Friday, October 21, 2011

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 



Thursday, October 20, 2011

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