Neela Neela by Gautam Rajrishi: Book Review of Poetry Collection

Poetry writing in Hindi has attracted a lot of writers recently to express their feelings with the audience. Though we can arguably claim that the popularity of Hindi poetry gained the contemporary traction after the fame received by the likes of Kumar Vishwas and others, Hindi-Urdu poetry has been there for a while. And it is true that most of the poets who are new-comers are challenging pre-established classic poets. It may be because the demands and likes of modern readers have changed and another reason that I can see is the simple language that modern poets use in their poems. The reading pattern has changed a lot and that’s why readers prefer to read things that can relate to their lives. During my explorations in contemporary Hindi poetry, I have recently gone through a collection of poems, shayari and ghazlas by Gautam Rajrishi and I found it appealing, exciting and also very expressive – perfectly representing contemporary trends in Hindi literature. The poet with his debut collection Neela Neela has appeared on the horizons of Indian Hindi poetry and Urdu lyric poetry. He has previously written a collection of short stories – Hari Muskurahaton Wala Collage. The poet was in Indian armed forces.

The Book:
The title of the book is ‘Neela Neela’ and it’s a collection of more than 100 poems mostly written in gazal and Shayri form. The poet has used modern terminology especially Hinglish words that we use in common conversations. The language makes this collection more relatable to young readers. The language, style and narrative of the poems are relaxing and soothing. One can feel the emotions as he or she reads the lines in the poems. Gautam Rajrishi has kept his poems considerably short as well… as if he is inviting the readers to keep moving ahead and read the book in a single go. Love is an emotion that is constantly running, reeling and moving in the background. Loving someone, waiting for someone you love, looking at the moon… these are the activities that feature in the poetry by Gautam, most of the times.

Most of the poems express the unsaid words of the poet that he has wished to say to someone special… I could feel it or at least the poet could make me feel the same with his words. Revolving around the themes of love, relationship, truth, beauty and many more relatable things, poems attract the readers. A reader can sense the feelings of the author expressed in words. Love is a kind of feeling that is needed to be expressed in poems and it comes out in the best form. The way the author has used Hindi and Urdu language makes the book elegant, especially in gazal writing.

“यार सुनाओ हाल उसका कुछ…वो जो थी सपनीली सी
वही वही, हाँ वो ही लड़की…अरे वही शर्मीली सी
क्लास में जिसका आना होता था ज्यूँ गर्मी में बारिश
थोड़ी रूखी-सूखी थी जो…थोड़ी सीली-सीली सी
हँसती थी तो खिल उठती थी कॉलिज के गलियारे में
दूर-दूर तक पसरी-पसरी सरसों पीली-पीली सी…”

The poems are brilliantly introduced that makes an alternate sort of world where we simply lose ourselves in the collection of poems. It depicts vivid emotions, unexpressed thoughts and desire to say all the things in front of someone special. The book has been reviewed by some of the reputed authors in the field of ghazal writers like Munawar Rana and Rahat Indori. It provides an authenticity to the book of Gautam who has presented his feelings openly and in an expressive way that provides the readers with a subconscious ride to their memory lane.

Conclusion:
This is basically written for the youths who take a lot of interest in ghazals and poems these days. It has been written in simple words and in colloquial language that relate more with the reader’s life. An emotional, joyful and entertaining collection of poems I must say. You can get a copy of this poetry collection from Amazon India by clicking the link below:

Buy the book now – click here to get a copy

Review by a reader for The Last Critic