To me, poetry signifies an expression of emotional intensity: Himanshu Manglik

Himanshu Manglik has a multifaceted personality. He is the Founder & President of WALNUTCAP Consulting, but he wears many hats – with extensive experience in the industry, he is a Management Consultant, Columnist, Poet, Professor, Mentor and more.

Manglik’s recent book, ‘Ek Bargad Ki Chhanv Mae’, was published by Prabhat Prakashan and is receiving excellent reviews on Amazon, even as he is working on at least 3 other books simultaneously. The book is available on Amazon/ Snapdeal/ Flipkart as well as other bookshops.

Adgully caught up with Himanshu Manglik to know more about his essence of poetry, understanding human emotions, why ‘Ek Bargad Ki Chhanv Mae’ is relevant, and more.

It is unusual but interesting that you write poetry when your experience is in marketing and management...

Why should it be a surprise? Poetry is just another dimension of sensitivity and it indicates a desire to explore emotions. At their core, management and marketing are about people and about understanding the basic human emotions and needs. I personally believe that if you want to be a successful manager, it is important to live and understand human emotions. Empathy, however you define it, is a key ingredient for success.

Have you consciously cultivated poetry and interest in literature?

I wouldn’t say that. It’s probably the benefit of a very supportive and balanced parenting and encouragement to read in the growing up years. I did experiment with writing English poetry in my college years. I suppose almost everyone does that. However, now when I write, it is more natural, and in fact it helps me to focus my thoughts better. For me, writing poetry is about getting to the core of a thought. It is about expressing what you feel about it as simply as you can. Perhaps that is what makes my poetry appealing to some people and resonates with their own emotions.

What do you consider to be good poetry?

To be honest, I have not studied poetry and do not understand the meter and the intricacies. For me, poetry is just a form of expression and therefore, I believe that it must have a focus and a rhythm that has the potential to trigger similar emotions in the reader.

Why do you believe your poetry is being liked?

I write what comes naturally from within me and I believe it reflects conviction and confidence. To me, poetry signifies an expression of emotional intensity. It reflects the ability to feel anguish, pain, love, hate, excitement, appreciation and the many myriad emotions that create your unique personality. If people can relate to that, then they will like my poetry.

Tell us something about your recent book of poetry that has been published.

The poems in ‘Ek Bargad Ki Chhanv Mae’ revolve around issues that have significance for the youth and adults both. They explore different emotions that are inherent in every person as building blocks, either active or dormant. Our personalities and individuality are normally a reflection of how well we have integrated and developed these emotions – love, hate, courage, trust, anguish and strength of conviction amongst others. These poems are not prototypes of what emotions should be, but they provide a perspective that I hope will resonate with the readers. I hope that the book will make them delve into their own emotions.

The title of the book is very unusual. Does it have a special meaning?

The Bargad or the Banyan symbolises a strong anchor, where the birds come back to rest and play, knowing it will always be their protection against the rain and heat. In my acknowledgement in the book, I have said, “My parents were like a huge Banyan tree, who inspired me to explore and develop my own strength and to be sensitive to different feelings and situations. So, you see the Bargad in the title represents the foundation of our personalities. It symbolises the quality of our nurturing that gives us the confidence to experiment, experience and develop our unique perspective. The Bargad is the reassurance of strength and the confidence that it will shelter us, even as it stands by encouraging us to explore our world fearlessly.

The poetry in this book is clubbed into 5 sub-sections that seem to focus on a dominant emotion. It is not necessary that every poem or every section will resonate with everyone. Hopefully, some of them will resonate. However, emotions don’t have boundaries and there will be considerable overlap.

‘Girvi Dil’ (A heart that is committed or pledged) focuses on the emotions of love that flits between intensity, doubt, yearning, vulnerability.

‘Ranbhoomi’ (Battlefield) focuses on the struggles in our lives, our dreams and the conflicts.

‘Vichalit Mun’ (Distracted Mind) is a collection of emotions and situations that can make us distraught.

‘Darpan’ (Mirror) is a collection of poems that are a little more philosophical and explore the different beliefs, impressions and values that drive our thinking.

‘Phir Se Haldi Ghati’ (Symbolic rerun of the battle of Haldi Ghati) is a collection of poems that focus on issues that we as a society and especially the youth need to address.

A few lines from the book might give you an insight into the book:

“Yeh duniya toe albeli yaaron

Yahaan chaaron pahar ujaala

Jaane kab yahaan suraj dhalta

Jaane kab khulti madhushala

Kalkaa jaam aaj hi lekar

Aur ke liye sab machal rahe

Hosh kise iss maekhaane mae

Sab gamejaam mae bahak rahe”

Translated into English its essence is that - This is a strange world that is busy all the time. It’s as if no one knows when the sun sets and when the bars open up. Everyone is lost in themselves, driven by greed for more and more and the world is like a perpetual bar, where people are moving around senselessly, lost in their own troubles.

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