‘Writing the truest sentence you know is always the best’

Khushi Sharma is an Apeejayite at heart. She completed her schooling from Apeejay School, Mahavir Marg, Jalandhar, and is currently seeking her graduation from Apeejay College of Fine Arts (ACFA). Apart from her humble and courteous demeanour, what shines through her words is an authentic love for poetry. In her own words, she finds the muse waiting to bless her with new poems anytime of the day. 

Selected as Poet of the Week, Khushi explains what makes her voice unique as a poet, the joys of writing on love and shares her admiration for Gulzar Sahab’s shayaris. 

Read edited excerpts: 

Khushi, since when did you start writing poetry?

I started writing when I was 16 years old and it gradually turned into a habit since last year. Now it is no longer a simple habit but a vital part of my being. 

That’s so reassuring to hear! But what inspired you to write poems in the first place?

We don’t get to choose poetry. Poetry chooses us. The sudden overflow of emotions that I went through sometimes, led me to write poems and express myself.  I kept writing like this in the beginning. Soon, with more writing I found my own voice.  I would say, my own feelings made me a writer.

That’s a delightful answer. So tell us the thought behind your poems?

Every poem that I write has a different thought behind it. Sometimes it’s about what I feel and most of the time it’s totally out of my imagination. But mostly, I believe writing the truest sentence you know is always the best.

Who is your favourite poet and poem?

Although I write in English most of the time, I am extremely fond of Gulzar Sahab’s writings. His shayaris are my favourite.

So do you prefer rhyme over free verse?

I believe poets who can rhyme while putting their thoughts on paper are great but I have always liked writing in free verse. It allows me to express myself in a better way.

 And writing poems in the day or night?

Writing poems ANYTIME! Or maybe all the time. Everything I feel can be a poem. I don’t think I can wait for a particular time of the day.

Wonderful! Hope ACFA supports you as a poet? 

Be it Apeejay School, Mahavir Marg or ACFA, I have always been fortunate to have found people who have been interested in my writings. This has always motivated me to write more. The day I made an Instagram page for my writings, a lot of people from my Apeejay fraternity showed tons of support, which made it all seem worth it.

We are glad to read this. Explain to us now how you approach writing a poem? How much time does it take you and what are your common themes?

My approach for writing a poem is always knowing exactly what I want to write about. What it is that I’m feeling and what I want my readers to feel. Writing a poem can take maybe five minutes or the entire day for me. 

I don’t finish working on a poem till I am happy with what I have written. I believe it’s all about writing stuff that you yourself like first. Among the common themes I write about is love. So you can call me a romantic soul. 

And finally, the best thing about writing poetry for you?

I get to see how deeply I feel emotions and how capable I am of expressing myself. Also, I love when my readers find my writings relatable. Making my writings relatable is what I desire the most when I write.