Root poetry

Mohanty's book brings us to darkness and end, but gently

In the helpful note that Sharmistha Mohanty adds at the end of this slim volume under review, she writes: “One of the inspirations for this book was the Rig Veda, which historians date from approximately 1200-900 BCE. …The Rig Veda is the oldest religious and spiritual text still in use and it forms the basis of what was later called Hinduism.” She adds: “At the time when the Rig Vedic hymns were composed there was a belief that new hymns must continually be made for use in rituals and worship.” On reading this, one might imagine this book to be