Project Description
Kaleidoscope: An Asian Journey of Colors (nominated for the Pushcart Prize) delves into the implication and philosophy of colors from a Hindu woman’s point of view, from birth until death. The color she adorns herself with almost depicts the story of her life. Expressed through different poetic and verbal forms, each color in the book has its own tone and is specific to different age groups.
“Kaleidoscope: An Asian Journey of Colors is rich with imagination. Each poem is neatly polished and most associate one colour with an aspect of an Indian woman’s life.” – Michael Tsang, Cha: An Asian Literary Journal. To read the full review, click here
“This slim chapbook is a quick bite. Poems appear and disappear in the blink of an eye, but linger in consciousness longer than you might think they would. The use of colors is fascinating to the desi mind; we, as one poem remarks, “exist in a hue of experiences.” – Vidya Pradhan, Editor, India Currents.
“Vikram’s wordsmithing is outstanding. I have read much poetry and have never seen such creativeness as that of this author. She allows her words to flow with rhythm and deepness. The wisdom that comes through her is beyond any I’ve seen.” – Irene Watson, Reader Views. To read the full review, click here
“This chapbook is the dazzling display of a poet who teases us with fresh imagery and delicate linguistic craftsmanship.” – Orchid Tierney, Rem Magazine, New Zealand. To read the full review, click here
“In this innovative series, Sweta Srivastava Vikram re-appropriates color. Cultures and mythologies collide along the way, and the result is a chapbook that feels like a quest. In the end, the colors are a map to identity. The child’s pink tonsils or the bride’s red sari are not symbols, but rather mile markers. Like Vikram’s poems, they lead toward understanding.” – Erica Wright, Senior Poetry Editor, Guernica.
“I dove into this book of poems quickly and eagerly, then slowed down to savor the words and the images, marveling over Sweta Srivastava Vikram’s unique mix of grace, humor, and eloquence, which forms a medley of beauty and color.” – Susan Ortlieb, Suko’s Notebook. To read the full review, click here
“Sweta has woven such a spell with her word usage and the symbolisms that the most complex becomes the simplest of all.” – Smita Singh, VAANI, UK. To read the full review, click here
“….there is a bit of defiance in her words as the color beige takes over in old age and she fights to remain red, youthful. Overall, Kaleidoscope: An Asian Journey of Colors is an even stronger chapbook poetry collection than Because All Is Not Lost because it deals more than with just emotion and healing. Sweta Srivastava Vikram is a gifted poet…” – Serena, Savvy Verse and Wit. To read the full review, click here
