Book review: Songs of Solitude is a collection of poems by Harini Ramesh to evoke a sense of belonging, community, and togetherness

As the titles suggest, the poems point towards the cyclical nature of the emotions in our lives. We get hurt and scarred with wounds – some visible and some not. We may even fall into unhealthy coping mechanisms. However, it cannot be winter forever. The sun must come out and shine

‘Songs of Solitude’ is a collection of 21 poems by first-time author Harini Ramesh, covering topics ranging from dreams, motivation, getting hurt, failure, sorrow, heartbreak, hope, and healing.

“We all grow up with a lot of friends and family around. In spite of being surrounded by people, when one hits adulthood, there is a feeling of solitude – having to discover and go through the process of adulting is nothing short of a roller-coaster ride,” summarises Harini Ramesh, Associate Analyst at West Pharmaceuticals, Bengaluru.

Book Leaf Publishing published the work of the author, who holds a M.Sc degree in computer science from St. Joseph’s University, Bengaluru.

Harini Ramesh wrote the poems with the intention of evoking a sense of belonging, community, and togetherness.

“Readers may come from varied backgrounds – privileged, self-made, outspoken, shy, male, female, young and old. But irrespective of who you are, there are certain shared life experiences among us. The poems are about these shared experiences, lessons and emotions,” she says.

The book starts with the poem – ‘Taking on Tomorrow, Unafraid’. For most of us, the uncertainty that the future brings, is a fear factor. That could be because of resistance to change. However, as some of us might have experienced – having that one person who stands by you through everything can make all the difference.

Yes, the uncertainty is very much still there. But you now have a new-found courage to take on the challenges that tomorrow brings.