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Impressions
The poetess is young and must have yearnings typical of her age. She articulates these in poems like Suddenly, Speak and Truly etc. Dreams of love and a caring partner come naturally to poets. Then there are poems on other topics that depict her concerns beyond the self, proof enough of Sheeba’s sensitivity, and potential to evolve into a more substantive writer. She depends a lot on rhymes – especially quatrains – to send across her message. However, different moods and subjects need different vehicles. For example, limericks can be used tellingly in satires, and blank verse can help conjure up images that may not be possible through rhymes that restrict one’s choice of words and imagery. An ideal read for those interested in good poetry. Poetic Musings
This is true of Sharma’s poems too. But there is a difference. He eschews bombast and hyperbole – both in his language and metaphor. The lines are short and well crafted, making even comparatively long poems quite enjoyable, be these a spoof like The Boss or ironic like City Life where skyscrapers become space-rapers. He also casts his sardonic eye on such worthies as doctors, politicians, etc. He has a separate poem dedicated to the former Prime Minister titled King of Coalitions – Vajpayee. The lament Give Me Thorns, O God! pulls at one’s heartstrings. However, my personal favourite is An Evening on Shanghumugham Beach. In 1980-81 I’d spent a year watching glorious sunsets on this beach near Trivandrum, Kerala. These lines make me nostalgic: The sun is shaping/like a pitcher/turning up and down/now like a dome of fire/now a red crescent moon/engulfed by sea. This poem has reignited my desire to break all shackles and spend whatever is left of my life watching the golden sun slip into the cerulean lap of the Arabian Sea. Thank you Jagdish Sharma.
Most of the poems in this collection are full of life, joy and an infectious vivacity. Unlike those who have written off Shimla, Vibhuti calls it a paradise found. She describes the journey uphill in words that reflect a youth’s enthusiasm. She looks upon life through rose-tinted glasses. Not surprisingly, her verse is so exuberant. Poems like The Blanket of While reading her poems one, albeit momentarily, forgets the uglier side of living. Good job, Vibhuti, one needs bucketfuls of cheer to forget the existential angst. |
Poetry
comes in varied forms, its contents generally shaped by the poet’s
age, circumstance and experience. Auden had described poetry as a verbal
art that is reflective. Sheeba does provide some insights into several
aspects of womanhood in her poems like You – wherein she dwells
upon perception of one’s beauty – and A Matter of Success,
which describes the evolution of a demure and ill-treated
daughter-in-law to a self-confident woman of substance. However, it is Girl
Child that persuasively draws the reader’s attention towards the
societal mindset vis-ŕ-vis daughters and compels one to introspect. The
lines "You’re going to have a daughter/And not a son. / At
that moment I knew/ The sadness in my mother grew" reflect
stark reality. After describing how the girl child was got rid of, the
poem ends with: I’ve been gone a long time now/And the family has a
son/But they regret it so much/They say I should’ve been the one.
Experimentation
is not the trait one associates with poets in India. Most of them prefer
to deal with familiar subjects in a familiar manner. 
The Inner Chord