ilu the poet

Blogger, Engineer, Performer, Writer/Editor

I am a freelance poet and performer. I started penning down my thoughts at a very young age, shaping them into poems and publishing them regularly in school and college magazines. I have performed my poems at various poetic gatherings like Airplane Poetry Movement, Pangaea Poetry Slam, Let Poetry Be, Open Sky Slam, The Humming Tree and Poetry in the Park. I like to perform wherever I can and I have staged my performances at orphanages, corporate offices, book cafes, restaurants and parks. My poems contain a variety of flavors, each one brewed with its unique combination of spice and I am constantly striving to inculcate new ideas and thoughts in them. These poems may be short or really long, an ode to someone or just a thought, description of a moment or a story in itself, written over a simple coffee break, or a short bus ride, or even in months together! I love to travel and to interact with people, to know their stories and to tell them my own. I also enjoy those lonely moments amidst the nature, untamed and soothing… I live every moment trying to imbibe as much as possible to be able to give back a lot more to the world… I am a little girl with high aims. I wish to spread love around the world through my poems. I want the world to take a pause, calm down, introspect and start again – a fresh start to a better future and a better life… I hope to bring smiles to as many as possible and I feel that this can be accomplished only through these five golden words: Live, Laugh, Love, Empathize, Forgive.I am emotional but rational. Humanity is my religion and crafting a healthy society is my vision.

Poetry (Spoken and Written)

There was a time in my life when I was extremely depressed. And one day, I came across this poem, "When Love Arrives", by Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye. I watched the video, felt mesmerized and went to sleep. The next morning when I woke up, the first thing that struck my mind was "Wow! That was fabulous! If they can do it, then why can't I?". That came as a ray of hope to me and It was after months that I had smiled - A Genuine Smile. I have been writing poems since childhood but that day saw poetry in an entirely new light and that's how my journey as a Spoken Word Poet started! My poem,"Discovering My Krishna" is based on my own life story, my struggle, how I resolved to end discrimination from the world and how I became a Spoken Word Poet. It was the first spoken word poetry I had ever written.

Apart from poetry, I love to travel and explore places. I am fond of Adventure Sports. Reading books and watching movies are my favorite pastime. I also paint sometimes and feel photography is fun.