Poetry is a good source of self-satisfaction, inner peace

Kanwar Dinesh Singh is a prolific, award-winning author, poet, storyteller, critic and translator. He has published several volumes of mini poems, haiku, senryu and microfiction, alongside books in literary criticism and translation. He is the winner of the prestigious 2002 Himachal Pradesh State Sahitya Akademi Award and the 2023 Unicorn Best Author Award for poetry among several other literary honours. He has written extensively on love, relationships, morality, nature, and several philosophical issues of life and existence. His work has appeared in several literary journals and anthologies. In this interview, Singh speaks about his remarkable experiences as a poet.

Excerpts from the interview:

When and how did you start writing poetry? What was your experience of writing the first poem?

Books have always fascinated me, ever since my childhood. On seeing a beautiful cover or a striking title, I would pick up the book immediately and buy it as soon as possible. In my school days, along with poetry, I loved books on fables, folktales, history, and mythology. I was influenced by the poets, so I started writing about my experiences. I was passionate about appearing in print and doing quality writing. I started writing for newspapers and magazines, and when periodicals like The Indian Express, The Tribune, Femina, and Sun started publishing my poems and short articles, I felt a lot of inspiration and encouragement for other literary creations.

After writing my first poem, the experience was indescribable, but the act of creation gave me the feeling of a free, boundless existence for myself.

How has your experience of reciting poetry on stage or at symposia?

Often, a poem expresses a personal experience and depends on the preferences and tastes of the listeners. That’s why a poem, recited on-stage, can captivate the heart of the whole gathering, in which, despite being a personal experience, the emotions of the other’s heart are also articulated. So, when I choose a poem for the stage, I always start by giving it much thought. Moreover, the art of rhetoric, including proper modulation of voice, frequent repetition, and pausing at the right moment, are also very important while reciting poetry on stage.

In what genres/forms have you written? Which form/mode is most satisfying for you?

I have penned numerous genres, including poetry, haiku, ghazal, microfiction, literary criticism, and translation. Honestly, poetry is a source of self-satisfaction and inner peace for me.

What kind of poetry do you like? Do you follow the same standards for your poems as well?

I like simple and lyrical poetry, but it should have a great depth of thought and intensity of emotion behind it. There may not be a great deal of lyricism in my poems, but along with the simplicity and spontaneity of expression, the seriousness of sentiments and thoughts, besides the philosophical sense, definitely prevails.

I do not like poems that are prepared on an ideological basis because such poems are written in the form or frame of a premeditated formula. I like poems which leap like a wellspring from the heart; they are born like leaves, growing naturally/smoothly on the branches of a tree. And the underlying energy of such spontaneous creations is immediately realised; however, the sheer intellectuality of intended/premeditated creations does not have the same aesthetic flavour.

There are many dimensions to your creativity. Apart from being a poet, storyteller, literary critic, editor, and translator, you are also an academic. How do you juggle so many roles?

Besides being a literary creator, I am also a professor, an advantageous position. As a teacher, I am constantly involved in studies and always strive to keep learning something new. Teaching is also a very creative activity; from there, I am continually taking on something new.

However, I do literary writing only in my spare time, often in the quiet morning or night hours. With that being said, whenever a thought comes to mind, or an emotion stirs in the heart, or a reaction starts stirring from within, I immediately record those thoughts, reactions, and feelings in a little diary. Later, when free, I develop them as a literary work.

You have done doctoral research on modern and contemporary Indian English poetry. What were your findings in this study?

In my research study, published in the form of a book titled Contemporary Indian English Poetry: Comparing Male and Female Voices, I analyzed Indian English poetry based on gender, and I found that, despite the similarity of theme and language, there is a huge difference in the expressions of male and female poets. For example, the expression of male poets is cerebral primarily or intellectual, while the writing of female poets is typically emotional.

What have you been working on lately, and what are you looking forward to?

Presently, I am working on the manuscript of my novel based on a love story, which I want to publish this year. Along with this, a collection of my haiku verses is also almost ready for publication. I also plan to publish a collection of short stories.