In conversation with Poet Kiriti Sengupta

 

Rituals is a remarkable collection of poems by renowned poet, translator, editor and critic Kiriti Sengupta. This latest book explores the panoply of human experience and elucidates the meanings and rhythms of a mature poetic life. “Customs are like meditation,” writes Sengupta as he weaves religious liturgy and the opera of gods as the quotidian backdrop of a married life and experiences with his son. Not just interested in the matter of appearances as a poet, he delves into questions of what makes an Indian and how Hindu goddesses can strengthen willpower and remove the ‘venom’ from life. The mythological and the quotidian blend and inform one another, the goddess appears in iterations of the wife, the daughter, the mother. These poems also talk about Monsoon and Muri as snacks that overlap with dialogues of intellect and Sanskrit.

Themes such as nakedness and nudity are explored from the point of view of youth and maturity. Striking imagery marks the passing of time on everyday objects where the speaker can now stop and observe the beauty of human traces on life, “My tired eyes uncover the kohl of night.” The speaker is not only interested in contemplating the beauty of everyday moments but also faces his reader with the violence of the modern world, in the poem “The Untold Saga” the violence of a mythological world mirrors the violence on women practiced often in the 21^stcentury, offering a powerful statement on the untimely death of Nirbhaya in 2012. These poems are also meditations on our place in the world as humans, the vastness of the Earth compared to our frail bodies with the invitation to reconnect to the natural world.

 

 

ABOUT THE POET :

 

Kiriti Sengupta, who has been awarded the Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize (2018) for his contribution to literature, is a poet, editor, translator, and publisher from Calcutta. He has published ten books of poetry and prose, including Rituals, Solitary Stillness, Reflections on Salvation, The Earthen Flute, A Freshman’s Welcome, Healing Waters Floating Lamps, The Reverse Tree, My Dazzling Bards, My Glass of Wine, The Reciting Pens, and The Unheard I; two books of translation, Desirous Water by Sumita Nandy, Poem Continuous—Reincarnated Expressions by Bibhas Roy Chowdhury; and he is the co-editor of five anthologies, Scaling Heights, Jora Sanko–The Joined Bridge, Epitaphs, Sankarak, and Selfhood. Sengupta’s poems have been published/accepted for publication at The Common, The Florida Review Online (Aquifer), Headway Quarterly, Moria Online, The Mark Literary Review, Mad Swirl, among other places. More at www.kiritisengupta.com

 

INTERVIEW :

1) If you had to describe your journey into the literature field until now how would you describe it in three words?

Approaching the light!

2) Rituals your new poetry book, the making of it and all that you went through can you describe it in one word?

Labour

3) Your recently learnt new favourite word?

Illume

4) What is that one thing you believe keeps us breathing even in this Chaos?

Oxygen

5) Your most favourite poem in the

book?

The Stepwell

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In dialogue with Author Tanmay Dubey.

 NEW BOOK DETAILS : 

 

BLURB :

Inspired by true events, THE RED LINE is a thrilling murder mystery that treads the dark by lanes of international espionage and corrupt defense deals. The exciting story witnesses the journey of an honest cop to discover his true dharma and a brave women army officer’s selfless service for her country.

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

An IT professional based in Gurgaon, Tanmay Dubey is a voracious reader and an avid storyteller. In a career spanning more than ten years, he has been fascinated by several aspects of the corporate world and this book is a result of those observations.When not busy spinning a yarn, Tanmay can be found reviewing latest Bollywood films on his popular Facebook page ‘Tanmay’s Movie Adda’. He is also an enthusiastic cyclist, a randonneur, and loves running marathons. He recently completed the prestigious IRONMAN 70.3 Triathlon in Port Macquarie, Australia.  The race had 1.9km of Open Water Swimming, 90KM of Cycling and 21.07km of Running. He was the Only Indian Participating in the race. He believes that probably he is the only Indian Writer who is an Ironman also 🙂 

INTERVIEW :

1) The main character for this book is a woman? Can you tell us more about her?

Yes, one of the main protagonists of the story is a woman. She is a colonel in the Indian Army. Her name is Matrika Rana, she is single, Independent, Brave and a completely honest and dedicated Army officer. She is carrying the legacy of her martyred father by serving in Indian Army. She is beautiful, strong, fit and when life gets her an option to choose her dharma v/s duty. She chooses her dharma of a soldier

2) As the book says it is based on true events can you tell us about the story in short?

Corruption in Defense Arms Procurement is a weed that is eating our System and playing with the lives of fellow countrymen. Be it Bofors  Gun Procurement Scam or the dirt surrounding the latest Rafale Airplane deal. The story is inspired by one such event and the international espionage, cyber-attack which is the new age attack option used by countries against each other.

 

3) What kind of researcher work or reading you had to do?

The Research took a lot of time, I met officials from Ministry of Defence, read articles about cyber-attack and traveled extensively meeting several people associated with the Indian Army and others that I can’t name to collect facts

 

4)How much time did you take to complete this book?

I took about 2 years to complete this book

5) What are you working currently on?

I am currently working on a self-help book and expecting to complete in another 6 months’ time.

buy book from here

In conversation with budding author Saurabh Sharma.

 

 

BLURB :

“Close The Door As You Walk In.” – Let’s talk the truth about hustling. Over a coffee?
Hustle is just a mere misconception of pulling yourself back from what you actually want to hit on and be the beacon of your big time dreams and goals. But, in reality the hustling of your life is the real stepping stone towards your best of the choices and worthy achievements. Having some whirls and swirls in your life do make it a bit complex, but not having them at all, is where you need to stop and think for a moment, that is your LIFE worth it? Maybe this or maybe that, should I go here or do I need to be there? Baffled! Totally! So, why not try cuddling these hustles? This book ‘Close The Door As You Walk In’, an eBook by Saurabh Sharma, talks about the hustle and bustle of an entrepreneur and how he sails through the tough choices and endures till the last stone of his fantasy kingdom. Also, it unravels many aspects of what are the options to choose from, and how? This read will surely give a kick start to your entrepreneurial journey and maybe, you never know it might turn your love for passion into something so vast and soothing that would leave you in tranquility for eternity.

 

CONVERSATION WITH THE AUTHOR :

1) Can you tell us more about yourself and how did you get to writing?

My pen name is meet_the_wizard. Most of the people think that it’s just
a social media id or an alias name, but the fact is that there’s more to
it, what? Well that’s a secret. And I am writing since I was a little
kid. Maybe I was in 5th or 6th sttandard when I started penning down
some ghost stories in the pocket diaries made for me by my sister and I
just loved the whole idea of reading them whenver I need to spend some
time with myelf. And I just embraced the fact that everybody around me
had a story or the other. And I was good with listening. And above this
all, I have cherished my eperiences. So I listen, observe, experience
and simply pen it all down.

2) A few insights about your book?

Close the door as you walk in, I felt was essential, I felt was required
out there. How often we see people looking up to the stars or the
achievers and saying, yea! It’s easy to say motivational stuff when
you’re already a star. So I felt to give them a guide from a hustler
about the lessons of hustling, a hustler who is actually in the phase of
hustling. To tell them, man it’s tough yet beautiful. Writing is a
responsiblity, and whatever experience I have gained, I just wanted that
to be poured down and to serve the minds about the tings that often
confuse them, and that too with a perspective they surely haven’t heard
of. Because people will always tell them what to do, or how to do, but
the book simply tells you how to have the perspective to believe in
yourself and to believe that your method is correct. It solve confusions
about very basic yet important aspects in lives.

3) Which are your favourite authors?

Am horrible at reading. Never gonna lie about that. But the Alchemist by
Paulo Coelho will always be a special one for me. And can I say, “Am my
own favourite”.

4) What is your view about book publishing these days?

Let me remind you, you’re asking this to a publisher himself. Running
Lapsus Creations quite successfully I have come across various methods
and expectations that run around publishing. And I always say, there’s
no right and wrong as long as they serve the purpose and the
writers/authors actually get a helping hand in a right manner.

5) What is your message through the book?

Close the door as you walk in, intend to be a guide to hustling days,
totally as weird as me. And that is why I kept it an E-Book, to make
sure one can have it in there pockets 24*7 and can refer to it whenever
they are encountered by a situation in life of which they aren’t much
sure about.

Links to the book:

https://www.amazon.in/Close-Door-As-You-Walk-ebook/dp/B07M82S5RW

https://shop.lapsuscreations.com/product/git-magic/

They Go to Sleep by Saugata Chakraborty

 

 

BLURB

A young widow of a drug overdose victim disappears from Goa. Three years later, a British National claims to know her whereabouts minutes before departing for London Heathrow. The Police of two states is pressed into a joint manhunt. ‘They Go to Sleep’ is a racy thriller on police procedure and criminal psychology.

In the year 2043, when nobody sends a letter anymore, an unlikely candidate decides to write about his springtime memories that are soon going to be erased. When his identity gets revealed, the impact on several individuals and the society at large assumes epic proportions. ‘A Man of Letters’ is a science fiction with humane emotions at its core.

A promising poet meets his muse on board a train. They share a captivating conversation but forget to ask each other’s name. Will they be able to meet again in an Indian metro? ‘What’s In a Name?’ is a humorous look at everything Bengali: gossip, fish, cutlets and the Kolkata Book Fair.

These three stories are joined by nine equally exhilarating tales of ordinary people and the choices that they make under extraordinary circumstances. The compilation will surely compel the readers to keep their midnight lamps burning.

 

REVIEW

 

This book came in a good condition where I was really bemused with the cover it has a certain kind of sadness and a certain amount of feeling happy in the solitude. The black and white picture really brings in all the feels for extremes of emotions. The book is a collection of amazing stories which had different themes and the moral of every story was cryptic. This book will only be understood well if you read it properly because of the way it has been written. I really liked the way narration has been done. I somewhere felt every story said something about cities and it’s people. Easy words have been used to make it more reachable to everyone.

The majority essence of the book is in the way it has been written in a mysterious way.

Over all 3.5/5.

 

Will You Stay?by Vedant Saxena, Annie Pruthi

 

 

BLURB

Manya Sharma, a shy loner starts her college seeking life beyond her shell to find someone “who will stay?”.
Everything changes when she comes across an enigmatic senior, Shreyansh.
He is alluring, honest, lovable, yet haunted by his dark depressing past.
Manya finds herself under his spell and together they embark on a journey of self discovery, love and bittersweet life lessons.
They attempt to defy all odds, but at what cost?
Peek inside the life of Manya Sharma’s blank canvas and watch as her life explodes into a kaleidoscope of colorful hues, only to fade to black.

“If this love was water, I would’ve drowned in him.”

About The Authors
Vedant Saxena hails from Ghaziabad, a hotel management graduate from IHM Kurukshetra. He was a trainee at Le Méridien, New Delhi, before finding his niche in writing. He is also a self proclaimed grief-counsellor and motivator, who loves to help people, counselled dozens of people out of suicide, as well as people going through depression, anxiety & heartbreak. Apart from this, he loves to cook, read and travel. You can reach out to him through: Instagram–@Vedant_thereal Twitter–@Vedant_thereal.

Annie Pruthi is an old soul which nestles in a body of 17 year girl. She’s from Delhi and an alumni of St. Anthony’s School, currently pursuing her Bachelors from Gargi College, Delhi University. She likes to read and listen music. Instagram: @poetryandpoetess

 

REVIEW

will you stay is a sweetheart remembrance book filled in with so much more than just a story.

I was really impressed by the cover animation Not much not less just perfect to blend in with the curiosity of the blurb.

Diving in to the characters one could relate to them at some point or the other. They have been described nicely.

The book doesn’t feel like it has been coauthored.
The feeling and soft touch to the story remains throughout.

The story is set of college time which has intricate details and the college love which is so innocent.

The letters in between
Really have alot of heaviness in them.
Talking things that hit you.

I really loved how so many quotes are put about life and the emptiness that keeps bothering.

Many important aspects are covered in the story.

The book has a poetic effect to it which I really liked.

The book is of medium length.
The story is engaging.

 

 

In tete- a-tete with Author Atul Khanna.

 

3 Steps To Himalayas: A Practical Guide To Achieve Your Goals by Ramesh Kundu

 

 

BLURB

We have become prisoners of our times and the result is a stressful lifestyle. This race to compete with everyone else is leading to irreversible destruction of the environment and social institutions. We have more comforts now, but pay the price with serious health problems & psychological issues. We are less happy now and peace of mind is just missing from our lives.
This book is an attempt to look at simple solutions for all such challenges faced by a majority of us.
Going to class with swollen faces after being slapped for 150 times; spending three days & nights in a police lock up; your friend fighting back a leopard with bare hands & surviving; watching helplessly as a person is hacked to death in front of you – all these experiences have brought enough learnings for a lifetime which have been shared in this book.
To live a stress-free life, we have to understand and face our fears, understand and find reasons for our limiting beliefs, have control over our anger and suppress our greed.
Self-awareness, self-management and self-development are the keys to evolve and make our lives better. For being successful, we need to re-look at our passion and skillsets, and find opportunities for what we are good at.
Let us start our journey to the Himalayas…

 

REVIEW

3 steps to Himalaya is a self help book which deals with breaking down your goals.
The book tries to tell you that every problem has a three step solution where Himalaya is your goal(problem) 1- is to know your goal. 2- know about your goal 3) how Passionate one is about their goals.

The author takes you to a journey with live examples and stories of how one needs to keep trying and needs to focus on the positives rather than the negatives.

Every chapter has some giveaway which basically follows the pattern of a story- analysing it and then a solution with points one needs to focus upon

How knowledge, skill and attitude is important for every step that you take.
The book has been written in a simple format and language.

I really enjoyed assessing my weakness and strengths using some scales which were given in the start of the book.
The cover is simple and goes along well with the title.

The book deals with perception, faith and fullproof plan that one needs to always have.

The book also focuses upon experiences and how it forms a major role in your life.

A good read.