“Poetry in Life” ‖ In Conversation with @writingsofsahana (An IG account handled by Sahana Mira)

@writingsofsahana, a widely recognised and celebrated poetry account on Instagram glues poetry lovers to the screen. With 874 followers and timely features from ‘Verse of Silence’ (Literary Magazine) to TTT (Terribly Tiny Tales), this page is quite a hit. The Instagram account is handled by Sahana Mira, an English major from Women’s Christian College who dons many hats. A sincere student during the day and a gifted poet at night, Sahana strikes a chord with her readers through free verse poetry. Her symphonic words and keen observations of simple things colour a beautiful portrait of life in verse. Let’s find out about this poet’s beautiful journey, her musings and more.

Sahana Mira, Poet & Spoken Word Artist

In conversation with Sahana Mira:

1. What led you to poetry?

When I couldn't speak my thoughts four years ago, I turned to writing poems. I feel poetry is my way of expressing my thoughts and emotions. It's a reflection of my life.

2. What are your musings? And your biggest influence and inspiration in turning to poetry?

I take inspiration from everything around me. It has been so many things, places and people throughout the different phases of my life. I was greatly inspired by confessional mode of writing and the honesty in those works. I've always been fascinated by the poet/author Megha Rao as her writings are deeply confessional and fierce. Through her poetry, I came to know I can write about myself and my emotions without feeling narcissistic about it. I've also been inspired by a long list of poets like Kamala Das, Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, Audre Lorde, Maya Angelou, Imtiaz Dharker and so on.

3. As a confessional poet, do you at times filter your thoughts for fear of judgement and then pen it down or vice versa?

Initially, when I started posting my poems on my personal account, I obviously feared what my friends would think about my writings. After I started a writing account, there were different people who liked my style of writing and started supporting my works. I don't usually filter what I write because this is the only place I can be completely honest with myself and express my range of emotions. Sometimes, it's okay to not post everything you write but it's very important to just pour it out in your journal or word doc.

4. Your poetry is primarily presented on Instagram and has been positively welcomed too. However do you at times fear a sense of validation from your readers or the number of likes and shares? Does social media pressurize you in this aspect?

It honestly depends on the writers. Every writer has different needs for posting his/her own works online. There are writers who have stopped posting online as there's less support for artists. Some days, I've questioned my purpose of posting my works online and it reminded me why I started writing. I started writing for myself and I'm still doing it for the same reason. The only thing is, I use IG as a way to document my life. In this process, I've gained a few genuine readers who have said that they resonate with my words and there were constructive criticisms too. I've learnt that the validation or strong criticisms should never hype me up or put me down completely because at the end of the day, it's all about the joy of writing. There will always be a few genuine readers irrespective of the fleeting number of followers, likes and shares.

5. Your work clearly reflects your keen observations of the simple joys in life. You appreciate everything from ‘sunsets’ to ‘bougainvillea’. Do you see poetry in real life?

I'm glad you're a keen observer of my poetry

* chuckles*

I see art in every person and every single thing. I believe that poetry, art and aesthetics in itself is subjective. I find beauty in the mundanity of life, in all those very ordinary and familiar things.

6. As a Spoken Word Artist, you perform at open mics. You must be fond of them too. Do you see a difference when you recite your poems out loud with a community? A difference in your writing and performing voice? Which one do you like better?

Yes, there's surely a difference while performing on stage with a large audience who are right in front of me and not behind the screens. There's an elated feeling when the audience snaps their fingers while the artist is performing (a sign of applauding the artist without interrupting him/her). It's a very beautiful feeling that can never be experienced in other things though I started performing only in the first year of college. However, I can never pick between writing and performing. They are two different experiences. Writing is very personal and spontaneous while on the other hand, performing is rehearsed. Well, there's a lot of opportunity that's coming up for spoken word artists and one can even make a career out of this.

7. With the pandemic in place, how do you and other artists cope? Has the pandemic caged your spirit as a Spoken Word Artist, restricting you from performing and connecting with other artists or has it unleashed various other platforms to explore and connect online?

This year brought thousands of people together to explore their creative side and use art as a therapeutic tool to cope, heal and express themselves during the pandemic phase. I felt that so many people participated in the "National Poetry Writing Month" this year because of the complete lockdown. I was also able to connect with so many artists earlier this year.

Anyhow, when the lockdown was announced, the spoken word events and slams that had I registered for were cancelled. We were completely clueless but then in a couple of weeks, everything started going virtual, including open mics! A lot of poetry communities and clubs started online slams and open mics. It helped a lot of poets perform without actual stage fright and a live audience. We had online workshops too and all these benefitted so many growing artists.

8. What do you think the role of a poet in our society is? Do you believe in the power of the pen in changing and revolutionizing our society?

In my view, poets influence, remind, rebuild and contribute so much to promote humanity. There are so many writers who reflect on social issues which greatly inspire me to write about the things that happen around us. Yes, I strongly feel that the pen has the power to evoke thoughts and emotions. Needless to say, "the pen is mightier than the sword."