Prakash Shastri‎

Prakash Shastri‎

Good morning & Welcome dear adorable readers to 'HAPPY SATURDAY WITH AN EMINENT POET' a weekly interview program of WRITERS' MIRROR, ASSAM, INDIA and its unit Mirror's Literary Criticism.

Today, I'm happy to present an interview with dear Prakash Shastriji, a poet of international repute. Prakash Shastriji, who is also popularly known as Prakash Nagarajan, is an upcoming author and a poet extraordinaire from India.

Though reticent by nature, he is a keen observer of Life, and coupled with his penchant for writing, he often puts to paper with a lovely flourish, his thoughts, views and observations. His easy, conversational style of writing makes most of his books a compulsive read, giving insight to his world views, and values that he cherishes utmost in life.

When not confined to his desk churning out poems and stories, he seeks pleasure in long walks, is an intense nature-lover and avid photographer. In his spare hours, he can also be found devoting time teaching (for gratis) school children, Economics, History, and English, subjects those that are close to his heart.

His literary offerings include, 'Stepping back...', and 'The business kinds.'

His recent book, 'Different skies...', an assortment of short stories, is now widely acclaimed.

Bipul Ch Kalita :- Good morning dear Sir. I'm happy to have you as our guest of honor today.

You are already a popular poet of international repute. Our adorable readers will be happy if you can say in brief something about yourself.

Prakash Shastri :- Wish you a wonderful morning. Thank you so much for having me on your program.

My background is humble. I'm married, and residing now in a small city, about 40 miles away from Mumbai. My family hails from the south of India ( Tamil Nadu ) but have made Maharashtra our home, having settled over here several years back. I belong to a large family - Three brothers and two sisters. I'm the second youngest. Over years, my parents have passed away.

Education-wise, I'm a post-graduate in Marketing, IT and Management.

Bipul Ch Kalita :- Why do you write?

Prakash Shastri :- By nature, I'm quiet. I often like to ponder over the nature of human existence. Being more of an observer, I tend to view events and happenings in the society at large, in an equanimous and dispassionate manner. Writing allows me the vent to voice my own thoughts and feelings.

Bipul Ch Kalita :- Who/What inspired you to be a poet?

Prakash Shastri :- A better part of my childhood has been spent in the company of books. I'm extremely fond of reading. Even to date, I spend at least a couple of hours reading. Having gone through works of past masters like Gurudev Tagore, Wordsworth, W B Yeats, to name a few, I have been deeply influenced by their thoughts, love for nature and humanity. And not in the least, I have had the guidance of a wonderful teacher in school who has kindled in me a deep abiding love for language and literature. I only wish and hope to continue on their haloed paths.

Bipul Ch Kalita :- How would you like to define poetry?

Prakash Shastri :- A truthful expression of what one feels inside.

Bipul Ch Kalita :- Who are the Classical, Romantic and Contemporary poets that you like the most?

Prakash Shastri :- Apart from the names I have mentioned above, I have loved reading P B Shelley, S T Colleridge, and Lord Byron just to name a few. But rated very high in my list are, Khalil Gibran and Jallaludin Rumi. The kind of emotions they stir within one is truly phenomenal.

Bipul Ch Kalita :- What do you prefer- rhymes or free verse?

Prakash Shastri :- Rhymes. I generally try to write poetry with rhymes.

I'm not very keen on free verse.

I sincerely feel it is more of a mishmash of words, a confused mixture of high sounding, bombastic words, put across to impress and awe the readers. Often I find they're regular prose masquerading as poetry. Such kind of poetry has neither heart or soul. To state honestly, at most times, they are nonsensical.

Bipul Ch Kalita :- How does Facebook poetry differ from the others?

Prakash Shastri :- In essence it is the same. FB platform has done a yeoman's service to poets of the world, bringing them all together, facilitating an easy accessibility. Sitting in one part of the world, today we can access the works of writers from other continents. It is truly a wonderful blessing!

Bipul Ch Kalita :- Quite agreed. Would you say in brief about some of your published books?

Prakash Shastri :- I have self-published three books till date, the first of which was 'Stepping back...'

My second book was a novella, 'The business kinds' and the third I got to publish last year was, 'Different skies...' which is an assortment of short stories.

Bipul Ch Kalita :- What about your upcoming books?

Prakash Shastri :- I'm planning to come out with a book of poems. My manuscript is ready, and hope to find a publisher for it.

Bipul Ch Kalita :- A very nicely crafted poem, no doubt!

Sir, do you think that Facebook poets and their poems have been properly appreciated? How do your appreciators inspire you to keep writing?

Prakash Shastri :- Yes. Facebook poets and their poems are getting huge audiences cutting across countries and continents. I think the exposure available to poets today is far more than what it could've been for poets from yester-years. People who appreciate my works are solely responsible for my motivation. The love, support and encouragement I have received from them has truly been an overwhelming, humbling experience for me.

Bipul Ch Kalita :- Do you think that govt and non-govt organizations have done their best to promote world class literature?

Prakash Shastri :- Non-govt organizations are doing a fabulous job in promoting literature all over. The Govts do follow suit, but not in a similar intensive way. They continue to remain laggards, like in most other fields.

Bipul Ch Kalita :- Do you think that Facebook and other social media have challenged the print media ?

Prakash Shastri :- To a certain extent yes. A penetration has certainly been made into the markets of print media, but still, I would say, they continue to hold the fort. Traditional readers still prefer to opt for hard copy versions of books over e-books. Even I'm no exception. Given an option, I will prefer to pick up a book for reading than pore over it on a phone or tab. Things are changing, albeit slowly.

Bipul Ch Kalita :- What is your opinion on the awards and certificates issued by various Facebook groups?

Prakash Shastri :- They are truly inspirational to writers and poets and gives a sense of achievement. The satisfaction of knowing that their work is getting recognition, puts fire in their belly, motivating them no end.

Bipul Ch Kalita :- Right. How do you feel when you interact with the poets from different countries, specially through Facebook?

Prakash :- I have made wonderful friends, thanks to FB. To interact with writers and poets from within and outside of our country is truly an invigorating experience besides allowing me to further learn and hone my craft.

Bipul Ch Kalita :- Do you experiment with your own poetic creations?

Prakash :- Not really. But I do go through them once in a while, just to see if I could've done it in a better way, and if I feel so, I go about editing, tweaking and fine-tuning them, till they read right to me.

Bipul Ch Kalita :- Do you think that Facebook poets have contributed in bringing peace to the war prone zones?

Prakash Shastri :- Yes. Some of the FB groups of which I'm a member, really go out of their way establishing connections, networking, and generally trying to build amiable relations among warring nations. Visible transparency and an open communication channel goes a long way in building trust and understanding. Many FB poets are working tirelessly towards this end.

Bipul Ch Kalita :- Do you have any suggestions for our group?

Prakash Shastri :- Though I'm a member of several poetic groups, the comfort level I share with Prof. N K Sharma's Poemarium group and The Writers' Mirror, Assam, is something I will always cherish. The Poetic Parleys, Mirror Reviews and thematic discussions that are carried over here are not only interesting, but truly insightful. They tremendously inspire, build confidence and motivates one to do even better. I'm deeply grateful for the wonderful work you are doing in the field of literature. I will only say - More strength to you and your lovely group.

Bipul Ch Kalita :- Thank you so much dear Sir.

What suggestions do you have for your co-poets?

Prakash Shastri :- Every Poet has his or her own style of expressing their thoughts and emotions. They're all unique in their own way, and doing an absolutely fabulous work. If a suggestion has to be offered, I will simply opine, write from your heart and you will discover that words have a knack of taking a poetic form on their own.

Bipul Ch Kalita :- Thanks a lot Sir for sharing your precious views so frankly. I hope, we will meet again with some important topics for discussion. I wish you a great literary career ahead.

Prakash Shastri :- My heartfelt thanks for listening to my views. I will wish you and your team the very best in life.

Copyright@Bipul Ch Kalita,

17/10/2020