Beauty of the verse

For Joy Thamalam, poetry is an integral part of life. A lyricist and journalist, he has so far brought out seven books — Piravi, Chithoriyante study leave, Kazhcha, Ente Kavitha, Kadu Oru 3D Chithram’, Idayavazhiyil Idarathe and Agnisalabhangal. Most of them are collections of poems; Kazhcha is a drama and Idayavazhiyil Idarathe is a collection of speeches. Ente Kavitha’ won him the Asan Award, one of the prestigious awards in Kerala in 2014.

The latest on the list is Agnisalabhangal, which released in July. The book contains 21 poems written in Malayalam and their English translations. “Vidya Derrick from Chennai has done the translation,” says Joy. 

For Joy, writing a poem is a stress buster. A variety of subjects like politics, life of refugees, love, death and personal experiences have found a place in Agnisalabhangal. The preface of the book is written by television personality K.V. Madhu. 

The jasmine, not withered in the April sun / Flowered inside the heart and eyes / In dreams, in the hidden tears/ The star stair up and down / Travelling from the mountain to the sea. Reads the poem ‘The Flag’s Dinner’. 

“I feel relaxed when I write poems. My experiences as a journalist and what I learn from my job also reflect in my writings. The poem Dukhavelliyile Rathri Show is a satirical take on that,” says Joy. He considers his work to be instant poetry.

“Usually, writers find a subject first, think about it and then write. I don’t follow such a pattern. I scribble the lines that come to my mind and rephrase them later,” adds the native of Kazhakoottam, Thiruvananthapuram. 

Besides poems, Joy has penned songs for 16 cinemas and 20 tele serials. He has written the theme song of the Autism India campaign and the government’s Yuvajanakshema campaign against alcohol consumption. He has also written scripts for a few short films. 

“Every day, I spend two to three hours on reading and writing. In the new book, I have included both Malayalam and English to reach a larger audience,” he says. Joy continues his journey. He is now working on his next book, which is a collection of 100 poems.