What is a poet? As Soren Kirkegaard puts it, a poet is nothing but “an unhappy person who conceals profound anguish in his heart but whose lips are so formed that as sighs and cries pass over them they sound like beautiful music.” This is very much true for Mr. Amitava Chaudhuri who is a Mechanical engineer by profession and works for Indian Railways.
In his third book Bliss of Dark Solitude, which is an anthology of poetry, Mr. Chaudhuri has made a great attempt to portray various aspects of life as he creates magic with his profound knowledge regarding life. Being a Mechanical Engineer and an employee of the Indian Railways, the poet has always had the privilege to come across people from different strata of the society. And that has been clearly reflected in his book of poetry. What he has done is quite incredible. He has gathered knowledge from different sources and has woven that beautifully with spontaneous flow of emotions. And poetry is at its best when an emotion has found its thought and that thought has found words.
As I have gone through the book I could realize a perfect conglomeration of various emotions. There have been moments of remorse, there have been heartbreaks, there are joyous moments and at times rebellious instincts take the forefront. The ambitious nature of the poet also becomes clear when he says in the poem ‘Wild Ambition’ – “I shall try,/ The Path may be tough,/ The seas roaring rough./ But I shall try…” The poet has managed to strike an excellent balance between all such strong feelings of human mind. And here lies the great attraction of this anthology. Poems like ‘The Farmer’s Fate’, ‘The Lonely path’, ‘A Soft touch’ and few others really catch the imagination of the reader by virtue of the titles itself.
Darkness frightens us. So does solitude. However, it is this unique combination of darkness and solitude on which this book of poetry tries to put light on. And Mr. Amitava Chaudhuri has done wonders. He gives us an opportunity to peek into our own heart- a land where most of us have never tried to explore. This aspect of this book makes it worth reading, especially in an age when we seldom try to listen to ourselves.
Also the simple style of writing and the rhyming pattern makes it easier for the readers to connect to what the poet is trying to convey. And hence I strongly recommend this anthology of poetry to all those who have a passion for poetry- who still care for the things that make our life beautiful amidst this crazy, chaotic, frenzied world. Because “poetry is not only dream and vision; it is the skeleton architecture of our lives. It lays the foundations for a future of change, a bridge across our fears of what has never been before,” (Audre Lorde).
Book Details:
| Author: | Amitava Chaudhuri | ||
| Publisher: | Authorspress | Year of Publishing: | 2015 |
| ISBN-13: | 9789352070794 | ISBN-10: | 9352070798 |
| Cover: | Paperback | No. of Pages: | 60 |
| MRP: | Rs 195 | Buy From: | Flipkart.com Amazon.in  |
My Verdict
3.5
Darkness frightens us. So does solitude. However, it is this unique combination of darkness and solitude on which this book of poetry tries to put light on. And Mr. Amitava Chaudhuri has done wonders.
