In this book, Arun Kumar offers a seer’s moving testament of hope in a time of precarious relationships, political upheaval, and environmental degradation.
 
In the title poem, ‘Mantram Beach’, the rhythm of the ocean salves the suffering mind; in ‘The Family Temple’, like refugees from the storm, we enter a serene sanctuary; in ‘Shwedagon Pagoda’, a timeless tranquillity permeates every aspect of the place that is being portrayed; in ‘Remembering’, the timelines and tumults of our world give way to a simpler time, a simple peace; in ‘Gudalur, Nilgiris’, as the sun rises, the dew dries out, and the bougainvilleas light up in lilac and red.
 
Elegant, luminous, stark, Mantram Beach is a superb collection of poems by a poet at the peak of his powers.