‘Meet banker turned poet Veer Prakash aka Kavi Achanak’

Veer Prakash is a banker by profession, working as the Branch Manager at HDFC Bank in Bhatinda, Punjab.  But when it comes to his heart, Veer swiftly transforms into ‘Kavi Achanak’ and writes poems from his heart. In a fun interview, the Apeejay Institute of Management and Engineering Technical Campus (AIMETC) alumnus, who pursued MBA in Marketing, says everyone must pursue their areas of interest in life. “It builds self-confidence and brings inner joy,” he expressed. Read on the edited excerpts:

Did you always have a passion for poetry?

I always had a very artistic bent of mind since my childhood and I was good at drawing as well. But I never thought that one day I would be writing poetries. My journey into poetry began some 3 years ago. I don’t know how this art form came to me. I think it is just the grace of the Almighty. 

We read your latest poem: ‘Dost Kameena Hota Hai’ and found it to have the liveliness of young hearts in friendship. What inspired you to pen it?

‘Dost Kameena Hota Hai’  is my recent work. Three weeks ago, the inspiration suddenly struck me and I expressed myself on paper. I try to go deep into my heart and explore the ideas and feelings that I have. I write my poems from my heart – totally ‘Dil Se’.

So it happened that a friend of mine was stuck in a situation and I got the idea for this poem from there. I upload a lot of poems on my Facebook and Instagram pages. My first poem was a patriotic one: ‘Humare Veeron Ki Holi’, a tribute to our army brothers who protect the nation by serving in tough circumstances and terrains, and thereby end up missing their families on most festive occasions.

Banking and poetry are totally different. How do you manage both simultaneously?

It is very tough to balance my banking job alongside my calling for poetry. But as and when I get an idea, I send it to myself via SMS to keep a record and work on it later when I find the time.

Do you remember the days at Apeejay? 

Those were really fine days. A post-graduation course is a step up and it was truly an honour to study in such a premier institute. Punjab had only three institutes at that time and to feel that I studied in one of them, felt great then and feels great even now.  

We had a big group of friends. We would often hang out together and loved going to these fast food restaurants nearby. We learned and enjoyed a lot, certainly in those days. That phase made us very mature, both individually and professionally.

One piece of advice for Apeejay students?

One should always pursue the instincts within. We all have so much latent talent. Do explore that because life is very short.

We get busy both within college as well as in the world outside it. But whenever you get time, you should explore your areas of interest. It will be very relaxing and you will gain self-confidence. Recognition will also come. You will like that process.