For those with a feeling for South Asia but who do not live there and
can only visit from time to time, it is difficult to capture at any
given moment the sights, sounds and smells of the subcontinent. For them
or, indeed, for someone who has never been to Kashmir The Secrets of
Ishbar is `must'. This anthology transports one immediately and
viscerally into the heartland of South Asia. Each poem has to be
savoured and pondered, and each varies in subject-matter from the
pleasant to the disturbing. Colours, images, and aromas are evoked
witha poignant simplicity... Every poem in the volume has a precious
quality. ---Rani Singh in Asian Affairs, London