In Conversation With Drishti Nagda: Poet & Entrepreneur
Written on January 21st , 2020 by {"login"=>"jcbitshyd", "email"=>"journal@hyderabad.bits-pilani.ac.in", "display_name"=>"Journal Club, BPHC", "first_name"=>"", "last_name"=>""}Drishti Nagda - poet, entrepreneur, and founding member of InkScape Co. and Hyderabad Poetry Project, was a judge for the Slam Finals at Verba Maximus 2019, the literary fest of the campus. We, at Journal Club, caught up with her before the event to find out more about her journey as a poet.
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Interviewer: When did you start writing?
Drishti Nagda: So the earliest memory I have of writing a poem was from when I was 13. It was a really close friend’s birthday. In fact, I think she was the only person I was friends with at that point. Being school kids, we didn’t really have the money to buy gifts back then. So we used to make something handmade and I wrote for her a poem called “Teenage Dreams”. I thought it was very edgy back then. It was a very sweet poem that told her that she was now entering her teenage years. She was my age so I really don’t know why I was giving this gyaan. You know how your teen years are going to be. So that was my first memory of writing a poem.
Interviewer: So was it always poems? Or like you mentioned today, you used to write short stories or something?
Drishti: I always thought that I used to just write poems, but turns out I’ve had a bit of a memory lapse and was mistaken. A couple of months ago, I was cleaning out my closet because we were moving. And during this, I found some pieces of fiction that I’d written. And even though I can see that it's my handwriting, I cannot believe I actually wrote it. So yeah, It seems that I've written fiction. I've always written prose and poetry, but I’ve also written fiction and I didn't know I did.
Interviewer: Do you think there's a difference in like written poetry and slam/performance poetry?
Drishti: Yeah, there's a big difference. So, let's get a little scientific right? When you're writing a poem, you are giving the reader the freedom to go through those lines you wrote as many times as he/she desires. If you're reading a poem, you can absorb it at your own pace. You can relish the words that are used and the concepts that are brought forth. The general idea of a good written poem is that it's flowery and it has so many metaphors and it makes you think twice or thrice. And if you’ve read many good poems, you begin to realise that every time you read one, you realise something new.
With slam poetry or any performance poetry, we have a very limited timeframe to grasp the listener’s attention. You have only so many seconds to make an impact. Every sentence that you say, has to get through to them before the next sentence comes on. So the difference here would be that when you're writing poetry you can add as many metaphors and you can make it as exquisite as possible. But when you're performing poetry, you cannot possibly assume everyone is going to understand big words or comprehend complex concepts in that short period of time. This is why with performance poetry you try to use as many terms as possible to express the smallest thing and in written poetry, one should use little words to describe something absolutely amazing. So that's essentially the difference between the two.
Interviewer: So like, when did you start performing?
Drishti: Even today, I won’t out and out call myself a performance poet. I am still a much better written poet. But performance, I think I started, three to four years ago. I think my first memory of watching a slam poem was when Delhi Poetry Slam [a YouTube channel] came up with this video, “An Open Letter to Honey Singh”. So that was sort of the first memory I have of an Indian slam poem. And while this was the first time I heard of slam poetry, much later, I was going through Button Poetry [another YouTube channel]. And that's where I found a bunch of performers I really liked. And then I thought, maybe there's something to this medium of expression. And at that time, India was very new to it and while I knew it was picking up pace, it hadn’t come to Hyderabad yet. So I thought I’d try it out.
Interviewer: What was your thought behind starting this project and everything?
Drishti: Before I started this project, I had this website called InkscapeCo and it was for written poems. So a lot of people from all over the world would anonymously write. Now we would know their identities but the people who read the post, wouldn't. Because we worked with this idea that everybody who wrote for the website got a pen name because pen names are cool and also because we were afraid to be judged for our poems, because we were all amateurs. Because of InkscapeCo, I got to meet with a lot of interesting people. It was during one of these meets with other poets in Hyderabad, that I realised there's a lot of interest within Hyderabad for poetry, except that I somehow hadn’t heard of it and I've been living in Hyderabad all my life.
I realised that the problem was that Hyderabad lacked a platform as such. There used to be open mics but they were hosted by people from outside Hyderabad, and they would come once in a while and they used to be many different people. So there was no follow through as such. There were random events, you could go to one such event, and you didn’t know when and where the next event was happening or whether it was even happening or not. So there was no consistency, therefore there was no development as such. That's why I started Hyderabad Poetry Project. I made sure that every month, no matter what, we had at least one event happening. At first it was a little dodgy because it takes time for the word to spread, and because poetry is a niche activity with a very small audience. Soon it grew and people started realizing that, there's ways to get into poetry. So it kind of helped.
Interviewer: Over the years, how have you grown through your writings? And is there something you realized about yourself, as you wrote more?
Drishti: Yeah, that's a great question, actually. You know, surprisingly, I still don't think I write enough and I'm in this phase right now where my writing is worse than what it used to be a couple years ago. And while a lot of people believe that the more you write, the better you get, they don't realize that there simply are going to be times where you will perform worse than you did. And you just have to go through that phase. But the thing that I’ve realised about myself is that unlike most poets, I don't write from my own experience as such even though most people say poetry is therapeutic and it helps you express yourself, I’m one of those people who can write on cue, but cannot write from any personal experience. So most of my poems are quite fictional in this regard.
Interviewer: Do you plan on your writing sessions beforehand, or is it something that comes to your mind and is very spontaneous?
Drishti: I know that a lot of people are going to hate me when I say this, but I’m one of those people who can write on cue, which is also very detrimental because I’m a very lazy person so I almost never sit down to write. I also do this project called the Typewriter Project, where I go to many gatherings, events and such. I drag my 100-year old super heavy typewriter with me and sit with it. It's a great practice for any writer to be honest - all you have to do is surround yourself with a crowd. Let's say you come to me, and ask me to address a letter to you and I don't know anything about you at all. I will ask you a couple of questions about yourself and what you want written for yourself and I will make up a poem or a piece then and there. So that’s more or less how my poetry works.
I: So the antique typewriter - is it a family heirloom of sorts?
D: Yeah, it's more or less a family heirloom. I mean, there's not much sentimental value to it. But that piece is about a hundred years old. It's my grandfather's - it was gifted to him by a client and he used to really love it. It went through a lot of hands. So it was first with the aforementioned client and then it was at my granddad's shop, then it came home, and then went back to a printing factory, then to my uncle and then to me. So it was passed down a lot of times.
I: Are you the first person in your family to go into the field of poetry, literature, and the arts?
D: My mom, surprisingly, is a very artistic person, but she became a teacher. My paternal grandfather is an amazing singer. But that generation unfortunately did not have the liberty to get into the field that they wanted to. They were fighting for survival, they were trying to feed their families of 8-10 members and so it was difficult for them to do things they were passionate about. But I was never stopped, my granddad and my dad pushed me to sing. I unfortunately still can’t sing, I’m tone deaf. But they did help me there and I was never stopped when I tried to pursue a new venture.
I: Who’s your favorite classical poet?
Drishti: When I was a child, I used to like O' Henry a lot, simply because if you ever read O' Henry, you would realise that while sometimes there’s this notion about how poetry has to be meaningful and deep, O' Henry does not give two hoots about it. Like, one of his poems is about a haircut - the other one is about a dentist’s chair - like how he was afraid of the dentist’s chair. And his story is also amazing, he used to be an accountant. And back then since stand up comedy wasn't a thing so he used to write comedic poems. And that's how he got famous. I used to love Henry a lot. But over time, I realized that when it comes to classical poetry. It's not so much that I like authors. It’s more that I like the pieces on their own. But I like modern pieces better in general. In the current generation there is a poet/singer called Shane Koyczan. I really adore his work. I feel he's a very powerful speaker.
I: Over the years, have you ever thought of writing about social issues? If not exactly your experience, maybe about the stuff that's happening around you?
D: I have. I mean there's one piece that I'm not very proud of. You remember the Paris attacks? That was the first time I really grasped how inhuman we can be and I was really jilted. So I had written a piece on that. But then I realized that I wasn't satisfied with my own words, because it didn't even touch the surface, because it did not even start to express how horrible the event had been.
And like I told you I don't really draw from my emotions when I write poetry. So it's very weird for me to write about something that's topical or social. I really wish I could write about these topics, I have a lot of thoughts. But I don't think I can.
I: What is the one thing that you love the most about what you do?
D: Currently when I take my typewriters out. There are many such moments that I remember where the other person whoever sitting in front of me getting a poem or getting a piece of art from me, the way their face lights up. And you know I get it, it's like instant gratification, but the feeling is nonetheless amazing.
There is one incident that I remember from one of the first times I took my typewriter out. It was at a convention in Hi-Tech City [Hyderabad] and there was this lady who had fought cancer. She saw me with my typewriter and asked me what this was about. I spoke to her for a bit, and she asked me whether I could write letters. I was like, sure. She asked me if could write a letter to her son and her daughter.
She started telling me about her daughter and son, both of who were in their late thirties or early forties. She wanted to tell them specifically about how much she loves them, even though she doesn't say it enough. She wanted her to realise that she was not going to be around forever, and that she wanted to see her daughter become strong before leaving. And this is after she beat cancer. It was a very intense letter and I didn't know how to write it at first, but I gave it a shot. That letter was just my words saying the same thing that she wanted to.
I realized that a lot of times we have a lot of things to say. But because of our emotions we can't really say it well. Penning your thoughts down is a really good exercise that can help you understand yourself. I feel it's helpful when people tell me about what they're feeling and I write it down for them, helping them express their emotions better. So that's what I did. She started crying for a couple of minutes and said that the letter expressed something that she'd been trying to tell her kids for like the last five years, ever since she'd come out of chemotherapy.
I: Who’s your favourite slam poet? And in India specifically?
D: Like I said before, I really like Shane Koyczan. In India, I don't really follow slam poets, as such. I like performance poets, because I think in India, there are a lot of poets who I know personally who still have a lot to grow. I love pieces by Nupur Saraswath - I think she does an amazing job combining poetry with other mediums, through something she calls theatrical poetry.
Interviewer: What is one piece of advice that you would like to give to the young people want to start out in slam poetry?
So okay so I've been somebody who's been doing this events thing for around four or five years. So at this point, I can be very crass, when I say this but I personally have a love hate relationship with the Instagram poetry scene. I'm not saying don't try it. I'm not saying don't start writing.
I'm saying don't flatter/plateau yourself. You know when you get when you post your stuff online you get your instant gratification from it. And that's where a lot of people plateau. As long as you have the zeal in your head to keep bettering yourself, to not compare yourself to the praises that you get. Have a leader. Look up to a person in the current scene that you really admire and try and compete with them. That's how you grow.
My biggest problem today is that a lot of people whether they are getting into slam poetry or performance poetry, have such a great access to an audience, but not a lot of access to genuine criticism. There aren't a lot of people who can or would go up and say: "Hey - you performed well, but here are a bunch of things that you could do better". There is no healthy criticism happening even amongst peers. And that's almost like patting yourself on the back. There is no growth coming from us. So if you're somebody just starting off, it's always good to put out as much work as you can. But don't let the praise get to you. Keep bettering yourself and look up to a person and come try competing to that level and try and do better.
Interviewed by Nikita Lalwani and Triyasha Ghosh Dastidar. Transcribed and edited by Eishita Tripathi and Kevin K. Biju.