FIVE QUESTIONS
Hi Gargi, Hearty Congratulations on the publication of your debut book.
Welcome to FIVE QUESTIONS. I have been busy traveling for the past three months, hence this unprecedented delay. So, without any further ado, let me shoot my five questions:
SANTOSH Q 1 How do you feel in the aftermath of the
publication of ‘Two Cents For My Thoughts’?
GARGI: I feel a heightened and deep sense of
accomplishment for having fulfilled a dream that had been born a decade ago. It
is intensely gratifying when readers convey earnest appreciation and enjoyment
for the writings, particularly when they express that they can identify with
the thoughts and relate to the content, or simply that reading the poems lifted
their spirits or made them ponder. I feel deeply honoured that the book was
launched at the prestigious Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi and now resides at the
library there too. Overall, I am euphoric that so much warmth and affection have
been showered on this labour of love.
SANTOSH Q 2 It is indeed a lovely book, and you have put in a lot of labour and love in the pages. Kudos. There is a poem in your book, ‘The People
in Our Lives’. Please give me a list of five people who have impacted you.
And how?
GARGI: That’s simple. They are the five people the
book has been dedicated to:
My maternal grandmother, Didun (Mrs
Minati Banerjee) – The wisest woman I have known in my life. Full of grace,
elegance, strength, and dignity. From her teachings, I have imbibed strong
values of right and wrong which help me immensely as I navigate through life.
Though she passed away 2 years ago, I sense her blessings upon me every day. I
am elated to have instituted an award in her memory which is ‘The Minati Banerjee Memorial Award for the Best Woman Poet / Writer’,
the first of which was awarded in Nov 2023 at the Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi.
My mother, Maa (Mrs
Madhumita Sarkhel) – The strongest person I have known in my life with the most
stable mind, positive attitude, and never-give-up spirit. From her, I have learned
to be tough and give my best in whatever I choose to do and whatever
circumstance life embroils me into. I am thrilled to have got the opportunity
to honour this superwoman by instituting an award in her name as well - ‘The Madhumita Sarkhel Award for the Best Non-Fiction Book by a Woman
Writer’, the first of which was also awarded in Nov 2023 at the Sahitya Akademi,
New Delhi.
My husband, Rohit (Mr Rohit
Bagchi) – The best companion for life’s roller coaster ride. I am tremendously fortunate
to have a no-fuss, non-demanding husband who is proud of me, holds my hand, and
has my back, come what may. He adjusts, adapts, and understands more than one
can comprehend to enable me to shine. From him, I have learned the true meaning
of loving and supporting one's partner through thick and thin.
My sister, Didiya (Ms
Pragyasmita Sarkhel) – The sweetest friend and cheerleader through my childhood
till date. She knows all my idiosyncrasies, yet adores and pampers me no end.
She has always made me feel like an achiever whether it was for something as
trivial as good handwriting or a simple drawing I might have made. From her, I
have learned that lighting another’s candle can never dim one’s own.
My son, Riaan (Mstr Riaan
Bagchi) – The angel in disguise in my life. He is an immensely kind and
empathetic soul with a pure heart. I learn from him and his wisdom beyond his
years every day. And most importantly, I have learned the meaning of
unconditional love ever since he entered my life.
As I have mentioned at the start of my book:
This book is dedicated to
My maternal grandmother, Didun,
Whose blessings help me get by
And to
My mother, Maa, who gave me roots
My husband, Rohit, who lets me
fly
My sister, Pragyasmita, whose
support never wavers
And my son, Riaan, the North
Star of my sky.
SANTOSH Q 3 “There is an innocence about Gargi’s poems,
an old-world charm, a naiveté that is missing in today’s world...” Let me echo
what Dr Koshy says in the postface.
Hey, tell me, did you stop growing along the
way?
GARGI: Yes, I can honestly say that I haven’t grown
up much in my mind and heart, and have really only learned how to behave in
public, as Bryan White has correctly stated of people. Having said that, I also
feel however that with age, some maturity and wisdom have sanguinely set in
which has emphatically influenced the youthfulness in my spirit. I think it is
this concoction of wisdom in innocence that Dr Koshy has detected with his keen
eye and profound sensibilities and has been magnanimous as always to point out
and appreciate in the phenomenal postface he blessed my book with.
SANTOSH Q 4 “The rigorous scholar behind the enthusiastic poet,” says Dr. Aprilia Zank, your teacher, and mentor, in her Book Review. Comment.
GARGI: It was serendipity for me to meet Dr Aprilia Zank at the prestigious
Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, where I had the good fortune to complete
my second Master's degree as a scholarship holder. She was helming a highly intriguing
writing project that dealt with the depiction of the sun and moon with regards
to their gender in literature all over the world and its multifarious cultures.
I felt an instant connection and became extremely passionate about this topic,
as there is an abundance of this motif in Indian literature, in diverse
languages to boot. I zealously collected data, prepared questionnaires, and documented
a lot on the subject to aid the project and Dr Zank was quite impressed with my
input. I think what you have quoted above stems from that experience. I have to
also say, however, that Dr Zank is herself a very driven, passionate, and
dedicated scholar in the various fields she excels in and an extraordinary
mentor and motivator, apart from being a top-class human being. One can’t help
but give their best in anything she is involved with as she inspires by doing
and not just instructing. I am eternally grateful to her for penning a
magnificent first review for my book, which I effusively included in the book.
SANTOSH Q 5: In my preface, I remember
having written, “Sing on free bird. Serenade us with your poetic eloquence”.
So which song are you going to sing next?
GARGI: What exquisite and inspiring lines these are, dear Santosh and let me
first of all take the opportunity to thank you in all sincerity for the
stupendous preface you wrote for my debut book. To honour your being my biggest
champion for publishing a book of my poems, I will announce here for the first
time that the songs have already been belted out and indited too. They are just
impatiently waiting to be compiled into a second instalment of the “Two
Cents”-series I have in mind.
With the Almighty’s blessings and those of my
loved ones, not only shall the new collection see the light of day soon, but this
free songbird shall also never stop her warbling – at times mellifluous, at
times cacophonous to help smother pandemonium around, but always in tune with
the inner as well as outer world and its integrants.
SANTOSH: Hearty Congratulations in advance for your second book, which I am sure will be as spectacular as your debut book. Keep on writing. All the best
38-year-old Gargi Sarkhel Bagchi from Pune, Maharashtra is the winner of ‘The Reuel International Poetry Prize 2022’, ‘The Poiesis Award for Excellence in Literature 2023’, ‘The Indian Women Rising Star for Literature 2023’, ‘The National Chanting Bards Award, 2023’ and ‘The R.P. Sharma’s Poetic Present for Poetry Rendition 2023’. Her debut book of poems titled “Two Cents For My Thoughts” was launched at the prestigious Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, and proudly resides at its esteemed library. It has won the ‘Rama Chowdhury Memorial Award for the Best English Poetry Collection 2023’.
Bio : Gargi is a university topper and won a scholarship to complete her
second Master’s degree from LMU, Munich (Germany). The thesis she wrote there was
published by GRIN Publishing House, Germany, and is available on Amazon
worldwide. A German teacher for 20 years,
she pursues her passion for writing while being engaged full-time with Deutsch-Uni
Online, Munich for students globally. Her writings have been featured in innumerable national and international
publications and she is a regular contributor
to the notable international literary e-zines ‘GloMag’ and ‘Our Poetry
Archive’.
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