Poet’s Corner

There’s never a dull moment in author,poet,academician and activist Harbir K Singh’s life. The 73-year-old (in the picture) is always surrounded by words. Poetry,reflects Singh,comes to her naturally and she has to her credit six anthologies of English poetry,the latest being Your Bounties (Lamhe in Hindi). She says that poetry provides solace to her and gives her strength to face life with conviction. “My own life,people around me,relationships,crime and discrimination against women,loneliness,and also the beauty of nature find place in my poetry,” says Singh,referring to her collection Healing Touch. What’s constant in Singh’s verses are her references to emotions and her ability to express complex thoughts in simple words like her poems in You and Me,where she reproaches her loved ones for leaving her in the gloom,but finds guidance from the higher being. “I always want to see the brighter side of life,and my latest anthology of poems Your Bounties unfolds my desire to be one with the creator and know him,’’ says Singh. The poet reads out It May Be Too Late,which urges people to express feelings towards their loved ones. Scars is a poem that reflects a woman’s conviction to make peace with her painful memories and put the scars away. The anthology has poems on the common man’s helplessness. Count the Blessings paints a picture of the bounties of nature,and how we fail to appreciate it. The anthology reflects Singh’s faith,and comprises Hindi translation of the poems too.