I have been reading poetry and reviewing it for more than 4 years now. I have come across various poetry collections written by an amateur, experienced, established and newcomer poets. I have had it all. However, I think it’s time to change the definition of a newcomer in poetry. Dewdrop and Banyan Tree is the first poetry collection by Ramachandran Rajasekharan. Nevertheless, you will never feel like you are reading the first professional poetry collection by a poet. This may be because of the vast experience of life and various aspects of it that the poet may have gathered in a little more than six decades of his life. I truly admired this collection and the poet himself, to start. 

Surprisingly, it is the poet’s first poetry collection after completing six decades of his life. This inspired me deeply. How can someone start so late and yet create amazing verses as the poet has done? Another amazing thing about the book is that you won’t find this collection naive… or just a collection of a first-timer who goes for rhyme and lyrical verbose instead of the depths of thoughts. Instead, each poem reflects R Rajasekharan’s deep understanding of life’s varied perspectives, experiences, knowledge and approach towards nature and our surroundings. The more I’ve been reading poetry, the more I realise that poets like Ramachandran Rajasekharan not only write poems but are also capable of turning any emotion or thought into poetry with their simplicity in the approach.

So talking about the poems in this collection, Dewdrop and Banyan Tree has some of the poems that carry spiritual themes, some bear the mark of grave realism, some are coloured in the colours nature, some are drenched in emotions, some explores human surrounding and their understanding to it, some transport you into the days of past, the nostalgia. These non-rhythmic, non-rhyming poems manifest different perspectives, rather I should say much-ignored perspectives of life, which would leave you stunned. Ramachandran Rajasekharan’s trade for thoughts by sacrificing lyrical exhibition is something that certainly exhibits his maturity and vast experience. The title poem, Dewdrop and Banyan Tree, and Krishna are the two poems that I admire the most. Let me give you a little more insight into these two masterpieces of the poet…

Dewdrop and Banyan Tree discusses the perspective of a short and fruitful life. Our life is like a drop of dew on the leaf – Singing, dancing, smiling and shining. Live it fully and let the colours of it spread all around.

On the other side ‘Krishna’ portrays the leelas of Krishna, and the veil he has created around us. We are unable to see what is actually visible. We have become ignorant, limited, and unreceptive. Another perspective of this is the unconditional love of a mother for her kids. He becomes her entire world. The simplicity with which the author has woven these two poems is absolutely praiseworthy.

To conclude my review, I would say that nearly every poem ended in a way that left me thinking more about it. Ramachandran Rajasekharan’s poetically persuasive power lies in his words, and the emotions he conveys through them. Almost all the poems are short in length but they do enlighten you with the realities of life. While poetry doesn’t get the type of recognition prose fiction and other genres get, this collection, Dewdrop and Banyan Tree, definitely deserves your appreciation.

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Review by Parakashtha for ReadByCritics platform