✦ Although poetry isn't usually my cup of tea, I can still connect with the book 'The Great Wager and Other Poems'. It's a compilation of poems penned by Uppada Appa Rao, a teacher with 24 years of experience. The detailed introduction of the book provides insight into the poet's motivations and the diverse themes he explores through his writing. What captivates me is the way he combines elements of old English literature with ancient Indian history, creating a unique and intriguing collection. 🍂
✦ Studying English Literature allows one to explore the similarities and differences between Wordsworth and Coleridge. The richness in the language is proof that he was full of great talent. The writer also discusses Shelley's talent, alongside Wordsworth and Coleridge. The collection of 30 poems showcases the author's creative process and intense emotions on various topics like nature, mythology, and the human fascination with the stars.🌿
✦ The epic poem The Great Wager and Festival of Gifts is filled with vivid language and is truly captivating. I particularly admire the first canto, The Great Wager, and the second canto, The Festival of Gifts, as they are both masterpieces. Although I have a preference for the second canto, I also appreciate the first one. The Sun and The Second Meeting convey a sense of tranquility, while other poems offer valuable insights.🌙
✦ In yet another epic poem, the author eloquently depicts Rama's response to Bharata, symbolizing the timeless principles of good governance. This collection of poems is now being released as a book for the first time, making it a must-read for those who appreciate literature and poetry as a way to convey their innermost thoughts.🦋
Poetry is a balm to the aching heart, a soothing rain on barren lands, a glimmer of hope in a drought-stricken village, a lush oasis in a desolate desert. Poems, in their essence, are an endless well of solace. Discovering poetry written decades ago but unveiled now enriches the soul, as the potency of the words and the fluidity of the verses captivate the reader’s senses.
Composed during a brief yet prolific span from 1958 to 1960, this marks the first publication of Uppada Appa Rao’s poetic works.
A dedicated educator for nearly 25 years, this posthumous collection offers a glimpse into his profound creative journey. This anthology of 30 poems showcases his spontaneous outpouring of powerful emotions, touching upon diverse themes from the splendor of nature and mythology to humanity's ceaseless curiosity about the cosmos.
The poems reflect the poet's deep affection for nature, ignited by his vivid imagination and rich experiences, forever captured in his verses.
Some of my favorites include The Heavenly Banner on Earth Unfurled, The Sparrow in My Room, The Sun, and To Yuri Gagarin,Thanksgiving. These poems, resplendent with rich imagery and eloquence, celebrate both the minutiae of everyday wonders and the grandeur of celestial phenomena that continually inspire human awe.
“The Great Wager and Other Poems” is an evocative collection by Uppada Appa Rao, showcasing the poet’s 24-year career in teaching and his profound creative process. This anthology of 30 poems spans a variety of themes, from the beauty of nature and mythology to the human quest for cosmic wonders. Highlights include “The Great Wager” and “Festival of Gifts,” narrating Harichandra’s tale with rich vocabulary and captivating storytelling. Another notable epic, “Rama’s Reply to Bharata,” explores timeless principles of good governance. Written between 1958 and the 1960s, these poems are published together for the first time in this edition.
The depth of the language demonstrates his immense skill. His uncontrollably strong emotions are displayed in this collection of thirty poems, which covers a wide range of subjects from the wonders of nature and mythology to humanity’s insatiable curiosity about the universe. In the end, poetry is a play on words and a person’s ideas and beliefs; readers may come across some parallels and occasionally some differences when reading them. Melody and passion abound in the words. I adored the poems’ phrasing. This book has attracted my attention with its gorgeous cover and great poems.
The majority of the poems are a result of the poet’s intense love of nature, which is sparked by his imagination and captured in his writings together with ideas, emotions, and experiences. Poetry written at times of true emotion—when one is depressed, hurt, or alone—has a certain quality. Through their genuine expression of raw emotions, they provide a window into the soul. Even though not every poem in the volumes was upbeat, I still felt optimistic upon reading them.
This book of poetry is basically a heartfelt tribute to late Sir Uppada Appa Rao, who was in the teaching profession for more than two decades. This just warms up my whole heart. How generous and beautiful on the parts of his child and students to do this after his demised. I also came to know he had a difficult childhood where he earned and then had to learn and later struggle economically to achieve his post grad. What a strong man he was. An inspiration for many for sure!
So, It is an effort to present his valuable work in english to the world!
There are 30 poems and they are really beautiful. They range from various topics to genres.
His way of sketching his thoughts through the poems is in one word magical, in the sense he has used amazingly decorative and carefully chosen words that too while sprinkling metaphorical vibes on them. Beautiful!!
For example, the vocabulary rich Harishchandra's two cantos and Rama's reply to Bharata were two of the excellent reads alongside the emotionally rich poem named The Second Meeting and nature loving A Sparrow in my Room. In such way, I could relate deeply to few of hos works and feel them but again for few, I was not able to. Like the one for Bats. Ultimately, poetry is a play of language and one's own thoughts and opinions and readers sometime find similarities and again few dissimilarities while going through them.
Do check this book out if you are into classic poems that are adorned with beautiful words and expressed gracefully.
-Poems for the unrest in your soul- Review of ‘The Great Wager and Other Poems’ by Uppada Appa Rao 🖋️📖
Poetry is water to a scorched soul, a respite of rain to shrivelled soil, a promise of a cloud in a dry village, an oasis of green in a parched desert. Poems are never enough. And when you get to read the poetry written before decades but made available now, the strength of the words and the flow of the poetry overwhelms your reading palate.
Written over a short period of two years between 1958 and 1960, it’s for the first time that Uppada Appa Rao’s poems are being published for the first time.
A teacher for almost 25 years, this collection is published posthumously. An anthology of 30 poems, it depicts the author's creative process and spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings over a wide variety of areas from the beauty of nature, mythology, to the human quest for the wonders of the firmament.
Mostly the poems have been inspired by the deep love of the poet for nature, provoked by his imagination with thoughts, feelings, and experiences, and immortalized them in his poems.
The Heavenly Banner on Earth Unfurled, The Sparrow in My Room, The Sun, To Yuri Gagarin are some of my favourite ones. Glorious and rich in words, they celebrate little wonders with as much gusto as they do the celestial wonders at which humans oggle day in day out.
THE GREAT WAGER AND OTHER POEMS BY UPPADA APPA RAO 🌸 Notion Press 🌸Poetry
The book is an anthology of 30 poems by Uppada Appa Rao, who was a teacher for 24 years in the field of English and apart from being an excellent teacher as evident in the messages before the poems, he is also a fantastic poet.
The poems shows how the author creates and the impulsive release of strong feelings on a variety of subjects, from the beauty of nature mythology to the human quest for the glories of the present moment. The author was motivated by his intense passion for nature, which was triggered by his imagination with thoughts, feelings, and experiences, and memorialized them in his poems.
Some of my favourites poems were The untouchables, Thanksgiving, Patriotism Ramas reply to bharat, A sonnet and The forsaken children. Not only is the poems beautiful, the cover is also elegant and enticing. Although I'm not a well versed poetry reader, I found the poems a delight to read. Although one or two poems went completely out of my head, like the Great wager itself. I'll have to revisit it with a calm mind and try again.
The language is perspicuous, and easily understandable even for beginners in poetry. The poems were melodic and has that Old english charm to it. It flows like music. While some poems focus entirely on nature, others are based on Indian mythology and societal issues. I felt a sense of optimism while reading the books, even though not all the poems were on the positive note.
Rich, vibrant and compelling, that's how my last read has been. I love reading poetry and this book gives readers a rich reading experience. The Great Wager and Other Poems by Uppada Appa Rao is a collection of heartwarming poems on outstanding topics. I enjoyed and adored the topics he chose to write verses on.
The poems are deep and enchanting, taking readers on an emotional journey. He describes the beauty of nature, the human quest for wonders, mythology, love for country, and about the little things that are not little.
‘Kiss my rays and fade away; The higher I go, the shorter your shadow, The brighter the sky and the day.’
‘Prayer’, ‘A Sparrow in My Room’, ‘The Sun’, ‘Rama’s Reply to Bharata’, ‘The Great Wager’, and ‘The Festival of Gifts’ are a few of my favourites from the book. Each of them conveys a beautiful story and carries an important message for the readers. His vibrant and lyrical writing style captures the attention of the readers. The way he describes the feeling in the form of poetry is truly magical as we see the hues of life with time. The poems are deep, a bit heavy so take your time, read this one slowly and you'll enjoy it. In all, it's an enchanting collection of poems you can count on.
I may not always connect deeply with poetry, but when it speaks to practical aspects of life or reminisces about childhood memories, I'm all in. There's something special about poems born from genuine emotions—those penned in moments of sadness, hurt, or loneliness. They offer a glimpse into the soul, expressing raw feelings with sincerity and authenticity.
This respected author was highly regarded in the field of education, admired for his profound thoughts and insights. After his passing, his family discovered a collection of poems he had penned during his solitary moments. His poetry delved into themes of nature, human nature, mythology, and even included reflections on Harichandra’s cantos. I was particularly struck by his adept use of language, carefully crafting each line to convey profound thoughts. Some poems, like "Sparrow" and "Bats," got me thinking about how much technology has taken over our lives.
The poems based on mythology, especially Rama's reply to Bharata, really touched me. Rama's words were so powerful and moving. It's a wonderful collection of poems, each one special in its own way.
Book - The Great Wager and Other Poems Author - Uppada Appa Rao Pages - 90 Published - February 18 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐/5 This poetry collection introduces us to the works of Uppada Appa Rao, who was an educator for almost 24 years of his life. The book as a whole, is a tribute to the author by his son, who meticulously gathered his works from late 1950s to 1960s. The poems are based on various themes, many describing the beauty of nature and some narrating incidents from the epic Ramayana. The poems The Great Wager and Festival of Gifts were also included, that trace incidents of Raja Harishchandra's life. One of my favourite themes he treads upon is growing old and how many things leave us as time goes by. I do think that some of the poems were not the best for this anthology because of the stereotypes and ideologies. Although I do understand massive generation gap, it still would have made more sense if a few poems were not a part of this collection because of the stereotypical ideas they portray. The Great Wager and Other Poems is an interesting poetry collection, which you can give a try.
“In this small segment of our time Of molecular breaths. Why should we make our life a feast for death? And ink deep at the terminus breath? Our life is like a rainbow Half unseen and half in the horizon.”
Is this small 89 pages book containing 30 poems, the author let us walk with him through different phases of time and theme, from mythology to Gandhi, from love to empowermentl, from nature to tender feelings. Must say we see diversity in this tiny book.
All the poems are written between the timeline of 1958 & 1960s and a glimpse of the past woven into some of these poems can surely be seen.
“Tilak, Gandhi, Nehru inspirits us To strive and not to cease till cease to be”
Reading these messages at the start of this book by the college director, director general of police, advocate,etc basically just praising the late uppada appa roa and making the readers known of his contribution in their early educational life. Remembering the author even after so many years and still remembering his teaching just speaks volumes to how the late uppada appa roa was. Which made me read these poems through a very different perspectives then i would have otherwise.
The book 'The Great Wager and Other Poems' is a collection of poems written by Uppada Appa Rao. He was formerly a lecturer and Head of the Department of English in Government Colleges for 24 years (1953-1977). This poetry book was so interesting. I really loved the writing style. The Author has used old English words in his poems. I really appreciate the knowledge and efforts of the Author. Some of my favourite poems in this book were A sparrow in my room, The Great Wager (from Harishchandra), O woman of India! , The Untouchable, The heavenly banner on Earth Unfurled, The festival of gifts( The Second Canto). I highly recommend this book to those who are Pro readers of poetry. Beginners wouldn't be able to understand better. Being a student of English literature and language, I really enjoyed these poems. All the poems were very thoughtful. The book cover was simple yet aesthetic. The title was based on one of the poems mentioned in the book.
Uppada Appa Rao's *The Great Wager and Other Poems* is a collection of 30 poems that traverses the landscapes of human emotion. Rao's work is a testament to his ability to blend lyrical beauty with profound insight, making this anthology a significant contribution to contemporary poetry.
Each poem is a finely woven with verses that flow seamlessly, yet each line stands on its own, rich with imagery and meaning. His command over language is impressive.
The titular poem, "The Great Wager," serves as a cornerstone of the collection. It delves into the existential gamble of life. It invites readers to ponder their own positions within the grand scheme of existence.
One of Rao's greatest strengths is his ability to evoke emotion. His poems are not just read; they are felt. For anyone seeking a poetic journey that is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally resonant, Rao's collection offers an unforgettable experience.
A collection of poems that reflects the author's profound creativity and emotional depth across various themes. The writer who spent 24 years in the teaching profession, showcases his poetic prowess through 30 poems that span from reflections on nature's beauty to explorations of mythology and humanity's fascination with the cosmos. Most of these poems were penned between 1958 and the 1960s, marking their debut in book form with this publication. Throughout the collection, the writer's love for nature shines through, inspiring his imaginative exploration of thoughts, emotions, and personal experiences. To sum it up, this poetry offers a glimpse into Rao’s poetic journey, celebrating his keen observations of the world and his ability to translate them into verses that are both profound and enchanting. For lovers of poetry that blends traditional motifs with contemporary sensibilities, this anthology promises a rewarding read that touches the heart and stimulates the mind.
🔖 Well if you do then today what I have might be an suitable pick for your collection.
🔖 "𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙒𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙊𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙋𝙤𝙚𝙢𝙨", it's penned by Uppala Appa Rao, a seasoned educator with a 24-year tenure, this anthology brims with the wisdom and wonder one might expect from a lifelong teacher
🔖 The collection of 30 poems has everything that a poetry book needs ;
A Poet's Language
Nature's Embrace
Myths that Inspire
A Hint of History
📌 The most amazing thing about the book is its rich and varied collection that offers something for everyone.
📌 What truly sets this book apart is its emotional kaleidoscope, which offer various perspectives and helps the reader feel more relatable.
👀 Whether you're a lover of nature, fascinated by mythology, or simply appreciate beautiful language, this book is sure to leave a lasting impression.
Blake, Wordsworth, and Shelley—the Romantics—have always championed a return to nature. Nature is indeed the purest and most spiritual form for any person. This book takes us back to the Romantics, who expressed their love for nature through their work.
“The Great Wager and Other Poems” guides us on a journey of growth, acceptance, and hope. The poems offer a delicate reminder of life and its adventures.
The collection features a rich narrative style and extraordinary vocabulary. I particularly loved how the poems explore different forms of poetry, such as sonnets and cantos, showcasing the author’s mastery of English literature.
The underlying themes of these poems include mythology and epic tales, historical figures, and nature and its creations.
This collection evokes a range of emotions, with standout poems like “The Untouchable,” “March Forward,” and “Rama’s Reply to Bharata” resonating deeply.
A collection of thirty poems is included in the book, in addition to a part that is solely devoted to the message, which would be the very first thing that you would read when you started the reader. It establishes the mood for the rest of the book and gives a complete introduction. The poetry is going to win your heart over. I am a fan of poetry, and I found this book to be enjoyable. It is a quick read, with around 90 pages. You will come across some older dialects of the English language that brought me back to my school days.
I listed some of my favorites below: Thanksgiving Disappointment A Sonnet On my first wearing spectacles
Check out this book if you like poetry books or just need something short to read.
"Our life is like a rainbow Half unseen and half in the horizon."
"The Great Wager and Other Poems" is a poetry book filled with wonderful poems written by Uppada Appa Rao, who was not just a teacher but also a fantastic poet. Every poem feels magical in their own way.
With 30 poems in this collection, they are about nature's beauty and elements, ancient myths and the deep thoughts that make us ponder about life. I loved the poems like "The Sparrow in My Room" and "The Voice." The poem "Rama's Reply to Bharata" is captivating.
The emotions behind the words can be felt. The words are filled with passion and melody. I loved the language of the poems. With a beautiful cover and lovely poems this book has surely caught my mind.
The Great Wager and Other Poems" by Uppada Appa Rao is a heartfelt anthology compiled by his son, showcasing poems from the late 1950s to the 1960s. Rao, is an educator who has an experience of 24 years in the field , explores the themes from nature's beauty to mythology tales. To highlight few "The Great Wager," "Festival of Gifts," and "Rama's reply to Bharata." While some poems reflect outdated stereotypes, the collection remains a touching tribute to Rao's imaginative and emotive work.
Poems were worth exploring so don't wait grab the book to dive into the melody of Poems and emotional depth of it.
Overall I loved the poems. If you are a poetry lover and would love to explore themes of nature's beauty to mythology tales, I would recommend this book.
Imagine sitting under a sprawling tree on a breezy afternoon, feeling the rustle of leaves and the warmth of the sun as you open a book of poetry. This is the experience Uppada Appa Rao’s The Great Wager and Other Poems brings to its readers.
The wonder and excitement of setting out into the unknown are captured in this moving celebration of discovery and the unbreakable human spirit.
With a profound connection to the environment and a range of interests, Rao's poems in The Great Wager and Other Poems each present a different viewpoint. His poetic aptitude is demonstrated by his ability to turn his ideas, emotions, and experiences into lyrical poetry.
Soothing and tranquil are the two adjectives which best describe my feelings when I read this book. The author touches upon myriad topics in the entirety of his 30 poems writing about all things related to nature, seasonality with a touch of patriotism and mythology.
The author’s poetic style and narrative language reminded me of Shakespeare and Edgar Allan Poe. The poems evoke a sense of longing, intimacy with nature a fervour of various emotions.
I would recommend this book to all the poetry enthusiasts who love emotive and Elizabethan form of English narrative.