My first review!

This was my first review a couple of years ago, in one of my friend's company newsletter( the editor wrote this). Just came across this and wanted to share. And although the friend is no longer a friend, the review still makes me feel real good!

                        

Modern Humpty Dumpty


Being an avid book reader, I often spend my weekends at Crosswords, reading/ buying new books. This weekend as I browsed through, my eyes fell on a new book on the shelves. It was titled ‘Humpty Dumpty’s Great Fall’. It was the title that appealed to me and a glance revealed it was a poetry book. I don’t generally read many poems, but the innovative title of the book inspired me.
Viraj Muthye, aka, Ed Lithium is the author of the book. ‘Humpty dumpty’s Great Fall’ is his first published work. On seeing the title, one is instantly reminded of the famous nursery rhyme ‘Humpty Dumpty’. But this is not a nursery rhyme book. Reading just the first poem (the title of which is the title of the book) convinced me of it. The title is apt as it talks not of the nursery rhyme, but the political unrest and tension in the world while the original rhyme was composed. It is a catchy title and creates a curiosity about the book inspiring one to pick it up. The book consists of around 80 poems. Most of them are heavy reads with an underlying meaning. The poems talk in depth the human psychology and how our mind functions even in the most complex of situations. There are poems on satire and ironies, follies of human behaviour, etc. In modern terms, one could call the poems ‘Goth’ or ‘dark’ as they are morbid and give a sense of déjà vu. But not all poems are dark. There are even a couple of light hearted, fun reads. Whatever the poem, they definitely capture one’s mind and the end often leaves a smile on the face, making you wonder.
I liked most of the poems but two appealed the most to me; Humpty Dumpty and Missle Paav. Missle Paav is a poem on the all famous missal-paav of Mumbai. Just as Mumbaikars are relishing a plate, missiles fly overhead and there is destruction. The poem ends on the note, Raju, ek missle paav, extra kanda marke! This poem aptly outlines the state of the world today and the chaos we live in. All poems teach us something and set our thinking gear in motion.
The poet, Viraj, is an Indian pursuing his MSc at North-western University, Chicago. The book is a reflection of his thoughts and how the young today see the world. Such indepth knowledge and understanding of the human psychology is difficult to find in such a young age. But the book is a sure winner, one that creates the right amount of intrigue and satisfies curiosity. A book difficult to resist. One that leaves you wanting more. Viraj has a sure winner in his first book!