Shah Fazli
Ramesh Anand, Welcome to Spotlight live event, we are so pleased to have you with us today, Ramesh, can you introduce yourself to everyone please, at the start of this event?
Ramesh Anand Good Morning Shah Fazli. First of all, it's great to get assicated with Spotlight thought this interview.
Ramesh Anand I have authored Newborn Smiles, a book of haiku poetry published by Cyberwit.Net Press. My haiku has appeared in many publications, across 11 countries, including Bottle Rockets Press, ACORN, Magnapoets, The Heron's Nest, Simply Haiku and Frogpond. My Haiku has been translated in German, Serbian, Japanese, Croatian,Romanian and Tamil. My short verses have been honored by Muse India, Voicesnet and Boloji. I had been nominated and shortlisted for Muse India's young writer award 2012. I work for Philips, Bangalore as the test strategist. I mirror my publications at blog at http://ramesh-inflame.blogspot.com
Seasonal Scenesramesh-inflame.blogspot.com
Shah Fazli Thanks Ramesh, what kind of poetry Haiku is for those who might not know much about it, can you please explain it a little more?
Ramesh Anand Haiku is a Japanese short verse written in three lines with S/L/S format. Hai means Humour and Ku means Poetry.
Shalini Samuel Why did you chose haiku? Any special reason?
Ramesh Anand Haiku consists of fragment and phrase. They have to resoante well to get the AHA effect. This poetry is based upon Zen Philosophy. i.e., to live in now. Poetry basically cpatures that extraordinary moment of now that is always overlooked in day to day life.
Ramesh Anand Shalini, I always wanted to write something that would improve my senses and get me live in present moment. Haiku is the only poetry that does that. Creating haiku, haijin aligns himself to nature or to this universe.
Ramesh Anand Poet writing haiku is called haijin.
Shalini Samuel Good. Say about your book "Newborn Smiles" your experience in bringing out the book.
Ramesh Anand Newborn Smiles is named after my daughter's first smile which itself is the haiku moment. Newborn Smiles have 100 internationally published haiku and 30 regionally published free verses. This book has been prefaced by this century's leading haijin, Kala. Cyberwit, India has published this book. This book was nominated and shortlisted for India's Yound writer award for 2012. I always wanted to publish a book under my name since college days. The subject and content has materialized only now. While bringing out this book, I had to work with publisher and fellow poets to put everything together. I was very fortunate to get everyone's support at the right time. My family support is invaluable as I used to spent my weekends onyl for Newborn Smiles.
Shah Fazli Why Haiku, why not an Indian name?
Shalini Samuel When can we expect your next poetry collection?
Ramesh Anand Haiku is the name gifted to this world by Japanese. So, it is respect we pay to them by keeping the same name.
Ramesh Anand Shalini, my next collection would be atleast 500 internationally published haiku book. I want it to be more intense and more classical that could be referred for ever.
Persian Khushi Amazing sir, how long have you been writing?
Shalini Samuel We are eagerly waiting for your book. Will Cyberwit publish your haikus again?
Ramesh Anand I must say CyberWit plays a key role in bringing out the books of aspiring poets. Probably, they are the only one in India. I take this opportunity say big thanks to CyberWit Publications for accepting my first work right away. For my second book, i keep the publication option wide open as my focus is more on publishing haiku at world's top quarterly journals.
Ramesh Anand Khushi, great to have your question. I am writing since 2011. Just for record, I must say I am the youngest in the world.
Shalini Samuel There is a word among some poets they ask you to pay for publishing? Is it true?If so do you think its good/bad?
Persian Khushi this is excellent sir. Would you say that you a sentimental poet?
Ramesh Anand See, in today's world, we are mostly digital. What guaranty, a published has on his returns. So, I think it is fair that a writerprovides some financial support to the publisher atleast for the first book. I don't see anything wrong in paying to get the book published. It's just a gateway to next oppoprtunity.
Ramesh Anand No Khushi, I am a nature's poet whose observes natural events, sleep with it and reproduce what i have seen into words for my writers to have Wow effect when they see the same event next time. As a haijin, it is my duty to awake the readers to pure world.
Shah Fazli Why do you think your book was translated in many other languages so soon, who translated it?
Ramesh Anand Fazli, my selected haiku have been translated in many languages but not the entire book. Translations has been done by the journals, infact.
Ramesh Anand I have my complete publications listed here,http://ramesh-inflame.blogspot.in/p/publication.html
Seasonal Scenes: Publicationramesh-inflame.blogspot.com
Tricia Drammeh Have you experimented with other types of poetry or tried writing short stories?
Ramesh Anand Also, I have my publications forthcoming till Oct'13,http://ramesh-inflame.blogspot.in/p/forthcoming.html
Seasonal Scenes: Comingramesh-inflame.blogspot.com
Persian Khushi sir, what is your advice for young writers?
Ramesh Anand Tricia, great to have your question. Yes, this is a very good question. I started with translating my favourite tamil author, Rama Krishnan's work like short stories into English. However, it didn't come good. During this time, I started to read free verse poetry and tried my hands on few of them. Butterfly poet won Honourable mention in Muse India Journal during my first month into the poetry. Then, I realized I am not getting wehre I want to be. During this time, I also tried, Nonet, Limerick, haiku, Senryu etc.,. Out of all thse, haiku touched my heart deep as I started to feel that there is some psitive change happening within me in writing about nature and its truth. My first submisions to Journals like Simply Haiku, Notes from The Jean and Shamrock got appreciations. That is wehre my haiku journey srated typically from first quarter of 2011.
Ramesh Anand Today, I write haiku and some times Senryu [cousin of Haiku].
Ramesh Anand Khushi, I myself is young and lot of journey to make. I think key to success in writing is to learn the nuances of each poetry form and whatever genre is written.
Ramesh Anand Being original and respecting the inner voice is very crucial to success.
Tricia Drammeh Are there any great poets who have inspired you?
Ramesh Anand Yes Tricia Drammeh, bunch of them. Kala, Pamela, K. Ramesh, Robert Wilson, Padhy, Gautam are some comes to mind immediately.
Persian Khushi sir, what do you wish to achieve with your poetry?
Ramesh Anand Khushi, I want to awaken India and the rest of the world to align with nature and super consciousness for the betterment of the individual and the world.
Persian Khushi sir do you work on poetry and prose simaltaniously?
Ramesh Anand Mrs. Angelee Deodhar and Mr R.K Singh and Mr Johannes Manjrekar were torchbearers of last century for haiku poetry. K.Ramesh and Kala Ramesh are my senior poets who started to write haiku since this century. It's a great feeling for me vibe shoulders with these poets now.
Ramesh Anand No, I am that good at prose, I work only on haiku. I sleep with my three lines for days together before i decide to get them out for submission to any journal. Every haiku that i write should impact me a lot first.
Tricia Drammeh How long does it take you to write a haiku? Do you spend a great deal of time tweaking it to make it perfect, or do the words flow perfect the first time?
Persian Khushi sir, do you write with a certain audience in mind?
Shalini Samuel We would love to know how your family supports your haiku journey?
Ramesh Anand Tricia, first I have to experience something special first. For example, other day, I saw a autumn leaf tumbling with patches of holes that shows twilight. This event registered in my mind strongly. Later, When I sat to put this into words, I brought out the appropriate fragment " Autumny Sky" and Phrase " Patches of twilight in the falling leaf" very quickly. But not all haiku will fall into its place that easily. Some may require re-experiencing the events, researching the event in detail etc.,
Ramesh Anand Haiku, I worked a lot after experiencing it is, spring drizzle
the bipinnate leaves
fold into shyness
Ramesh Anand Khushi, no, I keep only the event i experienced in mind while writing. I don;t even decide the journals and write accordingly.
Ramesh Anand Shalini, I always share my fresh haiku with my wife, Divya and see her response thought her eyes. She is my first critic. My parents also read my work but only after it gets published. My wife, Divya helped me a lot to get the first book published and also to distribute the book to the elite authors for their reviews. Many times, I got my haiku from my daughter's activities.They are priceless to me.
Ramesh Anand Actually, All are my audience because is there anybody who doesn't love nature and consciousness?
Shalini Samuel Nice answer Ramesh Anand
Ramesh Anand All, Thanks for your wonderful questions. I enjoyed answering them with great pleasure and straight from the heart. Believe, I have done justice to all the writers who took time to interview me.They were very warming and so focused on the subject.This is really good for the start.But, I expect many challenging and self awakening questions in the future that shall drive my journey faster and more intense.
Special thanks to Spotlight's Fazli and Shalini for giving this opportunity. Great to be part of spotlight through this interview. All the best.
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