Review of Basundhara Roy's "A Blur of a Woman"

A Blur of a Woman

Written by Basundhara Roy

Published by Red River, November 2024

ISBN: 978-81-976304-0-8

Price: INR 299

Language: English, pp. 110

Basudhara Roy is an Assistant Professor of English at Karim City College located in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India. As both, a poet and reviewer, her contributions have been and continue to be published in various anthologies and journals, like The Helter Skelter Anthology of New Writing in English, The Aleph Review, The Poetry Society of India, Mad in Asia Pacific, Teesta, Borderless, Muse India, Shabdadguchha, Cerebration, Rupkatha, Triveni, and Setu, Chandrabhaga, The Punch Machine, Yearbook of Indian Poetry in English, The Dhaka Tribune, Madras Courier and others. She is the author of many books such as Migrations of Hope (2019), Moon in My Teacup (2019), Stitching a Home (2021) and Inhabiting (2022). The underlying themes in her works mostly surround gender, mythology and ecology.

Basudhara Roy's A Blur of a Woman is a striking and emotional collection that examines the diverse experiences of individuals. It is edited by Semeen Ali, designed by Dibyajyoti Sarma and the artwork on the cover is by Sophia Naz—it is called “A Flesh Wound". Roy's verses delve into themes such as identity, societal pressures, love, grief, and perseverance, with exceptional sensitivity and insight. Her use of language is evocative and frequently metaphorical, crafting vivid imagery. She adeptly intertwines personal narratives with wider social reflections, rendering her poetry both intimate and widely relatable. The collection addresses various aspects of a woman's existence, from motherhood to battles against patriarchal conventions, providing a window into the inner worlds of women and their quests for belonging. Roy employs an array of poetic styles, themes and techniques, resulting in a rich and captivating experience. A Blur of a Woman stands as a tribute to the strength and tenacity of women, but does not restrict itself to this one aim. Menka Shivdasini—co-chair of the Asia-Pacific Writers and Translators— rightly said about this anthology: “Basudhara Roy’s finely etched and deeply considered poems examine the multiple complexities of women’s lives.”

Basudhara Roy's collection, visually captivating with its abstract and thought-provoking cover, instantly immerses the reader in a realm of intricate feelings and reflective journeys. The "blur" in the title suggests the fluid nature of identity, a concept mirrored throughout the chosen poems. The cover features a mix of warm and earthy colours. The indistinct organic forms allude to the blurriness in the title, indicating themes of resistance, fluidity, freedom, and the elusive quality of identity. The anthology’s appearance is designed to be visually appealing and thematically significant. The font used for the poems is clear, and the arrangement of spaces is executed with care and consideration. The paper appears to be of high quality, possibly a touch off-white or cream, imparting a classic and literary ambience.

The poem from where the anthology gets its title is on page number sixty. It explores the tension between societal pressures that seek to define and control a woman and her quiet, persistent assertion of self. It contrasts the woman’s physical compliance, “her body a sickle bending to your duty” with her unyielding mind: “But her mind she will still scan. Even as she is shuffled around”. The line, “Anywhere she stands/she owns the place”, suggests an inherent right to belong and occupy space. The ending suggests a potential for shedding external expectations and embracing a more self-defined existence. This seems to also be the central idea of this anthology in general.

Not only in thematic exploration but also in forms and language, Roy shows experimentation, self-definition and resistance. The anthology does not strictly adhere to a single theme or pattern. It also comprises of elegies and ghazals. The use of the ghazal form suggests a respect for tradition while exploring themes like complexities of human relationships, loss, and spirituality. These ghazals also raise questions and challenge the stereotypes. It calls out to multicultural traditions like “Yom Kippur” (Jewish) and “Dastarkhwan” (Persian) which are the title of two of her poems in this anthology.

The poems often touch on mortality and the ephemeral nature of life, contrasting superficial experiences with the underlying reality. The melancholic tone and use of devices like metaphor and irony invite contemplation on existence, meaning, and human connection. For example, the poem “Monsoon Ghazal” uses rain as a metaphor for desire, “unspooling a twine” that connects lovers. Love’s nature is depicted a both destructive “corrosion” and healing “balm”. The ghazal also touches upon the themes of faith and doubt “I fill love’s cup by draining faith”.

Vivid imagery and paradoxical expressions are used in her poems. "Choosing God," explores faith, religious freedom, and fundamentalism. Childhood faith is portrayed as innocent, evolving as the speaker grapples with adolescence. The tone shifts dramatically when the speaker confronts aggressive fundamentalism, symbolized by tattooing a god on their skin. This forced conversion leads to a rejection of dogma and a powerful depiction of the violence and chaos of religious extremism. Through vivid imagery and shifting tones, "Choosing God" critiques religious fundamentalism and celebrates the right to choose one's faith, emphasizing personal exploration and questioning, in the search for spiritual truth.

"Plotting a Dream" delves into the ephemeral nature of aspirations, using the metaphor of Cartesian coordinates to chart the elusive quality of dreams. The poem captures the struggle to define and hold onto these fleeting visions, acknowledging their potential for emptiness and the pain of unfulfilled desires. The dream-like identity in A Blur of a Woman is presented as something fluid and difficult to grasp. "On Reading Shahid," an ode to the poet, celebrates the enduring power of art and memory to transcend loss. The imagery of roses rising from ashes speaks to renewal and grace, mirroring the quiet strength found within the human heart. The anthology is about defiance and acceptance, conformation and transformation, gentle but affirmative soul. “Basudhara Roy’s poems seek to make their home in the precarious tension between the generic and the particular”, says Arundhati Subramaniam, Indian poet and writer about this anthology.

A Blur of a Woman weaves together a rich fabric of human experience. The anthology, marked by its evocative title and artwork, promises a voyage of self-exploration and discovery. The poems enhance this promise, delving into themes of faith, aspirations, memory, and resilience with openness and understanding. The collection as a whole serve as a powerful reminder of the necessity to embrace fluidity, challenge rigid beliefs, and find strength amidst life's intrinsic uncertainties. It stands as a testament to the lasting impact of art in shedding light on the complexities of the human experience, particularly women and providing comfort in the face of the unknown. These make it a compelling collection one can't afford to miss. Reading this anthology threw me into hues of emotions and experiences, without a single moment of boredom. This deserves to be read and re-read in tranquility in order to devour its essence to the maximum.

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About the Reviewer

Akanksha Pandey is a Research Scholar in the Department of English and Modern European Languages at the University of Lucknow. Her poems have been published in Rhetorica Quarterly, The Stroke Stories Publishing House, Setu Journal (Pittsburgh, USA), and an anthology by the All India Forum for English Students, Scholars and Trainers. In addition to poetry, she has published book reviews in Rhetorica Quarterly.