Book Title: Alleys Are Filled with Future Alphabets: Selected Poems
Author: Gopal Lahiri
Publisher: Rubric Publishing, India
Date of Publication: January 2021
ISBN #: 978-9391431037
Reviewer: Meenakshi Mohan
Let the Melodies of Lahiri’s Words Resonate Far and Beyond
We remain there: listening to rain
Falling from the tall trees …
All night the raindrops weave love and light.
(Raindrops from ‘Alleys are Filled with Future Alphabets’)
In this collection of poems by Gopal Lahiri, when alphabets fill the alleys, they compose songs, and their melodies echo far and beyond. Sanjeev Sethi, in his blurb of the book, remarks, “In the gentleness of Gopal Lahiri’s lines, the page lights up … it is a mold of experience and expertise that is drawing you to a distilled poetic mien. Imbibe it.”
This book consisting of 102 poems is divided into seven subsections, and each one portrays a different theme and style. Sharmila Ray, in the Preamble, writes, “Gopal Lahiri’s book of poems …brings out the spirit and patience of the poet and the precision of the scientist ….”
One thing is evident that in all his poems, there is a quest for finding self as he says in The Other I, “I am in search of other I.” In his poem Departure, he gives the stars a call:
“I am giving the stars a call for the undestined travel.”
In I Still Love, his quest for finding his own self is expressed thus:
There is no scripture to tell me the right path,
still striving to know the difference,
between sermons and love songs, religion, and terror.
The imagery in his poems is beautiful and makes his words come alive, as in Haiku Series 5:
grey clouds
my guitar
weaves raindrops
There is a Zen-like meditative flair in his writings. In I Still Love, he ingresses:
From where I live and take breath,
it’s impossible to fathom the depth and spread,
of the mystery and magic.
And in Mantra, “I chant a mantra, my breath is ringing on my lips ….”
Dr. Lahiri is a widely published, bilingual writer. He is a recipient of many awards, including the Pushcart Prize for poetry in 2021. When I asked him why did he choose this particular title for this poetry collection, he responded thus, “This book was written during the peak of COVID … the title was a pointer to hope for better days in the future, and everything would be written in new alphabets not used earlier!”
Let his hope for a new chapter in the world come true! Dr. Sanjukta Dasgupta comments on the back of the book’s cover, “The scintillating word-play in the insightful and nuanced poems in this collection will be admired by readers both at home and in the world.”
The book’s cover art by acclaimed poet, academician and painter Jharna Sanyal reflects the serenity and beauty of his poems. May the melody of his words resonate far and beyond the constricted alleys of people’s minds, and may Alleys are filled with Future Alphabets: Selected Poems find a rightful place in the hearts of all book lovers.
Reviewer Bio: Meenakshi Mohan is an educator, art critic, children’s writer, painter, and poet. She taught at universities in Chicago, Boston, and Towson University in Maryland. She has published widely in the academic and creative areas. She has been listed twice in the Who is Who Among American Teachers. She authored three children’s picture books, The Rainbow in My Room, The Gift, The Rebirth of the Demon, and edited Tamam Shud, poems of Kshitij Mohan. She recently had a solo exhibit of her paintings in Potomac, Maryland. She is on the Editorial Team for Inquiry in Education, a peer-reviewed journal published by National Louis University, Chicago, Illinois. Tapestry of Women in Indian Mythology, edited by her is her upcoming anthology.
