Interview with Shashi Kiran

Shashi Kiran is a final year engineering student from Chennai. He describes himself as an introvert and a peace loving guy and finds his poems the best means to express his thoughts. He started writing poems four years back, usually when he is overpowered by strong emotions. He maintains a journal containing all his poems both published and non published alike. His first poem to be published was 'Kingdom of the World Asylum' in Chaos - An anthology of literary pieces under Lituminati Publications. His poem 'Gloria' is to be published here at A Phase Unknown Woman A Tribute 2. 

He can be contacted at: shashi.kiran0025@gmail.com
His facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/shashi.kiran075?fref=ts

Shashi Kiran

~What inspires you to write poetry?

I draw inspiration from the people around me. The many faces that are known and unknown. And how people undergo similar situations and experiences but just react to them in their own different ways. I also find my poems the best means to express my thoughts.

~What were you trying to achieve with Gloria?

Gloria in terms is defined as A naturally gorgeous girl who is either very quiet and shy or incredibly wild and adventurous. The two sides of a coin if you will. Gloria tells a tale of such a girl who has been wronged and suppressed in all aspects - morale, physical and mental trauma. She was a victim of subterfuge by the very person she trusted with all her heart. Immensely heartbroken and with nowhere to go, she then taps into her inner core of strength and sets out to right the wrongs that were forced on her.

I believe that in every woman lies dormant a vast surge of power that makes her do wondrous things(and hence maybe that is why we even call Nature and Earth our Mothers). They can astonish you in the most unexpected ways irrespective of right or wrong once they are able to seek it out. That is exactly what Gloria is trying to tell us.

~How do you get in the mental place where you find this deeper interior and write?

I write usually when I am overpowered by strong emotions, or maybe when I ponder over a certain idea longer than it is considered healthy. After which It is almost spontaneous, the gates are wide open and i start to pen down the thoughts as they flow. After all one can never be certain when inspiration will hit.

~What is a measure of success as a poet?

I always believe that success especially as a poet is mostly self validation and self improvement.  To remain modest enough to know that there is always more room for improvement and learning. When your pieces are able to reach wide audiences - the humble and complex alike, makes them relate to the theme of your poems, its emotions and thereby in some mild manner reflect on themselves and make them more humane, that is the time you start feeling proud of your work. Its about the lives you touch rather than awards or fame.

~Do you ever feel you are unable to write out of fear?

I have not quite thought about this until you mentioned it. But so far I have managed to express all my feelings in my poems. Anger, insecurities, guilt, love, wonder all alike. So I would say I don't tend to overthink and just plainly express my thoughts in my poems as they come. But i do believe fear is a great motivator, hence I am sure I see no trouble in writing out of fear(especially when you have nearing deadlines and inspiration hasn’t struck yet).

~So poetry is about making peace with the world?

I think poems and all art forms for that matter should be able to move you, to make you feel and think, to help one reflect on oneself. For Chaos in the outside world is the direct result of the chaos within. It should humble people and touch their lives. It should spread love and joy, make people understand that they are not alone in their struggles. Nurture the soul. So yes, it is about peace in the most grandest of scales.

~When did you start writing poetry, and what moved you to start?

I started writing during the first year of college. I was on my own, first time living outside home and suddenly exposed to a wider world. It was during that awkward stage where you weren't sure of who you are and not mention the high levels of social awkwardness that still follows(i  am really not good with crowds). So it was the best means for me to express myself, a way to vent it all out. A lesson I taught myself, to not expect or worry about particular people being there to listen to what I had to say, for the world was wide open and it would be my audience.

~What's your revision process like?

          It is nothing greatly specific. I just read and read, look out for better words that could be fit in, try to make it sound good in my head and try to balance the complexity of the poem to its simple message.

~Who are some of your favorite poets?

There are many to narrow it down. But from right on top of my head, I would say Sylvia Plath, Rudyard Kipling, Robert Frost, Pablo Neruda, Emily Bronte. I also love the song writing styles of Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour and Roger Waters.

~What about this poem  Gloria was special to you or led you to write it?

A long conversation with a friend about the recent chaos of crimes against women especially in the capital and the riots that followed. This fuelled by the music of the band “The Black Keys.”

~What makes a poem “good”?

In my view a poem should be able to convey the emotions in the right manner, it should be strong and appeal to the various classes of readers - subtle and the voracious alike. People should be able to relate to it or derive something out of it. It should leave a solid impression on readers, a part of it should be absorbed by them, and must linger in their minds for a good while. 

~What advice do you have for aspiring poets?

I believe I still am among the many aspiring poets myself. But from experience I would ask the others to take their time to identify their writing styles, experiment and explore their inner vortex and pour out their hearts. For it is always a wonderful thing to feel everything so deeply.

~How was experience with Sanmati Publishers?

Working with Sanmati Publishers was purely delightful. I had the opportunity to work along many wonderful writers and enigmatic souls. The way they do things has a certain eccentric vibe and I just love being a part of it.

~Do you have any advice for other writers?

Never rush to finish a piece, take your good time and let the thoughts come to you. As I said earlier inspiration can kick in the most unexpected moments. Never stop dreaming, your imagination has no boundaries whatsoever. And never ever give up on them.

~What would be your message for our readers?

“A Phase Unknown Women a Tribute 2” encompasses the brilliant works of various ingenious authors. I eagerly look forward to its launch, and you lovely people are certainly in for a big treat.

Thank you Shashi for your precious time. Good luck for your future endeavours!

~Interviewed by Enakshi Johri and Kumar Vikrant.