Ambika Ananth, a multi-talented and captivating bi-lingual writer, poet, reviewer, and translator, has left indelible impressions on soils of the literary realms with her absolutely mesmerizing prose and deeply riveting poetry. With a scintillating portfolio which boastfully consists of thirteen published works in both English and Telugu, Ambika has painstakingly and commendably explored varied genres that include poetry, prose, translation, short stories, and creative writings.
The book Cascades” by this personification of literary genius sheds light on her profoundly soul-stirring poetic journey that not only warms the cockles of the readers’ hearts but also takes them on a remarkable odyssey.
Aristotle, a great Greek philosopher, has pertinently remarked that poets are ultra sensitive human beings. They are innately endowed with highly subtle sensibilities with which they are fully able to connect with society and all the living beings inhabiting it. Quite in a similar vein, the author of “Cascade” has explored the deepest recesses and fathomless crevices of human heart. As we flip through the page of this book, we begin to swim through and soak into a vast ocean of multiple human emotions.
Here,while having a rendezvous with the poetic stanzas of Ambika, one is instantly reminded of a renowned English Poet William Wordsworth who says in the “Preface to the Lyrical Ballads” that Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility. This very spontaneity is indeed one of the hallmarks of Ambika’s poetry. Words flow with grace and elegance in a manner of cascades that gush out from the wombs of the mighty mountains. When she has remarkably inherited the Wordsworthian spontaneity, how could she stay away from keatsean sensibilities! Here, it will not be a hyperbole to compare her with John Keats in this particular context. The way John keats paints on his canvas with words, she,too, is an excellent word painter. The poems, enshrined in this poetic collection, are so brilliantly vivid that they instantly succeed to draw readers into a world where each poem emerges as a masterpiece in itself.
This is what which exactly sets “Cascades” apart and most befittingly puts it in the catagory of a magnum opus. Catching moments is indeed tough but capturing the fleeting moments and emotions is tougher. The poet has so artistically and aesthetically used high-quality literary devices which help her depict the deeper beauty. Whether the poet is engaged in painting a vivid picture of nature’s wonders, exploring the complexities of human relationships, or delving into the immeasurable depths of introspection and meditative states of mind , Ambika’s poetry exudes a sense of immaculate sublimity which is leavened with impeccable authenticity.
“Cascades” is not a run-of-the-mill collection of poems; it rather bears a strong testimony to the Linguistic Prowess of the poet. When we attempt to analyze her poems from a Linguistician’s point of view, we would fain state that the poet of this book is well versed with the art of Literary Stylistics. The way she has paid attention to the morphological and syntactic aspects of all the poems gives us a firm conviction that sanctity of language still holds water. It is not a thing of the by-gone era.
Hence, it would not be a fallacy to articulate that “Cascades” impels us to pause and cogitate over the intricate tapestry of multiple human emotions that embellish this anthology to the hilt, thereby, making it a must-read for all those who still repose their unshakable faith in the miraculous abilities and wondrous charms of poetry.
Prof Shiv Sethi is a renowned literary critic and a columnist.
