Barbara's Meanderings: Welcome Deepika Singh!

I hope you have all had a very pleasant month and a few days. I love this part of the year when it gets warmer and the flowers bloom. I'm a summer baby so this is when I feel most comfortable.

Sadly, we must say goodbye to Wendy Blanton for now and I am sure she will be back with her new book very soon. Let's welcome our new guest Deepika Singh. She is not an author yet, but she has been published in multiple anthologies. I remember the time when I wasn't an author yet. So I extend my hand to anyone who would like to be seen. I think you will find she is very interesting and talented in several areas.

Welcome Deepika Singh and we are all interested in learning more about her. Here is her interview.

Where were you born and where do you live now?

I am an Indian native born and brought up in Margherita-Assam. Surrounded with lofty hills and vibrant tea gardens.

Besides writing do you have any other occupations? Do you have any hobbies?

Besides writing I am a torch bearer, a teacher. My hobbies include reading, writing and making rangoli. I feel that if a person tends to write then he/she must read enough. Rangoli is the traditional floor art of India. I also made a state and World record in Rangoli (2020).

That is great! Congratulations!!!Who or what influenced you to begin writing?

I did my Bachelor degree in English major and was very much influenced by Rabindranath Tagore, William Wordsworth and John Keats writing style. In my Master degree I started writing for newspapers. In the year 2012 my father went to heaven and I stopped writing. After some years I got married which didn’t go well and ended up in divorce.When the whole world was struggling against the Corona pandemic I was going through my divorce and I realized that pain is inevitable. I tried to transform my pain through writing and thus my pen started flowing again.

How wonderful, though it is sad that this caused you to start writing again. I also began writing again due to sadness. It is greatly healing to write when you are sad.

Do you speak any other languages besides your native one and English? What are they?

India is a land of cultural diversity. Here in India other than the mother tongue and English language , people can easily speak fluently in other native languages tooI can speak easily in Bengali, Assamese , Hindi and English well.

Why did you become a teacher and what do you teach?

My mother is my strength.She was a teacher and I followed her footsteps. I have been in this profession since 2010 and I teach English and Social Studies. Teaching moulded me. It gave me a new ME. The best thing which I learned from my students is to always be kind.

That is a wonderful lesson and you can learn from your students. They are the greatest teachers.

How did you start to write poetry?

I don’t want to keep myself limited. I always wanted to explore myself and thus my writing journey started. As I already mentioned that pain is inevitable , I thought why not let’s make my pain beautiful by writing. I feel that poetry is like an art and the words are colors. Every verse gives me new birth and rejuvenates me.

What would you say are your main themes for your poem

My poems mainly deal with nature and life. And both are intertwined with each other.I am from a small town, where communication is not easy, books are not easily available butone thing which I am blessed with is bountiful nature. So I have become more inclined to write about natureAlso as we grow we become more entangled with life’s problems. We should use our pain as a shield and wake up like a Tigress and set an example for everyone how to fight back with your pain so that the whole world applauds.

Wow, I totally agree that people respond to painful poems. I have had the most comments on my saddest poems.

I noticed all of your poems are in free verse. Do you ever write in rhyme?

To be very honest this is my limitation. I always love and prefer to write in free verse. I believethat through free verse I am able to express myself more.

Your poem: “Ode to Chipko Women” is dedicated to the Chipko Women in Uttahrakhand,Inda. Are you a member of this group? What inspired you to write this?

Well I am not a member of any such group. The Chipko Movement originated in Himalayanregion Uttarakhand , India in 1973. When this region was facing rampant deforestation due tocommercial activities. What caught my attention is that the women group who started thismovement were simple peasant women not much educated. But still they understood the value ofnatural resources.It was a nonviolent movement. They hugged the trees and encircled them to prevent being hacked.Soon all over the world people came to know about this eco feminist movement and still we are following its legacy.

You mention in your bio your work is translated into many different languages. How did this occur?

When my work gets translated my poems get a new life. Many brilliant luminaries appreciated my work and they showed interest to give a new light to my work through their translations. I am very much grateful to them.

Many of your poems are published in anthologies. Have you thought of publishing your own book?

I know my limitations. As I always write in free verse, I feel that if I need to publish a book I need to explore more in the poetry genre. I need to work harder to catch readers' attention.

Well, you captured my attention and I'm sure our readers will enjoy your poetry too. You have to take the leap.

Do you believe poets are important for society? Why or why not?

Poets'; words have echoed since ages , from ancient civilisation to modern era. They help us to delve into our imaginations. They dive deep into emotions offering solace through words and sometimes words can also have the impact to change our lives.

That was a great answer. I agree and feel that is why poetry has captured the spirit of society again. Poets translate events of the day and help people understand how to cope with them. Poets are the soul of our world.

Please share your website and social media links here.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100028332699779&mibextid=LQQJ4d

Finally, my last question and the one I ask all my guests. Are you a plotter or a pantser? Inother words, do you outline before you write or do you just write?

I always jot down the words or beautiful sentences which come to my mind. Then I choose a. theme and start working on it. I dive deep into human emotions and always try to keep my poems simple so that common people can easily understand .My message to budding Wordsmith- no matter how remote region you live, if you love to write just be a voracious reader. Whatever you get, just read it. Make it a daily habit. We all go through mental trauma, don't stop yourself, rather rise like a tiger and roar like a lionby your creativity. God has made us all creative, we just need to explore ourselves.

Thank you Deepika Singh for being my guest here on the blog. This interview will be up here for about a month. Your words are so powerful and now let's see your poems.

Here are some of the anthologies in which Deepika Singh is published:

Here are photos of Deepika Singh doing Rangoli and one of her Rangoli pieces. Rangoli is floor art. Please check it out here:

Here are some of Deepika Singh's poems:

MY REBIRTH

Time favoured bestowed with happiness,

And I build the kingdom of hope.

But life stabbed and crumbled me again and again,

My voice is choked, tongue tied up.

Went through innumerable dark nights.

The softest heart bruises the deepest.

The walls witnessed my pathos,

But life goes on.

I was like a caged bird,

Poetry gave me wings to fly.

You gave me beacon of hope,

You rewired my entire DNA,

A renewal of the new ME.

You crafted me, you nurtured me.

Poetry sanitized my mind,

And evoked my ink.

I woke up like a Tigress.

And roar like a Lioness

My words are my weapons now.

Which my mates adore

And my foes abhor.

JUST A FIGURINE

In my yesteryears I played with a lovely doll.

I caressed her everyday.

She was my soul,

And I was her heartbeat.

When I stepped in my budding days,

She smiled and said, “You are a dol”.l

I ignored her,

Never dived deep into the depth of her words.

I smiled and got engrossed in the mortal coil of life.

As days passed by I realised,

That I am just like a rag doll.

In the hands of fragile hearts.

Some souls are just pastime gadgets.

Life is so uncertain.

People step in our life.

Shower with a million dreams.

Toy with our emotions.

To expertise in flamboyance,

To master in oratory.

Their hunger is never fulfilled,

Always in search of new prey.

Leaving us abandoned,

When we need them the most.

And then come the mass parade

To hear our raw story.

Instead of helping hands,

Giving us a hamper of pit hole tips.

Adding more spices and advertising our tales.

too difficult to stitch our tormented heart and trust again.

Painted face carries its glory.

Beautiful soul lies somewhere in the corner of dark room,

Finally, we become the effigy.

UNFILTERED STORY

I was like you, one among you,

Chirping all the time.

I loved to be enveloped with people.

Always extended helping hands,

I was an ointment who healed the scars.

Fresh breeze, nutrition of thoughts.

I thought others to be the same,

Who value honesty and treasure those humble souls.

Acidic remarks hijacked the pleasure centers in my brain.

Bestowed with hollow promises.

I carry the burden of scars,

Don’t accept me to be normal.

Embarking on a great battle.

I don’t play the tune of my sorrows now,

Drained out hopes, faith in dwarf planets.

Deep down my soul always cries,

Scars are nowhere to heal.

Bitterness is paralytic.

Storm of tears and mosses of sadness.

In solitude I find comfort now.

A piece of me dies every second.

If you don’t walk in my shoes

You don’t know the path,

I had walked too.

I am just a laughing stock and topic of discussion,

For bugging minds.

Everything seems alien now.

Emotional battles hard to deal with,

I cry tears of blood.

Arrogance reflects in my face.

I don’t like to see mirror now,

Yes I am harsh too.

In fear of getting pangs,

I too was unstained,

Betrayal contaminated my soul,

Lost in unethical coil.

PACT with PEACE

Flapping her wings a butterfly whispered in my ears,

Call for peace, sign the treaty of love.

Our power is in our hands and devotion to our work.

Sweat till the flag of tranquility flutters in the sky.

We don’t want ponds of blood.

There is only one earth and we are God’s dazzling creation.

Bitterness is alien to our Almighty.

We are here to do our part,

To preserve the heritage of holy peace.

To fabricate our earth as the safest heaven .

Be alert, don’t fall prey to devil’s exploiting path,

Which only exhibits hatred.

Don’t let the path of peace short,

Quest for peace is not far.

Just shun your ego,

And drown in the stream of love.

We all are tired of strolling in the pavement of barbaric blocks,

Power peddlers don’t you feel guilty?

Civilization is on the brink of ashes.

It’s a hard picture to draw and too hard to be photographed.

Outburst noise of uncivilized nation,

Will be documented in the pages of history.

Restoration of love and peace is the utmost cry now.

Sow the seeds of love and breed humanity.

Spin thread of nonviolence,

Sing the melody of friendship .

Peace can only be gained when we sparkle love.

Let hope not be the luxury word

which we cannot attain.

Peace adds to empowerment; it’s the key to prosperity.

Bio for Deepika Singh:

Deepika Singh is an Indian native from Margherita, Assam. She holds an M.A. and a B.Ed. degree,by profession, a teacher. Her writings are a reflection of the everyday experiences she has. She thinks the correct words have the power to transform our culture. Her works were featured in various publications, including Sipay Journal, The Poet Magazine, Womensweb, Journal of Macedonia Scientific Society, Poetry Zine Magazine, Archer Magazine, etc. Additionally, her writings were translated into Hebrew, Chinese, Macedonian, Spanish, Serbian, Tajik, and Turkish. She also recited poetry on Kent’s BBC Radio.

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I hope you enjoyed getting to know Deepika Singh and I wish all of you a great rest of this month of June and July. Happy 4th of July to my US readers. We are celebrating it on July 6th this year with my brother as we usually do. I hope some of you will comment on this and thank you to Deepika Singh for sharing her life with us. I am still adding authors to the blog so if you want to be on here please let me know. My next guest author will be Renee Drummond Brown. With all of the books she has authored I might need two posts for her. LOL Until the next time, keep reading and get out and enjoy life while you can.