Books
Outpourings of praise
A physiotherapist by profession with a master’s degree in musculoskeletal physiotherapy, Dr Kashmira Goghavalla (pictured), 33, has brought out a collection of poems titled Musings of My Heart, in praise of her guru Rajiv Kapur whom she describes in her 
dedication as "the divine guiding light and energy behind the creation of this anthology… All the poems in this collection are written with the image of my guru in my mind’s eye and with devotion to his lotus feet in my heart.”
This sets the tone for the 60 or so poems in eight sections under the heads: personal tendencies, social conditioning, learning from nature, right attitude, self-inquiry, deepening inquiry, thanksgiving and dissolving. Goghavalla shares that as a child she "developed an interest in writing short rhyming verses” but it was only after she met her guru in 2017 that "exclusively with his blessings… many poems flowed through me… Most of my poems spring from my understanding of his teachings.”
This first anthology traces her spiritual journey, her reflections on the transient nature of materialistic pleasures, inner explorations, early struggle with personal conflicts and social conditioning, disenchantment with mundane life and yearning for a proper approach to right living in her quest for self-realization through sadhana (daily spiritual practice). Her evident adulation of and deep gratitude to her guru "whose luminous teachings have given her a sense of direction in life and brought her supreme peace and bliss” has resulted in the verses being hagiographic. Poetry requires careful crafting: good intentions and rhyming words alone do not suffice. Goghavalla’s offerings, though well meaning, lack structure, rhythm or meter.
The poems are accompanied by several black and white illustrations, both sketches and paintings which suffer because of poor reproduction quality. The cover illustration accurately reflects the subject matter of the book. The anthology is peppered with many pages of quotations from the guru. The typeface used is easy on the eye and the text pleasingly free of proofreading errors.
The 223-page paperback, priced at Rs 245, was published in 2020 by Xpress Publishing, an imprint of Notion Press at Old No. 38, New No. 6, McNichols Road, Chetpet, Madras 600031.
dedication as "the divine guiding light and energy behind the creation of this anthology… All the poems in this collection are written with the image of my guru in my mind’s eye and with devotion to his lotus feet in my heart.”This sets the tone for the 60 or so poems in eight sections under the heads: personal tendencies, social conditioning, learning from nature, right attitude, self-inquiry, deepening inquiry, thanksgiving and dissolving. Goghavalla shares that as a child she "developed an interest in writing short rhyming verses” but it was only after she met her guru in 2017 that "exclusively with his blessings… many poems flowed through me… Most of my poems spring from my understanding of his teachings.”
This first anthology traces her spiritual journey, her reflections on the transient nature of materialistic pleasures, inner explorations, early struggle with personal conflicts and social conditioning, disenchantment with mundane life and yearning for a proper approach to right living in her quest for self-realization through sadhana (daily spiritual practice). Her evident adulation of and deep gratitude to her guru "whose luminous teachings have given her a sense of direction in life and brought her supreme peace and bliss” has resulted in the verses being hagiographic. Poetry requires careful crafting: good intentions and rhyming words alone do not suffice. Goghavalla’s offerings, though well meaning, lack structure, rhythm or meter.
The poems are accompanied by several black and white illustrations, both sketches and paintings which suffer because of poor reproduction quality. The cover illustration accurately reflects the subject matter of the book. The anthology is peppered with many pages of quotations from the guru. The typeface used is easy on the eye and the text pleasingly free of proofreading errors.The 223-page paperback, priced at Rs 245, was published in 2020 by Xpress Publishing, an imprint of Notion Press at Old No. 38, New No. 6, McNichols Road, Chetpet, Madras 600031.
SHERENE VAKIL
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