Book Review of ‘BOBBLING INNER BUBBLES’ Poems & Paintings

BOBBLING INNER BUBBLES

Nandita Samanta

ISBN 978-93-6095-106-1

Price: INR 295/$ 25

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.

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Setu, April 2025