Poetry has been a part of the lives of people since ages now but somewhere down the line, in today's time, it is one of the rarest forms of expressing. In the times when the market is overflowing with novels, it was a pleasure to see a poetry book going to such places and not only the book, the poet making a change too. A social activist, a contributor to the world of expressing, an out 'n' out romantic and a wonderful poet, when I interacted with Nitin Soni or The curly Poet, it was worth a lifetime of an experience. And how could I not let you, my reader, not be a part of this amazing experience? So, here is what happened....
Vanya's Notebook- Even though I never wanted to start with such a clichéd
question but I couldn’t stop myself, trust me. So, how did ‘poetry’ occur to
you?
Nitin— Poetry is my
soul. I interact through my poems. I remember when I wrote my first poem in
2011. I wanted my poem to paint a beautiful message that how deeply I loved
her. She loved my poem. She ONLY loved my poem. That’s how poetry kissed me.
That’s how I fell in love with poetry.
She became a stranger,
I became a poet!
Vanya's Notebook- Let us be frank here, in today’s world even though the parents are very supportive to their children, there are a few things which they do not want their children to do. Writing poetry falls under a category where most people think it is a time-pass and doesn’t give much importance to it. In such a scenario, how was the journey of The broken boat from being a manuscript to a book?
Nitin—To be honest,
my parents never said anything against poetry or writing. And it’s not just
about poetry, it’s about what I love doing. They never stop me. Because they
know I will always listen to my heart. (Laughing) As far as the journey is
concerned, writing makes me happy, and my maiden poetry book ‘The Broken Boat’
is my sweetheart. I have lived each and every poem written in this book. I had
been weaving this collection for a long time. All these poems are inspired by
real life encounters. ‘To Remember’ was scribbled in Connaught Place, ‘Laali’
was written in Bihar, and ‘Even She’ was penned down in Maharashtra. All the
poems have been decorated in different geographies.
This collection can
be summed up in just two lines:
"My wounds are human,
Humanity is wounded."
Vanya's Notebook- After being a contributing writer of stories in a few anthologies you shifted gear to poetry and released your debut poetry collection. Was contributing to
those anthologies a very well thought of step by you so that it creates a base
for you as a writer, or it just happened?
Nitin— As I said, writing is my soul. It feels
wonderful to have a couple of short stories published. I absolutely loved the
way I wrote those stories. Be it poetry or prose, I want to be read. My
objective is to touch as many hearts as possible. That’s what matters, I
reckon. And I’m glad people appreciated my stories, and the same people are now
loving ‘The Broken Boat’
Vanya's Notebook- “The curly poet” – a very unusual tag but it seems that the tag has given you everything you needed. Today, more than as Nitin Soni, you are known to the world as The curly poet. How does that affect you? Don’t you feel that people
should know you for being who you are as a whole, not as just a part of you?
Nitin—(Laughs) Dead on. ‘The Curly Poet’- I remember
somebody gave me this tag last year. And it became popular on Instagram. I
didn’t like it in the beginning. But it’s really amazing to see people are
liking it more now. I don’t think it affects me anymore. My job is to write
wholeheartedly, and I want to be read. I don’t want to be someone who doesn’t
connect with readers. If ‘The Curly Poet’ connects well with readers, I’m happy
with that!
Vanya's Notebook- Along with being a poet, your name is associated to be a face of humanity. You are a server of the society you live in and that is something not many people are able to do successfully or rather they do not want to do. What would you
want to say to that? How did it happen?
Nitin— If writing is my soul, children are my
heart. I love my job. I love what I do in villages through my organization,
Dharma Life. We do reading sessions, painting sessions, poetry recitations, and
we also work on several causes like Indoor Air Pollution, Education, and Health
& Hygiene etc. I simply love it! I have grown up seeing my dad who has been
working for the labor class for last thirty years. He inspires me to work for
others. It’s good to spread smiles and love…isn't it?
Vanya's Notebook- A debut book. A poetry book. 4.7 stars out of 5 in Amazon and ruling the bestselling charts for 4 months now. At this point, how does it feel?
Nitin — It feels
amazing to be Amazon #1 poet. People told me poetry doesn’t sell, and I said,
OK, let’s see.
Vanya’s Notebook- Since it is common knowledge
that girls are takers of poetry more than guys, and a handsome poet adds to the
charm, I am sure you have a big female fan following. I am also sure that they
would want to know one thing about you and I am asking on behalf of them all
"Is the curly poet single?"
Nitin— Hahahah! As of now, yes! (with a wink)
Vanya's Notebook- This is one question that I HAVE to ask you. Simply because of the fact that you are a poet and this question is a part and parcel of being a poet. Who do you dedicate your poems to? What is your inspiration? And what is the reason behind these heartwarming poems?
Nitin— I write what
I see. I have written what I have seen or experienced. I dedicate my poems to
‘My Divine Lady.’ I can’t see her. I don’t even talk to her. But she is always
around with a smiling face. ‘Conquer this world’, she motivates me through
vibes.
Vanya's Notebook- What next? Anthology? Another poetry collection? What have you planned? Can we expect a novel from the curly poet?
Nitin— Novel!
(Smiling)
Vanya's Notebook- There are so many reviews you have got for the book (both good and bad), what
was your favorite one? And what was the one that disturbed you the most?
Nitin—All of them are
encouraging. However, there is one review which disturbed me in the beginning.
It was shocking when somebody wrote that The Broken Boat was anti-male.
Vanya's Notebook- Today, if you were given a chance to give 5 tips to new writers, what would they be? I know, you are fairly new too but you’ve achieved something that not many people can with their first book, so it is fair to ask you this question.
Nitin— Respect your heart. Be loyal to your soul. If you do that
successfully, writing will be fun!
Vanya's Notebook- Okay! I guess I should stop here even though I have a bucket full of questions I can ask you at this stage. I don’t want to bore you or our readers with the questions. Hope I didn’t. Did I? To end with, I would appreciate a few words for your readers and for Vanya’s Notebook.
Nitin— Thank you, Sharanya! Thank you everyone for your love and
support.. Keep smiling. Keep spreading love…
As you can see, it was an experience worth mentioning with The curly poet and I wish him all the best for all his future works!
