It was an absorbing afternoon of poetry and prose,as four authors from the city read out excerpts from their latest books,and talked of the varied experiences of their labour of love. Organised by the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi,the programme titled Meet the Writers,had poets Bittu Sandhu,Sumita Misra,Vijai Vardhan and novelist Vivek Atray enthralling the audience with their verses and words. Also joining in was UK-based poet John Siddiqui,who talked about his writings. Vijai Vardhan spoke about Ibadat,The breath of my soul, a collection of 120 haikus and short poems to open your heart. Ibadat is Vardhans second poetry anthology,after Beyond the Great Beyond a haiku collection. Bittu Sandhus poetry echoes her deepest thoughts verse by verse in Sadhran, an anthology of poetry in Punjabi,published by Rajkamal Publications. After the success of her first book Safina,which was in Hindustani,Sadhran marks Sandhus special journey - the one that brings her back home - to her mother and her mother tongue. Sumita Misra,Chief Electoral Officer and Commissioner,Secretary to the Government of Haryana describes her first book of poetry,A Life of Light,as a moment of truth. The 80 poems span 25 years of her life,and Misra clarifies that the poems are not a chronicle or story of her life,but an expression of human emotions she has felt over time. Vivek Atray confesses that he didnt have to go through trials,and tribulations to pen his first novel,Move On Bunny. The words came easy,the flow was uninterrupted and the process left him itching to write more.
