A poet's compassionate witness to a planet in crisis

Vinita Agarwal has authored five books of poems. She is based in Indore. Eartha is the latest collection of poetry.

- SUTANUKA GHOSH ROY

Vinita Agarwal has authored five books of poems. She is based in Indore. Eartha is the latest collection of poetry. The title is interesting and intriguing. "Eartha—the title came to me one afternoon, as an endearment for Earth in a vein of deep compassion and pain at what our planet was being forced to cope with. The word seemed like a rich reliquary of love that one could experience towards the big blue sphere we call home," writes Agarwal. This collection is a waking call to human beings, and the poet sensitively explores the myriad ways in which the earth is being challenged and its impact on human existence. This collection of eco-poems captures the crest of disaster that tops each entity of the earth. She has chronicled time and tries to restore the balance that human beings share with other species on the planet. One cannot but agree with Barry Commoner's first law of ecology, "Everything is connected to everything else"; we must conclude that literature does not float above the material world in some aesthetic ether but, rather, plays a part in an immensely complex global system in which energy, matter, and ideas interact." writes Cheryl Glotfelty. Poetry plays a crucial role in awakening the readers to the different perspectives on climate change viewed through the unique lens of the poet.