On her visit to Chandigarh on Friday, Canada-based poetess Kuldeep Ahluwalia talked about her new book under publication and reminisced about the city and Punjabi culture. She came to the city after attending the Women Economic Forum 2016 in New Delhi. Being a human behaviour and life skills coach, she was invited to the forum to speak on themes such as blame game played in relationships, insanity in terms of human behaviour and the pressing issue of teenage marriage and early divorce prevalent in Canada. From being a model to an actress to a radio host, Ahluwalia has published a Hindi poetry book, Andherey Samet Kar Dekhiye, in 2006 and is in the process of publishing her English poetry book, Unbreathable Soul, in Canada. [related-post] “The latter is a collection of poems on relationships with a spiritual side because I am a believer of spirituality. It endeavours to say that everything is related to our souls,” said Ahluwalia. Despite having lived in Canada for 14 years, Chandigarh holds a special place in her heart. “My father was in the Air Force and we settled in Chandigarh after that. Even though the city has changed a lot, it remains my favourite place in India,” she said, rewinding to her theatre days here, acting in the film, Door Nahi Nankana, with Dara Singh and being a host for AIR Chandigarh for four years. Claiming to keep the Indian culture alive through her work, Ahluwalia believes that the younger generation settled in Canada is losing Indian values and traditions. “It is the immigrants who are trying to keep the traditions alive. But, the children born there do face a conflict between the two cultures,” she said. Ahluwalia, however, feels that Punjabi literature is as celebrated in Canada as in Punjab. Reciting a Hindi poem on the bondage imposed on a girl after her birth, Ahluwalia said: “Nothing being written today is revolutionary to bring societal change. Though poetry for me is expressing my thoughts and feelings, it would be incomplete without a purpose or a message for the audience.” While she appreciates the broad-mindedness in Canada, she believes the Indians settled there have more or less the same issues. “Indians settled there (Canada) are not progressing because they limit themselves to weekly savings and expenditure. Despite being modern, there are still instances of honour killing in Canada that will haunt you,” she said. At present, Ahluwalia is anchoring a quiz show with Dr Jagmohan Sangha on Canadian channel TAG TV.
