Manav Kaul’s “Tumhare Baare Mein” is not your normal storybook. Not common poetry either. Tumhare Baare Mein is Kaul’s third book after Prem Kabootar (translated into English as A Night in the Hills) and Theek Tumhare Peeche, both of which are short story collections. Tumhare Baare Mein is an experimental endeavour wherein Kaul writes about simple things, simple short imaginations and the joy he finds in his day to day life, which gives the book it’s a complete name as: Tumhaare Baare Mein (Na Kahani, Na Kavita). Here is a man writing about how the world makes him feel. These, you can say are mere scribbling on a piece of paper.
Scribblings we have all written, then torn and thrown. The book is divided into small write-ups rendered as chapters. Some of things being written about include Kauls childhood, his musings about his favourite authors like Franz Kafka and Nirmal Verma and about his personal life and work. Some of my personal favourites include “Bohot Subah Uthna”, “August” and “Mod” among others. This is about big feelings in the smallest of moments, something you always have wanted to feel. Kaul has made your work easier, he has written it down for you.
The narration goes easy and the language used is not strictly Hindi or English, or it’s written in as Kaul likes to call it, “Nayi wali Hindi” (New Hindi). The book sure will leave you with a warm feeling and a smile on your face, because after all, it is about you or Tumhare Baare Mein!
The book is available at: Amazon My Ratings: 4.5/5 Price: Rs. 120 Pages: 208]]
Book Review by Kirti Verma
Post a Comment