From politician to mature poet
With his second book Stillness, a collection of eclectic poems written over years, politician Feroze Varun Gandhi has earned himself a worthy comparison with the legendary Atal Behari Vajpayee, Bharat Ratna and arguably BJP’s tallest leader.
Varun’s poetry captures a myriad mix of emotions, giving the reader a rare peek into the inner self of a politician- poet. The new book begins with a poem titled Control and ends with two others Hope and Want, each bearing testimony to his growth as a writer from the time he published his first book The Otherness of Self.
Here, as in his earlier book, Varun’s voice betrays a metaphysical melancholy, always searching for higher truths, seeking answers through a sublimation of self, at once lofty and lowkey, not maintaining eye contact but offering profound wisdom.
Verse forms vary and so do topics, but all offer one a feeling of experiencing a heartfelt vulnerability. There may be contrasts, but there is the sense that both love and pain, hope and loss do exist with an equal urgency in the course of one’s journey, and the existence of one implies the need for the other, instead of negating it. All the poems are deeply personal, written in a fragile, confessional style.
The book signals a significant maturing of Varun not as a person but also in his writing style as a poet. The theme of a silent spiritual metamorphosis and a realisation towards a higher sensitivity are evident throughout the book. At times it echoes the feverishness of public life but for the most part it speaks in a gentle yet haunting manner of the inner life of a young man who thirsts for a deeper self- exploration.
With significant mastery of language and rare emotional depth, this philosophical work is expressed in a lucid and graceful manner. The poems reach an artistic melancholy without being angry or bitter. Throughout the entire work, ‘ stillness’ is showcased.
The title is clearly in his mind, both as a destination to which he wanted to go and as a philosophical underpinning within his mind throughout this writing. Printed beautifully, the pictures add to the body of knowledge and extend a mystical quality to the poetry, imbuing it with a sense of elegant loneliness.
We strongly recommend you get your copy and allow it to absorb you.