Divansh Bajaj, a student at the British School, New Delhi, has been a witness to the annual ‘pollution season’ each year. Using his creative genius, he forged poetic lines to orchestrate a change and express his personal views on society and human behavior. 

In our Q&A session, we will see how the author questions ethics and challenges the prevalent norms, and how he aims to invoke a sense of responsibility among his readers through his writing. This anthology poses as a symbol of his passion and is his debut project in the world of literature…

Is writing poetry your passion?

Well, writing poetry is a hobby that I use to advocate for change.

A very brilliantly coined name for the book – How did you come up with it?

It was very tough for me to come up with this name. Once the book was almost complete I thought of the undertone that came through. It depicted all the chaos in our world yet simultaneously depicted the harmony, beauty, and balance that the natural world maintains.

What is the highlight of your poems?

The highlight of my poems is the fact that each of them is a wake-up call for different issues around climate change and societal issues.

How would you describe the alluring beauty of our ‘Mighty Mother Earth?

Our Mighty Mother Earth poses as…

• prodigious as Eden,
• a feat of godly thaumaturgy, 
• arcipluvian as can be,
• sustained by cosmic puppets,
• a great invention indeed,
• wearing the heavens as its raiment,
• it was once – worthy of the gods.

Could you help your readers better understand the many stages of a poem?

There may be one stage or multiple but, in my opinion, understanding one of my poems can be achieved in three simple steps. Read it once and think of what it could mean; whatever you think of it is most probably wrong. Now re-read the poem and see the hints thrown by the word choices and the theme. Finally, if you are still a little clueless, try to relate each poem to a prominent issue you would have heard of or experienced. You are bound to know the theme of each poem unless you are “living in a little bubble.”

Is it possible to wilfully be what the planet needs in this hour of impending crisis? 

Yes, I believe everyone can be there for the planet in their way. What I do warn is researching and verifying information rather than believing everything you see or hear or that is on the internet due to the vast spread of misinformation. This will help ensure what you are doing is impactful. 

Do you try to pack in as much meaning as possible with every word you use in a poem or just fit in what’s needed?

Yes, and no. Depending on the poem, I may choose to make each word packed with meaning or could also craft the structure in a way that puts together each stanza and shapes the meaning.

Do you feel that poetry lovers will enjoy reading your composition?

I hope that not only poetry lovers but as many people as possible can read my composition and, more so, spend time understanding them. With that said, this could be enjoyable for some and could invoke emotions of both sadness and anger in its peculiar way.

 To order a copy of the book, click here