Rightly said in the beginning, poetry is the finest form of literature. Ramachandran Rajasekharan’s debut book of poetry, Dewdrop and Banyan Tree finely expresses its concern and raises voice that echoes within the heart of the poet.
This book is straight, meaningful, enjoyable and extremely lucid and delicate within its language flow. On offer are 50 short poems on life lessons, memories, nostalgia, tribute to parents, motherly love, vagaries of life, and Covid pandemic. On a pros note, the book has that undercurrent of optimism and positivity.
One thing that I found strongly in this lovely book is that the poet misses his past life of youth and childhood, and he is equally concerned about the future of his grandson. He is of the opinion, in many poems, that we humans have defiled the earth that may push the upcoming generations into the tunnel of darkness.
Also some of the poems are translation of Malayalam poems written by his mother, which is a unique way to pay tribute to her. My personal favorite is the titular poem: Dewdrop and Banyan Tree that talks about two aspects of life – delicacy and being strong. Dewdrops are short, sweet, selfless, and delicate, while banyan tree depicts shadow, long spells of life, power, and authority. It’s contrasting yet grand in its essence and says that the purpose of life should be great despite the odds of shape and size.
This book will remain close to my heart always for one very strong reason – it has lot in the form of memories and reminisces on childhood glory. The way he explored the tenderness and innocent of childhood is simply superb.
In the end I will say before concluding the review that Dewdrop and Banyan Tree by Ramachandran Rajasekharan is a highly adorable book of short poems that will grab your attention right since the first line. Great work!
Buy the book from Amazon.
ibooksta 