The Poetry of Raama Chandramouli: Critical Perspectives
Editor: Dr. P.V. Laxmiprasad
Reliance Publishing House, New Delhi, India, 2019, ISBN:  978-81-7510-253-8

Dr. P.V. Laxmiprasad is a distinguished academician and an erudite scholar. He is also a voracious reader, prominent critic, creative writer and a translator. He has published scholarly papers in edited anthologies and UGC CARE journals. He has penned about 20 books on literary criticism and edited the equal number of books in the same area. His writings speak of his outstanding contribution to the field of literature. The present edited anthology on the literary translation of Raama Chandramouli is worth reading. It should be kept in one’s personal bookshelf. Dr. Laxmiprasad in his preface applauds Raama Chandramouli as ‘a true visionary, a mystic, an ideal citizen, a champion of women and their rights, a crusader for peace, harmony and love, an advocate of life and its values and goals, a profound philosopher of worldly knowledge and wisdom. He laments over the illegal practices and undue advantages in the world. He expresses his concern over the diversions of the youth towards the wrong path. Social values are shrinking and with them family values are lost.’

Raama Chandramouli is potentially sound in writing poetry, short stories, novels, book reviews, scripts to movies and television. His writings express a wide gulf between the rich and the poor, the ruler and the ruled, poverty and wealth, tradition and modernity. His poetry expresses different vicissitudes of life and has portrayed his own share of joy and grief in his experience. His poetry is packed with the saga of human emotions of different enormity and magnitude. He expresses his deep anguish over them depleting levels of human values in the society. His poetry has drawn the attention of many literary lovers and critics and is the focus of discussion in literary corners in and around the state. His poetry has a distinct voice, style and uniqueness which attract the reader instantly. As part of the preface to the book, Dr. Laxmiprasad presented a few celebrated lines of Raama Chandramouli in his preface that impressed him. They are

1. Darkness is permanent/ light is only a guest.

2. Life lies in a collective effort (Multiple-she, 12)

3. To lose one's being is to lose only actuality (An epitome of Sorrow)

4. Time to take leave. One, who comes, will have to leave too (The Enigmatic Forest 18)

5. It is better to love than to hate/it is better to pardon than to punish/ it is better to cease than to go on Mercury in the Palm 20)

6. So much the sorrow/ so much the void/ as much as the sea/as much as the Sky (The Enigmatic Forest 17)

7. Whenever I fall sick/ my wife becomes my mother/ caressing my soul/ offering me/ a handful of compassion/ while books become my friends..my medicines; they recharge me and/ put life back on me (Books that Converse 25)

8. Who's the deceiver/ who's the deceived?/ Everything gets measured in terms of currency/ in search for variety of tastes. (Deals and Violations 27)

9. One has to know why a tender leaf laughs upon/seeing the ripened leaf/that's about to drop (An Eternal Secret, 36)

10. A whole life spent searching for/ a path, a direction/ only to know there is no path/ None (Nothing Ever Remains 50).

11. The bandage between two telephones is invisible/ But the horror of the conversation is very much heard/ that's the truth (Anything is Sold and Bought Here, 103),

12. Be it a staircase, a flight, a pinnacle or/ the ladder of life/ one climbs up/only to climb down (It's so, at times, 8).

13. There you listen/ someone knocks the door/open the doors/ to walk into the wide universe (A Bud that Blooms in the Night, 15).

14. The man melts, rains, flows/expands, enlarges/at last disappears/ having been in existence/ the man ultimately disappears (Rain at the Sunset, 18).

15. Man is but an enigma/with an artificial smile (Man is but an Enigma, 28).

16. Many do not know/that the master kills the horse/if it loses the race/ by a single shot from his pistol/ campus interview is a horse race (Campus Interview, 53).

There are eighteen papers by scholars and critics on the poetry of Raamaa Chandramouli in the present edited volume. Sr. Candy D Cunha in her thought provoking paper "Women as Social Reality in the Select Poems of Raamaa Chandramouli” critically examines the position of women and their plight in the society. She narrates that society still believes that a woman is a symbol of creation and reproduction. The society is unable to find out the original worth of woman.  Dr. Sumathi Shiva Kumar in her scholarly paper "Facets of Motherliness: A Multi- theoretical Interpretation of Raamaa Chandramouli's poem 'A tree… Myriad Memories” explains that the society can be nurtured well under the care and concern of fully-grown mother. The poet suggests to plant one sapling every whenever a girl child is born. Both the plant and the girl child should be nurtured with the same care and concentration.

Dr. Vijaya Babu, Koganti in his brilliant paper "Exploring the Meaning of Lonely: Incompleteness: A Critique on the Poetry of Raamaa Chandramouli" explores that the poet sounds philosophical in his poetry. According to the poet ‘nothing is complete in the world’. Man claims to have won the battles in life but the battles continue to affect human being’s life. Dr. Sheeba S Nair in her authoritative paper "From the Recesses of His Poetic Heart: Cogitating on the Select Poems of Raamaa Chadramouli’s ‘Whither? and Other Poems’ finds that the poet has disclosed the inner recesses of his heart and mind. The poetry of Raama Chandramouli throws light on life's different frames and their reflections.

Anita Arul has employed an innovative theory called ‘Yin Yang’ in analyzing Raamaa Chandramouli's ‘Into a Crowded Aloneness’. She describes that Yin Yang helps us to see things in two aspects. Real power always remains concealed within Yin Yang insists that powers of balance lie within us and living organisms and non-living organisms are interdependent. Two opposite things help in making life go in an equal state and life is dependent on transformation and changes that occur are inevitable. Dr. Anju S Nair examines the concept of modernity and clearly explains the philosophical truth of the emptiness of life in the poetry of Raamaa Chandramouli. Dr. G. Srilatha in her paper "A Humanistic Perspective in As the Window Opens emphasizes for the need of goodness in human behaviour. This approach helps to improve individual's self-image and create a positive atompshere. Dr. S. Barathi in her paper "A Study of Images and Symbols in Raamaa Chandramouli's Asampoorna’ employed SIFT Analysis in her analysis of Raama Chandramouli’s poetry. She has also applied stylistics to the poetry and brought out the various themes, images and symbols in the collection. She finds that the translator has retained some native words to exhibit the local colour in the translation of the poetry.

Dr. Kuljeet Kaur observes that the poetry of Raama Chandramouli wakes up from the state of slumber and makes the mind and soul work together to attain balance and harmony. Dr. VSV Laxmi Ramana has reviewed the collection ‘Inferno’ and evaluates that the poetry is free from all affectations and artificial expressions. S. Mohan Raj observes that real fulfillment comes to those who undergo harsh side of life. Dr. Lily Arul Sharmila worked on ‘Fire and Snow’ and observes that the poet is didactic and is practical when he deals with mundane activities. Miss Prasaja observes that the problems of modern world have caused man to get detached from each other and from the society as a whole which is resulted in frustration, disappointment, dejection and despair in the twenty first century.

Dr. Palakurthy Dinakar has examined the collection ‘Anthara’ and describes the poet as an introspective voyager by observing his inward journey. In the journey he searches for the truths and meanings of life. Dr. D. Gnanasekaran has evaluated the collection ‘As the Window Opens’ and explains about vistas and vicissitudes of life in the poetry of Raama Chandramouli. The collection is a sober casting up of accounts in which the poet takes his stand with universal love and commitment to humanity. Mrs. S. Malathy has studied humanism in the poetry of Raaman Chandramouli and observes that the poet's insights are invigorating and talks about self-introspection and soul-rejuvenation. Dr. Charles Joseph has explored the poet's academic dedication which has brought more nurture and nature to those mundane realities. Dr. NU Lekshmi critically evaluated that the poet leads the readers to labyrinthine corridors. Raamaa Chandramouli Poems are vibrant and abound in realities of life. His uniqueness as a poet rests upon the universal objects, humanistic concerns and above all the inward struggles that confront man in everyday life. Dr. Laxmiprasad has proved himself as a wonderful editor with the present edited volume. His contribution to Indian Writings in English will become immortal in the domain of regional literatures in translation.