Reviewed by: Hema
Ravi
About the poet: Nandita Samanta
is a poet, short story writer, reviewer, editor, artist, and translator. She
freelances as a parenting and relationship advisor and colour therapist. Her
writings, published in many anthologies, webzines, and journals, are highly
appreciated, and many have been translated into different languages. She has
three poetry collections and four books of translations to her credit. She has
also done cover page illustrations for many books and magazines.
WHEN
ART & POETRY UNITE…
Chicken or egg? My
first thought when I skimmed through ‘Bobbling Inner Bubbles’ – What came first, the painting or the poem? Just
as a circle has “no beginning,” when unleashed, creativity leaps
beyond the boundaries of time and space.
Ekphrastic poems with
their Greek origins meaning “description;” offer vivid descriptions of works of art, at
times a scene, which can go hand in hand or bring along conflicting “disdain;”
and not surprising when a verse leaves its mark on the piece of art. What
originally was the transformation of the visual into the verbal, later gained
popularity to convey deeper meanings, feelings, and more… Haiga- the
traditional Japanese art/poetry is another genre, where the integration of
pictures and poems brings along a plethora of invigorating feelings.
Nandita Samanta –
artist-poet, wields the brush and the
pen with equal dexterity, and effortlessly brings along the multi-dimensional
hues with a subtle message that power lies within, one has to express it
without holding back! The forty-two poems in this collection with an
equal number of exquisite paintings – concrete and abstract offer multi-sensory
experiences as one navigates through them, lounging on a float.
The poet’s ‘Observation’
aka preface is inspiring and motivating: ‘Accepting the challenges adds
experiences that keep refining and redefining you…’ (p. 6) Redefining oneself,
without going off script, is a challenging and remains a determined choice. Without staying ‘silent,’ there is a definite
need for the bobbles to “evolve into bubbles,” for newness, excitement, and
purpose in life without remaining in the rut.
About Home (p.11), poet Nandita remarks:
‘There
are rooms within the rooms, and empty spaces
crowded
with rattling thoughts…’ (p.11)
By juxtaposing the
‘empty spaces’ and the ‘rattling thoughts,’ powerful imagery is conceived. At
the end of the poem,
‘We
come back to find a peaceful refuge under the same
Roof
–’ (p. 11)
Such juxtaposition
suggestively reveals multi-layered sensibilities, which are much deeper than
what they seem to be on the surface. Again, the contrasts and comparisons add depth
and intensity to the writing.
‘The
muslin-fine, red sunbeam, like an omen
drops
at the horizon, rising again the following morning.’ (p. 23)
‘I Walk Within Me’
(p. 29) with prevailing imagery - ‘lonely streets within,’ ‘unending moments
between,’ ‘ afterthoughts,’ ‘bygone time,’ accentuates that time is an “illusory
concept.” While linear time in the physical realm implies moving from the past
into the future, non-linear time helps to travel back and forth and view the
past, present, and future simultaneously.
The line ‘Time is
a true follower of an adamant soul,’(p. 29)
bears semblance to the famous lines: “Time is the king of all
men, he is their parent and their grave and gives them what he will and not
what they crave.” Rather than focusing
or being fixated on results, one has to enjoy the journey in the rapidly
flowing river with endurance, tolerance, and compliance is the profound message
here.
Yet
again, there is reference to time in ‘Borrowed Time.’ (p. 39)
‘The
tongue of time will savour every second I’ll be alive.’
Understandably! Words have the power to create
or destroy and the blatant truth is revealed in the most distressing of
situations. The Caveat - we are all living
on borrowed time, let’s make the best use of it with good tongues!
The morning cuppa!
Nandita’s painting portraying steam emerging from the coffee cup and the accompanying
poem titled ‘A cup of Coffee’ would appeal to all classes of readers. In another poem titled: ‘Evenfall Comes With
A New Promise,’ there’s mention of tea as ‘a fresh taste of a morning brew.’
(p. 37)
‘A
cup of coffee is essentially needed between the broken
days. For me
one
cup after the other has lifted a sun at the horizon…’(p. 43)
Tea and coffee are
not merely beverages, they are an integral part of the Indian society, with
deeply embedded cultural practices and preferences about the ‘filter coffee,’
and ‘chai.’
I often wonder
when beverages clash, is there a way to find out which is better?
Only coffee
addicts and tea lovers would be able to offer the right answers!
The moon, viewed
as a “friend for the lonesome to talk to,” evokes feelings of enchantment and
surrealism. The lines in ‘Desire’ (p. 51) are bound to evoke the sensitivity
from within.
‘…It
is a witness to all the victims of the night,
Its
gentle beams embalms the scars on the skin.’ (p. 51)
In the words of
the Buddha, three things that cannot be hidden are: “the sun the moon, and the
truth.” Likewise, the bonding of
grandchildren and grandparents cannot be hidden or ignored; it is but a
veritable treasure – a WIN-WIN relationship! Grandmoms can prove to be the catalysts
in augmenting the holistic growth of children by passing on familial
traditions, stories, recipes, values and more; needless to mention such empathetic
interactions contribute greatly to the cognitive development of children.
Nandita Samanta, is
a practicing parenting and relationship advisor by profession. I believe she has basked in grandma’s love; learned
much about the vicissitudes of life.
In ‘Grandma and
Me’ (p.82)
‘…gave
me other things too,
Veins
bursting with deep blue
Stories
of suffering in such simple words.’ (p. 82)
This verse evokes
joy and sorrow as it talks about the life of a resilient woman – ‘running a
family of seven!’
Joyous and
sorrowful events, strained and healthy relationships – human thoughts and
interactions leave behind several “bobbles,” which are not easily expressible,
more so by women, as the poet points out….although I believe it includes the
other gender as well.
Despite education,
women continue to live in homes and
society in ‘denial,’ - not feeling empowered enough to advocate for their
emotional rights… Home-Work-Home…Dinner, House, Kids et al… Repeat! Repeat day after day. In Nandita’s
words:
‘Sometimes,
living in denial holds
happiness
in its tightest grip…’ (p. 13)
The parting note: “Don’t let the bobbles of the mind hold you back” (p. 6) - a positive message to any soul waylaid by doubts and apprehensions….
Discover the world of art and poesy…redefine yourself…
About the Reviewer:
Hema Ravi is a poet, author, reviewer, editor (Efflorescence), and independent researcher. Her poems, short stories, travelogues, and articles have been featured in reputed international online and print journals, a few of them have won prizes. She is the author of ‘Joie De Vivre,’ ‘The Cuckoo Sings Again,’‘Everyday English,’ ‘Write Right Handwriting Series 1,2,3,’ co-author of Sing Along Indian Rhymes’ and ‘Everyday Hindi.’ As the Secretary of the Chennai Poets’ Circle, she empowers aspiring poets to unleash their creative potential efficiently.
A superb review of an apparently superior book by an excellent reviewer who always goes deep into the nuances of the poems! Well done my dear friends, Poet Nandita Samanta and Reviewer Hema Ravi!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by..
ReplyDeleteThank for the appreciation, it motivates me to review more......
ReplyDelete