"SCATTERED SHOWERS is only the reflection of my ruminative mind sometimes soaked in euphoria and other times sunk in deep melancholy." Moushumi Bhattacharjee
Scattered Showers is a solo collection that carries poetic pearls strewn together by Moushumi Bhattacharjee. A hard-bound book with a glossy cover, it has a collection of 80 poems. The cover of the book has been thoughtfully designed by Engr. Nurul Hoque. The foreword of the book has been written by Sukanto Roy and Nandita De nee Chatterjee.
The opening poem in Scattered Showers, The Invocation, marks love and gratitude for divinity. The poet has infused the celebrations of Durga pooja aligning with nature, expressing love for both. Poems like The Mother's Love, Let Peace Be the Mantra We Chant By Heart, Lost Music Of My Heart, and The Sacred Love, show the love and reverence for the divine the poeta carries in her heart. For instance, The Sacred Love, brings out the divine love that Radha felt. The poetess aligns herself with Radha and feels the same sentiments for her Lord.
A Divine Lore on the other hand takes you to the time of
'Knights and his comely bride' who 'lived and loved,
Etching their vignette in every soul of the world.’
Where on one hand many poems talk about the love and pangs of the heart, there are some poems so pictorial that they instantly create a vivid image with the mere use of words. In Valentina Tereshkova the poetess has created living images where we can hear 'the jubilant scream' that ' stirred the sky' and we can see 'the millions of flowers' that 'celebrated her triumph'.
Poems like Cheerful Childhood by Moushumi take the reader down memory lane where one would 'glide with the breeze' and ' babble with the stars'. At the same time, the poetess has also ventured into feminist poems like I'm A Woman where she brings out in her short and sweet way the glory of 'The universe's wonderous creation.' On one side Moushumi talks about the soft side of human nature she renders variety by writing on topics themed Monster. She ventures into the dark side of human nature that 'nip off' 'a bud that is yet to bloom... a bud which is unaware of the amoral world.' She talks about a barbaric soul with a heart hard as steel. It is indeed enthralling to see how Moushumi can create characters of diverse personalities.
The book has more to offer as Moushumi takes a plunge into poems that brings out the glory of nature. Nature's Splendour, Enchanting rain, The Night's Quest, Shower of Stardust, Earth- Our Mother Enchanting Rain are a few such poems. Reading the poem one can feel the fresh gush of wind on a sweltering day. Like the dark clouds that lash the raindrops, each word penned by Moushumi makes you get drenched in the nectar of her poetry. Likewise, in the Shower of Stardust, she paints a picture of the sky that dazzles the eyes and makes the gloomy night alive.
Moushumi certainly has many tales to tell. She creates a sense of mystery in the poem titled Masked Man. The title itself piques the interest of the readers as to what it has to tell and creates suspense as to who the person is behind the mask. A Squabble Between Earth and ID2299 is another very unique piece of a poem in the collection. It is dialogue-based and is almost reaching the level of sci-fi fiction. Symposium In a Klatch is another brilliant poem with jest and humour written in a tell-tale manner.
The beauty of this collection is that on one hand, Moushumi creates sci-fi fiction she also has poetries dedicated to real-life characters such as Maryam Mirzakhani, a mathematician, Katherine Graham, a publisher, Bessie Coleman, an aviator, Ada Lovelace and last but not the least poem about the mystical painting of Leonardo da Vinci, Monalisa, the Mystical Smile. These poems show the sheer brilliance of the poetess by keeping the memory alive in her book through the power of her pen. Coming from West Bengal no ode would be complete if one is not dedicated to Rabindranath Tagore. With an apt title, Kaviguru Rabindranath is a short and sweet poem dedicated to our very own Rabindranath Tagore. Moushumi has shown deep reverence to the Father of the Nation in the poem The Man of The Millennium.
Scattered Showers has been tastefully presented to the reader with a promise of a panorama of collection. The poems have a diverse range and not only talk about the deep reverence and love for divinity and nature but also bring out the artistic side of the poetess by delving into topics that are hard to explore. The poetry book is laced with words that add to the vocabulary of the readers. Yes, one will definitely get enriched by reading Moushumi's book. The poetess has offered us many pearls of wisdom through her work. Each poem in the Scattered Showers is a piece of gem that has been curated with love by the poeta.
This review has been made by our Associate Editor Shristee Singh.
Moushumi Bhattacharjee is a teacher by profession, and has a great passion for writing. Few of her short stories and articles have come up in various e-papers, magazines and newspapers. She picks up social issues for her writing. A mother of two young adults, she manages her time between home and family life and writing quite efficiently.