Chennai
Author Alok Amit Abhilash is different from other teenagers as he is an avid reader, writer, nature lover and sports enthusiast. His aim is to introduce a new style of poetry which is full of positivity, energy, and enthusiasm.
His book, Her Name is Imagination, is a collection of 23 well-crafted poems which take into a gamut of emotions that the author has gone through while writing this book.
The poems talk about intense human emotions like love, pain, joy, sorrow, elation, regret, happiness, sadness, etc. and tell the readers how to maintain the positivity. The poems have been written with a painful honesty and a certain naivety which is attributed to his age and a certain complexity and meticulousness, that belie his age.
“Writing poetry came out of an incredible love for music. More importantly, Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole were influential in me starting to write poems. The initial few poems weren’t that good. But, slowly I realised I had a knack for it and continued to write and fall in love with the process. It’s also a way for me to process the world. There’s no poet that doesn’t think. There’s no poet who doesn’t have a different way of thinking about the world either,” the 16-year-old tells DTNext.
His poems have a slight philosophical bend, yet they’re not heavy as they flow. And they’re not written in Victorian English. They’re understandable and delightful. “I think they represent me and are an extension of me. That means there is a certain maturity and also a certain naiveté to them. They are creative, and therefore, I think the title Her Name Is Imagination is apt,” explains Alok. The youngster wanted to convey passion through his poetry book. “They’re grounded in reality. And they’re also grounded in hope of a better day -- that’s what I wanted to convey, hope. After reading the book, the readers should have a feel-good experience,” says Alok.
Prod him how he balances his studies and writing, he shares, “Well, that’s not tough. They both sort of co-exist. Whenever I take a break or I feel down, I start writing. It motivates me –it has affected my studies in a positive way. I would come back from school and take a shower and think about a few lines. Then I would write those few lines, and it would just morph into a poem. After that, I would put my student cap on and continue with the day!”
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