Book Review: Atmaja, a book of poems, in Bengali
“Atmaja’ written by Debapriya Mukherjee is a book of Bengali poems that has been published recently. This book contains some of the loveliest and most romantic poems that I have read in recent times.
It’s commonly said that Bengali is the sweetest language on earth. This statement is proven when you read poems like these.
All the poems in this book churn your emotions and make you re-live your own memories and experiences. It’s like having a friend who is reading your heart out to you.
As I sit to write this review, I can’t really find words to describe how I am feeling about this particular book.
My mind and my heart are so caught up with my own memories and my feelings that I can’t really focus on my job.
I am really upset with the poet for making me feel like this.
Such amazing poems that they just made me cry, each one of them. I don’t know how poets do this. I don’t know how they make their words reflect the human heart in such a piercing manner.
Life is bittersweet yes, and so are the poems in this book.
There are some poems in particular that hit home more than the others.
The book begins with a poem called, “Anubhuti”. The moment I was done reading the first few lines I was struck by its exprression because it felt like the poet was writing about my life.
Actually, all the poems give you that feeling.
This made me realise that, may be, human emotions are the same. All of us are going through the same feelings and the same kind of experiences. And, it is literature like this that ties humanity together, that brings oneness in the scattered society.
But reading poems like these feels like we are sharing our experiences with each other and telling each other that we are not alone in the struggle of life.
The world is becoming a very intolerant place, people are drifting farther and farther away from each other. And, literature will play a vital role in holding the world together, in healing wounded hearts.
So poets like these and books like these are going to play a vital role in sustaining this world and taking us forward in a holistic way.
All the poems together make an amalgamation of human life, of human heart in the modern times.
All I want to tell the readers would be this, do not pick up this book when you are busy, or when you are in the middle of something. Read this book at your leisure time and let a few drops of tears fall from your eyes as you savour the nostalgia.
(Reviewed by Priya Das)
