Pensive Ponderings is a collection of quatrains, sonnets and limericks by Colonel Ramanan Duraiswami, a veteran of the Indian Army Medical Corps. They reflect his anguish at the state of the nation (‘Republic Day’, ‘The Cry of the Girl Child’), his military experience (‘The Surgical Strike’), his love for the beauty and unity of India (‘Makar Sankranti’) and his love for everyday objects (‘Ode to a Cup of Coffee’). His felicity with the English langua