‘Symphonies of Life’ by Dr Meenakshi Mohan offers readers a deeply introspective journey through the poet’s life, blending universal themes of love, loss, resilience, and hope.
Scholar, freelance writer, art critic, reviewer, children’s writer, painter and poet Dr Meenakshi Mohan’s introspective debut collection of poems, Symphonies of Life, consists of diverse themes ranging from nature, mythology, family relationships, personal reflections, memories and various life events. Vignettes from the poet’s life, the poems in the anthology are steeped in nostalgia. Menon’s writing is evocative and touching, and draws powerful imagery with her poignant words.
In the title poem, Mohan writes:
“Life is like symphonies,
with haunting melodies of sadness and despair,
with echoes of love and delight.
Between tears and laughter,
that weave a story.”
Mohan begins the book with her childhood, first by paying tribute to her mother. In ‘I Am Always with You, My Child’, she seemingly talks to her mother, reminiscing her gentle touch stroking her hair before putting her to bed, her storytelling lulling her to a peaceful sleep.
“How I wish I could be a child again
under the protective sheath of your chrysalis?”
she laments.
The refrain is recurring in ‘Daddy, Why Did You Leave Us,’ in which she confesses that she has grown up a lot since her father passed away. She lists all the things that she misses about him:
“our car rides, our chit-chats
to and from school,
your bubbly laughter at our dinner table,
even your mild do it right,
our Storytime’s before I sleep.
Yes, I miss it all.”
Similarly, in ‘Poison,’ she takes the reader through her husband’s illness and subsequent death. “Was it the disease that was poison or the treatment?” she questions in retrospect. She pens another poem, ‘Your Words Bring Some Smiles and Some Tears,’ eleven years after his death, in which she explains how she keeps his memories alive through his belongings in the house:
“There was a distance of only one breath between life and death.
Yet, there is a distance of a gulf between being and not being.”
‘Namesake’ is dedicated to the poet’s sister, who was struck with an unknown illness at the age of four, after which the entire right side of her body was paralysed. Overcoming her challenges, she went on to become a published author, sitarist, radio talk show hostess, philanthropist and counsellor, before she passed away in her fifties.
‘Journey Home’ is a series of three poems with different perspectives on migrations issues. The first poem, ‘A Journey Home’, is dedicated to her husband who succumbed to cancer at the age of sixty-four. The second poem, ‘Daugh-ter,’ is inspired by author M Elaine Mar’s life and experiences migrating from China to the US. The third poem, ‘A Taxi Driver in Manhattan, New York,’ is based on Menon’s encounter with an Indian taxi driver in New York City. ‘Dreams of a Rickshawala’ talks about the dreams of a rickshawala paddling through the crowded streets of Kolkata, burdened by his many responsibilities, including his old parents, wife and children. “You knew your children were your dreams!” ends the poem beautifully.
‘An Old House on the Shores of The Ganga’ is written in the voice of a 200 year old house that Menon used to visit in her childhood. It consisted of many happy memories for her, such as meeting her paternal grandparents, family and friends, her marriage and walks on the beach.
“My walls are filled with memories –
echoes of voices and rings of laughter.
Come and listen to my stories.”
In ‘Akashdeep,’ meaning the Lamp of Hope, she recalls visiting her Nana’s house as a five year old before Diwali. She reflects about this divine light of hope and strength in the present day:
“Today, when our world is in peril with many disasters,
I wished if only we could light this Akashdeep in our hearts
and ignite its flame of hope.”
In ‘Leather Booties,’ a pair of white, soft leather booties on a shelf in the poet’s study unfolds for her a flurry of sweet memories about her daughter:
“Your first smile,
lacy frilled dresses,
ponytails and pink ribbons,
your first utterances of “Dada,”
which provoked a parental contest of who you favored,
Tooth fairy and toothless smiles,
ear piercing, tears, and hurts”
Nature shows up as a significant element in many poems in the collection. In ‘Vagabond Clouds,’ she expresses:
“Who says clouds are vagabonds?
They have many stories to tell.
My granddaughter had her story,
and I had mine.”
Further, Menon wrote ‘On The Wings of Imagination’ while spending time on the Coast of Penobscot Bay. Mesmerised by its beauty and serenity, she would walk down the beach with her three-year-old granddaughter and collect stones of all shapes and colours.
“Time has fluttered by in its wings.
But I still have those slaty-blue, orangish-colored stones.
When I rub them in my palm – they work like talismans.
The invisible engravings on them are like peace mantras.
They take me away from my worries and stresses.”
Finally, quoting from the title poem, once again, the following lines appropriately sum up the collection:
“In this deciduous journey,
If only we can find beauty in the putter of rain,
and wait for the clouds to wither,
there may be a rainbow shining
with luminescent brilliance.”
