nk-Smudged Dreams- by the Reading Light' is a collection of poems. Poems that reflect the many facets of my life: maybe any woman's life. Certain moments, fleeting experiences, lasting impressions, unknown anxieties, silly apprehensions, humble realization, intense joys and every hurt felt; these are the poems' moods . And above all a growing perception that life is not about tomorrow: it is about today. But all these are not my consciously addressed ideas. Each day, they have gently enfolded me. Then in the quiet of the night, I would sit down and pour my heart out on paper. Drowsy, blurred, and very close to my heart. These are those ink-smudged dreams by the reading light. - DEBALEENA MUKHERJEE \