Fragrant poems

Ayesha Chatterjee, born and raised in India, pretty much knew that she’d get into writing even when she was in her teens. More so, she has always had an inkling towards writing and her desire was to come up with a novel. “I’ve been writing all my life and I knew that I’d become a fiction novelist one day. I even started writing a fiction and five years later, I found out that I cannot be a novelist. I recognised that I treated the novel like a poem. I was very sad when I realised that I could no longer be a novelist,” began Ayesha. 

Little did she know that this realisation would work in her favour big time. She started writing poems and came out with her first book, The Clarity of Distance in 2011 in Canada. “My first book changed everything and it gave me the confidence that I’m a published writer. It took me two and a half years to compile 50 odd poems. They are all short-poems based on the countries I’ve lived in — Germany, Toronto, India and many more,” she reveals. 

Her second book has an intriguing title and the concept dealt in the book is interesting too. “Titled Bottles and Bones, I launched my second collection in June 2017. It has a lot to do with fragrance, perfumes, and women who wear them. Wherever we travel, we tend to buy perfumes as souvenirs. So, in my opinion, along with the perfume, we bring back a lot of 
memories,” she shares. 

When Ayesha was working as a supply manager, she used to visit Chennai for her work. That is when her association with Prakriti Foundation started. Elaborating more on it, she says, “It is the first place where I read my works to the public. Even before I came up with my book, I gave few poetry reading sessions in the city. Now, two books later, it feels good to be back. Chennai is rich in culture and to me, it is a gracious city. I would be reading out poems from both my books.” 

The 49-year-old poet has her poems published across different countries including Pakistan and Ireland. When asked if there is a difference in the audience’s response, she says, “Canada is very poetry-friendly and even in India, there is Great Indian Poetry Collective, which encourages and promotes Indian poets. Having lived in several countries, it is interesting to see which poems elicit different responses. When I wrote a poem about India describing certain elements metaphorically, Indians could understand and relate to it in a better way.”

Ayesha agrees to the fact that poetry still belongs to a niche audience. “But, the situation is beginning to change. Politically, if you see, poetry is a powerful form and it is a proven fact. I hope it becomes a great profession soon,” she exclaims and bids adieu.
(The poetry reading session with Ayesha will happen on October 5 at Amdavadi)