Happy Birthday, Raashi

Description

Raashida Khan has written a poetry collection that is both erudite and rhythmical, what one would of course expect of a poet. Yet the verse goes beyond the normal boundaries; it explores, without getting introvertly bogged down or losing its poetic intent, the complexity of human relations, between lovers, family and with the self. It incisively captures the thoughts and emotions that often floods the heart and mind, when love is lost or found. A lover arriving on the scene, or departing; even when they break apart, almost literally, with violent aggression, it is not a cliched pontification on gender. Lyrical odes to a departed father, encouragement to a child growing up and needing extraordinary love and attention, all this too is captured in an imaginative and sprightly manner. The reader is able to absorb all of this without losing the pleasure of eloquent rhythms and the smooth flow words. This collection gives new meaning to “modern poetry.”