Ravi Shankar Etteth is a known name in the field of fiction. This time the political cartoonist, author and editor ventures into new territory with a collection of poems accompanied by AI illustrations, or as he calls it, AIgraphs. It’s a collection with a lot of heart. Simple and profound, the lines speak to you, at the same time appearing shrouded in mystery. It’s almost as if the meaning is within your grasp, yet far. It’s a book that you would keep by your bedside, maybe flip through a few pages before you sleep; or on a misty morning sit in the balcony letting the words soak you. While most of the verses are small and compact, there are a few that are longer, inviting the reader to pause and appreciate the imagery. The lines in Good Riddance, for instance...
We could get separated
on the crowded staircase of wrong
ideas…
stay with you long after you put the book down. Then there is Awakening, that talks of a ‘City of Bliss’ where people take a dip. Could it be Varanasi and the Kumbh? Maybe, maybe not.
The AIgraphs accompanying the verses, have a life of their own. While each one is displayed beside a poem, adding to the overall imagery, they nonetheless can be viewed as individual entities. Many creative minds nowadays play with AI. It’s almost a bane of our times. But it is rare to find someone who handles the tech with sensitivity, prompting images that resonate with your emotions. And keeping them in black and white lends a certain gravitas and, of course, mystery to it. At the back of the book is a barcode that can be scanned and it then takes you to a site where the poems have been set to music with the help of AI. A very interesting experiment, indeed. Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.
Rhapsody Road is not your typical airport read. It demands patience and love