바카라Noise Cancellation바카라 by Jhilam Chattaraj explores refreshingly quirky perceptions in an era when gloomy thoughts of disease and death have seeped into the recesses of our consciousness. Â The most redeeming aspect of her poetry lies in the fact that it can be relished by readers without expending extraneous critical thought, while at the same time inspiring them to perceive apparently mundane things in a different light. In a recent online book launch, the poet commented upon the significance of the title in very relatable terms. She recalled an incident dating back to 2019 when she came across the term 바카라noise cancellation바카라 while purchasing a new pair of headphones. Jhilam has cleverly recast the concept of reducing background noise through advanced technology for better auditory experience within the paradigm of meaningful living, insulated against the humdrum of daily existence. The poem, 바카라Noise Cancellation,바카라 thus heavily relies on monosyllables. It aims to create the effect of reduced distraction and pursue a 바카라sustainable consciousness바카라: Â
Ears pour nude noise
on palms that swell and spill.
Bones bloom on strange beds, Â
they don바카라t fear this storm.Â
Sea of rage, sick with a slab of glass,
phones turn the key;
click, click, click 바카라
the birth of a sound.
 In the first section of the book, titled 바카라Active Noise Control,바카라 Jhilam바카라s poems unfold one after the other like different songs shuffling on within a playlist. However disparate they might apparently seem in their range of subject-matters, the connecting strain lies in the lucidity of expression that characterizes every single poem. For instance, the poem, 바카라Phuchka,바카라 explores the delectable street food along with the cultural politics around it:Â
Phuchka/Gupchup/ PatasheÂ
Golgappe/ Paani puri/Tikki Â
Eldest street queen; social eating
from the palms of northern men.Â
I remember his eyes, his trembling hands
when cities chased him, the 바카라dirty migrant.바카라
India bleeding
between north and south.
Jhilam is visceral in her exploration of human nature; from the poignant acceptance of death in the poem, 바카라A Universe without Your Ringtone바카라 to a philosophic commentary on communal violence in 바카라Park Street, Kolkata, 28 February 2020.바카라 She critiques capitalist expansion into the Indian handloom sector in 바카라Block Prints.바카라 She evokes the spectre of British Imperialism through personal histories in 바카라The Boy who loved the British.바카라 Â Â
The poet바카라s attitude towards the pandemic is multifaceted. In poems like 바카라I ran the marathon without shoes,바카라 she acknowledges the radically altered dynamics of living, teaching and interpersonal relationships. Poems like 바카라Lizards바카라 and 바카라Transition바카라 highlight the necessity to look beyond the material realities of life and delve into a more contemplative mood of assessing its nit grits.
In the second section, 바카라Portraits in Pods바카라, Jhilam weaves a series of Cinquain variants. These short poems with their delicate syllabic pattern, 2.4.6.8.2 leave a lasting impression on the reader바카라s consciousness:Â
Father,
not house, a blue
postcard, the smell of blue
ink, curl of your fingers바카라warmest
infolds.Â
Ordinary cuisines, objects of daily use, places, situations and people are presented with a new sheen, making them endearing aspects of human life rather than banal trivia to be unceremoniously dismissed.
The poems are not arranged in any particular order, thereby giving the impression of spontaneity and perhaps even reminding one of the 바카라logic of the imagination바카라1 which has been the keynote of many of T S Eliot바카라s poems. Unlike the 바카라logic of concepts바카라, the 바카라logic of the imagination바카라 provides the scope for the creation of an overall impact without the establishment of any explicit linkage.Â
The poems come across as a distinct blend of Romanticism and a Modernist sense of isolation, anxiety and despair. Sensitive issues of gender discrimination, sexism, stultifying patriarchal norms and domesticity are tactfully played out within a broad spectrum of contemporary concerns. However, the author바카라s stance is not that of a preacher or an outright revolutionary but rather that of a keen observer and critic who is aware of her own socio-political ideologies as she questions the worn-out kinks within the system. Her approach is darkly comic, especially in poems like, 바카라The Windmill바카라 and 바카라Lipstick.바카라
Despite possessing a palpably Indian flavour, Noise Cancellation also has an undeniable touch of the cosmopolitan in the author바카라s outlook, thereby enabling her poetry to achieve universality in its appeal. Certain terms such as 바카라khunti바카라 and 바카라sheel-noda바카라 have been transliterated directly onto the pages in order to retain their cultural essence, which remains curiously interesting for those who are newly introduced to them.
In a nutshell, past, present and speculations on the future, cerebrally comingle to weave an intricate fabric of memory, consciousness, smells, sights, sounds and desire. Each sensation is tinged with beauty, and a refreshing sense of genial humour.Â
(Stella Chitralekha Biswas is a doctoral student at the Centre for Comparative Literature and Translation Studies, Central University of Gujarat. Views expressed in this article are personal and may not necessarily reflect the views of Outlook Magazine)
