Lost in words: Sanjana performing poetry | (Pic: Sanjana Saxena)
Lost in words: Sanjana performing poetry | (Pic: Sanjana Saxena)

Sanjana Saxena is an avid reader and a performer of poetry who is happiest when she is on stage

For Sanjana Saxena, life can get pretty hectic at times. So it is during moments like these that writing poetry also serves as a stress buster for the youngster  

Believe it or not, since Sanjana Saxena was five years old, she has been writing poetry. "It was mostly nonsense really, but my parents made me feel like it was good. And maybe that's what I needed at that time," shares and laughs the youngster. Today, Sanjana doesn't just write poetry, she also performs them at poetry slams across Hyderabad. Did we mention that she is currently in her first year of MRCP residency at Vinn Hospital? 

"I can't write anything that I don't believe in so poetry helps me be more self-aware," says Sanjana Saxena

Having spent two years in theatre through Samahaara, a theatre group in Hyderabad, performing comes quite naturally to Sanjana. "As they say in theatre, I like to break the fourth wall, look into the eyes of my audience, use voice modulation and give my listeners a rhythm to follow," says the youngster who can be spotted performing at The Gallery Cafe quite frequently. Her poetry is usually women-centric and is also inspired by what she sees at the hospital. "It is very important for me to figure out what message I want to give through my poem before actually writing it and I change my performance according to that," says the 23-year-old who is also an avid reader. We wonder if performing poetry has made her into a different poet? "The style of writing has changed a little bit as I tend to keep in mind factors like which poems are better suited for the stage and which ones are for the paper," shares the alumna of Shadan Institute of Medical Sciences.

The show is on: Sanjana during one of her performances | (Pic: Sanjana Saxena)

And just like Sanjana doesn't like to be restricted by style of writing, she doesn't like to be restricted by schedules either. "Trust me, I tried sitting down and writing a certain amount every day, but it just did not work out for me. Poetry is an urge which I feel and when it comes, I need to give in to it," she explains. And because poetry is an urge for her, she feels like she will continue writing and performing poetry, which really makes her happy. And maybe publish a collection of poetry somewhere down the line. 

Memorable performances
These are the performances that Sanjana gave that are etched in her memory:

- At an extremely personal performance at The Gallery Cafe, Sanjana started choking halfway through. She had to leave the stage and come back to complete it
- At The Moonshine Project, she performed a poem on how to raise a daughter and she was appreciated a lot for it

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