#Literoma Book Review: Mehfil-e-Ghazal by Dr. Shankar Kashyap

#Literoma Book Review: Mehfil-e-Ghazal by Dr. Shankar Kashyap

** Thanks to our reviewer Satabdi for this amazing review on behalf of Literoma. **

Reading Mehfil-e-Ghazal is an experience in itself. You feel the full force of the author's emotions--love, compassion, and friendship--and cannot help but be swept away in the gushing waves.

For those unfamiliar with the concept of the ghazal, the author has painstakingly provided a fascinating history of the poetic form. He calls it a "brief" history but I feel it is complete in that it enables the reader to appreciate the ghazal collection all the more. I did not know so much thought and effort went into composing a ghazal.

Did you know ghazals are composed in English as well apart from the traditional languages of Persian, Urdu, and Arabic? Yes, historically ghazals have been composed in English as well although I feel they do not hold a candle to the Urdu creations because of the restraints of the language.

Illustrated with reproductions of oil paintings and hand-drawn sketches, the collection is a worthy companion for the reader who wants to take a few quiet moments for themselves and reflect within.

I loved the evocative pieces "It was not meant to be," "Circle of love," "Art of Stealing," "Stony Path of Life," and "Forgotten Dreams." Each ghazal speaks directly to your heart and you become one with the author's narrative.

Mehfil-e-Ghazal is for those who want to nourish their finer feelings and take a dip into a whirlwind of sensory delight.

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