‘Sunset in a cup’ by Santosh Bakaya is not just a collection of verse, it is an experience. It is a posy of poems – nuanced, textured and layered – each a caress on our hearts and souls.
The intro sets the perfect tone : ‘When there is so much beauty around, why do we hunt for chunks of hatred, slivers of grudges, ugly pieces of vindictiveness, and hoard them with all the love a squirrel bestows on nuts!’ A question each one of us should ask as we make desperate attempts to survive chaos.
Santosh touches upon a plethora of themes ranging from the holocaust, freedom, nature, dreams, love, peace, happiness, longing and the most significant four-letter word in these terrible times – Hope!
Each verse is dipped in the poet’s lyrical cadence, transforming the mundane to the magical.
The day hummed along.
Lo and behold! The mundane had turned
to magic.
The day had become a song.
Can nostalgia have an aroma? Well, the poet convinces you that it can and that it has :
Do hooting owls, buzzing bees or rumbling bikes,
Know anything of the lingering smells of
nostalgia?
Do they know that these smells soothe
frayed nerves
On treacherous curves of moonless nights.
The subtlety of expression, juxtaposed with the delicacy of emotion holds you in thrall.
The morning is almost over,
But a poem is born right there.
Near the bougainvillea creeper.
One of the most moving poems in the book is ‘The one-eyed Teddy Bear’ ! It wrenches out your heartstrings painting a scenario which is so very common in a world riddled with conflicts:
A wrinkled woman sits mumbling incoherencies,
Eyes on a spot where her ten-year-old
grandchild,
Once played hopscotch, giggling with
unfettered joy.
Tethered to those blood-soaked memories,
she chokes.
Returning to the chaos of her heart, her dull
eyes sparkle,
ears pricked to the notes of a symphony –
now lost in the fog.
A vulture watches from a blood-soaked log!
A special mention has to be made of the cover pic and the captivating blurb both of which are courtesy Tom Thrun, a well-known poet from Wisconsin.
Dr. Ampat Koshy, a much awarded and truly brilliant poet and author, adds more than a touch of lustre to the book in the afterword. ‘A strand of hair, a moonbeam, a sun mote, these metaphors for slivers of hope are apt to describe how she ends her poems and those last-minute twists are what keep the reader going on to face another day!’ Touche!
I would like to end by quoting from one of my favourite poems : ‘I can hear you Vincent’ – a tribute to my favourite artist :
I am all ears, Vincent,
Listening to the colours lisping, as you splashed
them over the canvas, long, long years back,
In the silence all – pervasive, as we fight on, in these despairing times.
Like Vincent Santosh too is an immaculate artist, splashing words on the canvas of her creativity with gay, unfettered abandon!
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Ramendra Kumar (Ramen) is an award-winning writer, performance storyteller and inspirational speaker with 49 books to his name. He has written across different genres and his work has been published by major publishing houses. His writings have been translated into 32 languages and brought out in various countries.
Ramen has been invited to several international literary festivals as well as Indian marquee events like the Jaipur Litfest.
