‘The Ukraine war crisis inspired this poem!’

Shreyas Katvi may be young but his words are bold and powerful. The class 7 student from Apeejay School, Kharghar is a big proponent for peace and urges all people and nations to stop war and understand its grave consequences. In this week’s Promising Poet interview, the rising humanitarian voice speaks about his journey into poetry and how he uses his art as a medium to unburden himself. Read edited excerpts:

At what age did you start writing poetry?

I started out recently. During the lockdown period of 2021 to be precise.

What inspired you to begin?

In that dark period poetry gave me a way of expressing my emotions and helped me walk freely in my own sweet world of imagination! It was a big ray of hope during the pandemic. And ever since then, it has been a passion for me, a skill I love to cultivate.

Tell us the thought behind your poem No war?

The ongoing Ukraine war crisis seems unending. In this politically driven battle, how heart wrenching to see the common man, the innocent people suffering so gravely. Every time I read about it, I feel very sorry and I feel strongly about this cause.

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

I have no favourites to be honest. I should be able to understand the poem and the idea behind it. That has always been my main lookout. However, Hope is the thing with feathers by Emily Dickinson is a verse very close to my heart.

Rhyme or free verse?

Rhyme always, it adds music to the words written on paper

When do you prefer writing poems – in the day or night?

Frankly anytime; only inspiration counts.

How does your school help you to write such lovely poems?

My school has always encouraged me to write more and more. We get multiple opportunities to get recognised through our talents at school. Be it in the class journal or the Apeejay Newsroom website, these platforms help us a lot. All the teachers too are very helpful in guiding us all day.

How do you approach writing a poem?

Any topic that I feel for or I connect with, I simply freeze it in my mind and start writing. I begin with arranging words, sentences and searching for synonyms, then rhyming words to finalise the poem. It is a very enjoyable process for me.

According to you, what is the best thing about writing poetry?

Expressing oneself freely and the constant ‘write-rewrite’ process until the poem is final gives me consistency in my poetic vision and thoughts.