For those who mind rhyme and rhythm, meter and new idiom, Dr.Indira Babbellapati’s VIGNETTES OF THE SEA is a real revelation. Once D.H. Lawrence who was a strong protagonist of free verse, wrote to Edward Marsh
“…..always tried to get an emotion out in its own course, without altering it……”
REVIEW:
Dr.Indira’s poetry very much reminds those words of Lawrence. Her poetry runs with effortless ease sucking the reader into her world of sea. You feel as if you are standing somewhere in the Visakhapatnam beach and watching Indira sometimes standing on a hillock with fluttering sari, glancing at the distant horizon, sometimes in knee-deep brine playing with the waves, sometimes sitting on a sand dune inclining on a battered sampan in pensive mood and so on.
In her poetry, words lose their identity and emotions overtake; beauty overwhelms and a tender spirit fills the readers’ heart and makes them to go through those picturesque scenes, those delicate feelings she portrayed. In fact she didn’t dwell in any fantasy nor did she try to add anything synthetic to the originality of the nature. She simply portrayed all that our eyes more than often miss that is reigning around us with great majesty; and that reality looks like a fantasy to us.
We see so many colours, feelings and emotions surrounding the sea, hitherto we never cared to notice, now spilling out of Indira’s pen slowly, steadily taking you to the real beaches of a sea. In one poem she sees the sea as her returned childhood floating on brine as splintered Moons. She sees ‘dazzling drops of quicksilver under the watchful Sun……’ She beholds the Moon ‘sink into the sea spreading the sorrow of an aching heart across the sea…’ She listens to a ‘dirge of waves…’ She wonders sometimes ‘looks like the sea today is on holiday…’ She sees everything, love, pain, emotion, relations, life, struggle etc. etc. and the way she relates sea to everything in life is marvellous. “Never young never old The ageless waves that know Not day from night Kiss the salt-beaten Rocks as they incessantly Rise and fall…’
The imagery looks more than realistic, even the best surrealistic effort. ‘This morning the sea was a grey desert….’ Very much reminds the experiments made by Sri Sri with surrealism. And see this line ‘Scorching Sun above undulating waves below In between the vacant me When did we last read such great lines?
The most attractive feature of V.O.S is the foreword written by Shri Leonard Dabydeen….a great scholastic analysis by a person who could understand and enjoy the poetry of Dr.Indira wholeheartedly, in its right spirit and emotion. The all time great Telugu Anthology of Sri Sri, viz ‘Mahaprasthanam’, became even more famous and popular with the unique and methodical foreword written by equally great writer of those times Sri Gudipati Venkatachalam. Shri Leonard Debydeen’s foreword is no less to that. By the time you complete the book, you don’t feel of having completed a good read of a poetry anthology but that you have ambled through a fascinating Picture gallery of the likes of Leonardo Da Vin Ci. So good is this book….no exaggeration at all. For all poetry lovers, Vignettes of the sea is a must read…if you wish to enjoy page 1 till the end true post-modern poetry there is no better choice….Try it and enjoy..I guarantee the pleasure.
Monday, November 21, 2016
Author:
Indira Babbellapati is a former faculty in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Andhra University. She is a well-published poet and translator, with original poetry anthologies to include affair de Coeur, Vignettes of the Sea, echo, From the Biography of An Unknown Woman, Nomadic Nights, and a poem that painted the sky. She translated all genres of literature except drama. Indira also co-authored English text-books for Engineering Undergraduates. Indira’s English poetry has been translated into Hindi, Bangla, Spanish and French. Prof. Indira Babbellapati made her presence felt at many national and international poetry meets like Asia-Pacific Writers and Translators, SAARC Literature Festival to name a few. It is her belief that “poetry is strictly a business of the heart beyond the existential concerns of here and now.”
REVIEWER:
Mydavolu Venkata Sesha Sathyanarayana (Mahathi) is a prolific poet and quintessentially published author in poetry of the classic genre in the Elizabethan era, rich in great imagery, clear diction, solemn expression and scintillating narration. Sometimes his poetry is replete with fun, pun and satire. He lives in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Some of his published books of poetry include Golden Lotus, Plastic faces, WHEELS, Just human, I chant, chant and chant, FINDING THE MOTHER, Hare Krishna and The Ganges.
Some of his book reviews, forewords to other authors are aslo published.
Mydavolu holds a BSc. and LL.M. He worked as Superintendent of Salt in Salt Department, Govt. of India and retired on May 16, 2014.
Poems Jogging in the Mind 