Srujana Satyavada has been in a tug of war with Hindi since her childhood but today, she is a Hindi poet. What irony! She is a regular in the open mic circuit of Hyderabad — at least in the pre-pandemic days when it was still a scene — and has read her poetry at Hyderabad Literary Festival 2018 and 2019. With a voice that was made to recite poetry (no hype here, you need to hear her and you'll know this is true), she started presenting her poems on Instagram during the lockdown, delighting all her followers to no end.
But as someone born in Visakhapatnam with Telugu as her mother tongue, Srujana had to take to Hindi owing to her father's transferable job which took the family to Mumbai. And yet, one day in class VIII, while lounging on the sofa in Dubai (where her father was transferred to next), an epiphany struck and she jotted down Lakshya, her first poem. And that's how her writing process has been since. Call it a trigger, spontaneity or even divine intervention, but she can't force anything out of herself, it's all part of the flow. "Sometimes, there is a lingering thought that comes up again and again. And then I have to sit down and write and if I feel it's not up to the mark, I revisit it after a few days," says the 27-year-old. After gaining mastery over writing, she started performing in 2017 and since then, the stage has felt just like home. "The first time I went up, I was so nervous. But it gets better every time," she shares.
In her Hindustani poetry, the Hyderabadi youngster writes about various issues. Mein Naraz Nahi Hoon (I am not upset) touched upon several topics like religion and poverty, Koi Sunne Wala Ho (Someone to hear) is about mental health and the need to be heard. "We all have those friends who, upon hearing others' problems, immediately say, 'That's nothing, This is what happened to me...' and go on in their own tirade instead of just listening," explains the poet who works as an Associate Manager in a multinational bank.
Apart from fawning over her poetry icons like Parveen Shakir, Javed Akhtar and Piyush Mishra, Srujana has also met several poets over the years. As a result, she has written ghazals and has learnt a lot about Hindustani and Urdu poetry along the way. Next up, Srujana is in the mood for collaborations. She has worked with the band When Chai Met Toast for a few of their lines. She wonders what else is in store for her in the future.
Her poetry
1) Loot-ti hai kayi zindagiyan in maikhaano mein,
Khushi dhoond raha tha woh baccha unn phainke hue ann ke daano mein
Main naraaz nahi hoon, main naraaz nahi hoon,
Ki logon ko antar nahi pata gharon aur makaano mein
Main naaraz nahi hoon
Look at these people, drinking away their lives in shady hoods
When there are kids in the streets looking for happiness in bits of food
I'm not upset/angry, no I'm not
Thank people who don't know the difference between a building and a home
I'm not upset/angry
2) Khudgarz hai tabhi toh mohobbat hai,
Begaraz hoti toh ibaadat hoti
Ishq hai thabhi toh kabhi kabaar hai,
Namaaz hoti toh aadat hoti
It's selfish, thus it's love
Were it selfless, it would've been worship
This love, sometimes it's there, sometimes it isn't
If it were a dedicated prayer, it would've been a habit
For more on her, check out instagram.com/twosoulfuls
