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Book Review: Dewdrop and Banyan Tree by Ramachandran Rajasekharan

Dewdrop and Banyan Tree by Ramachandran Rajasekharan is a delightful poetry read. The great thing about this book is that its inherent theme is life. All the poems are either sprung from the poet’s life or his parents from whom he got the genius of literature and some more observations.


Ramachandran Rajasekharan unspeakably divides the book in two parts, first twenty or so poems are light and mostly based on childhood, and nature. And the second part or towards the end of the book you will find poems with grave tone. There is a contrast but you will have a smooth ride. In some of the poems both dewdrop and banyan appeared to compare two aspects of life, one is pure and fragile, while another one talks about strength and support.

The title poem is brilliantly penned down –it draws comparison between being pure and strong. The poet nudged on his exceptional observation powers. He brings forward life lessons and nature concerns and the memories of childhood glory. It’s evident that the poet brims with compassion and altruism, it’s reflected in poems like Unhappy Child, A Rare Luxury, and Tale of the Homeless. On the other side Child to Me to Child, Child Rain and Perspectives, A Wonderful World, The Child is the Father of Man – are about children and the issues that mar the innocence of a child. To be specific, the poem Icon of the Lost Hope is about that Syrian refugee boy who drowned in the sea during the refugee crises.  

The poetry runs mostly on the life track, the poet values life be it a surgeon doing his work or a soldier returning from a post. A life must be cared and valued. Towards the end of the book, the poet has some poems that depict the isolation and misery Covid pandemic brought along with it. Another stand alone theme in the book is the poet’s love and gratitude towards his parents. In the poem “Am I a Loser” he takes a valuable life lesson from his father:

“Father looked at me

Intensely, then smiled and said,

The winner will smile even in the loss.”

All poems are expression of the poet’s life experiences he gained in various stages. He confidently talks about many topics and issues through the flowery language of poetry. It’s such a good book that instills hope about life…read it and feel it. A lovely collection…overall!

Order your copy from Amazon or Kindle.

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