Bhaskaranand Jha Bhaskar. Soothing Serenades: Straight from the Heart (A Collection of Love Poems). Paperback: 114 pages. Price: Rs 250/-. Publisher: Authorspress (2018). ISBN-10: 9387281590.ISBN-13: 978-9387281592

Speaking of love may sometimes lead us to the philosophy of Helen Fisher who categorizes it into three: lust, attraction, and attachment— to enjoy twisted desires of mind and body in the temporal world. On the contrary, young and energetic poet Bhaskaranand Jha sets on a journey from ‘being loved’ to ‘being in love’ with the Supreme Being with a conviction that ‘love leads him unto Him above.’ Therefore, he does not waste his time in analyzing ‘what is love’ (John Keats), ‘where is the love?’ (The Black Eyed Peas) and ‘come, my Celia, let us prove’ (Ben Jonson); rather, as his ‘true self gets sparks of divinity’ and thus illuminated like a shining star, he just requests ‘muse’ of his heart to lead him ‘there on the wings of pleasant breezes/ even beyond the ethereal luscious trance!’ Beyond! Why? He himself gives a sound reply— ‘for love alone elevates/ our soul and mind/ with lofty thoughts and ideas/ taking us to ecstatic heights/ of peace and tranquility/ beyond the horizon of desires.’ Consequently, his love is not attraction, attachment or lust, which is bound to physical connections and ultimately leads to nothing, but pain; it is ‘the abstract of bliss’— a reaction of ecstasy, which was fully experienced by Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa in his spiritual journey. Hence, it is time to return to reading Jha’s explicit and compelling love poetry as the wish of the Black Eyed Peas has been fulfilled— ‘Father, Father, Father, help us/ send some guidance from above.’

- Dr Abnish Singh Chauhan

Editor, Creation and Criticism

(www.creationandcriticism.com)