Sweta Das, a poet from Goalpara, Assam, won Season 1 of The Poetic Land Competition with a poetic vision that addresses real life without ornamentation.
The work of Sweta Das is based on existential awareness; she feels guilt, silence, and emotional suffocation, yet her writing does not shy away from directly looking at the world—and especially at the modern-day existential crisis that is quietly defining human existence in contemporary culture. Das’s winning poem, “Guilt,” makes this starkly evident.
As the lines
“The aroma of guilt, / The sounds of sighs”
transfer a theoretical feeling into the physicality of the senses, guilt is presented not as a concept, but rather, actually is something that one breathes as if it were part of the air.
The phrase she wrote in her poem –
“The noise of the graveyard
It’s so quiet that nobody stays.”
It is compelling because it reflects how modern life is characterized by the existence of silence and a lack of peace. The silence that surrounds people today does not bring them healing but rather perpetuates their isolation from one another. Sweta’s poem suggests that, as people living in this time of silence, we are also surrounded by unresolved feelings of suffering and pain.
The final line of the poem contains an extremely simple phrase, but it has great power and impact. It highlights the idea that emotional trauma repeats itself and causes exhaustion for those experiencing it. It shows that language cannot convey everything we are feeling when we are experiencing this type of suffering. The work of Sweta Das, therefore, demonstrates that although it is not enough for us to cry, crying alone does not cure an individual’s emotional suffering when that individual lives in a culture that does not allow room for honesty and truth.
TPL proudly celebrates Sweta Das as the Season 1 Winner, honoring her exceptional poetic talent and unwavering honesty in vision and values. Her poetry demonstrates what TPL stands for—poetry that speaks quietly and honestly.