kaifi Azmi’s poem “Aurat” show a deep understanding of the social problems faced by a woman. He gives women a clarion call to rebel against society and its unjust traditions. The tireless efforts of such feminists through poetry as medium led to the enactment of “The Domestic Violence Act 2005” which was a major breakthrough for women’s rights in India. This law came with the promise to protect women from this sort of violence, and provide them with civil remedies, like right to residence, maintenance, custody, protection and compensation.

             “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way it treats its children” a quote by Nelson Mandela portrays the importance of children in a society as they are the future of said society. However today in certain instances are forced to indulge in child labour, the force being either concrete or abstract or both at times. Elizabeth Barrett’s The Cry of Working Children accurately depicts the crude reality of child labour and stresses on the need to annihilate the exploitative practice. Barrett like other poets went unacknowledged in her time. Today, child labour across the globe is a crime and the governments (Article 24 of the Indian constitution) alongside global institutions (i.e) International Labour Organization’s conventions 138 and 182 have made tireless efforts to eradicate the evil practice and provide opportunities for healthy development of children.

             The couplet “A king unguarded with reproving counsel Needs no foes to come to grief” from Thirukkural stresses the need for constructive criticism for a ruler to rule efficiently. This particular couplet in the modern democratic world illustrates the importance of the position of Leader of Opposition in the legislature and their role as a constructive critique of the government. The Leader of the Opposition is the parliamentary chairperson of the largest political party in their respective legislative chamber that is not in government and it received statutory recognition through the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977.

            In a similar fashion the events of the recent past such as the Nupur Sharma Case and all such instances of hate speeches alongside defamation raises an important question about the extent of expressional liberty and the power of words. Thiruvallur accurately capturing the impact that words can have has rightly said “The wound caused by fire will heal within, But not the scar left by the tongue” that literally means that the wounds inflicted by fire are easy to heal than those inflicted by the tongue. Today the law books of India have provisions such as Sec 499 and 500 of IPC to handle such instance but the analogy and word play used by the poet is sure a wonder that to its maximum captures the need for restraining the tongue.

             One of William Blake’s masterpieces “The Poison Tree” is a subtle comment on the impact of bottled-up wrath in relationships. Blake portrayed it in personal relationships but the crux of the poem is well suited even in the international arena. The global order is filled with distrust, cynicism, conflicts and contradiction insofar it led to outbreak of wars. Though the major reason is vested interests, the lack of communication of grievances also act on their part. Communication coupled with common ground is key to reduce conflicts and contradictions. In this path countries together have brought the Multilateral convention on Conciliation and Arbitration and various other conventions like Vienna convention 1961. The Indian policies of Panchasheel, Non-Alignment etc are focussed on the concepts mutual coexistence and cooperation. Poems are not to be understood in their immediate context only but also apply their crux to issues of similar order.

              One of the major issues that India faces with respect to her neighbours especially her northern ones is that of the border issues. Robert Frost’s ‘Mending Wall’ curated during the heights of US-Mexico border problems, hold that good fences make good neighbours and India must mend her walls to have cordial relations with her neighbours. India has fenced borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh and there are certain areas including the riverine ones which are not fenced. We have Border Security Force Act, 1968 to provide for the constitution and regulation of an Armed Force of the Union for ensuring the security of the borders of India and for matters connected therewith.

               Poems of the past have been the sources of ethics and philosophies. The Vedas, Dharma sutras etc are literary sources that are held at the paramount position when discussing the Indian Philosophies and Ethical perceptions. The Gita and alongside epics of Bharata and Ramayana entail in them some of the highest virtues mankind has witnessed.

           Poems have played a major role in sowing the seeds of nationalism of various occasions. Rabindranath Tagore is one such poet that cannot be left behind when the topics discussed are nationalism and poetry. The poem composed by him in 1911 was a key factor in mobilising the masses and welding them into a nation. The song later became the National Anthem of India post -independence. Tagore contributed not only to the freedom of India but also that of Bangladesh with his Amar Sonar Bangla and also inspired the Sri Lankan nationalism.

                In the modern world the day-by-day developments in sophisticated technology like the Artificial Intelligence grow and gain prominence, with it grows the fear regarding AI and its culmination to the Grey Goo Hypothesis. Rudyard Kipling in his ‘Secret of Machines’ personified machines and concludes that machines cannot replace human beings after all machines are the brainchild of humans. In the present context, the poem assuages the dread posted by rising technology.

               In the recent past an independent album titled ‘Enjoy Enjaami’ went viral in the southern parts of India. The lyrics were well crafted on the lines of environmental sustainability and development. The song also hints on the topic of One Health that gained traction in the post covid globe that has been inculcated in the policies of our nation viz Pilot project in Uttarkhand and also the One Health Joint Plan of Action.  

                An excerpt from the single titled ‘Enjoy Enjaami’ “Nan Anju Maram Valarthen Azhagana Thottam Vachchen Thottam Sezhithalum En Thonda Nanaiyalaye” (I planted five trees. Nurtured a beautiful garden. My garden is flourishing. Yet my throat remains dry.) This depicts the pathetic situation of a peasant. There is a long-standing demand on legalising Minimum Support Price. Legalising MSP would put the government under a legal obligation to buy every grain of the crops for which MSPs have been announced and help in quenching the dry throats.

             The lyrics “For men may come and men may go, But I go on for ever” penned by Alfred Tennyson in his poem ‘The Brook’ symbolises both the fleeting character of human existence and the eternal joy of nature. The concept of Sustainable Development celebrates such eternity of nature. Some important acts have been introduced in the Indian Legal system such as The National Green Tribunal Act 2010; The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981; The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974; The Environment Protection Act, 1986; The Hazardous Waste Management Regulations, etc. to preserve the pristine nature.

              The issue of LGBTQ rights is a hot debate across the world. Poet like Frank O Hara in ‘Homosexuality’ talks about the recognition of the gender spectrum rights and is widely criticized and praised for the same reason. This shows that poets are far ahead of time. In a historic verdict in 2018, Supreme Court of India read down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, that had criminalised homosexuality in India. “History owes an apology to LGBTQ community,” said Justice Indu Malhotra. Indian poet and queer activist Akhil Katyal beautifully articulates the same-sex desire through his poems. A lot more politico-legal measure is anticipated but the future is uncertain and only time will tell what is there in store.

                Shelley''s assertion that "poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world" is hence the clearest illustration of his belief that imaginative practice and political activism were inextricably intertwined. Poets are no doubt empathetic visionaries and act like pressure groups to provide policy inputs to the governments through their articulation abilities and opinion mobilising stings.  

              Voltaire penned that, “writing is the painting of the voice.” Painting an object a different color than what is considered the norm can allow the artist to express their individual views. Poets exactly do that to pave the way for a directed social change.