Poetry Book Review
They say every cloud does have a silver lining. It is nature. It appears along darkest of passing clouds.
In the literary environment, Vancouver-based poet laureate Ashok Bhargava himself created that silver-lining when he put together his collection last year while he braved through the fight against cancerous clouds hanging over his body and mind.
“Riding The Tide” was the result of this anthology. He penned his poetry in between the painful and exhausting regimes of chemotherapy. In contemplative moods, thoughts were his friendly companions and words were his ardent tools.
In his dreadful ordeal, Ashok survived the big C with often porous layers of infinite positivity. He promised himself to endure.
The victorious hero came out with the bouquet of his poetry as words, plenty of them, fell into their place in natural and divine order.
“…….showering of words
Pour down
Delicately
I am drenched.
“Swaying the elation
I forget the difference
Between pain and healing
Between light and dark
Between faith and doubts
Between promises our bodies make
And the ones they keep.”
During the lonely and dragging moments he spent in the tormented interlude of his life, Ashok sought and found that darkness has a light too. And that makes the “Riding the Tide” an inspiring and optimistic read with an abundance of hope.
“….Even waves lift me up.
When I am about to drown.”
-By Promod Puri
(Since its publication last year, “Riding The Tide” has been translated in few other languages worldwide).
Promod Puri.com 
Promod ji thank you very much for attending the book launch and then reviewing my poetry with your soulful and often delicious words. You have been inspiration to me and your views often resonate with mine. Thank you ❤️
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Through Riding the Tide, Ashok has given the readers a guide to ” Walk the Tide.” There will be no need to ride if you can walk over it. Ashok has come out as ” A-shok ” – beyond suffering. After seeing the near-death scene, one comes out as a golden spirit; so is Ashok. His associates in the Ride are wonderful people. They were silent watchers keeping the balance. Enjoyed the launch.
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