Love has been part of the conversation ever since humanity learnt how to communicate. So, you might think that everything that needed to be said has already been said. Yet many of us who brave love feel the need to share our experiences. Love unifies us with infinity. Only while we are in love do we have the opportunity to absorb answers to our existential questions. The cosmos holds these answers, and love is its DNA.
'Loveflakes' did not begin as loveflakes in my mind. It began as short notes to the Beloved, an attempt to capture the constant inner dialogue that one keeps having with oneself in the absence of an outlet. The collection began with a much more direct and personal title "Dear One". I began putting these notes down in a google drive about 2.5 years ago.
But even at that time I was sure that one day, I wanted to see these published as a book. I ran this thought past my friends and family and was overwhelmed by the belief they expressed in me and these little pieces of poems and prose. Everyone found something or the other that resonated with them in these lines. That encouraged me a lot.
When I met Kiriti da at a literary event in Delhi in 2019, I asked him if I could read out a few of these pieces to him. I hold his opinion in very high regard because several years back when I had asked his opinion on one of my poems, his feedback had been very candid and constructive. Upon hearing the pieces that I read out to him, he said that he liked them and that I should get in touch with him once I have enough for a book. That was when I started visualizing the book.
Then the Covid-19 pandemic hit and we retreated to the confines of our homes. And I hit, what I call, the spurts - sometimes I would write four pieces in a day, and sometimes four months would go by without anything having been written. Despite this inconsistency, Loveflakes evolved mainly during the unpredictable times of the pandemic.
The isolation forced us inward, yet it had never been more important to express what we feel. Moreover, the canvas of emotions had never been so stark— joy, sorrow, love, anger, loneliness, and belongingness all stood out with their vibrance turned up many notches. And this reflects in the flakiness of the pieces as they jump from one emotion to the other.
Once I thought I had gathered enough loveflakes (this title was still nowhere in my imagination then), I messaged Kiriti da and he graciously asked me to send across the manuscript. The process went into fast-track after that. And then one day Kiriti da asked me what would be the title of the book. I was taken aback. I had been working with "Dear One" for so long that it was almost impossible for me to think of any other title that would work for the book.
But I could see Kiriti da's point - "Dear One" was too personal and the title needed to be universal. I brainstormed with friends, family, and of course with Vijay. Then it was during a session with Vijay that I suddenly said "Lovescapes". That sounded good. we almost decided on it when I saw a drawing of a snowflake somewhere. And then emerged "Loveflakes". It immediately felt perfect for the book and the writings inside it. Each poem is light and different from the others and the flow is flaky, just like snowflakes.
I have deliberately stayed away from arranging these flakes into themes. Love is flaky, and so are love flakes. Experience this book as you would experience love. You never know what you will find on the next page.
Amazon links:
In India:
https://www.amazon.in/dp/9391431593
In the United States:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/9391431593
In the United Kingdom:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/9391431593
In Australia:
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/9391431593
In Canada:
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/9391431593
The book will gradually become available across other Amazon portals like France, Italy, Germany, Denmark, among other countries.
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