Ponder Awhile by Mohit Misra – Review

Ponder Awhile by Mohit Misra… Well, the poet is just suggesting we all must give some minutes to ponder. What? Ponder about what? That you will know this once you start reading this poetry collection. I read this book almost a week ago. As its title suggests, I actually immersed myself in the pool of thoughts to Ponder Awhile before I could write something about this book. This book left an ever-lasting impression on me. Mohit Misra’s short poems profess a narrative far beyond what actually exists on the page. His poems are like gravel thrown into a pool, ripples radiating outwards indefinitely, stirring everything they touch. It shook my soul. To an extent, it changed the way I perceive and think about things. This is one of those books that allows you to flit and fly from page to page; sink into the folds or fly back into your chair or bed. Mohit’s words were so soothing and constantly echoing in my ears even after a week.

The poems in this collection are not related as such. However, when you read them, you will find a strong correlation between them. They look into the little things or issues of life of common people and present unique perspectives for you. For instance, we all strive to know the meaning of life and see(k) the truth; we all deal with confusion and reasons; we all have our definitions of God; love, friendship and relationships are the most important and inseparable parts of our lives; some days are like winning and some days are losing and so on. Mohit has covered all these aspects and combined them with his own experience which will provide you new insight to look into our lives.

Nevertheless, the subjects that the poems deal with are not only about being poetic. Mohit Misra, the author of Ponder Awhile, comes from a very unique religious background and turned out to be an atheist as life moved on for him. However, realisation and awakening came to him slowly. He experienced many things over many years. And this poetry collection is a result of the same – his experiences and his realisations. You may observe that the poems are very personal in nature. At the same time, we can all see glimpses of very common events, episodes, examples, experiences and emotions in those poems. That’s the beauty of this poetry collection.

Also, the poet has dealt with many spiritual and universal concepts in his poetry collection. He discusses religious messages, spiritual messages, secular messages, messages of light and so on. Mohit has tried his best to present to the world a thesis of peace, brotherhood, harmony and selfless living. He has chosen the lyrical form of the couplet to convey these thoughts and the form and the themes of the poems complement each other.

The height, depth, and expansive views these poems carry are impossible, to sum up here. They are simple and beautiful, dark and bright, contradictory and valid. And there are so many great lines in this poem. So quotable. It is extremely easy to read these poems. They are deep so far beyond my real understanding that I could study them for the rest of my life. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for real meaning in their lives and to anyone who is sick and tired of the usual thing. Grab a copy today and read these poems. Enjoy! Seek! All the best!

Click here to get a copy of this book from Amazon India

Review by Abhinandan for The Book Blog