A born singer and an IIT-ian, Kuhoo Gupta writes when her imagination runs wild in pursuit of creative and spiritual satisfaction. Inspired by Gulzar, she states that writing is cathartic for her.
'Zindagi Ke Martbaan Se' is a poetry collection written in conversational language - Hindi mixed with Urdu and English. The poems are inspired by a plethora of topics like love, nostalgia, remembrance, random human emotions, natural beauty and spirituality. It is something everybody will be able to relate to because it is inspired from the jar called LIFE that everyone goes through. It is something that will make you cry, smile or just appreciate in your leisure moments.
To read the full review of 'Zindagi Ke Martbaan Se', click here.
It’s always a pleasure reading good poetry, especially when the simplicity of the words and the context tugs right at your heartstrings. Ask me about one such poet I have read recently, and the first name that comes to my mind is Kuhoo Gupta.
Kuhoo, congratulations on your published collection. It was a pleasure reading it, and I am glad to be having this conversation with you. In case you find any question offensive, you can skip it. I apologize in advance for such instances.
An IITian, a singer and a poetess, you surely are one multi-talented personality. How did the transition from technology to poetry happen?
Thank you. There was no transition so to say. Logic/analytics is for the left brain & art is for the right brain. I had both of them working for me quite well since my childhood. I was a good student in school & started to sing at the age of five. While good left brain helped me become an engineer, good right brain helped me become a singer & a poetess. I enjoy other art forms as well like dance, painting, crafts etc.
We all know you are a big Gulzar fan. Which of his works inspire you the most?
It is impossible to point one single work that inspires me the most, for almost all his works leave me in awe of them, be it lyrics or poems or short stories. If I can recall few of them that overwhelmed me, they would be -
Ek baar waqt se
lamha gira kahin
Wahan daastan mili
lamha kahin nahin
Raat Christmas ki thi
naa tere bas ki thi
Naa mere bas ki thi
Khoobsurat thi wo
Umr-e-jazbaat ki
Zindagi de gayi
Raat Khairaat ki
Kya Ghalat kya sahi
Marzi Jesus ki thi
Tujhse naraaz nahi zindagi
Hairaan hoon main
Tere mason sawaalon se
Pareshaan hoon main
jeene ke liye socha hi nahi..dard sambhalne honge..
muskuraayein to muskuraane ke karz utaarne honge..
muskuraaon kabhi to lagta hai, jaise honthon pe karz rakha hai
Tell us about ‘Zindagi Ke Martbaan Se’. How did the book happen, right from the conception to the initialization and holding a copy in your hands?
I used to write poems for cathartic purpose but never posted them in public. One day I realized I have lot of them that I can publish & put out in the public. I researched how to publish a book & zeroed upon self publishing option. So, I myself did the entire formatting, editing and polishing of the manuscript. I designed the cover myself. And under the guidance of one of my friends, I self published the book & it is now available on major online stores! When I got the author copies, it was an overwhelming feeling to hold them in my hands! I was choked with emotions. Indeed all authors feel the same way holding the first copy in their hands.
What were the hurdles you faced while working on this book? What have you learnt from them?
As I mentioned above, I never wrote the poems with the intention of getting them published. Whenever I felt like, I penned down stuff. But there are few things that I learnt during the actual editing & publishing process. Most of it relates to the logistics of it & I hope to write a blog post for the same sometime soon.
Which poems are your favorite in the book? I know for a writer all his/her works tend to be special, but if I request you to pick up three poems that you would love to read aloud to your friends, which would you select?
Hmm, they would be ATM, Ulkaapind & Technology.
Tell us about your childhood and your family background.
I come from a middle class family. My childhood was beautiful. My father is a banker and I do not know anything about banking! My brain just refuses to understand money matters! My mother, because she does not do a day job, is technically a housewife but she is actually much more than that. I got singing & other artistic skills from my father, he is a bathroom singer because he never cared to develop the skill, otherwise he would have been a good singer by now. I got a good part of left brain from my mother; she is a post graduate in Economics & had always been a bright student.
What are your views on ‘Writer’s Block?’ How do you feel they should be tackled?
Writer’s Block is essential to bring out something new & creative out of the writer. One should go with the flow, do not stress out on not being able to write. It is because you are refilling your creative juices. A writer needs a pit stop too!
Where do you see yourself ten years down the line?
I do not know where I am going to be professionally ten years down the line. It is way too long to plan & expect. I take every day as it comes & try to do something useful/new/creative/satisfactory before heading to sleep. I would like to continue this trend. And hopefully this would leave me in a much more evolved, happier & peaceful state ten years down the line. That is the only thing I look forward to. Everything else that I get would be a bonus for sure that I would be grateful to life for.
What would you like to say to aspiring writers?
Write, take a pit stop, look back, retrospect, improve, write, take a pit stop .... and so on!
What would be your message to your readers?
Read my poems once, rest for a while & read them again. You will definitely understand a deeper aspect and a new perspective. If you have any kind of feedback for me, please do share it. The contact information is there on the book and my website (www.kuhoogupta.com).
Thanks a lot Kuhoo for your valuable time. Wishing you all the best for your current and future endeavors.
Many thanks!
'Zindagi Ke Martbaan Se' is a poetry collection written in conversational language - Hindi mixed with Urdu and English. The poems are inspired by a plethora of topics like love, nostalgia, remembrance, random human emotions, natural beauty and spirituality. It is something everybody will be able to relate to because it is inspired from the jar called LIFE that everyone goes through. It is something that will make you cry, smile or just appreciate in your leisure moments.
To read the full review of 'Zindagi Ke Martbaan Se', click here.
It’s always a pleasure reading good poetry, especially when the simplicity of the words and the context tugs right at your heartstrings. Ask me about one such poet I have read recently, and the first name that comes to my mind is Kuhoo Gupta.
Kuhoo, congratulations on your published collection. It was a pleasure reading it, and I am glad to be having this conversation with you. In case you find any question offensive, you can skip it. I apologize in advance for such instances.
An IITian, a singer and a poetess, you surely are one multi-talented personality. How did the transition from technology to poetry happen?
Thank you. There was no transition so to say. Logic/analytics is for the left brain & art is for the right brain. I had both of them working for me quite well since my childhood. I was a good student in school & started to sing at the age of five. While good left brain helped me become an engineer, good right brain helped me become a singer & a poetess. I enjoy other art forms as well like dance, painting, crafts etc.
We all know you are a big Gulzar fan. Which of his works inspire you the most?
It is impossible to point one single work that inspires me the most, for almost all his works leave me in awe of them, be it lyrics or poems or short stories. If I can recall few of them that overwhelmed me, they would be -
Ek baar waqt se
lamha gira kahin
Wahan daastan mili
lamha kahin nahin
Raat Christmas ki thi
naa tere bas ki thi
Naa mere bas ki thi
Khoobsurat thi wo
Umr-e-jazbaat ki
Zindagi de gayi
Raat Khairaat ki
Kya Ghalat kya sahi
Marzi Jesus ki thi
Tujhse naraaz nahi zindagi
Hairaan hoon main
Tere mason sawaalon se
Pareshaan hoon main
jeene ke liye socha hi nahi..dard sambhalne honge..
muskuraayein to muskuraane ke karz utaarne honge..
muskuraaon kabhi to lagta hai, jaise honthon pe karz rakha hai
Tell us about ‘Zindagi Ke Martbaan Se’. How did the book happen, right from the conception to the initialization and holding a copy in your hands?
I used to write poems for cathartic purpose but never posted them in public. One day I realized I have lot of them that I can publish & put out in the public. I researched how to publish a book & zeroed upon self publishing option. So, I myself did the entire formatting, editing and polishing of the manuscript. I designed the cover myself. And under the guidance of one of my friends, I self published the book & it is now available on major online stores! When I got the author copies, it was an overwhelming feeling to hold them in my hands! I was choked with emotions. Indeed all authors feel the same way holding the first copy in their hands.
What were the hurdles you faced while working on this book? What have you learnt from them?
As I mentioned above, I never wrote the poems with the intention of getting them published. Whenever I felt like, I penned down stuff. But there are few things that I learnt during the actual editing & publishing process. Most of it relates to the logistics of it & I hope to write a blog post for the same sometime soon.
Which poems are your favorite in the book? I know for a writer all his/her works tend to be special, but if I request you to pick up three poems that you would love to read aloud to your friends, which would you select?
Hmm, they would be ATM, Ulkaapind & Technology.
Tell us about your childhood and your family background.
I come from a middle class family. My childhood was beautiful. My father is a banker and I do not know anything about banking! My brain just refuses to understand money matters! My mother, because she does not do a day job, is technically a housewife but she is actually much more than that. I got singing & other artistic skills from my father, he is a bathroom singer because he never cared to develop the skill, otherwise he would have been a good singer by now. I got a good part of left brain from my mother; she is a post graduate in Economics & had always been a bright student.
What are your views on ‘Writer’s Block?’ How do you feel they should be tackled?
Writer’s Block is essential to bring out something new & creative out of the writer. One should go with the flow, do not stress out on not being able to write. It is because you are refilling your creative juices. A writer needs a pit stop too!
Where do you see yourself ten years down the line?
I do not know where I am going to be professionally ten years down the line. It is way too long to plan & expect. I take every day as it comes & try to do something useful/new/creative/satisfactory before heading to sleep. I would like to continue this trend. And hopefully this would leave me in a much more evolved, happier & peaceful state ten years down the line. That is the only thing I look forward to. Everything else that I get would be a bonus for sure that I would be grateful to life for.
What would you like to say to aspiring writers?
Write, take a pit stop, look back, retrospect, improve, write, take a pit stop .... and so on!
What would be your message to your readers?
Read my poems once, rest for a while & read them again. You will definitely understand a deeper aspect and a new perspective. If you have any kind of feedback for me, please do share it. The contact information is there on the book and my website (www.kuhoogupta.com).
Thanks a lot Kuhoo for your valuable time. Wishing you all the best for your current and future endeavors.
Many thanks!
कुहू तुम्हारी कविताओं में जीवन की, ज़िन्दगीकी, रोजमर्रा की घटनाएं देखने को मिलती हैं। कविताएँ पढ़ने से ऐसा लगता है की ये तो हमारी ज़िन्दगी से जुड़ी हुई है।
ReplyDeleteमेरा आशीर्वाद एवं खूब सारा प्यार और शुभकामनाएं हमेशा तुम्हें कामयाबी दिलाए। ईश्वर से मेरी यही प्रार्थना है।
Thank you so much :)
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