Sonal Singh On Sonal's Table
Book title – Mumblings and Musings
Genre – Poetry
Publisher – Petals Publishers Pages – 141 pages Language – English
Author – Anirban Bhattacharya
Available on – Amazon.in
Book link – https://www.amazon.in/Mumblings-Musings-Anirban-Bhattacharyya-ebook/dp/B09P1T7M54/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3LHMWJDKZS3J9&keywords=mumblings+and+musings&qid=1644033494&sprefix=mumblings+and+musing%2Caps%2C352&sr=8-1
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I have always believed that poetry is the language of the soul. It is an interpretative art form. What a poet intends as a message may not ultimately be what a reader takes away because each reader will have their own interpretation of the verses. Poetry is highly subjective and that’s why it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
Anirban Bhattacharya via his compilation of 44 poems echoes my thoughts. His book – Mumblings and Musings – published by petals publishers is a beautiful compilation of thought-provoking poems written in both blank verse and rhyme. The poems capture everyday life and people. They capture the essence of human interactions, emotions and the interplay of these as they overlap in the lives of people. Anirban takes us through a fascinating array of cities, the people on the street, the conversations and, objects of everyday and commonplace existence that we tend to overlook. He captures them all with a keen eye and an edgy intensity. His poems are not ‘Dawn and Dusk’ kind of verses. His poems are hard-hitting ‘Dust and Bones’ kind of reality and therein lies their beauty because they have the stark ability to jar you into observing their message. Anirban is ruthless in his examination of human emotions. He strips away the gaudier exterior surface of faux emotion that we humans hide under and exposes the raw edginess and insecurities. He lays bare the things that we prefer not to bring to the fore.
Anirban’s verses are complemented by stunning photographic visuals (both in colour and B&W) clicked by the poet and his childhood friend Asish Bakshi. These are images of life, real and unfiltered as it can be with all its pain, wrinkles and aches. The presentation of both together i.e., the images and the verses, acts as a visualization aid and brings the work alive for the reader.
Interspersed in the book are verses from some of my favourite poets which again have been used as a tool by the poet to deftly draw attention to the text that follows.
My favourite poems –
‘The madman on the street’ – This poem touched me deeply. This madman could be any man that we have seen uncountable times and yet, I daresay, that none of us have ever reflected upon his existence. Anirban flogs away the romanticism of life in this poem and brings us a piece of writing that is dusted with reality, albeit a reality that we prefer to ignore. This poem is a gritty, all bones-bared kind of narrative that delves deep into the twin psychology of a madman who lives on the streets and, the people whose world he lives in. The poem captures man’s descent into the abyss.
‘Letter from Home’ – This brought moisture to my eyes. This is a poem that will resonate with anyone who has lived away from home and known loss.
To quote a few of the verses that touched me the most:-
- Poem, ‘Is there time enough for me?’ – //is there time enough for the raindrops to freeze in mid-air and hang there in oblivion?//
- Poem, ‘Merging’ – //I shall not smell the rain, I will be the rain and I will be the breaking dawn. In nothingness shall I exist. I will be nothing, yet everything.// – Powerful!!
- Poem, ‘Dreams’ – //A face that haunts through the flimsy layers of your lingerie dreams// – Whimsical!
- Poem, ‘No Sanctuary’ – //No sanctuary here for people with broken lives…no sanctuary here even for the dead// – This one is absolutely brilliant.
- Poem, ‘Snippets of conversation IV’ – //erase the coldness from her lips, and light the fire in her eyes// – such depth!
- Poem, “images and shadows’ – //sunshine through curtain laces, shadows mirroring stammering faces, stuttering dreams and silver linings//
In this book Anirban has laid bare his soul. The poems flow freely, unrestricted by any rules of syllable, style, format or even meter. There is no attempt to write a sonnet or a ballad or confine emotions in pre-defined parameters of poetry. There is none of that in this book. What this book is is a volume of poetry that will force you to take pause in a few places and make you reflect on life and yourself.
So, pick this book up. Savour it bit by bit. Sit with the poems and let them sit with you for a while. You won’t be disappointed.
