#Literoma Author Interview - Dr. Rashmi Jain



Dr. Rashmi Jain
 

Introduction:

Dr. Rashmi Jain is a bilingual poet and author residing in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Her poems, research papers and reviews are published in reputed journals, magazines and anthologies like Episteme, Setu (Pittsburgh USA), Poetic Melodies (Creative Talents Unleashed Publishers), Voices of Humanity (Ardus Publications, Canada), Immagine & Poesia, Shakespeare Sings, Feathers, Our Poetry Archive etc. Presently she is working as an Assistant Professor in English at Iswar Saran Degree College, Prayagraj.


Questions:

 1. Who is Rashmi Jain in everyday life?

Rashmi Jain is a simple human being who believes in the philosophy of live and let others live. In everyday life I am just like any other human being who love and cares about her family and friends. I am extremely passionate about reading and writing. I am like flowing water which appears to be soft from the surface but has the power to break the toughest rock. My attitude is flexible and friendly but one should not consider it as my weakness. In short I am a feminist workaholic writer.

 

 2. What inspires you to write poetry?

Everything in life inspires me to write poetry, whatever can draw my attention, generally becomes the subject of my writing and it could be a minute thing as well. The day- to- day experiences, sorrow, happiness, love, hatred, loneliness, injustice, exploitation, discrimination, beauty, tenderness, bravery etc. are some of the themes on which I like writing poems. In short life and books inspire me to write. Even poets like Wordsworth, Keats, Gulzar, Amrita Pritam and Harivansh Rai Bacchan inspired me to write. I am not only fond of veterans but I also read contemporary poets. They inspire me to bring out the best version of myself through my compositions.




 

3.  Alfaaz...wow. Beautiful name! What does it have for readers?

First of all thank you for the compliment. Alfaaz, as the name resonate means ‘words’, this is my voice, amalgamation of my feelings and thoughts. Alfaaz brings out the reality of the society. My observations and experiences regarding society, life and women have been moulded into words. Many readers will correlate with my poems as human psyche and experiences have many things in common. The reader might feel that the poems reflect their own life or a saga that happened in the neighbourhood.

Alfaaz consists of 50 poems which deals with multiple themes; it not only expresses observations, views, and emotions but also castigate social evils that exist in the society. It might act as an eye opener at various levels.

 

4. Your poems are very musical. Have you ever tried audio poetry?

I am elated to know that you have found it musical. Actually the outpour of these poems is straight from the heart and I hope it will reach to the heart of millions. The poems do not contain artificiality and I am a music lover as well so whatever I compose becomes naturally lyrical, maybe that’s the reason you find it musical. Yes, I have also tried audio poetry; some of my poems have been recorded by Lab Academia Publishing house and is available on Youtube and the page of Poetry and You. These are some links of my audio poems, please go through them, I would really appreciate your support.

Links:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eJFxJmlNdw0&list=PLHrvMoG6wyqgOGV8517SjjH3lNTlpNS_d&index=1

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=REIyAfPIM34&list=PLHrvMoG6wyqgOGV8517SjjH3lNTlpNS_d&index=2&t=0s

https://youtu.be/V4VovHmH1BE

 

5 Which are your two most favourite poems from this book? Why?

It’s very difficult to choose two poems from the collection as I have invested equal time and effort in composing all the poems but yes, I have an inclination towards Alfaaz-the title poem and Gudiya. Alfaaz describes the importance of words and its impact on the lives of people. Words have the power to construct and destruct so it should be used wisely. On the other hand, ‘Gudiya’ focuses on women empowerment. I have presented women symbolizing shakti rather than as weak and fragile. I am a feminist and these two poems are close to my heart.

 

6 What makes Alfaaz different from other Hindi poetry books in the market?

I feel the tone, simplicity of language and mode of expression makes Alfaaz different from other Hindi poetry books in the market. I am a teacher of English but my mother tongue is Hindi, for me Hindi is the language of heart representing my culture, tradition and values. I have a feeling that people will connect with what I have composed. My poems are not artificial, they represent spirit of life, reality of society and purity of soul and that’s what makes Alfaaz unique.

 

7. What's your next projects? If you would like to talk about any of them here.

Presently I am working on some short stories, may be in future could come up with a collection of short stories but it would be too early to talk about it in detail.

 


8. Have you ever tried writing in other languages? If yes, please tell us more about it.

I am a bilingual poet. I write in Hindi as well as in English. Many of my poems and stories in English got published in national and international anthologies, journals and magazines. You can read my poems on my Facebook page as well as on my blog. Here are the links:

https://www.facebook.com/Dr-Rashmi-Jain-1986028831633603/

https://rashmimusing.blogspot.com/

 

9 What are your other interests apart from writing?

Apart from writing, I am passionate about reading. My favourite writers include Ruskin Bond, William Wordsworth, John Keats, Harivansh Rai Bacchan, Gulzar, Parveen Shakir, Amrita Pritam etc. I also like painting and gardening.

 

10 Any message for our Literoma community readers?

 Reading and writing should be done on regular basis; this is the mantra for improvement. Also keep the spark of passion alive without worrying about what others think of your passion. The inner self is aware of the truth and with hard work and persistence one can make others realize its importance and value. I would like my readers to go through my works and share their feedback with me. They can get connected with me through Facebook / Blog or can send me an email.

 

 


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