The Aftermath

Jasbir Kaur was deeply affected by the scale of human tragedy that manifested itself in the communal riots of 1984 and Gujarat. These riots and the deep scars they left behind along with the perpetual oppression of women are themes that recur in her poetry. Her poetry exposes the double standards and pseudo cultural values of our society, particularly towards women and her poems reflect her anguish for the hapless victims of such a society. She says, "As far as my poetry goes, it is a combination of my self, dreams and reality. The sense of self has been deeply marked by my destiny as a woman and a girl. The sense of self as a woman and girl is overshadowed by social taboos. All my poems could be seen as being dedicated to dreams and reality but they also address the noise and darkness, the sense of loss, alienation and rudderlessness. Most of the poems in this book date back to 1984-1988; however some of them are about the Gujarat riots and other subjects which continue to be relevant even today.