Book Review: Smiling in my Sleep by Ramachandran Rajasekharan

Poetry is the best form to express the experiences of life in pure and blissful manner. This book ‘Smiling in my Sleep’ by Ramachandran Rajasekharan is beautifully written, capturing the essence of poet’s life and memories in the finest of words.

On the whole, the book is segmented in 2 parts: memories and life. However, I felt that both are overlapping and have pleasant vibes for the readers. Dominantly, the first part “memories” deals with the poet’s childhood musings and sweet innocent memories about his mother, father, and grandfather.

Tenderness, sensitivity, and essence of love traverses through the eyes of a child. An observation through a child’s eye is beautiful, undefiled and charming. As a child the poet draws relatable aspects with queer tinge of befuddlement. I loved the first part more than the second. Overall, the book holds 48 poems. The Life section sheds light on various experiences, emotions, and realities of the world. I loved to see three phases of man through this collection – child, husband, and grandfather. The cycle completes with his grandson, for whom the poet concerns about the worldly affairs which aren’t salubrious for his grooming.

The end poems talk about the need of peace in the world that is obstructed by war, democracy, and fake nationalism, and so on. I am a selective poem reader. But this book instantly draws me in for its Life themes. Reading this book gives me revisiting of some of my experiences of childhood, as I am not an old guy like the poet, so cannot say anything about the late thirties experience. On a plus side, those who have seen the life full circle may like the emotions pure and to the point of their anticipation.

What I absolutely loved about the book is that each and every poem is written in simple language and the readers can interpret the meaning in their own ways. This book is a must have for all poetry lovers and for beginners, this is the best book to start with. First time, all poems are my favourite. Loved and recommend it.

If you liked the book review and feels like to experience the book, kindly pick it up from Amazon/Kindle.