Book Review: Easterlies

Author: Sonnet Mondal

Format: Paperback 

Language: English 

Pages: 245

Price: Rs. 350

Publishers: Cyberwit.net

ISBN Number: 978-81-8253-245-8

about the book:

If you are to put the best composition of a man, a poet by his very name- you are likely to feel the flavour of the seasons brushing across your face. Easterlies, is thus rightly titled, as it is worthy to be called a bouquet of verses- some of it might have been published earlier and some perhaps had till now stayed in hurried notebooks of a man of many wonders. Sensibility and practical observations fuse together as you pour through the pages. To begin with I liked the style of getting a new poem to read from a fresh page. Sonnet Mondal is pragmatically drawing parallels between the illusive mind and the one his vision captures with the passing days. Therefore to understand what lies in between his measured words- you need a fresh mind and inner peace- something you will be able to get only when you see a tale ending at the bottom of a page and giving way to the new one from the fresh. 

Ashes won’t claim Honour- and rightly said so; it is your deeds and your smile, more so laughter, to build up that pyre on which you are rested. The poet seem to speak in favour of the ashes-

“They even need air,

To fly and yet

Fly so irrelevantly’.

A sense of helplessness echoes through much of the volume of verses I have in my hand. For instance, the lines from the poem- “Howling Night”-

“My limbs tied up with

Moving ropes over the pulley of life”-

It informs you that you can do hardly anything to the course you are set since the day of your birth. Similarly- the poem in the adjacent page- “Blacksmith and his diamonds” is tinged with magic realism. Never so poignant pleasure in creation has got protected in very few words as this: “He smiles/ his toil vanishes!”- it is as if the plight of hard labour gets a new meaning in the revelation of a treasure that the finder can’t even keep for long. (Reminds me of the argument- “God lies not outside, but inside our very soul”.) Those diamonds would adorn the illiterates- and the seeker is least bothered about it – to his the initial thrill is enough to surplus the material gains. “The lamenting soldier” on the other hand, is ached out of pathos of a soldier who is yet to forget the true meaning of humanism.

Easterlies give you a brazen look of life but with words to weave a mystic coat over the harshness it keeps referring to from time to time. It is a face within a face or an Escher mirage with stairs pouring in and out of the house of mind.

about the author:  

Born and brought up at the industrial city of Asansol of West Bengal in India Sonnet’s childhood was marked by visiting several places with his parents. His father Mr. Kajal Mondal is a banker and mother Mrs. Sima Mondal is a housewife. His schooling was carried out at the St. Michael’s school, Durgapur till class ten and he completed class eleven and twelve from the Hemsheela Model school of Durgapur in India. However he used to pass his holidays in his maternal house in a village named Jahidpur. Jahidpur is a village surrounded by dense ‘Sal’ forests on all sides segregating it from the busy city life and pollution. The green flora and fauna, the dense forests and wide spreading fields of paddy and rice in Jahidpur were surely some inspirations that later got reflected in his poems. He also passed much of his initial days of childhood in the coal belt area of Sripur and destiny later turned him towards Mining engineering. He was never too fascinated by his poetic name and took least interest in the genre of poetry. further details:http://www.cyberwit.net/publications/315

Book Review: The Dancing Leaves Create Music Dust is Blowing...

Author: Mousumi Roy
Format: Hardback 
Language: English 
Pages: 65
Price: Rs. 200
Publishers: Cyberwit.net
ISBN Number: 978-81-8253-238-0












about the book:

When I took Dancing Leaves Create Music Dust is Blowing...in my hands- I felt like a desert breeze flowing through my crazy traces... And was strangely reminded of Keki Daruwalla's "Love across the salt Desert". As I flipped through the pages, I found stalwarts of literature whispering into my ears- “go on! She has treasures buried under the sand.”

Mousumi or rather- I would call her sand maiden from distant shores herself murmured,” Enjoy the present”-It felt soothing to know

‘’wanted to give you

 A sky with

Full of stars...”

-is this the way we should always commensurate our relationships. Perhaps, yes- you should quieten down your worried soul to listen to –

“...The song of cicadas/

 And thrushes...”

With Libya beckoning a new dawn-her “Future Image” gathers small snippets of how a race had issued as an undercurrent to a sombre society- as if within its gurgling belly you could hear the war cry reverberating-the words cataclysmic shudder- is most threatening creation so far. Hold on, you don’t really need to look far trying to fit your social milieu into the womb of a mother- just look deep- Roy would help you see

 “In all caves of desires/

And possession...”

-that’s-“Life’s Unjust” according to her.

Incredulity of an age lost in the struggles of the human mind both within and without- Roy tries to speak nothing euphoric- she simply states- what she feels she simply has too. Like the rugged terrains or the merciless deserts, like the perilous thick groves and the dense outgrowth- it’s all a mirage from pure poetry to poetic prose- wielding its way through the kaleidoscopic visions of free verse. Oscillating in stoic imagery- least will you wish to get rid of “confusion”- as you take a stroll down the “Mountain Roads”- you meet with your fragile identity-or is it the mountain herself calling out to you through the lines:

“Seeking solace

Quiet and silence

Distress in tears

Rested together...”

Something comes in between weaving on the remnants of your dismantled memories – enclosing it in the cast of-

“a cycle of

Unalterable seasons...”

Like a frolicking maiden, Mosumi Roy seems to follow her maiden muse through the worlds of knowing shadows- opening her “visual acoustic world” in front of our eyes, reminding us about “

“Mother’s mind and Women’s Mind

She vowed that never to forget

That again..”

I have been so long talking about phrases from her book The Dancing Leaves Create Music Dust is Blowing...simply because until you understand the way to pronounce the letters properly you fail to read the words perfectly- the poetess in question is too deep to give away her fleeting thoughts- to know her mind- you will have know her words.

about the author:

Born in Kolkata, Mousumi Roy, lived mostly in Kolkata. She is presently living in Muscat, Middle East. She is an ardent lover of poetry and literature. Her Poems already published in Brown Critic, South African Journal and other international Journals including in Middle East. Her Articles had been also published in Journals in India and in Gulf Region.




further details:


http://www.cyberwit.net/publications/306 

Book Review: A Bowlful of Butterflies

Author: Ritu Lalit

Format: Word

Language: English

Pages: 210

Price: Rs.195

Publishers: Rupa & Co.

ISBN Number:978-81-291-1845-5

About the book:

Having read Ishaan’s book the Bracelet and Ritu’s blogs- I felt I knew what to expect from the mother’s latest writing endevour-and when I finally started through the pages of A Bowlful of Butterflies-I had to chew my own words with a smirk on my face- “expect the unexpected”.
 
If you let loose Emma in the criss-crossing lanes of  NCR region you will bump into Chadni and her dangerous youthful two compatriots, Soma the ever dreamer and Amrit- the show stopper. But Chadni is not match maker- neither is Emma accidentally kissing her cousin!

It is just A Bowlful of Butterflies- quit thinking or even rhyming socialites. For Vicky, Vinni and Jogi are not three musketeers- they are brothers. And one of them parent is running away from a extremely suspicious wife- in to the arms of a lady by her own rights. But why is Vicky running into the arms of the music teacher of the locality every night? And how does Sarita tolerate the vicious gossip monger-sucking out unpleasant news from her and driving her to the brim of insanity.- Ritu states it right enough- growing up is fun with all its ecstasy and dangerous bends- with it's self analysis, complexities and living up to one’s dream. If it just got teens giggling from its pages- you are sure to get crushes and infatuations following. Expect some heartbreak and poetry running haywire as a result. Ritu’s Butterflies speak out from the leaves and dance about you as you proceed with the story. A brother leaves and another is suddenly questioning his dignity- beating away unworthy rogues and making a hell cry- each and every time he is held responsible. Boys take up solitude in some nonchalant gulps of stolen whiskey- when a girl has the sense to keep her calm (sorry- my favorite part- though- I fell for Vinni nevertheless).

A bowlful of Butterflies reminds me of all aspects of modern life- dished out to me is a bone china dish- with exotic salads spread over lavishly. If the story got published in an episodic manner in some distant magazine or weekly- I would have been thoroughly disappointed- since waiting to know what happens next would be intolerable. Simply because I could connect to the part of career choice dilemma- even with the peer jealousy and even with the way a mother would react to unforeseen circumstances unveiling in front of her- the story remains with me even when I close the book.  Thus each time the violin looks at me- I know- it is not Vikram Seth’s “An Equal Music”- but a teenager standing at the threshold of adulthood- playing out the deepest moods of her life in some starry night- with only the bow keeping her company.

About the author:

(quoting the author herself)

·          I am a single parent, office worker, blogger and author. My debut book A Bowlful of Butterflies is now available at bookstores around the country. I live in Faridabad, with my two sons, a daughter in law, three dogs a turtle and thirty fishes.  My second book, a fantasy fiction called HILAWI is being published by Prakash Publications.  I am currently working on my third book, dealing with women empowerment.  It is a political thriller full of intrigue and sleaze.

further details:

·         Bowlful of Butterflies Page

·         Blog : www.phoenixritu.com

Book Review: Dear, I Hate You

Author: Nitya Prakash

Format:Paperback & Hardbound 

Language: English 

Pages: 152

Price: 200

Publishers:Power Publishers, Kolkata 

ISBN Number: 978-93-81205-31-0

About the book:

A book that’s going to be a bestseller: seems to have vengeance and pathos etched out of the very heart that was once docile and innocent to the cunning ways of the world- the running praises of the book, and even my pixie ears told to give it a try. Time to time chat with the author- Nitya Prakash and the stunning cover made me do something only reserved for more dearie books. Yes! The trotter carried the book along with her, tucked safely in her backpack. Each time the co passenger dared to peep- I grew super possessive of Nitin, then of Toolika and then of Shenyl and Divya. Kicking off my addiction to bound papers (read books)- lets plunge into Nitin’s life and predicament- for every tear has a story to tell.

First of all the commoner lines. The story starts with an accident of a young man- and there is also a lady looming around- keeping me guessing- will there be chemistry between the two. I tell my athletic brain, “dude! halt- it’s got to be flashback!” and yes my voice was right. Dear, I hate you- is a story of a man craving inwardly for love and like most of his fellow “men” is confused when his heart wins over his senses. The “tin yaari “/ the three musketeers- Kabir, Manav and our Nitin seem to be tied from their days spent in cradles. And the ties thin out only when schools days bid them melancholic farewell. Life takes a full swing when Nitin encounters with his college life and becomes a soft victim of ragging. But is Dear I hate You about student abuse? No! it’s about a journey of a boy growing into a man- winning hearts, accolades and committing the mistake of not telling a white lie to his childhood crush. A death marks a black hole in his fate-making me thinking- stories of our lives or most original than the fiction we urge to pen down.

Nitya keeps telling me- Dear I hate you is based on real incidents. So there was one Toolika who loved one Nitin perhaps like Eustacia Vye- and also a friendly Shenyl  and a Divya—Keeping questions unanswered for readers to judge. Honestly Nitin, seems quite an emotional being- man of the world- not a playboy- but a playful boy- who grew up only when life was too eager to write down his ending chapters.

About The author:

Nitya Prakash is a versatile personality - a writer, a banker, a management expert, an investment consultant, corporate trainer, software engineer, motivational speaker, media man, columnist all rolled in one. He is the author of the much-hyped romantic novel ‘Dear, I Hate You'. He was born and brought up in the city of nawabs – Lucknow, UP (India). He did his computer graduation from Lucknow University followed by an Executive Services Management Programme from K.J.Somaiya, Mumbai and a Post Graduate Diploma in Banking Management from ICICI Manipal Academy, Bangalore. He has been an all-rounder. He is NSDL and AMFI certified, which enables him to work as an investment consultant. He had been the Chief Editor of “Chrysalis” Magazine - ICICI Manipal Academy. He is a ferocious reader and prolific writer and has been regular in writing many youth awakening articles in The Times of India and many other reputed magazines. He has co-authored two International Research Publications and presented many research papers at International Conferences. He has worked as an ‘International Trade Manager’ at ICICI Bank and also as a ‘Program Officer’ at MicroSave India. He is presently on the trail of his next novel “R.I.P.- Rest in Peace”. Apart from that he is also writing the screenplays for few major production houses in India and abroad. To pay his bills he works as an independent trainer and counselor in the management sector in India and also as a columnist with NewsLaundry.com . He can be contacted at prakashnitya@ymail.com


Further Details:


website: NityaPrakash.com
Fb page: dearihateyou