Poetry is the creative expression of emotions or the imaginative awareness of an experience. Most people follow this pursuit as a hobby, but now we have spoken word artists who perform poetry, prose or song on stage. Equipped with a masters in law and a practising lawyer for ten years now, Chandigarh-based Paridhi Kalotara Aggarwal is one such artist who has become a regular performer at open mic events in the Tricity. She also has a debut poetry book “Surrender to the Verse” to her credit which was published in 2021.
Speaking to CityWoofer about her journey as a performer, Paridhi says. “My poetic journey on stage had come to a standstill after I left the university and got busy with personal and professional life. It was the vibrant culture of open mics in the tricity which brought me back to stage and gave me a conducive atmosphere to show my skills”.
“I am the happiest while performing poetry and I have always known this but had nowhere to go. The tricity has an active open mic circuit where mostly mixed art forms are performed,” she says with a glint in her eyes.
Talking about her childhood passion, Paridhi says, “I have been writing poetry since childhood. Poetry was always my most natural means of expression. I not only wrote poetry but loved to recite it as well, the stage felt liberating. However, 10 years ago there was no platform for poetry recitation in small towns of Punjab. So poetry remained restricted to my diary while I pursued life and career.”
“As a student, I participated in various poetry events. The most cherished moment was representing the Law department in inter-departmental fests while I was studying at Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar,” she says.
Ask her about what inspires her to compose poems, pat comes the reply, “The very essence of being human and the innumerable consequences of being one, the indomitable human spirit, the perseverance of human endeavours, the social fabric and its intricacies”.
“The prevalent hierarchies with their inhumanity, discrimination and hypocrisy often force me to put pen to paper. The female perspective and experience inspire me to write. Everything that stirs my heart and mind together become the themes of my poetry. Poetry is endless and so are the sources of its inspiration,” she adds.
Talking about her book which is available online on Amazon, Paridhi says, “It is a collection of 21 poems. Some of the poems in the book are those that I wrote as a teenager. This book ushered the journey of total surrender to something I was born with: poetry.”
“The poems in the book are personal yet so universal. The themes, experiences and emotions are those felt, experienced and pondered upon by most of us,” she chips in.
You can follow her on her Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/paridhi.poetry.adv/
And her book can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.in/dp/1005707464/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_B8MGZ31YF4A463Y17NP3
