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Onnum Nedathavante Chiri

Onnum Nedathavante Chiri (The Laughter of the Unachiever) is an anthology of short poems by Habeeb Perumpadappu. Written in the Free Verse style, it presents modern-day India in its varying hues..

Onnum Nedathavante Chiri

By Habib Perumpadappu

Koora Books

Kozhikode - 673004

Pages 63, Rs 80

Onnum Nedathavante Chiri (The Laughter of the Unachiever) is an anthology of short poems by Habeeb Perumpadappu. Written in the Free Verse style, it presents modern-day India in its varying hues.

If the poems tend to be pessimistic, the poet is not to be blamed. He is at best presenting a mirror to the society in which he lives. If the images are not exciting, it is not his fault.

Sorrow is the underlying emotion in all his poems. How else can it be when he pays tribute to two of his friends who died young, when he presents the failed man and the death as a metaphor, the Kurukshetra of the present, the song of the failed and the train that is always late?

In a few lines he is able to present the life story of the Prophet who begins his ministry at 40 and ends it at 63. The (Un)holy India is, perhaps, the most biting of all the poems.

His own description of the poet suggests that these poems are the spontaneous outbursts of his mind. No, they are not to impress the readers. They are to make them think and appreciate. Illustrations by Thamanna Sithara Wahid are nothing but outstanding.

The poet is an Assistant Professor at Jamia Millia Islamia. He holds a doctorate in Social Work and a degree in Law. Poet Sachidanandan’s brief but brilliant note adds further lustre to the book.

Photo of the poet by AJ Philip