Q. What initially sparked your interest in poetry, and what keeps you inspired to write?
A. Honestly, I can’t really remember what triggered me first to write poetry on a regular basis but as far as I can remember, the first time I wrote few lines was after completing my graduation and it was about friendship because I used to miss my friends a lot and talking about inspiration, it came from day-to-day experiences. Whenever, something hit me..good or bad, I would automatically feel like giving it words.
Q.Can you share a bit about your creative process? How do you find inspiration and turn it into poetry?
A. As such I don’t follow any process because I feel writing is one art that everyone possesses but only thing is that not everyone writes because of their own priorities. Like someone finds solace in writing about what they feel, what they think..or for the simple reason that it brings clarity of thought. And secondly, as far as I am concerned its not that I think..okey I will write about this or that and I start writing. No, it doesn’t happen that way. Its when something keeps going on in my mind whether its by experience, looking at something or someone, listening someone and my own reaction on a situation, I write. In other words, I can say that words come out when you are no longer able to keep them inside or when there is lot inside trying to come out. One writes when there are so many feelings inside and its almost full..thats the time when they start pouring out in the form of words.
Q. Is there a specific theme, emotion, or style that you find yourself gravitating towards in your poetry? Why does it resonate with you?
A. No no….there is no specific theme, emotion or style. Infact, I don’t have a style of writing, I guess and I have not written any poetry intentionally i.e. with an aim to write on some particular topic or to get a book published one day. This thought never crossed my mind. Its just that whatever thought hit my mind and heart , I wrote it and most of the time it just goes on with a flow..i don’t even have to think much as if the pen is writing by itself. How I know this because..once or twice I just sat and tried writing but I saw that I wasn’t able to do so. So, its as simple as that..there has to be something in my heart or mind that should, kind of provoke me to write.
Q. How do you believe your personal experiences and emotions influence your poetry? Are there specific life events that have deeply impacted your work?
A. As I said earlier, its my personal experiences and emotions that influence the poet in me, if at all there is. How can one write something, until and unless one has gone through it be it experiencing yourself or listening to someone’s story or watching. Talking about impact ofourse some specific life events did have a big impact but then not every event has pressed me to write. Infact I realized it very recently. Some situations leave you blank and empty with no words.
Q. Can you discuss the role of language and imagery in your poetry? How do you choose the words and expressions that best convey your message?
A. As far as language is concerned, I’m basically a Punjabi. So, we speak Punjabi at home but the languages I mostly think in, are Hindi and English. And when it comes to writing poetry, I’ve seen I am able to express myself better in hindi and a bit of Urdu (as knowingly- unknowingly we use lot of Urdu words while speaking and writing).
Images, I don’t think, atleast I cant remember images having much impact on my writing because my thoughts and how I feel about a certain thing inspire or kind of provoke me to write. So, if an image makes me think, it might have a little impact. When it comes to writing poetry, its hard to just imagine things and write, atleast for me. I will tell you one thing, few years back Me, Mom and Dad, we had gone to Dwarka, Gujarat. The city is so much full of Lord Krishna’s magic and aura..that I could actually feel his presence there. We saw so many temples and other places related to Lord Krishna and all this had a very positive impact on me. I didn’t write anything while we were still in Dwarka….but after coming back, my heart was so full of that divine feeling about Lord Krishna that I wrote poetry on Lord Krishna, Radha and Rukmini, for the very first time in my life. So what I’m saying is sometimes you express something in words after having experienced it. So, basically I write when something stays in my mind and heart and it can be anything but yes as I earlier said, few exceptions are there.
Q. Are there poets or literary works that have influenced your writing style or approach to poetry? How have they shaped your perspective on poetry?
A. Honestly speaking, I have no style of writing (whether its poetry or prose) or I have not been influenced by any poet, directly, so to say because I haven’t read any particular poet as such. But having said that, I feel my poetry has been influenced by everyone I have known, everyone I have read, have met and all that I have experienced, listened or seen so far. It’s a mix. When we talk of influence or inspiration, every second we are getting influenced and inspired, I feel.
Q. Poetry often serves as a medium for social and cultural commentary. How do you engage with important societal themes in your poetry?
A. I have never written anything about social or cultural issues as such. Its always been about feelings, thoughts, dreams, experiences.
Q. How do you navigate the balance between preserving the authenticity of your emotions in poetry while also crafting a piece that connects with a broader audience?
A. I have compiled best of all the poetry that I’ve written in last 15-20 years in Guchha Jazbaaton Ka but yes, all these years I never wrote anything with an intention of seeking validation or getting it published one day. So, while writing I never had this thought of getting connected with an audience or something like that. I have always written poetry to express myself. The thought of getting a book published came much much later. I just hope people read it and are able to connect with the emotions.
Q. Do you have a favorite poem or poetic piece that you’ve written? What makes it special to you?
A. Yes, the one that I wrote for my Father and Sister because those are just not words but my life experiences which are closest to my heart and mind.
Q. Can you describe the emotions you hope to evoke in your readers through your poetry? What impact do you strive for your poetry to have on others?
A. Emotion is one in-built thing that every human being is made of…its already there in all of us. I’m not sure if, through my poetry, I’m able to evoke anything in readers but its got more to do with how much people can relate to it. And I think, they will be able to relate to some of it, if not all.
Q. How do you think the digital age and social media have affected the way poetry is written, shared, and received?
A. I feel that this digital age and social media has made poetry more popular and reachable. Why? Because earlier only those who were really interested in poetry would buy poetry books and read it (here I’m not talking about the poetry that we get to hear in movies, songs or television) but now poems of all big and small, national and international, hindi or English or for that matter any language, are available for everyone to read. Having said that, I feel today’s generation is more into reading online than reading books. So, its plus-minus both, the digital media.
Q. If you could offer one piece of advice to aspiring poets, what would it be? How would you encourage them to find their unique voice and style in the world of poetry?
A. Its my first poetry book and I think I’m not the right person to give advice. But then I feel, the only thing which is required for writing poetry is Truth, being true to yourself, your feelings, your thoughts. Infact if not this, then what else? I feel, writing poetry comes from within, though inspiration comes from outside but only when outer world touches your inside world, so to be able to write poetry, one has to be true to oneself.
Richa Devesar
Hardeep S. Chandpuri
