October 09, 2016

Book Review: An Ode To Shimla by Sanjeev Bansal

An Ode to Shimla

Author: Sanjeev Bansal
Publisher: Frog Books

Nature is like a dauntless princess who has a natural aura of her own. Once captivated by her enigmatic beauty, it is very difficult to escape the trance and not think about her. ‘Shimla’ is a name that can give a reminiscent bump to those who have been to this place and the love for this place cannot be shown in a more beautiful way. ‘An Ode to Shimla’ offers lyrical poems that describe the city life, the natural beauty and the hive of activities in the city.

The book is a collection of poems that portray the beauty of Shimla on a plain canvas. My personal favourites include- The Ranunculus and Dawn and Dusk. The way the poet has addressed the flower as ‘she’ using extensive personification and Apostrophe, is really good. The idea being conveyed through the poem ‘Dawn & Dusk’ is also beautifully expressed. All the poems follow free verse and there is no particular rhyme scheme.

However, there are several punctuation errors; majority of the poems end with a semi-colon. If there is a reason behind this, then I would be glad if the poet mentions the same in the comments section. Some of the expressions also didn’t quiet seem correct to me or maybe I was not able to comprehend the emotion behind them (like gaiety’s acoustic- the apostrophe seemed extra here).


Overall, I would say that the free verses serve ‘Shimla- the city’ in mint condition on the platter.


Buy this book from:



Review Copy: courtesy Leadstart Publishers

3 comments:

  1. Thanks a lot for your valuable reviews Ms. Enakshi Johri. Yeah I would like to mention that there is specific reason of ending the lines with semi-colon. Every word and every line in itself describes the feelings of my heart as a devotion for nature. That's why majority of it ends with semi-colon.
    Secondly, about the phrase :"like gaiety’s acoustic", Gaiety is a Theater there built in 17th or 18th Century. Inside the theater still no musical instrument is allowed, whenever there is a play or a show is going on. All the calligraphy within the theater creates acoustic sounds. That's why I narrated with that prose.
    I loved to have your beautiful comments which would help me in my next novels.
    ~Sanjeev Bansal

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for writing. I am glad you replied; however, I would like to point out that the use of semi-colon is to express an opposite idea. The usage for portraying an emotion is still not palatable to me (excuse my blunt comment here). Also, if Gaiety is a proper noun, the capitalization is mandatory. Probably, because it was amiss, the meaning was interpreted incorrectly.

    Hoping to read your views too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's completely okay Enakshi. I am thankful to you that you have read each line and word in depthness. The errors or I would rather call them mistakes, only make me better. It is helping me to rectify and learn the art of writing. This is the only reason why books are sent for reviews and you are doing fantastic work in that.
    Hoping to see your response and comprehend on your insights.
    Thank you.

    ReplyDelete