Rachna Singh, Editor, The Wise Owl, talks to Nisha Luthra about her book Uns, originally in Hindi language but recently released in English, Assamese, French, Urdu & Punjabi. 

Rachna Singh, Editor, The Wise Owl, talks to Nisha Luthra about her book Uns, originally in Hindi language but recently released in English, Assamese, French, Urdu & Punjabi. Nisha Luthra is a theatre director, actor, and playwright from Chandigarh. ‘Uns’ is her first book of poetry which is the result of her deeply personal experiences of loss, love, and life at large.

 

Thank you Nisha for taking time out to talk with The Wise Owl.

 

RS: Your collection of poetry ‘Uns’ has been recently translated and released in English. For the benefit of our readers, tell us what made you choose ‘uns’ as the title of your poetry collection.

 

NL: Thanks a lot Rachna for attending the Launch event of Uns in five languages and further diving deep into its journey through this interview. Uns is an urdu word. I picked this title as I find urdu very fascinating and I use a lot of urdu words in my hindi poetry. It is said that you cannot separate hindi from urdu and vice versa as languages. Moreover the theme of my poetry book is very well explained in this word UNS as it means association and is often described as second stage of love. My poems are dedicated to those who are or were associated with me at some point or the other, and my reference is to people as well as fleeting emotions.

 

RS: Uns is your first collection of poetry. Tell us about the inspiration behind this book.

 

NL: The Muse was the feeling of vacuum that some personal tragedies left in my life. I received a lot of support from friends and extended families of course but poetry and performing arts were my greatest solace. I used to pour all my pain and void into words or create literary alleys on stage. I scribbled my heart out on paper.  God left me with no choice but to restore myself with poetry and theatre, so I cried ,danced, sat down with my poems and characters from my stage plays and films and swirled hand in hand with my poetry.

 

RS: You are primarily a theatre director, actor and playwright and have been entrenched in performing arts for almost two decades. So what made you turn to poetry as a creative expression for your emotions?

 

NL: Yes ,that’s right I am primarily a performing artist. I like to be in rehearsal halls or behind the camera for shoots, but poetry is my safe space, my refuge. I write poetry for myself and the moment I finish writing it, I want to recite it and give it out to the world. For me poetry happens when I turn to my internal universe and stage serves as a medium when I want to tell a story to the world.

 

RS: As I was leafing through your poetry collection, I realised that your themes encompass not only a large gamut of emotions but also are dedications to your loved ones (mother, father, sister) and to artists/playwrights/actors (Rani Balbir Kaur, Neelam Man Singh, Mita Vashisht among others). Tell us how you pick up themes for your poetry when writing. Please walk us through your creative process.

 

NL: So poetry for me is what is flowing on paper. I don’t choose my themes, they choose me. For example, I watched a play rehearsal of Mrs  Neelam Mansingh’s Black Box. I was so touched with its bandwidth that my pen forced me to write a poem on it. Similarly the people who have a poem dedicated to them in my maiden poetry book are the people who have really shaped me as an artist or as a human. I feel if there is a process behind any creative endeavour it loses it’s simplicity and definitely it’s charm. So I obey my instinct and follow my pen.

 

RS: Your book was written originally in Hindi and then translated into English as well as other languages.  What are your thoughts on translation of literary works? Do you think your translated works  were able to recapture the essence of your original work?

 

NL: Translation is a very complex process which needs a translator to step into the shoes of the Poet, go through the tapestry of emotions he or she has gone through, not only read the text but also understand the subtext and the translator who can read between the lines is best prepared to transcribe or translate poetry. In my case, all my translators knew me as a person. They came to know me on a deeper level when they read my poems. It took me 2 years to finally come to a point that I was convinced with the expression and the dialect used in the translations. So I would say each translator while maintaining the essence have even enhanced the underlying emotions .

 

RS: Your poetry in parts echoes the contemporary social milieu, like the poem dedicated to farmers. Do you think literature creates awareness about society and its ills and more importantly, do you think literature has the ability to bring a change in society?

 

NL: I believe that literature and poetry are an integral part of social change from time immemorial. Take a  look at poetry of poets like Kaifi Azmi, Amrita Pritam or even Mirabal, Tukaram, Tulsidas or Kabir. They used their voices to question the established dogmas of their times. Their quill always made a difference. As they say pen has more power than the sword. My latest poem is on the state of women in our society and was triggered by the rape case that happened in Kolkata. So yes I feel poetry can be a social compass for the people in any time and Era.

 

RS: A lot of upcoming poets read our magazine. What advice would you give them on how to evolve as a poet?

 

NL: If one reads a lot, his/her mind is shaped to express his emotions in words. So my advice is learn the craft and the Grammer of poetry but let it out  straight from the heart. Whatever comes from a sacred space will finds place in the heart of the reader or listener. So my advice is to read more than you write.

 

RS: Our readers would be happy to know what project you are working on now.

 

NL: I write a poem or I tell the stories which have moved me at a deeper level. I have just finished writing a script of a feature film. I am working on telling two magnum opus stories from our history- one is Mirza Sahiba and another one is Shree 420. Loads of exciting times ahead for me- just telling the stories, sometimes on paper, sometimes on stage and at times capturing them through my lens.

 

Thank you for taking time out to talk to The Wise Owl Nisha. We wish you the very best in all your future creative endeavours.

 

Thanks a lot for asking such important and relevant questions .