Book Title: Of Least Concern
Author: Arvind Krishna Mehrotra
Publisher: Westland
Number of Pages: 112
ISBN: 9371975075
Date Published: Dec. 15, 2025
Price: INR 309.08
Book Review
Published as part of the Literary Activism series, “Of Least Concern” by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra is his ninth collection of poetry in which he focuses his astute observational skills on the commonplace gems and elegies of a Dehradun garden. As if poetry alone could compete with the visual arts in evoking sensory immediacy, Mehrotra, who is almost 80, infuses these poems with a painterly accuracy, capturing ephemeral moments in nature that feel both urgent and timeless. The title, which is derived from a remark about squirrels and birds, reveals a deep level of awareness: nothing in his universe is really “least” when examined closely.
Mehrotra writes about many riches in the garden poems, such as blooming, insects, and seasonal changes, with a youthfulness that belies his advanced age. He mixes joy in the ordinary with a hint of mortality. A poet who has never been more straightforward is revealed in lockdown treks and domestic scenes, condensing walks, weather, and wildlife into words that pulsate with constraint and clarity. The garden is a microcosm of life’s contradictions, but its vibrancy coexists with loss. Allusions to parental decline, lost family houses, and the ravages of time add a melancholy gravity.
His writing flourishes in subdued charm, eschewing overt activism in favour of subtly rebellious minutiae—the smallest bits of nature seen up close, from flower ephemera to squirrel antics. Amidst literary concerns, his voice shines out as a lesson in attentiveness that transforms the unnoticed into the timeless. Critics applaud this development: although facing the shadow of aging, his eye is still “nothing if not fresh,” as though he is just starting.
Finally, “Of Least Concern” confirms Mehrotra’s expertise; it is a compact 112-page book that is packed with life lessons. It is crucial for readers of modern Indian poetry who are looking for beauty in conciseness, demonstrating that even the “least” in poetry may be very meaningful. In addition to continuing Mehrotra’s legacy, this collection encourages us to take some time to visit our own underappreciated gardens.
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