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A Life of Light
Reviewed by Aditi Garg THe journey of life is a medley of experiences. Even the most ordinary people have stories that are far from mundane.
Neither the meek inherit, There is reference to the transience of everything in life, futility of it all and hoping against hope. Even routine events like an evening walk and an empty stage have stories to tell. Calculus, Sand and An Apology are especially good to read. In Except Love, Misra weighs the different aspects of the most talked about emotion — love. It is the most abused, most used and the most chased emotion. She paints a verbal picture that is as vivid as the word itself. The poem Except Love portrays love as she sees it as an all-encompassing feeling that can hurt you as much as heal you. She also talks of the giddy love which catches you unawares and leaves you longing for more. In Need it is also spoken of as a basic human need. The most endearing quality
of Misra’s works is its simplicity. There is no pretence at
snobbishness and being elite. It has the touch and warmth of a cup of
tea on a cold winter day. It brings a smile to your face and a glow in
the heart like the one you get when you talk to a close friend after a
long time.
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Sumita
Misra has put together her poems in A Light of Life. The
compilation has poems from different facets of life. She is an IAS
officer and lives in Chandigarh with her husband and two daughters. Her
poetry has won her raving reviews from Khushwant Singh. He talks of her
work with fondness and the assurance of someone who knows talent when he
sees it. Her poems reach out to people and stir a multitude of emotions.
Her book has been sectioned into two parts, In Transit and Except
Love. In In Transit, Misra talks about her experiences and
memories. She hunts for the meaning of things in life; of her existence.
She talks about tears shed and emptiness felt. In her poem The Game,
she sums up the truth of life very aptly and in such concise a manner: