Review of Vineeta Agrawal's "Eartha"

Ecocritical Echoes: A Review of Eartha

Written by Vinita Agarwal

Published by Sahitya Akademi

New Delhi 2024

ASIN: B0DK1DKNPT

Language: English, pp. 78

Penned by Vinita Agarwal and published by Sahitya Akademi, Eartha is a beautifully crafted collection of fifty-five poems that weave the flora and fauna of a living planet into a poetic ecosystem. Dedicated to “every living entity, and to our planet Earth”, the author herself describes the book as “a modest attempt to save what’s left of our planet, save in ways that words can…with belief that pen is mightier than the sword, that words are also weapons, this time, of the right kind.”

While Eartha, used as a term of endearment for Earth,” becomes the central image of the collection, the poems sketch vivid and realistic images of the natural landscape from diverse viewpoints. As the title poem’s beginning lines read: “Eartha, you’re wounded. Allow me to wrap a shawl around you”, the poet attempts to poetically advocate for our planet that she painfully describes as in need of compassion and help. In another verse from the collection titled “To the Earth That’s Losing Itself”, the poet similarly draws images that surface our changing ethos:

Write about shrinking spaces

Write about the colour green

Write a line of dropped trees

Write a symphony of broken rings

Write yourself an optimist.

With a constant urge to step forward to save our planet home, the verses intersperse the ecological, the social and the cultural ethos to create a tapestry of images that collectively describe and paint ‘Eartha.’

The poems talk of earth and its inhabitants that remain in a constant battle of survival. While creating a sense of urgency to save the planet from deteriorating forces, they present a multitude of images that speak of ecocritical loss, pain, struggle, as well as hope and defiance. The collection holds numerous creatures and their stories preserved via a potent weapon as pen. The encounters with different species of trees and animals form beautifully crafted poetic pieces that comprise Eartha.

Clad in a cover that reverberates shades of green with images of inhabitants of Earth that coexist to form a living planet, the book feels elegant and handy. The cover illustrations add to its thematic appeal and design. The language of the poems is lucid, and the verses appear to flow in an unnamed or uncategorized rhythmic charm. The poetic diction adds to its simplistic appeal, and the collection stands out as a beautiful poetic gem in green.

With verses that resonate with the environmental crisis of our time, the book becomes a moving ecocritical journey into both nature and its changing dimensions. It is recommended as a reading companion to every poetry enthusiast who wishes to delve into a seamless reading experience through the pages that bring our planet to life. Compiling many powerful ‘ecocritical echoes’ into a resounding book frame, Eartha by Vinita Agarwal becomes a poetic landmark of its own.

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About the Reviewer

Amrita Sharma is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi, India. She has a Ph.D. in English from the University of Lucknow and has been a Fulbright Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Languages and Cultures, University of Notre Dame, USA. Her works have previously been published in several national and international journals. Her first collection of poems is titled The Skies: Poems and has been published as a part of ‘The Hawakal Young Poets Series 2022.’