The making of a poet

A Profession That Truly Takes You Above And Beyond This World

Shreya Ghosh, AIS PV, XII C

They say everyone has a poet in them. But if the world is filled with poets and social media with poetry, how is one supposed to make a career out of it? Make it rhyme, play with words, go the hashtag way…is what they have to say. But the pro goes a different way. Meet pro- Disha Grover, a poet and a blogger. Her Instagram handle ‘bytheword_’ enjoys over 27k followers. Working as a writer and graphic designer in a freelance capacity, her poems have been published in Literary magazines such as ‘Indie Affair’ and ‘The Verse of Silence’.

What they say: It’s easy to be a poet.
What the pro says: I started posting on bytheword_ when I was in the college third year. I posted quotes and poems that I connected to, soon I started posting my own thoughts in the captions below them. Surprisingly, people liked what I wrote and it was quite a journey from then on. But, it wasn’t all a smooth  sailing. There were days when I wasn’t motivated enough or I didn’t have content to write. 

What they say: Challenges of being a poet...what’s that? You just have to write.
What the pro says: Posting good quality work regularly is a challenge. Earlier, I used to post anything just for the sake of it. This compromised the quality of my work, something I realised soon enough and decided to post only genuinely good work. As a poet, I constantly remind myself that I write not only for myself but for the readers too. It’s important to have an audience who appreciates your work rather than to have more followers and likes.
What they say: Poetry needs no courses.
What the pro says: I did a creative writing course from The British Council. It was an enriching experience and meeting fellow poets and writers helped in widening my perspective. There are other courses also provided by institutes like Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts and Communication (SACAC) and IGNOU (distant). While these courses do not teach you how to write, they do help you establish your own style.
What they say: Write what is trending.
What the pro says: Poetry should be written not to seek validation but should be written with honesty. Else, it will lack depth. It should be blunt and hence disturbing (not to be mistaken with vulgar) if you are raising an issue. I prefer writing confessional poetry, about my observations of life in general. My poems come out best when they are raw and honest; it is the truth but not necessarily mine. Poetry is like a mirror. A poem is not a conclusion you provide, it is the journey you write that shouldn’t be restrained.

What they say: You can be a poet anytime you want.
What the pro says: If you do not start, you would never know the stories in your head. If you want to pursue poetry­­ as a hobby, maintaining a journal or a blog is a good way of making sure that you do it regularly. Sharing with others or not is a choice you make. But you will never know if you never begin, just start writing and see where it takes you.

The Shape of you

Asymmetrical Rows Of Different Shapes

Deeksha Puri, AIS PV, XII F

I lifted the pages in which I resided through a corner, as the book slowly opened. In the distance, I heard a groan, “Ugh, Geometry? Not again!”
Though accustomed to the look of annoyance given at my figure by the children, I wished that Pythagoras would have left my ancestors alone. This drop in popularity isn’t helping and I’m supposed to be the edgy one. I let out a groan, cursing my form internally. Amongst the never-ending formulas and figures, it was hard to be a shape, when all the aspects of your multi-faceted personality were ignored.
I heard faint weeping in the background and turned a few pages to see where the sounds were coming from. It was the rectangle, crying again because her length wasn’t equal to her breadth. In comparison to the  symmetrical square, she felt as if she wasn’t very shapely. My attempts to comfort her were of  no avail. To add to the misery, I encountered him.
“Where do you think you’re going? You thorny-corner having no-good¬side monster!” screamed he, with his diametrically opposite views, the one I  despised, from the very bottom of my centroid. “Not this again,” I rolled my eyes.
“Triangle, yes, this again. Just because you have an edge over others doesn’t mean you put them down. Look at poor rectangle crying because of you!” spouted the circle. “I have never, in my entire long-drawn life encountered someone as mean as you are!”
“I was going there to help her and don’t you always brag about being a well-rounded individual? All I’ve done is make a few puns,” I answered. I scoffed at the irony of this ordeal, for a pointless figure seemingly had me cornered. “At your expense…” I mumbled, not wanting my Arc-Nemesis to further this cyclic, dramatic tirade.
At the peak of these tensions, the book fell and landed in the hands of another child, who gasped and said, “Geometry! I love solving problems relating to shapes!”
It was at that moment that all three of us looked at each other and realised, that despite of what we look like, we were loved just as we are; all of us held a specific area in the hands of most, but also in the hearts of a few.

A close study

The Sub-Species Of Genus Topperus

Nalin Jayaswal, AIS Pushp Vihar, X B

School classroom, 8:00 am
Aim: To discover the several sub-species of Genus Topperus, peculiar in their natural habitat which is the front bench.
Methodology: The researchers took the risk of being seated beside them and note their demeanours for a period of 8 hours/day for an entire academic year.
Observation: Through careful observation, the scholars noted the various characteristics to define each sub-species as follows:
Topperus maskus: Known to exist in every class, this species lives to prove that s/he is the best. Always on the prowl to hunt down questions, this species sometimes even manages to irritate the gentlest of teachers with its want for a constant seal of approval along with always gaining groans from the rest of the herd.
Unique trait: Raising hands every now and then
Topperus maximus: The most astounding of all, they perform extremely well everywhere, so much so that scientists often regard their existence as mythical. This can be attributed to the sole reason that that their specific abilities are hard to observe. They’re most commonly referred to as ‘all-rounders’.
Unique trait: Multi-tasking comes innate to them
Topperus cameleonus: This species betrays their own without even knowing it. These are the organisms who have recently only entered the ‘great league’. They still remember their past selves and are thus under-confident of their abilities unlike other species. Much like Clark Kent changing into Superman who only appears in times of distress, they evolve into members of this species during the stressful exam season.
Unique trait: Ability to outdo Topperus Maximus at times
Conclusion: As an outcome of this study, it was further found that each sub species within the pre-existing genus, showcased drastically disparate behaviours. However, the researchers experienced a highly fascinating journey despite the potential dangers of being attacked at any point in time by the genus.