Random Reflections- Collection of Poems

The present collection consisting of forty-one poems in to is an outcome of Dr. Dwivedi's continued interest in creative writing in both Hindi and English. Two or three of the poems were written way back in 1966, and since then the poet has sustained his unflagging enthusiasm for versification and creativity. But most of the poems were composed in the Eighties.

The poems in this collection ring changes on a variety of subjects-metaphysical longings, social concerns, political awakening, professional predicaments, providential calamities, popular places and persons, amorous twitchings, decays and deaths. A fairly large number of them are on certain burning social and political issues which call for our prompt attention and remedial action. The poems compel the participation of the reader, willy-nilly. 'Communication' is a prized possession of this poetical collection, and it is attained through an enviable artistic excellence.

It is hoped, this poetical volume will cater to sensitive readers and make them delighted and elevated through its emotional effusions and reflective musings.

The first thing that strikes a reader on going through Dr. Dwivedi's poems is his commitment to the Indian thought and feeling, which though expressed in English, has its roots in the indigenous culture. This enhances his originality and avoids the pitfalls which many poets who have a Western orientation fall a victim to. Additionally, Dwivedi is drawn to the wider canvas of living, embodying as it does the imagery of the heart, with the forthrightness of the mind in commenting on the social and political issues that compel us to act on the realities of today.

Perhaps this is the outcome of his early days, when he wrote poems in Hindi, the ethos of which has successfully been carried forward into his maturity years, when he wrote over a dozen books of literary criticism, and then researched extensively in his thesis on "Indian Thought and Tradition in T.S. Eliot's Poetry."

**Contents and Sample Pages**