Raw emotions in poetry (From Watford Observer)

Raw emotions in poetry

1:58pm Tuesday 9th February 2010 in

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SPONTANEOUS, raw, honest; these are all words that perfectly sum up the poetry of Colindale poet Arjun Solanki.

“I just grab a piece of paper and start writing,” he explains, “and, at the time, some things don’t make sense but I feel so much better for getting the words out of me.

“I suppose writing is a natural instinct for me; a bit like feeding myself if I’m feeling hungry.

“I have bags and bags of ‘pieces of paper’ stashed in my garage, I look back at them and eventually I come across a coherent and sometimes raw emotion. In Hindu, this stream of subconscious is called ‘Andra flow’ which roughly translated from Gujarati means blind.”

Twisted Karma is the fruits of Arjun’s copious writing. It’s very much written from the heart and the sentiments are somewhat familiar: it’s all about growing up.

“The pain and the trials of growing up are fairly represented here and each word to me was like lifting up the blanket that I’d covered over my own tricky, hormonal, transition from childhood into adulthood.

“It was a dark phase of my life,” agrees Arjun, “before I was 19. Even at that young age, I questioned who I was. By writing poetry it was cathartic, because the more I wrote the self-reflection helped me to learn about myself. I believe as you get older these feelings become blurred but when I read my poems, even now, I remember. It’s like getting back in touch with myself.

“I would urge youngsters to write how they feel and not be afraid of what people will say about it.”

This 30-year-old poet, who was a pupil at Christ College in East Finchley and was a law graduate at Greenwich University admits he was shy about showing his work as a youngster. “I couldn’t explain it then, but they are quite poignant now.”

Arjun was encouraged by his family but especially by his late grandmother, Lilavanti. “She wrote such beautiful poetry. I suppose you could say she was my muse. My mother, Anila, is translating it from Gujarati. What’s interesting is she also uses a self-reflecting narrative.”

Twisted Karma is available at WH Smith, Waterstones and Barnet Library.