Dr Javed Latoo
Gushing Fountain
Collection of Poems
Patridge India. 2015
ISBN-10: 1482841568
ISBN-13: 978-1-4828-4156-5
Pages 148 | Rs 270

Articulate poetic musings

This book is a fine offer expanding the horizon of poetic readership reflecting upon and versifying the human nature and external nature – with a lived reality of a poet. His poetic territory meanders sometimes through colourful images and sometimes through sepia tinted shadows of the past and the poignant. Dr Javed's is both first person and third person voice – exhilarating, emphatic and stimulating. His yearnings are so genuine, readers can connect instantly. The whole gamut of emotions and expressions are engaging and striking, meaningfully evocative in their simplicity.

With no mind boggling abstract metaphors, the flow is easy and smooth. He is not obsessed with just the darker shades of life, unlike few contemporary poets, but has some fresh perspectives on life and living. Dr Javed Latoo has a twofold strength to his persona, being a practicing psychiatrist and a passionate poet that he is. He has also deftly combined his philosophical beliefs and social outlook to make his poetry a truly gushing fountain of articulate poetic musings. This UK based Kashmiri doctor's creative oeuvre has writings on social issues in Newspaper columns apart from articles in medical journals.

"This heart warming and uplifting poetry collection has a poem about almost everything that touched our lives daily… These poems written by a practicing psychiatrist will lighten up the precincts of your heart" – these lines from the blurb very well convey the quality of the poems in the book.

There is no pretense of trying to show some deep metaphysical quest in his poetry, but a desire to chronicle the experiences and facets of life in a poetic expression. The purpose of irony he uses is to draw the attention of the readers to the existing anomalies in the society – like rape, envy, hatred and superstitions.

You are the sickness of the small minded poltroons that
Blinds their corrupt eyes with the soot of enviousness
(Of the hatred, p 96)

There are no biting words or violent emotional outbursts, but a fine balance in versifying his thoughts to bring out the poetic or cerebral perspectives as the case may be. There is a perceptible sadness sometimes and a telling joie de vivre sometimes – the plethora of images comes out strikingly clear.

Humanity and love seem to be the genesis of his fecundity, as we find more poems on those topics demonstrating his ardour and zest for them. Even when he writes long poems, there is a control on its form, consistent in thoughts and flow, without lapsing into obscurity – a danger poems face when the poet loses control and grip. That quality of sustained thought is a mark of poetic dexterity, which we find in Dr Latoo's work.

London is seen as a complete character revealing its beauty and its human and urban connections. We find a sense of the location, the sense of the place growing on you (London). As someone from Indian diaspora, the experiences, the new found identity there, the topographic beauty there in – the confluence of varied aspects form the content of the poem.

Evening strolls along the banks of river Thames
With the touch of a playful breeze is simply celestial
Walks in your green parks ignite romantic flames
Merely looking at your majestic palaces is mystical
(London, p 82)

Nature is central to many a poetic work – providing visual treats through imagery. Dr Javed too finds depth and profundity in the beauty of nature. 'Illusion Chasing,' 'Nature,' 'A Tree Along the Rivulet,' and a few more fall in this category.

You resurrect us daily from deep slumber
With the soul nourishing melody of the bird's singing
Rays of morning sunlight kissing the sleeping flowers
Opening their hearts to fill our days with the fragrance
(Nature, p 50)

Self reflective poetry is a strong genre in poetry – the thought, the composition, the emotionalism, the intellectualism and most importantly the pathos exemplify the verse. 'Jigar,' 'I painfully miss you,' and 'Of the promises' are some poems of that kind. He is good at articulating, emphasizing and celebrating his poetic moments – he is not obsessed with the darker shades of life.

We find a bit of over-sensualizing the context, sometimes, like in the poem 'Of the First Kiss' –

The moment of our trembling lips joining for our first kiss
Adorned heavens and the mother of all the parliaments
(p 123)

A few subjects on which silence is imposed by conservative society, poets should be able to reject that imposition and give strong voice to their opinions. They may be shockingly frank, or euphemistically concealed – but poets have to be vocal in their poetic lexis. 'A girl with anorexia' is a painfully realistic and descriptive poem composed in first person giving more strength to the poem.

Thinning of hair, bad breath, dizziness, feeling cold
Were just a few of the symptoms I dreaded daily
Low moods and emaciation made me look very old
Treading my days with a fat image in my head dizzily
(p 80)

Ending his collection with the poem 'Life' seems apt in signifying a continuum of his deep poetic quest. On the whole an enjoyable fare gushes out of this Gushing Fountain.