Belfast-based Indian writer Pallavi Padma-Uday, also a journalist who has worked extensively in India, has unveiled her debut poetry collection, 'Orisons in the Dark', which delves into the multifaceted experiences of women in society. Published by Kolkata-based independent publisher Writers' Workshop India, this collection of 39 poems is divided into three sections and offers a powerful exploration of patriarchy, violence, and the resilience of women.
Padma-Uday's preface sets the tone for the collection, revealing her personal connection to poetry as a means of solace and empowerment. She explains: "Anything that moved or agitated me had to be dealt with a poem. It was the only thing I remember that could help me feel better."
As the poems progress, the writer's anger towards societal norms and the challenges faced by women outside the feminist sphere of her home becomes apparent. She reflects, "Everything about women navigating difficult corners in their public or private lives bothered me... I grew angrier as I made a few transitions myself – finding meaning beyond work and home, asserting agency and freedom in patriarchal setups, struggling to be seen without labels."
One notable poem from the collection, 'Storming Kettles', challenges the traditional domestic roles assigned to women. Through a deeply personal lens, Padma-Uday underscores the universal nature of this experience, emphasising the shared struggles faced by women worldwide. The closing lines of the poem resonate deeply, and should leave a lasting impact on readers.
In 'Woman called Storm' and other poems, Padma-Uday offers glimpses of love and the allure of temptation. Drawing upon imageries and words from Indian culture, she skillfully engages with the burning question of what it means to be a woman in today's world. The collection recognises that the longing for love and the pursuit of wisdom can coexist alongside the anger and resistance towards patriarchal structures.
Here are three of the poems from Pallavi Padma-Uday's collection, Orisons in the Dark.
1. Storming Kettles
In my home
kitchen is a neglected space
there are toasters and ovens and kettle
microwave and steamer and the barbeque
the slow cooker, the chopping board, the knives
but it’s the kettle I use everyday.
Fierce, contained, primed to a boiling point
a scalding cauldron where ambition and hunger mix
like coffee beans in water.
It makes my coffee the easy way,
not the way my mother taught me
because that takes minutes when
my patience allows seconds.
For every drop I drink,
my impatience defines the course —
strong for the one who gifted me the kettle
black for those who wanted me pure
bitter for those who said I must know cooking.
A million coffees brewed every morning
in angry, unabiding, storming kettles
when the world rushes out to work,
and I return to the boiler within me.
2. Woman called Storm
Burn your candles
and let me come
to blow you back
into darkness.
I am a woman called Storm
and I love you.
3. I am my seasons
Did someone say Spring?
Asking for a friend
Always asking for a friend
because my spring and autumn and summer and winter
are all rolled into one
one bundle of absolute anarchy
not living for discipline
or decorum or schedules
or routine.
My seasons don’t need, do they,
lovers’ thirst for monsoon
or barren women pining for children
thrill of the colourful kayaks
in the Ganges in Rishikesh.
Once, someone told me
and it’s always been true -
“catch your seasons because
no one will catch them for you”
since then, I have caught them all at once -
drizzle frothing in my summer shades
and merciless Sun coming to mate
the cold evenings of lonely autumn
almost always ending in rain.
I am my seasons.
This excerpt is part of the book, ‘Orisons In The Dark’, by Pallavi Padma-Uday, and has been published with permission from publisher Writers’ Workshop India.