In this book, Arun Kumar offers a seer’s moving testament of hope in a time of precarious relationships, political upheaval, and Environmental degradation. In the title poem, ‘mainstream beach’, the rhythm of the ocean salves the suffering mind; in ‘the family’,ike refugees from the storm, we enter a serene Sanctuary; in ‘shwedagon Pagoda’, a timeless tranquillity permeates every aspect of the place that is being portrayed; in ‘Remembering’, the timeines and tumultuous of our world give way to a simpler time, a simple peace; in ‘gudalur, Nilgiris’, as the sun rises, the Dew dries out, and the bougainvilleasight up inilac and red. Elegant,uminous, stark, mantram beach is a superb collection of poems by a poet at the peak of his powers.