Description

A mixed tape of memory, desire, and defiance, these poems hum the quiet songs we live by.

Each of Srividya Sivakumar’s poems is a poetic vision that is simultaneously philosophical, political, and deeply personal. One witnesses a complete surrender and immersion reading her poetry of startling revelations in phrases that are uniquely hers. — Rochelle Potkar

Srividya’s brilliant poems shimmer with undercurrents of conflict and betrayals even as they radiate the essence of femininity and allure. Compellingly titled, this is poetry at its most poignant. Her writing has introspective luminosity and linguistic artistry. Srividya’s lines are effulgent with some deep knowledge filtered from a profound wisdom about love, intimacy, womanhood, relationships and parting. The poems are fierce yet vulnerable, bold but tender and filled with a cadence and rhythm that is entirely unique to her. — Vinita Agrawal

Dr Srividya Sivakumar writes with the quiet intensity of someone who has listened long and well to the murmurs of the human heart. A critically acclaimed poet, her first collection, The Blue Note, was published by Writers Workshop, Kolkata. Her second collection, The Heart is an Attic debuted at #1 in Indian Literature on Amazon’s global platform in 2018.  Her verses — some of which have earned accolades like the WE Kamala Das Poetry Award shortlist and a Best of the Net nomination — speak in hushed, clear tones of memory, loss, joy, and the small sacredness of the everyday. Srividya’s relationship with poetry is not only one of creation, but of celebration. Her weekly column, Running on Poetry for The Hindu (2014-2016) and her ongoing monthly feature The World in Verse in the Deccan Herald reflect her deep belief in poetry as a way of seeing, a way of being. Both speaker and teacher, Srividya brings the same lyricism and clarity to her public engagements as she does to the page. With over two decades of experience in language and communication, she continues to shape voices — young and seasoned — with the conviction that words, well-used, can carry worlds.

Reviews

Krishna Kumar N V on LinkedIn

Each poem plays like a track from a live recording, where emotion is raw, breath audible, and nothing is overproduced. From the very first note — the opening poem ‘Why Would I Want Daffodils When I Can Have Sunflowers’ — Srividya sets the tone for what’s to come. Here, jasmine-scented memories of her ammama replace Wordsworth’s romantic daffodils. In doing so, she challenges inherited metaphors and makes a larger point about cultural identity and poetic ownership. The poet’s Tamil roots are not just referenced — they are sonically embedded in the poem.

Venu Gopal Nair on Amazon

Srividya’s poems have an approachability and an Indianness that speaks from the heart. Take for example, “Why would I want daffodils when I have sunflowers? What meaning do ‘dadfodils’ hold for a Tamil girl? Rings so true. As to why English literature in India seems to ignore Indians who mastered the language over a century ago. Perhaps they didn’t have the same skills that native English speakers did. But the poems would have resonated in class and opened up the minds of children to whom daffodils were a completely alien visual.

Sonu M Kothari in The New Indian Express, Chennai

For her readers, this printed work is a lot more nuanced than her previous work. “The previous book, The Heart is an Attic, focused a lot on love poetry. This one has language, love, country, and more. It has a wider range of poetry,” she explains. But as a poet, when she reads them now, Srividya feels her voice remains rooted. “When I go back to some of the stronger poems, I realise my thoughts are still the same. I identify with them just as much today.”