Pickling Season - Naked By the Sabarmati and other Guna Poems

During the time span that these poems were written, I had contrasting experiences. My days alternated between the frenetic hustle of Mumbai city and the soporific stillness of a remote village in Raigad district, Maharashtra. This period also saw my daughter's body bloom while my parents shriveled with age. As the different experiences clashed and sparked off uncertainties and doubts, one reached for distractions and, eventually, for the 'stone hard' comfort of poetry. Words on the page seemed reassuring, even somewhat permanent.

The poems in the first section have been largely influenced by the earthy, rural setting and I man's age-old interaction with nature. The long poem, I See, I Enter, has quotes from the Bhagwad Gita. The Tara Dialogues came about when Tara, an adivasi woman, talked to me about goddess Tara, their presiding deity of bygone days. These adivasis who live in the nearby hills have now turned to worshipping Ganapati, a revered God in Maharashtra.

**Contents and Sample Pages**