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You express yourself in many ways. So why do you prefer to be described as a poet ?
Being a poet is one identification
which makes me comfortable. Poetry keeps me excited. If one is alive and aware of one's sensibility, it keeps you going. I
try to live the glitter of the moment and that charges me to go ahead. Writing poetry is one of the most satisfying experiences.
Poetry is not something that has happened to you. Rather, it is something to which you have reacted. You internalise the experience.
If you antennae are up, you can give wing to these observations.
Do You think you have evolved as a poet ?
In the last seven or eight years I have gained confidence Earlier, I was on unsure ground. I wondered whether my
poetry was reaching where it should. I started probing myself to check if I was able to communicate. I was not concerned if
I was right or wrong, for that would stand the test of time. Today, as a poet, I don't hesitate to say what I want.
Do you think people are interested in poetry ?
Poetry is a kind of sadhana. What is seen on the surface is not
what it means. One has to look deeper to be able to perceive the meaning, and to be able to do this, one has to be sensitive,
a quality which seems to be slightly lacking in people today. Moreover, this is the era of science and technology, not fine
arts. So much is happening that people are failing to take note of the developments in poetry. As a poet, I have made this
revolution a part of my poetry.
Your writing seems to be characterised by brevity...
The moment you
start talking too much, people stop listening to you. Anything oversaid reduces the impact and becomes prosaic. A few words
are more powerful and effective. Through my poetry I try to convey important things which are complete in their own way. Even
in
Triveni, I have stuck to this idea.
How did you develop Triveni ?
There was a particular thought
I was trying to express through misras which were complete in themselves. To make something more complete, you have to say
something more. It was a complete thing that I was trying to make more complete. And it became fun, I started enjoying the
entire process. I kept on playing with it. Some thought triveni was a pun. Somehow the concept caught on and everyone was
talking about it. It was discussed in poetry circles and quiet a few Urdu journals wrote articles in favour as well as against
it.
What is Triveni exactly ?
Unlike shere, a triveni consists of three misras. The first two are
complete in themselves, but the addition of the third misra gives a new dimension all together. So popular is triveni that
triveni baithaks are held Pakistan
You're known for working with children. Are you doing anything with them
at this time ?
I indulge in children. It is fascinating to work with them. Their honesty and simplicity compel me
to work for them. But with no enthusiastic producers for children's films, I have given up the idea of making films. No one
is interested in acting in children's films. So I stay happy writing for them and doing things like Bindas
Bandar for
their entertainment.
How do you feel about your daughter Boski as a director.
She has got her head
in the right place. She has studied films and has sufficient experience in the field as she has worked with Saeed Mirza and
has directed several documentaries. Shehas groomed herself for the job. Her film is not routine one. The subject to Filhal
is something which I feel she has dealt effectively, keeping the perspective possible only in a woman.
How
involved are you Filhal ?
She didn't even allow me to write the script for the film ! But I had to be somewhere in
the film, so she permitted me to write the lyrics.
What are your future plans ?
I have been commissioned
to do a serial on the short stories of Munshi Premchand for DD Metro.
-Sharmistha. Chatterjee
@timesgroup.com
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