October 05, 2021

Manish Mundra's Mosaic - A thoughtful collection of poetry


 

Title: Mosaic
Author: Manish Mundra
Genre: Poetry
Publisher: Ratio Auream Publishers
ISBN 9788194973034
Pages: 140

Mosaic by Manish Mundra, is a thoughtful collection of poems, centered around introspective aloneness. His work reflects on beauty of being understood. Nothing is exaggerated. These simple yet powerful poems are mostly based on universal emotions.

While reading Manish Mundra’s poetry, I realized if human strength could have voice, this is what it could say. I tried to savour the sense of thought behind each poem. Somewhere it is so comforting to observe how he used ordinary moments, to express his perception of life.  

Pain becomes unbearable?
Emotions can’t hold anymore?
Soul is ripped and tormented?
I do cry…
Am I still man enough?
 

His poems talk directly to the readers in more conversational manner. It feels as if we are going through author’s personal journal. Manish Mundra knows how to make his words fly. Without creating a clutter, author introduced some deep and familiar insights through his poetry.

 
Surprise me today,
Come and rearrange my paint brushes
Behind my back
 
Surprise me today,
While I lie low
With my spirits down
Not knowing where to go.

 

Manish Mundra’s way into artistry through some hidden messages of his poems. It concentrates on sharpen the senses, that helps to achieve fresh possibilities. Some poems are so alive and moving as if someone put a prism in front of the poet’s soul.

 
So what if you fragmented?
So what if you hold cracks, tormented?
We all carry the patchwork,
Making up this beautiful Mosaic world.

This poetry collection is not just about the understanding of human behavior. There are so many reflections here that linger, for instance: longing and loss, forgiveness and acceptance, gratitude and choosing empathy over anything.

As far as, writing is concerned, Manish Mundra is very readable especially for those who are new to poetry world. His observant eye depicts the journey of self-discovery. Reading his inspiring thoughts is an absolute treasure itself. Each poem contains an edge that is alive and feels so good for soul.   

All will be gone
With age,
Nothing stays,
Yet I hope the memories will linger
What if my memories are gone?
 

There is a poem in this collection, when author put himself into a condition of Alzheimer, and we readers get a glance of fear of losing one’s identity through his words. On the other side, he writes about odd sense of time, titled Timezones ‘maybe we are destined to be just two souls, stranded on either sides of the globe.’

I loved to perceive the world through the eyes of poet. In a poem ‘Visitor’ he evokes layered emotions of a weary soul ‘for years – lonely days and solitary nights/ I have cried, remembered our love and our fights.’ Adding to that, I found ‘Doors’ so enriching, Manish portrays such beautiful imagery, he writes – ‘though the tears have now dried up, their salty imprints are still very much there.’  

Besides these, few other poems are equally effective; I personally liked ‘Falling Apart’ ‘Flight’ ‘Dissection’ ‘Undo you’ and ‘I don’t know how to live’. Once you are done with this heartfelt poetry book, forgetting about it would not be an option.  I’ll definitely revisit this collection to dig out the core of human bonding.  

It would be sin, not to mention here about beautiful illustrations done by Mayuri Shahane, that complimented Manish’s poetry very well.


 

About the Author

Manish Mundra is a Business Executive, National Award Filmmaker and Founder of Drishyam Films. He has produced films like Aankhon Dekhi, Masaan, Newton and Kamyaab. He is a painter, avid photographer and poet. Mosaic is his first poetry collection in English.

Buy the book: Mosaic (Amazon)

Connect to author: Twitter | Instagram

 

P.S. I received this review copy by publisher in exchange of an honest review.