Nishant Gang is an engineer by profession and a poet by passion who expresses his thoughts by effortlessly stringing words together. He considers himself a travel freak and therefore his love for travelling is known to all. Nishant also has a blog of his own, which he considers his confidant. His debut book, Silent Words, was published by Delhi Poetry Slam.
In a conversation with Storiyaan, Nishant Gang spoke about his poetic journey and his love for what he does. With “Creativity destroys negativity” as his mantra, this young poet has definitely made it big out there.
Interview
Questions and answers
When did you start writing poems? What compelled you to write more?
I started back in 2013 when I was studying in Kota, Rajasthan. This was the first time away from my family, and the world was introduced to me in its reality. Everything became a muse to me, and I turned into a Poet.
The peace, it was the peace that I experienced after having written a Poem that made me fall in love with it even more with every stanza.
You write short stories, poems, haikus and other things for your blog. What is the process behind every piece of your write-ups?
I believe creativity is born out of chaos, and chaos has no process. I have no specific process behind my writing, and I believe that is why I can write on an eclectic range of topics. It just happens.
What importance does music play in your life? When did you start playing the guitar?
Music shapes me and re-boots me. I think, of the 16-18 hours that I am awake during the day; music accompanies me for almost 10+ hours. My only regret today is that I cannot sing (not publicly at least)
I started learning the guitar back in 2009 but gave it up in 2011 when I got occupied with my studies. Â However, I never lost the infatuation and brought it up again in 2016.
Talk to us about your book 'Silent Words'.
Silent Words, the name says a lot about the book. The 25 poems that this book entails were born out of my silence and solitude. This book is very special to me, for it changed my life forever. Packed with a plethora of emotions and experiences, written in a simple language so that even the non-poetry folks can enjoy it, Silent Words is an anthology that stresses on the importance of intuition and inner voice. One thing that I am proud of in this book is that it will leave a smile on your heart. It did on my heart.
Why did you choose the title 'Silent Words' that contradicts with the cover of your book?
The cover is a guy thinking about almost every aspect of his day to day life. The book title doesn’t contradict but compliments the cover because we think a lot about different things that go on in our life but say aloud about only 2% of that. Silent Words was chosen because the poems are about topics that we think a lot about but seldom speak of.
Talk to us about 'The Poet and The Pen'.
You have asked me about myself. ‘The Poet and the Pen’, a blog started by an Engineering student back in 2017 is the storehouse of his musings, experiences, learnings and perspectives. Nested on WordPress, this blog is the only place where I let my guard down and express myself with utmost transparency. It hosts poems, short stories, travel stories, guitar covers, Haikus, etc. all of which are basic components of Nishant Gang. If you ever need to know me, just look up The Poet and the Pen. A page created with utmost love and care. I like to think of my blog as my friend, who allows me to be me.
How did you get published by Delhi Poetry Slam? What was your initial reaction?
At the beginning of 2019, I decided to make myself more visible in the Poetry Society, and one of the ways of doing that was by participating and interacting with Online Poetry platforms. It was on Instagram that I stumbled across Delhi Poetry Slam’s page and was really impressed with their content. So, I started participating in their weekly contests, video contests, Wingword competition and was fortunate enough to win a few. Later, I decided to share my manuscript with their publication team, and the rest is history.
My initial reaction when Delhi Poetry Slam decided to publish my book was excited and humbled. I cannot find words to describe the day I received my Author’s copy from Delhi Poetry Slam. Best day of 2020 so far.
You said, "Creativity destroys negativity". What do you mean by that?
Negativity is born out of a mind which is idle. Creativity kills the idleness of your mind and engages you to think out of the box and churn out something which isn’t there yet. Hence, whenever you are having negative thoughts, put your creative cap on!
Quick 5
a. Poetry or Short Story: Poetry
b. Paperback or E-book: Paperback
c. Your inspiration: My Grandfather
d. Favourite poet: Edgar Allan Poe
e. Favourite Book: None as such.