This is one of those books written in an unconventional style that I read lately and liked it.
In Begin Again or Ibtida ( Urdu: ابتدا , Hindi : इब्तिदा ) author Atharva Mahesh Deshpande mentions these are his old notes about what his heart went through once. Now he presents this compilation of those reminesence through these pages.
It's like a diary with collection of entries about those moments which evoked in him certain feelings.
College students, a trip and love touched his life. Sparks flew in their hearts but later distance and time introduced separation.
Life let them cross each other's path again. Chats, social media, meet ups but their contrasting dreams diverged their routes once more. From that point these poems came to bloom. And as a reader I think that is what इब्तिदा means here.
What I liked is the unadultrated aspect in them. They are delicate. The construction of the sentences at few places miss correct grammer usage but if better editing can be done, I believe language cannot put barriers if feelings are genuine and pristine.
The words are beautifully selected, emotionally charged and definitely impart nostalgia.
Again there are other pieces that share different aspects of life. So it's a book with many thoughts.
They are shared in forms of poetry, verses, proses and paragraphs presented in Hindi and English with illustrations. Mr. Despande poured his emotions without putting constriction in the choice of language or narrative form. This made it one of a kind read for me.
One may pick this book up and dive into their own memory lane with relatable emotions.