Mature is the word that comes to my mind the moment I think of Rajesh Tailang, a sensitive writer and actor with a staggeringly successful career in Bollywood and Digital Media. After earning laurels for his acting in movies like Siddharth, Mukkabaaz, and the web series Delhi Crime and Mirzapur, his passion for writing took him to attempt plays, cinematography, and poems. Tailang’s debut poetry collection, Chand pe Chai, is a remarkably sophisticated collection of poems that induces calm contemplation as it evokes love in all its awe-inspiring forms. It is an exquisite-looking collection of 70 poems divided into three parts. Playing with the intricately nuanced love metaphor ‘Dhai Akshar’, Tailang calls the first part of the collection—‘Tum—Do Akshar’ (You—Two Words), the second part—‘Mai—Adha Akshar’ (Me—Half a Word), Third part—‘Hum—Dhai Akshar’ (We—Two and a Half Words). Tailang is a love mystic who firmly believes there is no greater revolution than love, and a revolution devoid of love is futile.
December 2022, volume 46, No 12