The longevity of a poem is what counts: An interview with Menka Shivdasani

Abstract

ABSTRACT Menka Shivdasani is a distinguished new-generation poet from Mumbai who has profoundly influenced and changed Indian poetry in English by giving it a new direction with her writing craft. In this wide-ranging interview, Shivdasani shares details of her childhood, educational background, and life as a journalist and poet. It touches on the themes of her poetry dealing with urban life, alienation, human anxiety, disillusionment, ecological concerns, love and loss, claustrophobic domesticity, and conflict between tradition and modernity with specific references to some of her major works: Nirvana at Ten Rupees (1990), Stet (2021), Safe House (2015), and Frazil (2018). The interview also explores the role of feisty women in fighting against hostile forces and their ability to define and make themselves heard in male-dominated society. In addition to her suggestions for aspiring poets, the discussion extends to the influences of other literary writers on her and their observation of her poetry.