The world of contemporary Indian poetry witnesses yet another remarkable contribution with the release of Accepting Absences, the latest collection by acclaimed poet and scholar Dr. Lalit Mohan Sharma. Known for his introspective voice, linguistic elegance, and philosophical depth, Dr. Sharma continues to explore the intricate layers of human emotion and existence with remarkable restraint and maturity.
A poet of quiet intensity, Dr. Sharma’s Accepting Absences delves into themes of pain, grief, loss, dying, and denial, yet it does so without sentimentality. Instead, it embodies a meditative calm — an acceptance that transforms anguish into reflection, and despair into insight. The poems in this collection breathe with a contemplative rhythm, where silence speaks as eloquently as words, and absence becomes a profound form of presence.
Dr. Sharma’s mastery lies in his ability to fuse the personal with the universal. Each poem, though born from individual experience, resonates with collective human truths. His verses are not confessional but reflective; they probe the nature of existence and the emotional terrains we all traverse — loneliness, memory, longing, and reconciliation. The result is a tapestry of thought and feeling that touches the timeless essence of being human.
In Accepting Absences, there is a quiet celebration hidden beneath the melancholy. The poet does not shy away from darkness; rather, he walks through it with grace and precision, revealing moments of light that flicker in the distance. His tone remains understated, his diction refined, and his imagery evocative — offering readers not just poems, but meditations that linger in the mind long after the page is turned.
The collection marks a significant milestone in the poet’s long and distinguished literary journey. Dr. Lalit Mohan Sharma, born in 1952, has authored more than a dozen books of English poetry and an English translation of Zahid’s Urdu poems. A retired Principal from government colleges in Himachal Pradesh, he has been an inspiring teacher of language and literature, and his scholarship continues to enrich the literary landscape. His recent works, including Hints and Guesses, Voids of Silence, and Another Gandhi — a monograph on freedom fighter Pandit Durga Dass — affirm his range and creative vitality.
Currently settled in Dharamshala, Dr. Sharma’s associations with the State War Memorial and the Harmony Day Care Centre for Special Children reflect his deep compassion and social engagement, qualities that subtly inform his poetic vision. His work has also been featured in landmark publications such as A Handbook of Contemporary Ethics (2024) and Cessation of History in Literary Thought in Post-Truth Era (2025), edited by Dr. J. S. Anand.
Accepting Absences stands as both a continuation and culmination of Dr. Sharma’s lifelong meditation on the human condition. These poems inhabit a space where grief finds grace, and where stillness becomes strength. They invite readers to pause, breathe, and embrace the void — to accept absence not as emptiness, but as a reminder of what endures.
Through this new collection, Dr. Lalit Mohan Sharma once again reaffirms his place as one of India’s most profound poetic voices — a poet who transforms silence into song, and loss into luminous reflection.