Book Review: Soothing Serenades:

Review of Bhaskaranand Jha Bhaskar’s Soothing Serenades: Straight from the heart

                     (A Collection of Love Poems)

Genre:  Poetry

Author: Bhaskaranand Jha Bhaskar

Year of Publication: 2018

Publisher: Authorspress

ISBN:  978-93-87281-59-2

Pages: 113  

Price:   INR 250/$12

Reviewer: Dr. K. Subapriya

Soothing Serenades: Straight from the heart is a deserving title as the poems of love has poured straight from the heart of the poet. All the poems brim with love encompassing various emotions. Despite terrorism, violence, intolerance still in this modern world no one could deny the fact that the very word ‘love’ has an enchanting effect. The first poem title “To Goddess of Love” resembles the Greek tradition of invoking the muse. The poem is addressed to the Goddess of Love where the concluding lines serve as an invitation to the Goddess of love “Replete the world with your resplendent grandeur”. This is a universal phenomenon and indeed it addresses the need of the hour in this struggle bounded modern world.

One could find various types of love like eternal love, silent love, burning love (Furnace of heart), secret love, and ocean of love and above all celebration of love in each and every poem. One could immerse himself/herself in love and only love. The poet had paid much attention to the various stages of love in his poems true to the words “I am a man of heart with my head nosed into love” (31) which he has aptly stated in the poem “I am”. Contradictory nature of love is well discussed in his poems. Love can make one restless and at the same time it can also act as a healer. It is both the killer and saviour. The poet’s immense definition of love establishes a notion regarding the infinity of love.

The poet surpasses in tickling the sense of readers. His figures of speech kindle the kinesthetic sense and aesthetic sense. The success of any poem lies in the feel of the readers and these poems have rightly achieved that feel. He has included the classics ideals like Thoreau’s idealism “Transcendentalism” in the poem “She”, T.S. Eliot’s notion of “holding past in the present” in the poem “Whenever I speak to her”, “Metaphysical” in the poem “Metaphysical Lovers”, and “Platonic” in “Platonic Love”. 

The book quenches the love of thirst for all the readers. The poem satiates the soul of the readers. Love is one of the grandeur things in the world and this collection has vividly re-presented it. Tempting poetic pearls are luscious. He is the man with sensibilities "Scribbling on the sands of time"…Breathing life turning screams into symphony .In camouflage flaming love's gets magnified... A scent of arousal with lust echoes chorus engulfed by the void. The poem written in free verse filled with images simply haunts the mind of readers. For ages the theme of ‘love’ has been handled by many people but through these 62 love poems, the poet has given treat appealing to mind, soul, body, sense and feel. The figurative elements at times add a visual treat. His collection of poems reiterates the fact that Love is innate, abstract /concrete, omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient. The book deserves reading and re-reading for various interpretations from different perspective

Dr. K. Subapriya

About Dr. K. Subapriya

Dr. K.  Subapriya completed her M. A., M.phil., PhD in regular from University of Madras. She is currently affiliated to Pachaiyappa’s College, Chennai as Assistant Professor. Her area of specialization is multi ethnic literature and Indian writing in English. She is interested in bilingual poetry writing, creative writing and translation. She serves as an editor for International journal like Indian Review of World Literature in English. Recently she has completed her PGCTE course in EFLU (Hyderabad).

Setu, April 2019