Sep 23, 2011

Vibha Batra - Author Interview: Poet

What kinds of poetry, including songs, did you experience as a child and teenager, and did you have some favourites?

My maternal grandfather, the late Shri Vishnu Kant Shastri, was an accomplished writer and poet. Listening to him recite the works of greats like Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Jagdish Gupta, Nirala, Mahadevi Varma, Rabindra Nath Tagaore, Mirza Ghalib, Tulsidas, Kabirdas, and many many more, I fell under the spell of poetry.

Would you say your childhood and teenage experience of poetry has had a distinct influence on how you write poetry now, and why?

Yes, certainly. I started out writing in Hindi. And before long, I was writing in English and attempting translations to boot!

Who is another poet whose poetry you admire and why?

I love my grandfather's poetry. Tagore and Ogden Nash are other poets I enjoy returning to.

How would you summarise one of your poems in one paragraph?

I enjoy writing satire. One such poem titled 'Happy Halloween' is an ode to politicians. I shall now summarize it in verse:

Scams galore
Speeches that bore
The poem stems
From a simple fact -
How we love to hate them!

How would you describe the appeal of this poem to readers?

With anti-corruption protests sweeping across India and the rest of the world, I sure hope the poem will have readers nodding their heads in assent.

Could you share a stanza or small section of this poem?

How about having a day dedicated to politicians?
Here's wishing them Happy Halloween.

How would you describe the contribution this stanza or small section makes to the poem?

It captures the essence of the poem: If we could dedicate a day to politicians, it would only be Halloween.

Would you describe your poetry primarily as narrative, thematic, character portrait, or how would you describe your poetry?

Tongue in cheek is how I would describe it. And since my poems are rooted in the current (socio-political satire, more often than not), perhaps one could call it thematic.

Do you read your poetry aloud to people? If so, how would you describe the size and response of your listening audiences?

I have done so on quite a few occasions. Been happy to elicit a chuckle or two at book launches, offsite workshops, informal gatherings and the likes.

Do you write groups of poems to form collections? If so, how were the poems connected in your most recent collection?

There is no conscious attempt to do so. I write when yet another politician finds himself with his foot in his mouth. That is, whenever inspiration strikes!

www.museindia.com/authorprofile.asp?myr=2010&issid=33&id=1168

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