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Radha
"No one has ever recorded the voice of Radha – one of the most powerful characters in all of chronicled history. As one half of the indivisible entity ‘RadhaKrishna’ she resonates through millions of lives every day. And yet, her songs remain unsung; her stories stay untold. Until now. This book, entitled an eponymous ‘Radha’; is a collection of 101 poems written in the voice of Radha. This book is Radha speaking to her beloved Krishna in poetry, across the ages, in an endless conversation that ebbs and flows and heaves and rests like the rhythm of a vast ocean. Sometimes she is a young girl, sometimes she is an old woman, sometimes she is petulant in her love for her Krishna, sometimes she is unflinching in her courage in letting go of her beloved Krishna. This book is an imagined conversation between 2 of the most evocative characters of all time. Her Krishna is as present in the writing as Radha is, although he never speaks a word. This is not a love story. This is the love story."
222 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 17, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 15, 2018
One of the best poetic collections on Radhakrishna.
I like the way Leena has been able to bring the playfulness of the relationship she has written from the beginning till the end.
Right from the moment I picked up this book I knew I could not keep it down. These poems captivate you and at the end of every poem you are there with a lingering pain in your heart that Radha might have felt.
I like the way Leena has been able to bring the playfulness of the relationship she has written from the beginning till the end.
Right from the moment I picked up this book I knew I could not keep it down. These poems captivate you and at the end of every poem you are there with a lingering pain in your heart that Radha might have felt.
December 17, 2018
Leena Saldanha gives voice to one of the most enigmatic characters in Indian mythology: Radha. Though famous as Krishna's paramour, Radha's voice has been missing in our epics. Her story ends with Krishna's departure from Vrindavan, and her personality is confined within the boundaries of Krishna's story.
In this book composed of 101 short poems, Radha writes to her Krishna, and for the first time adds her voice to the narrative. The poet delves deep into the Hindu concept of 'rebirth', and through multiple incarnations of Radha addresses Krishna: sometimes as a coquettish cowherdess, a business woman, or a housewife whose personal kurkshetra is keeping her stainless pressure cooker stain-free.
Radha, through Saldanha's words, comes across as a strong female character. Not a love-struck mortal but an equal to Krishna. She says that just as Krishna's destiny was to fight in Kurukshetra, it was hers to stay in Vrindavan and herd cows. She takes pride in the fact that she is more creative than Krishna, and revels in their differences. She says that we make a great couple not because of our similarities but because of the differences. She misses Krishna but in the same breath says that it is not possible for her to be separated from Krishna. Their love is so strong that they are one entity, always together. She says RadhaKrishna fought in the Kurukshetra, and RadhaKrishna herded the cows in Vrindavan. She is his closest confidante, and the only person with whom he can drop his teasing smile and be at 'home'. She finds Krishna's love all around her - in the golden hues of the sunset, the gentle breeze, the beggar she meets at a traffic intersection, and the man she just catches a glimpse of while driving at 100 miles per hour on the highway. Thus she is never far from his loving embrace. She says:
Radha is hidden in every woman and thus is able to empathise with the girls getting groped in buses (like modern day Draupadis, humiliated by men), and even Nirbhaya.
The only facet of Radha missing in this book was the fact of her first marriage, and the illicit nature of her love for Krishna. Nevertheless it was quite an interesting read!
In this book composed of 101 short poems, Radha writes to her Krishna, and for the first time adds her voice to the narrative. The poet delves deep into the Hindu concept of 'rebirth', and through multiple incarnations of Radha addresses Krishna: sometimes as a coquettish cowherdess, a business woman, or a housewife whose personal kurkshetra is keeping her stainless pressure cooker stain-free.
Radha, through Saldanha's words, comes across as a strong female character. Not a love-struck mortal but an equal to Krishna. She says that just as Krishna's destiny was to fight in Kurukshetra, it was hers to stay in Vrindavan and herd cows. She takes pride in the fact that she is more creative than Krishna, and revels in their differences. She says that we make a great couple not because of our similarities but because of the differences. She misses Krishna but in the same breath says that it is not possible for her to be separated from Krishna. Their love is so strong that they are one entity, always together. She says RadhaKrishna fought in the Kurukshetra, and RadhaKrishna herded the cows in Vrindavan. She is his closest confidante, and the only person with whom he can drop his teasing smile and be at 'home'. She finds Krishna's love all around her - in the golden hues of the sunset, the gentle breeze, the beggar she meets at a traffic intersection, and the man she just catches a glimpse of while driving at 100 miles per hour on the highway. Thus she is never far from his loving embrace. She says:
Loved
Lost
So what?
Radha is hidden in every woman and thus is able to empathise with the girls getting groped in buses (like modern day Draupadis, humiliated by men), and even Nirbhaya.
The only facet of Radha missing in this book was the fact of her first marriage, and the illicit nature of her love for Krishna. Nevertheless it was quite an interesting read!
September 2, 2017
I gingerly pick up a book by a new author. I have no idea how pleasant or not the pages will turn out to be. Yet I brace myself with a sip of my favourite tea and start exploring. I read the dedication and it tweaks my interest (a first good sign; I always read dedications with minute attention, and just for the records, I am a fan of the dedications Jhumpa Lahiri and Neil Gaiman write). I start turning the pages. It’s a work of poetry. Almost with bated breath, I read the first poem. I like it. Encouraged by the first pleasant encounter, I read on. And soon I am immersed in a beautiful world of words and thoughts. When I pause, I realize that I am happy to again discover a very good book. Before resuming reading, I Whatsapp one or two poems I had just read to two of my friends; these poems had just reminded me of our recent conversations. And then I plunge myself fully into this little yellow of a book, which the poet, Leena Saldanha, has fondly named “RADHA”.
Radha loves Krishna, it is the eternal truth. In this book, we find a poet who fancies herself as a modern day Radha. She chronicles her conversation with her lover - the eternal, mystic, mischievous, powerful and romantic Krishna. Her conversation with Krishna takes the shape of 101 poems. Some are as short as comprising merely of four words and three punctuation marks. Some are longer, and some are much longer. And almost all of them reflect a myriad of feelings. These words are waves of poetry and if you dive into them, you will discover a hidden sea :)
In one of the poems, Radha is a corporate woman, playing with deadline and telling Krishna that she is up for the challenge. Sometimes, she is a lover falteringly claiming her indifference to Krishna’s Gopis, or sometimes, she is just a lover, expressing her love. She says, “ Loved. / Lost. / So what?”. At other times, she is the mistress of the house who struggles to, and takes pride in keeping her stainless steel pressure cooker bright and shiny; she tells Krishna that this struggle is her Kurukshtra. Sometimes, this modern Radha is seen peeking into a social issue, while making the readers smile as they remember the famous song of the yesteryear, “Yashomati maiya se bole Nandlala / Radha kyon gori main kyon kala”. Radha says, “I hear you’ve been / Asking your mother / Why you are Dark-skinned / And I am / Fair and Lovely. / Stop that, Krishna! / Your complaints / Are feeding / An entire / Cosmetics Advertising Industry Nexus". Radha thinks about worldly affairs, she worries about the current state of education, she rejoices in her compatibility with Krishna and cherishes their differences, she loves Krishna and yet she lets him go, she goes to Benaras in search of the Radha within her, she dresses up to drive Krishna crazy and someday she dons her make-up and goes out dancing to beat the blues. As you turn the pages, you realize that like Krishna, Radha too is eternal, mystic, mischievous, powerful and romantic. Soon you realize that Radha is in every girl we see around us and that, we too carry a Radha in our heart.
This is a book with a few words and an ocean of reflections. I will rate the book 3/5. To build a perspective, I would rate Maya Angelou 4/5, Pablo Neruda 4.5/5 and Rumi a 5/5. I would have given this masterpiece a 3.5/5, had Radha here also spoken about the blame of illicitness that always accompanies her relationship with Krishna. This, I feel would have completed the saga for me, which otherwise encompasses all aspects of RadhaKrishna; be it spirituality, romantic attitudes, ideology and values, or even, banality. I feel, this needed to be addressed, that maybe it has been knowingly or unknowingly dodged. Nevertheless, I love this book and will always keep an eye out for the next work by the poet.
May the Radha in our heart never stop dancing!
Radha loves Krishna, it is the eternal truth. In this book, we find a poet who fancies herself as a modern day Radha. She chronicles her conversation with her lover - the eternal, mystic, mischievous, powerful and romantic Krishna. Her conversation with Krishna takes the shape of 101 poems. Some are as short as comprising merely of four words and three punctuation marks. Some are longer, and some are much longer. And almost all of them reflect a myriad of feelings. These words are waves of poetry and if you dive into them, you will discover a hidden sea :)
In one of the poems, Radha is a corporate woman, playing with deadline and telling Krishna that she is up for the challenge. Sometimes, she is a lover falteringly claiming her indifference to Krishna’s Gopis, or sometimes, she is just a lover, expressing her love. She says, “ Loved. / Lost. / So what?”. At other times, she is the mistress of the house who struggles to, and takes pride in keeping her stainless steel pressure cooker bright and shiny; she tells Krishna that this struggle is her Kurukshtra. Sometimes, this modern Radha is seen peeking into a social issue, while making the readers smile as they remember the famous song of the yesteryear, “Yashomati maiya se bole Nandlala / Radha kyon gori main kyon kala”. Radha says, “I hear you’ve been / Asking your mother / Why you are Dark-skinned / And I am / Fair and Lovely. / Stop that, Krishna! / Your complaints / Are feeding / An entire / Cosmetics Advertising Industry Nexus". Radha thinks about worldly affairs, she worries about the current state of education, she rejoices in her compatibility with Krishna and cherishes their differences, she loves Krishna and yet she lets him go, she goes to Benaras in search of the Radha within her, she dresses up to drive Krishna crazy and someday she dons her make-up and goes out dancing to beat the blues. As you turn the pages, you realize that like Krishna, Radha too is eternal, mystic, mischievous, powerful and romantic. Soon you realize that Radha is in every girl we see around us and that, we too carry a Radha in our heart.
This is a book with a few words and an ocean of reflections. I will rate the book 3/5. To build a perspective, I would rate Maya Angelou 4/5, Pablo Neruda 4.5/5 and Rumi a 5/5. I would have given this masterpiece a 3.5/5, had Radha here also spoken about the blame of illicitness that always accompanies her relationship with Krishna. This, I feel would have completed the saga for me, which otherwise encompasses all aspects of RadhaKrishna; be it spirituality, romantic attitudes, ideology and values, or even, banality. I feel, this needed to be addressed, that maybe it has been knowingly or unknowingly dodged. Nevertheless, I love this book and will always keep an eye out for the next work by the poet.
May the Radha in our heart never stop dancing!
June 2, 2017
How to explain this book. If I need to say a sentence about the book, I would say that this is a monologue of Radha. But there is more into it.
Radha is talking to Krishna. Moreover Radha is spreading love everywhere. Radha tells Krishna that even if she hates milk, she makes butter everyday because she loves him that much. She wonders if Krishnas life as a God is boring. She is mesmerized by her lover who had never been with her but still remained inside her always. She wails that the world calls Radha and Krishna as RadhaKrishna to avoid every distance between them but she still don't have him by his side. There is more to the book than mere romantic utterances of a woman in the throes of love.
Since Radha and her love is immortal, authoress imagine her to be living in this millennia. She is the representative of the woman who I'd judged, exploited and trodden. Some poems point to the current scenario in the words of Radha.Many poems are the continuations of the previous ones.
The book speaks about eternal love that never changes after years, decades and centuries.
This review is in return of a free book from the publisher
Radha is talking to Krishna. Moreover Radha is spreading love everywhere. Radha tells Krishna that even if she hates milk, she makes butter everyday because she loves him that much. She wonders if Krishnas life as a God is boring. She is mesmerized by her lover who had never been with her but still remained inside her always. She wails that the world calls Radha and Krishna as RadhaKrishna to avoid every distance between them but she still don't have him by his side. There is more to the book than mere romantic utterances of a woman in the throes of love.
Since Radha and her love is immortal, authoress imagine her to be living in this millennia. She is the representative of the woman who I'd judged, exploited and trodden. Some poems point to the current scenario in the words of Radha.Many poems are the continuations of the previous ones.
The book speaks about eternal love that never changes after years, decades and centuries.
This review is in return of a free book from the publisher
May 20, 2021
Poetry is like that
Capturing a sequinned moment
In words and pauses and rhythm and metre
And holding that moment aloft
Unsupported
Magical
In front of awestruck eyes
It is all an illusion
Which what makes it so real
😍😍😍
Loved each and every word in this book❤️❤️
Capturing a sequinned moment
In words and pauses and rhythm and metre
And holding that moment aloft
Unsupported
Magical
In front of awestruck eyes
It is all an illusion
Which what makes it so real
😍😍😍
Loved each and every word in this book❤️❤️
March 31, 2021
Review to come soon!
Rating: 3.75/5
Rating: 3.75/5
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews