AMBIKA TALWAR INTERVIEW

 

NILAVRONILL TALKING WITH

POET OF THE MONTH

AMBIKA TALWAR

NILAVRONILL: Welcome to Our Poetry Archive. Since April 2015 we are publishing and archiving contemporary world poetry each and every month. Up to the last month we have published 130 monthly issues and 11 Year Book. I hope you would also like OPA very much, like hundreds of poets around the world.

AMBIKA TALWAR: Thank you NilavroNill. I am truly grateful to know you and to have found the group you manage so adroitly. I cannot fathom how you read so many poems and stories week after week – truly a smorgasbord of flavors, hues, variations on several themes. Thank you so much for your wise and careful handling of the world of poesia.

NILAVRONILL: Why do literature and poetry in particular interest you so much? Please give us some idea about your own perception of literature or poetry in general. And about your favorite writers in the growing phase of your life.

AMBIKA TALWAR: As you well know, the world of the literary arts is vast and all-encompassing. Where does one begin? Or where shall I?  May I choose to simply wander far in time? As it so happened and as you may know, we grew up reading stories by English and American authors. Also, the Panchatantra tales and select stories from our renowned Ramayana and Mahabharat. As I see it, our ancient texts/epics from all our respective cultures provide vast knowledge and wisdom, accessed through stories that inform our psyche and soul. Right there begins our journey. We travel with characters whose actions illuminate inner conflicts and resolutions. Therein are revealed actions and motifs that stir valor, sincerity, romance, eternal love, divinity. Again, the quest/ion: where are we headed? I have to say our education systems must broaden to include the Ramayana and Mahabharat as foundational literary texts that offer principles which illumine universal ways /principles – human errors and lessons and values to live by. It requires courage to do so. Essentially, as the world is in the midst of a new co-creation, we need to read ancient stories from many lands, not only Greek mythology. We read stories of diverse cultures. And, as it so happens, many scholars worldwide find joy and answers in our ancient texts. This inspires me. And I must add I. too, am behind in my reading. Listening to stories was always intriguing. As I reflect on our younger years, I note that many ancient narratives were composed in meter. And stories have rhythm too...maybe, we are little poets from our very early years.

NILAVRONILL: I think living together with a particular language is very much essential in writing poems in any particular language. And this experience makes a poet more mature in his or her literary writings. I would like to know your own experiences, especially when you write both in your own language and in a foreign language such as English.

AMBIKA TALWAR: To be honest, I write mostly in English. As you know after centuries of colonization by the ME and then the British, much was lost or hidden. And post-partition, people's attention turned to finding new ground, building their lives, creating work, raising families. This was not easy for millions and all our ancestral families – who had to leave their homes in the Punjab. I can only imagine what my grandparents went through. My parents were children in those years of turmoil. All such events inform our stories and sensibility. Life moves on. Years later, we show up. And I must note that the Indic/Vedic is the longest surviving civilization – inherent values are long-lasting, and such frequencies are woven or embedded in our DNA. I feel our inner core somewhere remembers even though we have been enculturated in "a foreign language", which has served us greatly too. And, somewhere our ancient languages call us to relish sounds and rhythms, which I am certain, will enhance my path onward.       I studied Hindi/Devanagari through college for which I am grateful. I really wish I could find that one collection of stories and essays that I loved, but it's lost. It was titled, Durgam Path ke Rahi, which means Travelers on Path of Strength. Sadly, I have not read much in Hindi since I left college. But I delight in reciting ancient stotras in Sanskrit – just a few that I know. This experience reveals to me the power of frequency, of vibration that moves our nadis (nerves). Our bodies are instruments of sound and light moved by rhythm, perspective, geometry, stillness and silence. Herein, we find our inner home, our shelter even as we are pulled away in different directions with noise, technology, overuse of apps. Our bodies are a poem, a multi-lingual, multi-tonal symphony. English is a part of it...and Hindi...any language one listens to rings in familiar tones. And I will continue to recite in Sanskrit – whose sounds stir in my whole being a sense of timelessness and joy. Such frequencies delight.

NILAVRONILL: Our Indian subcontinent had a colonial past. We too are the product of this colonial legacy through our education, social upbringing and political cultures. Consciously or even unconsciously most of our literary works bear this marks either explicitly or implicitly. I would like to know your own experience on this matter, in respect of your own literary works.

AMBIKA TALWAR: It's true what you say. For me it had become very important to gather stories from my parents, especially as I grew older. Sadly, father's gone and mother...well, she's in her own world. We live on different continents. I also spent 30 years teaching English composition at a community college in Southern California. Right here I was caught in my own quest and tensions asking "who am I?" and "where do I go from here?" It's as if I do not fit anywhere. And it's true – I am a misfit - loving it. I am okay with it as it offers a kind of universality. I suppose even my writing will not follow or replicate a style – I'm known in poetry circles to be an ecstatic poet. Surely, this voice is prevalent among Indian poets who speak of longing, joy, the journey of the beloved. So here we are creating our own paths. During my college years, I was really drawn to the Romantic poets, Yeats and also T.S. Eliot. Furthermore, I always find consolation in Rabindranath Tagore's "Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high.... Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake." I wish this for all my countries, all nations – so we, proud of our heritage, live with respect and decency. It is time for this. All over the world.

NILAVRONILL: Is it possible to put into words everything that as a poet you wish to express literarily? If not, why?

AMBIKA TALWAR:  Yes. I'd say what moves me finds its expression in and through me. Another part of me would say – Yes, it is possible to put into words what one wishes to express. And then, it may not be exactly what one wanted to say, for it is also true that an idea redefines and refines itself, so that in the process we understand its variations and depth. Could such moments be an epiphany? Maybe. We have to allow for such surprises; they are fascinating. Or leave it be and see it arise as a delicate rush of wind.      Then there are moments when we muse...and a thought appears like a spark and suddenly it's gone. We reflect on what just happened. But we cannot find it – how frustrating this can be. Then it reveals itself in a single word, and this can also completely shake us up. We agonize over its absence. While a new thought is birthed...just like that. So magical. So, we must just let the other go where it wants to. Something else arrives in its own luminous presence. I know this has to be okay. This is also true of editing old poems – you give it new life when ragged words make no sense any more. Then you write about this new experience – like right now.

NILAVRONILL: Do you think the primary obligation of a poet should be to communicate with the temporal as well as with the eternal essence of life and the universe? If so, how can one fulfil that particular obligation?

AMBIKA TALWAR: Well, I might say yes this "primary obligation" of the poet is also the only one. One cannot have a temporal experience without the "eternal essence of life" as you delightfully phrased it. In order for one to exist, the other must also. Therefore, I'd say the poet exists in the whole sphere, which is both temporal and eternal for the substance is what is visible – but its essence may not be. It is only by acknowledging the Allness or wholeness that a poet can truly breathe the both-as-one...thereby give voice to the experiencing of being in state of eternity. Consider for example, the physicality of cardamon in tea; the tasting of it is caught in time – but this stirs the unnamable joy or memory or expression of satiation. And this satiation can last forever – perhaps return in another moment even 20 years later in the memory of how your grandmother made that one cup of tea. One afternoon. When the sun slanted in....  In each momentary taste, one lives an eternity. So, yes, it is the obligation of the poet to live in and access all or various states, for the work of the poet is to gift the world with its own essence so that people can face the consequences of living with virtues of beauty, courage, love....and so on. I say "face the consequences" because such moments of recognition illuminate our need to come out of our same-old used-up excuses – and shed our own nonsense. The world now calls for a magnanimous inner reset and transformation. Transmutation, actually.

NILAVRONILL: It is an established fact that every poet should create his or her own poetic language as an unique literary signature that would eventually keep him or her alive beyond his or her time. I would like to know your personal experience in this regard, and how can one achieve that unique literary language in his or her lifetime?

AMBIKA TALWAR: I love this question – am also entranced by it. I left it for the very end. As I was answering other questions, I felt yes, one's experiences develop one's own "language" or linguistic style. I sense my poems lead me to explore inner depth, the metaphors of self-becoming. Yes, my poetic voice is often ecstatic and imagistic. There is a rhythm in my verses, which you would experience when you read them aloud – and know when to pause; some say my poems are lyrical... musical. And I am particular about seeking the right word or the word finds me when I edit. That one word makes a huge difference to the containment of a poem, how it shapes a moment, elucidates its essence, and stands as an integrated whole in its frequency.     My verses flow in a way that a thought or an image leads from one to another and the meaning emerges or comes alive. Let me share some lines from poems of last month. One example: "Smile on lips become/ cleavage of worlds /reverenced tenderly/ as tears roll onto your palm..." And this: "Fire never dies – O Beloved. /Its embers dance as yours or my tears/ pour stories onto our palms." Additionally, my poems tend to be philosophical with an intent to illuminate hidden or sacred ways of being. You might see this in Sublimations, which became a process of revealing ideas that birthed themselves – next stage is in the editing. And, I might add the language we develop as poets is also a process of self-remembering. A friend noted that my poems tend to be very colorful – not black and white. I recognize we develop our voice and style as emerging from our psyche. This reflection of our life experiences is an ongoing adventure.

NILAVRONILL: Do you think literary criticism has much to do with the development of a poet and the true understanding of his or her poetry?

AMBIKA TALWAR:  I realize that literary criticism has been very much lauded. Of course, critical approaches have some value, particularly when it comes to understanding linguistic sensibility and meaning making. So yes for the aesthetics and one's poetics. It helps poets who find new ground when they see what aesthetic appraisal can do to reveal critically the finesse and beauty in form that reveals meaning. Now suddenly somehow in my mind's eye flashes, Keats' "Ode on a Grecian Urn" – its beauty, the narrative...and the philosophy...! Could this experience be ecstatic – to feel the constancy and newness of rhythm, meter, word, form...all leading to profound awareness and meaning making? My doubt or concern arises with critical approaches that apply ideological constructs today to works of art of many centuries ago. It feels reductive to me. This framework feels like taking away flavor, essence, and the core beauty of expression of what existed in another time. Perhaps, I am not clear about the purpose or poltical intent. Perhaps, my ecstatic voice sees life as many-hued and enriched in various ways – so we see beauty in variations expressed through time. Isn't poetry in essence a fine kaleidoscope? And when you know your language, you develop your own aesthetic – it becomes an innate flow... a stream with delicate play of jewels in the silent wilderness of time. As a poet, I wish to be enamored by my experience, by nature, by music that stirs my Soul, by what I choose to eat. We look for the fullness of life, how we are enriched and what takes us away from ourselves. Life and its rhythms nourish us if we are willing to accept that not everything has to be pleasant. Divine teachings rise from struggle and loss. Spiritual wisdom is birthed from rough traumatic events – not sweet pleasants moments. Feel both – you will know. The gift is poetry of the luminous. Hence, I say poiesis is alchemy, a sacred process of becoming, understanding, remembering how a life might be well-lived. And loved.

NILAVRONILL: Literature encompasses every aspect of life, it blends the various shades and textures of human aspirations as well as drawbacks. It also lights up the new horizons and new dimensions of human capabilities relentlessly. I would like to know your particular viewpoints; how do you relate all these in your own writings?

AMBIKA TALWAR: Lately, I have been perusing my poems of the last 25 years. I am actually surprised by some of them – our lives take us through many twists, turns, tragedies, turmoil and Tinkerbells. Some poems make me question what I was trying to or meaning to say? And some make me feel wonder and elation at the thoughts I expressed long time ago. Did I really say this? So, I am honing in on your central query about life's drawbacks and revealing of capacities. I find many of my poems speak about human awareness and awakeness, loss and longing. This longing keeps appearing in my poems. I truly feel the importance for us all to recognize who we are and the power we have to gradually shift awareness and to awaken. To not be bowed down by our limitations but harness our wisdom for our humanity. So then you might ask – what is to awaken and what is wisdom? I'd say it is the capacity to accept one's uniqueness and presence as a gift to uplift ourselves and the world. Now, I'm curious – what would you add to this? And here, I must pause, to extend my gratitude to my father, Surendra Kumar Talwar – he was a poet at heart. I am certain I inherited the poetry gene from him. I think he is watching me write this and it makes him happy.

NilavroNill: Would you consider, it should be the goal of a poet to enlighten the readers towards a much greater apprehension of life and eternity in general? Or is it better to write poems only to console the poet’s soul? Do you believe, literature can eventually help people to uplift human conscience?

AMBIKA TALWAR:  Yes. I think it is inherent in the works of poets to influence thought and perception – to stir readers and to soothe their longing. The two are connected. Poets compose partly so readers are stirred to see deeper into their own lives and break out of chains that bind them. I think this is true for me, albeit I don't broadcast why I compose. Yes, my writing soothes my soul too; it also excites my inner being and transports me to a state of wonder. This is alchemy. So, yes, of course, literature does stir people awake and inspire them to be whole and break out of bondage of self-imposed chains. It can also incite violence and goad people into wrong ways. We have thousands of years of literary accomplishments emerging from older works, epics and philosophical compilations that speak of the divinity within and relationship between man and nature. Sadly, an overdose of technology and use of apps may weaken man's innate power of expression. Something goes missing for me. I feel strongly that our power of imagination is our creative force; hence. something organic and soulful has to be felt, known, expressed. I say read poetry out loud – there is breath and sound and inner voice speaking to the world. Rhythms of change are within us. Let us create with love and intelligence.

NILAVRONILL: How would you evaluate your contemporaries and what are your aspirations for or expectation from the younger generation?

AMBIKA TALWAR: Our contemporaries are in the many thousands – what an amazing medley of voices. I wish them supernal success. Here, I am compelled to speak to the younger generation. I wish they find their greater challenge in self-growth; nurture and nourish their creative capacity and vision; live a beautiful life with its ups and downs...and fulfill their magnificent destiny creating new communities of visionary action and relational joys.

NILAVRONILL: We are almost at the end of the interview. I remain obliged to you for your participation. Thank you for sharing your views and spending much time with us.

AMBIKA TALWAR: Namaste NilavroNill. Thank you for this wondrous opportunity. I truly enjoyed your thoughtful questions, your philosophical bent of mind. It was refreshing for me to look within and share my reflections with your readers and our community. I learned through self-reflection. I feel most blessed by this interaction and experience. Thank you so very much. And my gratitude for allowing me to edit again – I had to. I was not thrilled with the last draft. This is how a life is lived.  Editing a poem or essay is akin to editing one's life. 

 

AMBIKA TALWAR India-born educator-author, healer-artist, AMBIKA TALWAR bridges worlds with ecstatic poetry. Bharat Awards for Literature awardee and Pushcart nominee, Ambika won Rabindranath Tagore Int'l (twice) and Great India Poetry contests; she's published in Grateful Conversations, Crystal Fire, KyotoJournal, Roseate-Anthology, Glo-Mag, and various anthologies print/online. Her poetic-spiritual travelog titled, My Greece: Mirrors & Metamorphoses is also recently republished. Her short film won the Best Original Story Award in Belgium (2000). Board member of CSPS-California State Poetry Society, she lives in USA/Bharat.