Bengaluru based young poet Sanjana Saksena Chandra’s second book, ‘The Universe is Explosive’, a collection of short poems, based on her creative insights and deep observation of the ordinary objects and happenings will be released this month.
The deceptive symphony of mundane objects and invisible rhythm of everyday happenings largely remain incomprehensible to most of us. But for poets and storytellers, like Sanjana Saksena Chandra this ordinariness of our daily lives could result in weaving together new ideas and exploring hidden meanings and perspectives. Bengaluru based young poet Sanjana is all set to present her second book, ‘The Universe is Explosive’, a collection of short poems, based on her creative insights and deep observation of the ordinary objects and happenings.
From a journalist to a marketing professional and a poet, during the last one-decade Sanjana made several choices on the professional front but what always remained constant was her love for poetry. “It was in early 2019, when I was between jobs and had the time on my hands to write and pursue publishers, I finally got my first book launched – “Sisyphus is Happy”, a collection of 10 poems, which was released in May 2019,” says Sanjana.
Sharing her journey as a young poet, Sanjana recalls how books have always been her companion since childhood. “I have always been a voracious reader. I grew up in a family that was heavily inclined to literature and liberal arts. Writing came as a natural progression. I began writing poems at age 9 and actively participated in writing competitions and workshops all through my school years. I went on to study English Literature from Lady Shriram College in Delhi University and it was here that I really evolved as a poet. I studied poetry across the ages from Chaucer and Shakespeare to the romantics to contemporary poets, this plethora of knowledge helped me cultivate a style and understand really what poetry is and how it should make a reader feel,” she recalls.
Her early training as a journalist, helped her develop new perspectives, delve deeper and look beyond what is visible, she feels. “In journalism we are taught to be hyper observant, there is always more than what meets the eye and that just gives one a deeper perspective which in turn leads to inspiration. It also helps that in both fields, writing and storytelling play a significant role both of which are essential to good poetry.”
Her second book, ‘The Universe is Explosive’ is a collection of 99 short poems, each about 6-8 lines, most of which are inspired by everyday objects and happenings.
“The idea is that the universe is exploding with inspiration and everything has deeper meaning and value. Many of the poems in this book are inspired by objects we see at home, like spoons, keys, hangers, onions! they all became themes in the book and all of them were born while I was either cooking or cleaning or fixing my cupboard.”
Sanjana Saksena Chandra
The pandemic and the consequent lockdown gave her more time to devote to her second book. “The pandemic forced me, like millions of others, to spend a lot of time with myself. The book was already in the works when the lockdown began but with so much free time in hand, many of the poems were re-written simply because just being at home and in societal isolation helped me think deeper.”
Sanjana loves reading works of Jeet Thayil and Charles Bukoswki, who are mostly contemporary poets and also a lot of literature in Hindi and Urdu particularly works of Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Ismat Chugati and Manto.
Her second book ‘The Universe is Explosive’, will be released towards the end of this month and will initially be available on Amazon worldwide.