Kunwar Siddharth
From as early as I can remember, poetry was my first inspiration — a way to express myself in childhood.
My earliest encounter came in first grade, nervously standing in front of my class and reciting "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" with all the earnest pride a five-year-old could muster. That simple nursery rhyme opened a door for me — one that led to performing on school stages, writing my own verses, and singing the rhythmic cadences of qawwalis with my classmates.
As I grew older, mathematics and computer science began to occupy most of my time. Even so, during my B.Tech and later my M.Tech, I often found myself returning to the stage, reciting powerful poems like "If" by Rudyard Kipling and "Ulysses" by Alfred Lord Tennyson. My performance of "Ulysses" was deeply inspired by Judi Dench's commanding recital of its final four lines in the movie Skyfall — a moment that resonated with me and kept me inspired for nearly a year.
Some Excerpts from My Book, The Birds of Passage
Like in the far countryside some cluster of lamps outside people's homes would ignite hopes and aspirations of a wayfarer passing by. Let some stars shining brightly in the sky, sending their light from infinity, be enough to raise your heart — and give you strength and light on your long journey ahead.
After such a long and relentless quest, this lost bird has found its nest within your eyes.
Into the sky of limitless future. Into the treasure and adventure of finding and losing. Tough and alone it might be, my brother — with the perfume of grace around you, you must move along your way.
From The Alchemist to The Gardener
For most of my adult life, I have been deeply inspired by Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist. The story of Santiago inspired me immensely to pursue all my big dreams. Thereafter, during my MTech, I found Gitanjali and The Gardener, which changed the course of my life. Living in Bengal for two years deepened my connection to poetry even further. I was drawn irresistibly to the works of Rabindranath Tagore; I read his entire collection of poetry and started writing my own book, The Birds of Passage. The simplicity of Tagore's poems, their village imagery, and his free voice were easy to imbibe and inspired me to write. After two years, this collection grew into a self-published book. Eager to study further, I moved to the United Kingdom to pursue an MA in Creative Writing, where I gained broader exposure and began performing at spoken-word events across the UK—in Reading, Oxford, Portsmouth, and London. I read from my own book and shared works from Tagore, Rumi, Khalil Gibran, and Maya Angelou.
My writing and critical thinking are deeply inspired by Noam Chomsky, Aldous Huxley, Gautama Buddha, Nagarjuna, Shantideva, Rabindranath Tagore, Howard Zinn, Rumi, Rupi Kaur, Maya Angelou, Albert Einstein, David Bohm, and Ernest Hemingway.
Hindi Poetry
Although Hindi is my first language, I have rarely written in it, as my academic journey has always been rooted in English. Recently, however, I have begun composing poetry in Hindi as well.
इस रोशनी में जीते हैं सभी के मंजिल ए मोहब्बत हंसिल हो। हर शाम को, हर सुबह, भिड़ में या टूटते इरादों में ढूढ़तें हैं हम अपना मुक्कदर। ये जो रोशनी है जैसी तसव्वुर हो हमारे बरकत का, हौसलों का और ख़ूबसूरती का। इसी की तपन ने तराशा है हमें, संजोया है हमें टूट के बिखरने के बाद। इस कारवां ए मोहब्बत में ये जो रोशनी है वो ही हमारा जीवन है।
इस जहाँ में रोशनी देते, ज़िंदगी देते, शफ़क़त की निगाहें और हक़ जताने والی मीठी बोलियाँ, इनकी इबादत कीजिए, और क्या कीजिए। हार जाइए अपने دل को इस मुकम्मल जहाँ के ख़ातिर, हार जाइए सब कुछ, और क्या कीजिए।
मंजिल की जुस्तजू में खाक ए जमीं हो गए हैं गालिब अब बस धूप अच्छी लगती है, बारिश मरहम देती है, चिड़ियों की आवाज़ गीत लगती है और हर पुकार मोहब्बत।