Title Touching the deepest chords

It would not be erroneous to remark that an element of chance enters into the making of all poems. Unlike prose nonfiction and even fiction, the other genres of literature, you cannot choose a particular time and moment to create poetry. This seems absolutely true when one dwells deep on the latest Anthology of poems "An Alchemy of Musing" authored by the award winning and internationally acclaimed poet, Dr Vandita Dharni. The book is a highly captivating collection of remarkable and deeply engaging poems which warm the cockles of human heart. It consists of eighty poems which have been segmented into three sections. Her very first poem 'A Ballet Of Life', inspired by The Nutcracker Movie refers to the Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky. The profundity of her poetic nuggets is revealed all the more evidently when we immerse ourselves in her poem 'The Mist'. This poetic piece indubitably deserves special adulation for the mesmerising depiction of nature, while in the same go, it can be dubbed as one of the finest pieces that reflects over the inevitable truths of human life. Richly loaded with the metaphysical and philosophical overtones, the poem says " This must be the last halt I tell myself- Am I the sojourner here? Let's do something quirky, a freefall

Then will the mist cover me too?"

Here the poets appears to be on a special journey as all of us are on our own sojourns waiting for the final culmination. Fully convinced of the fact that one day she too will get enveloped in the mist but before she vanishes into the thin air, she nurtures a fervent urge and an ardent desire to leave her footprints on the sand of times. Having my tryst with all of her poems, I am pertinently reminded of John Keats who is celebrated for his classy imagery. Deftly and creatively replicating the style of this great romantic poet,( here it is not at all the blind but the creative imitation of Aristotle), the poetess conjures up several vivid and convincing images on the canvas of the readers' mind and scintillatingly weaves a magic casement which is flung open to let in a stream of multiple subtle thoughts of varied hues. Like the most successful poets in all language Vandita has freely employed several literary devices and figures of speech to enhance the beauty and charms of her work. Her personification of the Ganges, the heart touching similes and multiple metaphors that she has dexterously taken recourse to put her on quite a high pedestal.

A few immortal lines from 'A Tribute To The Ganges' which have an everlasting impact on the readers are " The Network of your reptilian cobalt veins

Marble cold, throbbing in tandem with mine- reminders of the time I played on your dark-skinned banks…."

In a nutshell Vandita Dharni 's poems are well- woven and have a compact structure which is indeed class-apart as free verse is also a new format now . David Crystal remarks that Language is for the ears and not for the eyes. Similarly Dharni's language has a melody of its own. Laced with the literary jewels of metaphors, similes and rich imagery, it is musical to the innermost ears of the readers. Artistically and aesthetically crafted phrases are the hallmarks of her poetic style and make her stand shoulder to shoulder with the poets of exceptional charisma. A must read for the apostles of Muse!