Book review: The Spell of the Rain Tree

Express News Service

Enjoy the little things in life is perhaps the most casually doled out and grossly ignored advice out there. Who has the time to pay attention to factors that one knows wouldn’t yield tangible benefits? Often, those most critical of the notorious rat race are the ones running the fastest. Even as the world is catching up to its pre-pandemic pace, Geetha Ravichandran’s new collection of poems, The Spell of the Rain Tree, comes as a timely reminder to stop and smell the roses now and then.

The thin volume has been divided into three parts, beginning with ‘First Appearances’. The section focuses on seemingly inconsequential and often taken-for-granted people, things, and actions in one’s life. There’s the all-pervading grandmother, who will ensure you always have a full plate of food and then some more, notwithstanding your indifference towards her. Then there’s the Siesta, the delights of which keep getting tucked away for a lazy afternoon that refuses to arrive. In Listen In, the poet reiterates the importance of 
lending an ear, but more importantly, truly mean it.

Ravichandran’s subjects grab attention because they are innocuous enough to go unnoticed. When was the last time you paid attention to Windows and the world that becomes accessible as you swing them open? The poet redirects your attention: “Birds drape themselves/ on cable TV antenna… in the posture of those/ who have no need to justify/ what they do with their time.” The languor in the rhythm of the free verse helps the words come alive, rendering a meditative effect on the reader.

The middle segment is titled ‘Locus’. With poems such as On the Highway, As the Light Fades, and Walking Away, celebrates the progressive nature of our transient lives. The poems capture the irony of time in oxymoronic verses. The words conjure visuals that epitomize movement in a world that seems to have come to a standstill. Sample this couplet from Findings: “Lost and cancelled spaces flourish, colonized by weeds/ free from trampling feet, as centipedes feed and thrive.”

Or these from Four Walls and a View: “Rain art on damp walls, shadowy hills, gaping gorges/ will soon make way for mould fungus.” The personification of nature is what earns the book a steady spot on one’s bookshelf. In the final segment, ‘Catchlight’, the poet lets her readers see the world through her eyes and attempts to perceive it through theirs. Both come together harmoniously to create images laden with bitter-sweet nostalgia. Take this stanza from Summer: “Songs of Koels/ trapped in Mangoes/ float in brine/ in grandma’s pickle jar.” 

Read the collection, thus, for the sighs––of relief, relatability, regret, and remembrance––that are all too palpable between the lines. In Return, for instance, the poet writes, “Back to the place that was once home/ memories of unkept promises fester.” 

<br /> Enjoy the little things in life is perhaps the most casually doled out and grossly ignored advice out there. Who has the time to pay attention to factors that one knows wouldn’t yield tangible benefits? Often, those most critical of the notorious rat race are the ones running the fastest. Even as the world is catching up to its pre-pandemic pace, Geetha Ravichandran’s new collection of poems, The Spell of the Rain Tree, comes as a timely reminder to stop and smell the roses now and then.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>The thin volume has been divided into three parts, beginning with ‘First Appearances’. The section focuses on seemingly inconsequential and often taken-for-granted people, things, and actions in one’s life. There’s the all-pervading grandmother, who will ensure you always have a full plate of food and then some more, notwithstanding your indifference towards her. Then there’s the Siesta, the delights of which keep getting tucked away for a lazy afternoon that refuses to arrive. In Listen In, the poet reiterates the importance of <br /> lending an ear, but more importantly, truly mean it.</p> <p>Ravichandran’s subjects grab attention because they are innocuous enough to go unnoticed. When was the last time you paid attention to Windows and the world that becomes accessible as you swing them open? The poet redirects your attention: “Birds drape themselves/ on cable TV antenna… in the posture of those/ who have no need to justify/ what they do with their time.” The languor in the rhythm of the free verse helps the words come alive, rendering a meditative effect on the reader.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>The middle segment is titled ‘Locus’. With poems such as On the Highway, As the Light Fades, and Walking Away, celebrates the progressive nature of our transient lives. The poems capture the irony of time in oxymoronic verses. The words conjure visuals that epitomize movement in a world that seems to have come to a standstill. Sample this couplet from Findings: “Lost and cancelled spaces flourish, colonized by weeds/ free from trampling feet, as centipedes feed and thrive.”</p> <p>Or these from Four Walls and a View: “Rain art on damp walls, shadowy hills, gaping gorges/ will soon make way for mould fungus.” The personification of nature is what earns the book a steady spot on one’s bookshelf. In the final segment, ‘Catchlight’, the poet lets her readers see the world through her eyes and attempts to perceive it through theirs. Both come together harmoniously to create images laden with bitter-sweet nostalgia. Take this stanza from Summer: “Songs of Koels/ trapped in Mangoes/ float in brine/ in grandma’s pickle jar.” </p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Read the collection, thus, for the sighs––of relief, relatability, regret, and remembrance––that are all too palpable between the lines. In Return, for instance, the poet writes, “Back to the place that was once home/ memories of unkept promises fester.” <br />