By Alien Buddha Press
Red kindly sent me a review copy of this book when I requested him for a review PDF.
This volume has pieces from people from all over the world. I quickly searched for who had written from India. It was Sanjeev Sethi.
It was a poem about pigeons, which started off reasonably easy to understand but as it progressed, I found the vocabulary used complex and just as I do with Sharanya Manivannan’s work, my list of words to look up will run to pages in Sanjeev Sethi’s work, too. There are five other poems written by Sanjeev Sethi that are featured here.
Photo by NANDKUMAR PATEL on Unsplash
The main themes in Sanjeev Sethi’s work include:
- Urban Isolation: Sethi explores the alienation and loneliness experienced in urban environments, as seen in “Migration,” where he describes the dispossessed and the challenges of urban life.
- Human Relationships and Emotional Complexity: His work delves into the intricacies of human connections, such as the emotional glue in “Annalist” and the interplay of feelings in “Pigeons.”
- Memory and Nostalgia: Sethi often reflects on the past, as in “Garrison Report,” where he recalls adolescence and the environment of cantonments, and “When exigencies push you to it,” which touches on personal memories tied to objects and spaces.
- Existential Reflection: Themes of invisibility, self-consciousness, and the transient nature of ideas are prominent in “Pansophy,” showcasing his philosophical musings.
- Conflict Between Kindness and Cruelty: In “Pigeons,” Sethi grapples with the moral dilemma of evicting pigeons, highlighting the tension between self-preservation and compassion.
- Cultural and Social Commentary: His work often reflects on societal norms and behaviors, such as the dynamics of urban arrivistes and the dispossessed in “Migration.”
Sethi’s writing is marked by introspection, vivid imagery, and a deep engagement with the emotional and existential aspects of life.
