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Book Review-Burning Asia:The Present Image by Saurabh Pant

BURNING ASIA:THE PRESENT IMAGE

Ratings:⭐⭐⭐⭐💫(4.5/5)



The title 'Burning Asia' shook me to the core,as if the continent is falling apart. The subtitle points out that this is not only a poetry collection,but also a critical account in verses about what Asia went through.This highlights the present image of world's largest continent,Asia.

The feeling of impending doom stays throughout the book. Humans lay hold of dreadful actions which brought gruesome consequences.A war of extremes leads to nothing,but destruction.

Violence and terror are inscribed on these pages. A sense of fear is generated throughout. What seems to be words suspended under a bar of verses gradually take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. 

Do we, as citizens know what's coming next or what's going to happen to the world we live in ? We feel caged. And the culprits still rejoice in the open. This has been going on a continual basis.How long shall we live on the basis of mere conjectures?

The author talks about how "Laos is still a country of hide and seeks". The bonds that we form among ourselves are rare.From the disruption caused on a political level in Hong Kong and Palestine to a pool of blood gushing from the mouths of streets in Philippines, to Singapore being a  land of "inland threats" and to poet's constant urge to ask if there is any possiblity of dawn befalling to the faces of Iran.

Visual imagery and Auditory imagery runs throughout these poems. The illustrations in between intensified the imageries to another level.Had it been coloured, I'd have loved even more. However, the e-format(presentation) could have been better.

The book cover could have been different--something that captures the seriousness of these brutal issues and something that adds to the satires on mankind.

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