Book Review: A Poetic Journey Through Mother-Daughter Bonds

Mother-Daughter Dialogue 

Authors: Dr. Paramita Mukherjee Mullick and Sankalpita Mullick 

Publisher: Penprints 

Rs 150/- 

Pages: 64(paperback), 2024 

ISBN 978-819679322-7 

A beautiful collection of poetry by a mother and her daughter. The treat is really in the poetry and the concept of sharing the same space, by a mother and daughter,바카라�with the emotions and expression of both바카라� complementing each other. The hostelite daughter vents her chagrin in poignant poetry, and the mother ghost walks through her house, missing the child at every turn. 

They start with food, typically Indian style, and Sankalpita writes, 

바카라�MY LOVE IS CONTAINED IN FOOD바카라� 

Quote: 바카라�The biryani I ate with my parents doesn바카라�t taste the same 

When served on cold metal mess plates 

The rice sticking to the sides바카라� 

And the eggs never quite fried right, and the meat always conspicuously absent바카라� 

While Paramita writes, 

바카라�THE KITCHEN IS NOT THE SAME ANY MORE바카라� 

Quote:바카라� Mixing the grated cheese, chopped green chillies and garlic in the pasta for you is a different joy바카라�. 

The chutney tastes bitter without you바카라� 

The pav-bhaji masala lies idly on the larder바카라�.바카라� 

The daughter바카라�s food and the mother바카라�s spices, have both gone bland, such touching lines. 

Both poems brought a smile on my face and yet, the eyes almost brimmed with tears. More as I read Paramita바카라�s poem 

바카라�YOUR ROOM바카라� 

바카라�Your room waits for you my child 

A mother바카라�s heart waits for you 

To come back from hostel 

And spread your sunshine around바카라� 

Sankalpita waits for the telephone to ring in the poem THE PHONE RINGS, clinging to it like the perennial umbilical cord,

바카라�I wait impatiently to tell you good morning before class and good night before bed.

No matter how our day바카라�s been and what we have said바카라�. 

So on through the book, they both write on the topic, THE PUREST FORM OF LOVE 

Paramita바카라�s little grandson nestles up to her with the love that바카라�s beyond dimensions, and the same baby holds on to his aunt바카라�s phone with rapt attention when he spots Sankalpita바카라�s face on it, just this is so valuable showing the loving bonds in the family.바카라� 

Paramita speaks of Diwali,바카라� 

바카라�In this city of dreams 

Only remnants of Diwali lights are sparkling faintly 

But for a mother whose daughter has come home 

There is Diwali in my heart바카라� 

Then the sea is ever present too, as Sankalpita says, 

바카라�I look at the turquoise blue sea and바카라� 

I transform the beauty into poems바카라�바카라� 

Then she shares that THE SEA BELONGS TO ALL, and we understand, for Mumbaiites, the sea is a permanent emotion. 

They talk of festivals, of love, of the wait for each other바카라�s phone calls, it makes for very interesting reading, yet I wonder what will the conversations be like over passing of time, when the daughter is in a career, when she becomes a mother, and the other a grandmother, as they both grow in different ways, yes, I wonder, and I바카라�m sure those verses will be another delight.바카라� 

I end with the mention of Sankalpita바카라�s poem바카라� 

바카라�WHERE IS HOME FOR ME바카라� 

She says a king chose to live in hell rather than heaven, for his family was in hell, and then she says 

바카라�So then I knew where home is for me바카라�. 

A slim volume, but full of emotional experience and the joy of a family, I congratulate the authors and the publishers for bringing out this lovely book. 

Satbir Chadha is the author of the highly acclaimed book, 바카라�For God Loves Foolish People바카라�, for which she was awarded the Reuel International prize. She is also the founder of the NISSIM International Prize for Literature, awarded every year to upcoming writers of English prose and poetry.