On the brink of emotions

While there quite isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula for striking gold with a good read, Bengaluru-based debutante author Sangita Nambiar tells us how she’s not into the number game and is on the pursuit of a higher purpose — to ensure that her book, From Within The Brink, connects with the reader, as she addresses the demons within us through her recent read. In a recent chat, the copywriter-turned-author and environmentalist tells us more…

Being somebody with an inborn poetic flair, penning down poetry came naturally to her. But collating her poems into a book, was perhaps an idea that transpired out of a designer friend’s persuasion. “My recent read is a collection of the most intimate poems I’ve written till date. It was Dileep Varma, one of the designers in the team, who egged me on to turn my poems into a book. When he took a poem and illustrated it, we were very excited at how suddenly the marriage of art and poem made poetry accessible and less esoteric,” elucidates Sangita, the copywriter-turned-author and environmentalist, who is already receiving rave reviews for her book, which sheds light  on the various nuances of relationships — mostly reflective of the darker side of love like envy, betrayal, hate and obsession.

“Love in its myriad manifestations is getting more twisted today. The poems deal with these emotions which, when seen against the backdrop of the warp and weft of modern life, become a complicated patchwork.”

Despite having travelled the world, and living in the Middle East and Sydney for decades, namma city is what she calls home. “While the weather has drastically changed, there’s a streak of nostalgia and wonderful childhood memories associated with Bengaluru. I vividly remember how we used to cover ourselves in jackets and mufflers for school back in the ‘80s — an idea which is almost unthinkable today! The cityscape may have changed, the name too, but the people still remain as they were — warm, welcoming and quite guileless. I find a lot of civic consciousness on the rise too. So there is a feeling of community, quite palpably. We have our issues but we seem more than ever ready to tackle them. Despite the loopholes, I’m a proud Bengalurean, and will always be,” she smilingly states.

While writing copy and authoring a book are two different trajectories altogether, the author opines how the transition was but a natural progression. She says, “Writing a book is always on the mind of any writer, but realising that it would find expression through poetry was a pleasant surprise. My family, team, ex-colleagues, friends and even strangers have been extremely encouraging right from the start,” shares the author who seems to have been bitten by the writing bug.

“While I’ve been writing all my life, I never knew I was this passionate about it until I began my gig as an author. A second book is on its way. But, I believe in compartmentalising, and dividing my spare time trekking, travelling, gardening, rustling up different cuisines and looking after my two lovely dogs!”

Speaking about what’s next on the anvil, she opines, “Right now, I’m focusing on building a connect with the reader.  I’m not looking at how well it would do commercially, but rather hope for great reviews. Bengaluru has a very vibrant poetry culture and I see myself getting more involved with that in the near future. I’ve also begun to work on a second novel, but would want to keep everything under wraps and wait to see how this baby pans out.”