WRITING POESIES DEPICTING INTRICACIES OF LIFE
Author Interview: Ajeesh Venugopalan
Ajeesh Venugopalan is a senior marketer who has built high-performance teams; to drive revenues for new and re-positioned brands across the B2B / B2C segments. An educational evangelist and a brand champion, he is an ardent reader and a writer. He has recently come out with the book “Obscurity of Life”, which is a collection of poems written over a long period. In a candid chat with Chirdeep Malhotra, he talks about his debut book, his writing journey, and also shares a poem from the book for our readers. Read on!
Please tell us more about Ajeesh Venugopalan as a person.
Born in a remote village in Kerala to a middle-class couple, Ajeesh Venugopalan has strived hard to make a mark in his career and earn a name in the world of marketing. Currently, he works as a senior director and Global head of marketing for an IT firm in Bangalore.
He isn’t a communist or a fascist. He is a liberal. He is an art lover. He is a storyteller. He believes that writers need to bring in strong sense of purpose among the readers. He believes that a writer should be non-commercial, however pragmatic. He believes that it is time to save capitalism and liberalism.
Has writing always been a part of your life? Or did you chance upon it later on and then instantly fell in love with it?
Writing has always fascinated me. My grandfather was a Hindi professor. I grew up reading my grandfather’s Hindi books as a child. However, learning the language and life took me all these years to be ready for my first book. Indians are naturally bi-lingual and hence choosing a language of comfort and choice was very difficult. I am a voracious reader; however, a very slow reader as my mind slips into visualisation. It took me a lot of time to learn the history of India, a bit of the world and the cultural diversity to be able to bring my first book out.
Can you tell us more about your book “Obscurity of Life”?
“Obscurity of Life” is not a deliberate attempt to write a book. The book is a journey- a journey where the writer poetically narrates his experiences of understanding love, women, life, social issues, nature and death. Obscurity of life is the evolution of a young student as more matured man in his present day, may be as a budding writer.In this book, you will find the innocence of a school student, romance of a graduating college student, helpless adult looking at a bar dancer or a rape victim, a rejected angry young man, lover in a husband, love for parents and grandparents, a more pragmatic man, a rebellious adult against education system, a voice for social causes and nature, and finally a matured man who realises that the utmost reality is death. The poetry is spiritually enlightening while keeping religion completely out of context.
How did the idea of writing this book of poetry emerge?
As mentioned, Obscurity of Life was not a deliberate attempt to write a book. It is a journey. A Journey of life unto death.
What topics have you delved into and what themes have you explored in the poems that are in this book?
The themes of Love, Women, Gender equality, Life, Social causes, Nature and death have been explored in this book.
Any poem from the collection that you would like to share with our readers.
I like this one written about Sundarbans. I call her: “The Sundari.”
‘Mystique of nature; the beautiful ones,/ Sundari! The queen of the swamp in the Sundarbans, And in my home town an old market place,/ She grew dense with virtue and grace.
Coast, where the river meets the Arabian Sea. Mangroves flourished forever in glee./ Trifling touch of the tinkling tides tickle the root, The wind chimes, and the/ hustling leaves, Mangroves; Make a home to Fluttering birds pretty and cute,/ Making it indeed a nature’s treasure-trove.
The fireflies alight the creek at night,/ And the gurgling water reflect her charm in twilight. The striped monstrous cats,/ the endangered Tiger, Occasionally roars past the shallow bay./ While one or two evil men pull the trigger,/ Then there he would on a muddy bloody lay,/ In tranquil, his soul would escape gravity,/ A life lost for the evil fella’s false vanity./ Sundari weeps while her near and dear,/ Has fallen prey to the man and out of fear,/ She weeps further waiting to be conserved.
While the good ones hop forward to preserve, Capitalist would turn rebel, who?/ The real terror. He would then think how to use?/ How to use, the mangrove forest with no error/ With no error, a man can only think how to use? How to use the Sundari? How to use whate’er?’
What do you think are the prerequisites for writing soulful and heart-warming poetry?
I think values inculcated through our upbringing are of utmost importance to be able to write. I am blessed to have been born in a family who practices honesty. I think honesty and the sense of righteousness or appropriateness – (Read “Dharma”) is very important to be able to write the truth. One who is not greedy for Knowledge may not be able to write the truth. I think all of us should be curious to learn the truth.
Can you recommend five books from any genre, for our readers to add to their reading lists, that you particularly cherish?
1) “Arthashastra” by Kautilya is a must read. It isn’t an easy read. It is rather a study. I have read it and am now in the process of studying it. I have also watched the serial that used to come on Doordarshan – all 48 episodes twice as a matured adult. I appreciate Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi for bringing that out to us.
2) Kalidasa’s “Raghuvamsam”– If you can understand this in its right sense, you will say that the only religion in the world is Humanity and be a true practising Hindu culturally. I read the English translation by A.N.D. Haksar. He has retained its poetic beauty and essence. This is for readers who love poetry as well mythology or ancient Indian history. It solves both the purposes.
3) “I’m not here to Give a Speech” by Gabriel Marquez. It’s a collection of his speeches covering key events throughout Garcia Marquez’s life, from a talk as a teenager graduating from high school to his Nobel Prize acceptance speech. This is a great inspiration for aspiring writers.
4) “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne. Asking for help is a great strength. I think the classification of this book as Self-help is a bit undermining; rather it should be Wisdom. This book is not just a read. It is to be practised. Then magic happens like the way “Obscurity of Life” is happening to me.
5) “33 strategies of war” by Robert Greene categorised under Psychology – All of us are in a constant state of battle with our own mind – sometimes with ourselves, sometimes with our neighbouring states or different communities. Treat this as your survival kit, because you need to live to be able to tell stories.
What are your other interests apart from writing?
I love teaching and public speaking. I have been actively speaking in colleges for teaching as well as non-teaching assignments. I have also been speaking at various Industry forums across the country as part of my profession. I look forward to speaking in a literature festival soon.
The process of communication is complete only when you ensure that the listener has understood your intent and message. Hence, public speaking or indeed the communication process would be incomplete without the teacher inside you.
There are many new writers and poets who are aspiring to get their work published. What would you say to them?
It is not easy for a debutant. Stay committed to your writing aspiration and save enough to be able to publish and promote your book. More importantly read quality stuff as much as you can. If you do not read, your writing may not have the required intensity and truth.
Can you share with our readers a motivational quote that keeps you going?
This is from the book “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne – “Thoughts become Things”. You are what you think. Therefore, make deliberated efforts to keep your thoughts positive. Law of Attraction is working for me. I am sure it will work for everyone.