As they celebrate World Poetry Day today, these celebrities share their tryst with poetry.
Eijaz Khan- Though I consider myself a romantic person at heart, I don’t think mera andaze bayan vaisa hai. There was a time, early in my teens when I was very influenced by Jim Morrison, who is the lead vocalist of the band called The Doors. I think he was the first poet I identified with, but that poetry was very dark. I don’t remember, but it was all about end of the world and end of life. My poetry is very much co- related with rock music and lyrics of rock songs. I would have loved if I had the talent of writing beautifully. It’s such a simple sentence to say-Mai tumse pyaar karta hu, I hope mai isse aur ek bahut khoobsurat tarike se keh pata, lekin simple hi hu mai and would always be that. I am not a poet but I appreciate poetry.
Ajay Singh Chaudhary- I love poetry and shayari since my childhood. I used to read a lot and even now I do. Rahat Indori Sahab is one of my favourite poets and I have also read Galib a lot. Ramdhaari singh Dinkar writes very beautifully as well and it’s very relevant. I love poetry reading, writing and reciting also. In fact, I even have a plan to recite poetry which I will like to start in future. It’s true that romance goes hand in hand with poetry. Jahan romance hota hai voh apne aap me ek kavita hai. Krishn ki Chetavni is my favourite piece of poetry. I have also written a little something, which goes like – “Arz kiya hai yun toh tumhe bohot pyaara hun main, tumhari hi aankhon ka taara hun main par kabhi toh badal chayenge aur meri yeh chavi tumhari aankhon se ojhal kar jayenge, toh kya tab bhi tum mujhe yun hi pyaar karogi? Abhi bohot naya hai saath apna, jeevan saara lagta hai apna…”
Charrul Malik- I have tried my hands on writing and reciting poetry. The first thing I wrote was – Humein toh khush rehne ka bahana chahiye. Jashn manane ka thikana chahiye, choti choti baton mein hum khushiyan dhoond lete hain, negative baton ko ignore kar, hum tension lete hain a dete hai. I even wrote the tag line for India TV – Shor kam khabrein jyada. There was no looking back after that. I’ve written a lot, there are pages and pages. The most important thing for writing is clarity of thought. You need to be clear to express yourself well. My first piece of poetry which I wrote was five years back. I often write on Instagram as well. I don’t know how successful I’m at this but I feel very satisfied with my writing. My favourite poet is Gulzar sahab. No doubt that there is poetry in romance but this is also true that all romantic people are not good writers, whoever writes, writes all types of genres as it’s all about expressing yourself and venting out what you feel, I feel that romantic people are able to express their views and it is the unromantic ones who need to pen it down.
Ranaksh Rana- I think poetry is a beautiful form of expression of humanness.
I have been writing for as long as I can remember but, for me, it’s more of a form of appreciation towards life, than just expressing the experiences. I recently also recited my poetry in a Poetry Open Mic at The Habitat Studios and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Poetry has the power to unite people and blur all boundaries. It’s very fulfilling when you see others resonating with your words. As an artist, inspiration for poetry is everywhere for me. I remember when I wrote – ‘Raat ko raat keh diya maine, sunte hi baukhla gayi duniya,’ it was my way of being honest and standing by what’s right. Then I once wrote – ‘Some carry silence on their lips but storm in their hearts.’ This was a reflection on how you should never really judge anyone because you don’t know what’s their story. I think poetry is a powerful tool. Everyone goes through an eventful life, but only a few can express it beautifully. There’s a line by Kumar Vishwas that is very close to my heart- “Koi diwana kehta hai, koi pagal samajhta hai. Magar dharti ki bechaini ko bas badal samajhta hai.” I remember reading this for the first time in 2008 and it has stayed with me since then. This right here must be one of the strongest lessons on empathy. Poetry is a fragrant essence of our existence and evolution.
Namita Lal- I write as well as recite poetry. I write when the words come to me, it could be at any moment of the day or night. It’s all about connecting to my emotions. I enjoy writing and have been doing so since my childhood. Recently, I have done a lot of recitations of my poetry on Instagram and Facebook, some directors have shot it as videos as well. It’s a wonderful experience for me to be associated with words and related to music that comes out of words. I have a few favourite poets, I love Kabir, I love Rumi, I love Bulle shah. I even sang his poetry as a song at a film promotion, it has beautiful words. I recently went to the Jaipur Literature Festival and I sat in the Baithak of poets. So yes, poetry is very important to me.
Harjinder Singh- I feel we are romantic as well as poets. I personally have a habit of writing, but it’s not necessary that I write something romantic. I write what I observe around me or anything related to what’s happening in my life. Sometimes you can’t express and so you start writing. I have looked at things my way and have converted them into words because in a few words you can make people understand what you are trying to say and maybe people can relate. I don’t have any specific favourite poets as such. I read Galib as well as Rahet Indori’s poetry. A lot of people write today and you cannot say if someone has just started writing then they won’t write well, talent has been given by God to everyone. Here is something that I wrote: “Main yeh nahi kehta ki main chaand taare todd ke laa dunga, main yeh nahi kehta ki main chaand taare told ke laa dunga lekin tere daaman ko chaand taaro ko khushiyon ki tarah saja dunga.”
Ayush Anand- I would say there is poetry in every artist, be it a musician, a painter, a director or even an actor. Poetry is not only reciting or writing rhyming words/lines. It has a much deeper meaning. Poetry is an expression of a feeling and that is all we actors do. Our job is to express. So, I have never tried to write or recite poems, but performing and expressing in front of the camera is also poetry. I like to read and listen to motivational poems and Harivansh Rai Bachchan ji’s poems have always made a huge impact on me like Agnipath and Himmat Karne Walon ki Haar Nahi Hoti.
Aparna Dixit- I definitely feel that poetry is a very beautiful way to show your emotions especially if they are romantic emotions and the choices of word makes it special. I love reading poetries in Hindi and English but I connect more with Hindi poetry as the depth of himdi words is more relatable. I do write sometimes and it is not for public consumptiom. I write to express myself where I share my emotions in words. Putting your sentiments on paper is only for myself. Use of right words to express your emotions makes poetry beautiful.Today in the world of Instagram I keep stumbling upon so many pages of poetry, in fact I do follow a lot of pages so I can’t name one , whenever I find something that I feel connected with I make sure to share it on my Instagram.
