Poetry that heals

Don’t ask me/ When I’ll be ready/ I don’t know/ If I would ever choose/ to willingly give up/ my pride, my space, my body/ my freedom, my time/ for another/ Not all women are meant/ to be mothers… reads the poem Sacrifice written by Natasha Malpani Oswal, a Mumbai-based writer and entrepreneur, who recently launched her debut book Boundless, a collection of short poems. According to her, the poems, arranged in five parts — Falling, Recovery, Belonging, Escape and Discovery — mirror her journey from London, where she did her MBA, to India after a gap of 10 years and, eventually, to self-discovery.

“Over the past decade, I’ve focused on experimenting with my education, career and where I live. I’ve been an immunologist, an investor, and am now a producer. During this phase, I realised how one can design one’s own life. Writing poetry was a way for me to comprehend my feelings,” says Natasha, who found writing the poems Homecoming, Burn, Delicate and Bleeding Colour quite therapeutic. “I had a lot of fears and concerns about returning to India. I was concerned about being a businesswoman in India and maintaining a work-life balance. I was also worried whether I would be able to adjust as I had changed so much in the past 10 years. The process of writing Boundless was very freeing for me. It’s been six months since I reached here, and I’m genuinely enjoying being here. I think the poetry helped me adjust here, and my family helped me understand where I belong.”

Natasha says she had no publishing plans while writing the poems. However, she changed her mind once she realised the healing power of poetry. “I decided to publish them in the hope that it would help others,” says Natasha. She, then, arranged them in five parts. “These topics shaped my past 10 years. The poems I wrote in Belonging are focused on my struggles to ‘belong’ or choose one ‘home.’ I found a sense of peace when I decided to stop trying to fit myself into a place, and instead focused on what I wanted,” says the writer. “We don’t know our true power until we try and use it. So, I wanted to remind each person who reads the book that they are boundless; they can do and be anything they want.”

Entire proceeds from the sale of the book will go to various causes that support women empowerment. As the book intends to motivate women, the cause of apt. “I think it is extremely important that we encourage more female voices. Diversity of perspectives and role models matter,” says the author, a fan of Jhumpa Lahiri, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Arundhati Roy.

Natasha has also got a good fan base on Instagram, where she publishes her works. In her opinion, social media platforms help writers find their audience. “One reason why I chose to publish Boundless was because of the positive responses to my poetry on Instagram,” concludes the writer, who dreams of changing the world through stories.