‘Only through kindness we can change the world’

One must have heard this expression during one’s student days, ‘Within the question lies the answer’. All one has to do is see mindfully. But when we look around and see a cruel, bitter world, it takes a long while for us to see the answer.

But that is not the case with Sanvi Bhoi . The class 6 student at Apeejay School, Nerul, has understood early that all that the world needs is kindness and it is through humane acts that we all can do our bit in healing the world.  In the Apeejay Promising Poet interview series, The young rhymester explains how a poem written in rhyme feels better both to the writer and listener. Edited excerpts:

Since when did you start writing poems?

I recently discovered the art of poetry. I was 9 years old and was about to turn 10 in a few days. So, I wrote a poem on happiness and that’s how the journey of poetry began.

What inspired you to write poems?

I would see the poems of various students getting published at the Apeejay Newsroom website. I too wanted to write poems and get published there. It is a very honourable platform.

Who is your favourite poet and which is your favourite poem?

The poem ‘A night rain in summer’ by James Henry Leigh Hunt is my favourite. It is in my textbook. The poet expresses his feelings when it finally starts to rain after a long and harsh summer. He expresses his joy beautifully. 

My favourite poet is Sarah Teasdale. I like her poem ‘Stars’. I love that poem. In it, she describes the night she watches a sky full of stars and expresses how they twinkle in the night.

Tell us about the process of writing a poem?

 It takes me half an hour to write a poem. I think about a theme and then write the first sentence. Then I choose the rhyme scheme depending upon the last word of the first line and it helps me to complete the poem in that flow very quickly. I write mostly on nature and human values.

Do you prefer rhyme or free verse?

Rhyme. It makes the poem sound more happy and lyrical.

In your poem ‘A better world’ you speak about changing the world through acts of kindness. What inspired this thought process?

During my social studies class,  we learned about diversity and discrimination in the world. So, I thought that the only way we can change this world is by acts of kindness for one another. This thought inspired me to write a poem about the same.  

How does your school Apeejay School, Nerul help you to write such beautiful poems?

My school gave me a platform to publish my poems through the Apeejay Newsroom website. This helps me to reach out to more people, otherwise only my family knows of the poems I write.

What are your future poems?

I will write a poem on what I want to be in life. That is my next literary work.