Rajat Ritwik Talks About His Book “सहज दर्शन”

About the Author:

Rajat Ritwik, currently pursuing Political Science Honours from Sri Venkateswara College, DU, is an avid receptor of spiritual knowledge, mainly inspired from the Bhagavad-Geeta. Other rubrics of interest include foreign affairs, constitutional structures, domestic politics and human behaviour. In my pass time, I like to be immersed in drawing, painting, sometimes even in seclusion to wonder about the functioning of the philosophical world.

Exclusive interview with the author

Q: What Inspired You To Write This Book?

A: As you know, the book is an anthology, a collection of poems. These poems were not written sequentially or in any other pattern of duration as such; rather, the book is a compilation of my Hindi poems written in the last 2 years. So, each one of them has a different inspiration to speak of. By and large, one epochal factor that drives me is the desire to manifest the teachings of the Bhagavad-Geeta through writing. This is because I believe that art bridges the distance and poetry does just that through words. One person who was and remains my inspiration while writing this book or doing any other activity is my mother. She acts as my support system and the bulwark against negative proclivities.

Q: What Does The Title Mean?

A: The title ‘Sahaj Darshan’ literally means simple philosophy. When we reckon philosophy, the general perception is to avoid it as it is either utopian or vague. Due to this, people generally lose interest. However, to make them realise that philosophy remains an integral part of life and delving into its essence can make our life much easier, I decided to pen down my thoughts in the form of poems. I have harnessed allegories to make the concepts simple which are generally regarded as enigmatic.

Q: What Did You Learn When Writing The Book?

A: In this journey, I learnt that there are different angles to the same story, i.e., different individuals have different perspectives. This is what adds zing to life and so was the case with my poems. I got to know that a writer must be well-versed with the language he is using and refrain from anything that might beget something unexpected and undesirable. Also, while composing the poems, my conviction grew stronger that the Indian spiritual knowledge is not something to be practised only by the old people who have got nothing much to do; rather, it is a lesson for us all, including people across all age groups. This is because it succours in understanding one’s own self, which is at the base for any of our thoughts and actions.

Q: Do You Try More To Be Original Or To Deliver To Readers What They Want?

A: I personally try to be original with style, ideas and works so that I can provide a unique experience to my readers. This serves my intent of creating my own identity in tandem with being able to deliver to the readers my best pieces possible. However, focusing exclusively on either of them would lead to nowhere as being original but obscure would serve no purpose and just trying to appeal to the readers with no originality divests the reading experience of its thrill and savour.

Q: What, In Your Opinion, Are The Most Important Elements Of Good Writing?

A: Creative writing, being an art, entails motley elements to reckon with. In my opinion, 4 c’s are to be taken care of: clarity, correctness, comprehensiveness and connection. Clarity signifies that the idea being conveyed should be clear to make the readers realise what the piece is about. For this, the right words, Grammar, spelling and punctuation are to be used to ensure that the ideas are expressed promptly. Also, since the main target is the reader, ambiguities should be reduced and the message should be conveyed in such a way that the readers are able to grasp the essence. Through this, the writer can connect with the readers and his purpose of conveying his ideas through words would be successful.

This book is published by OrangeBooks Publication. All rights are reserved with the author & the publisher.