My first collection of poems, Boundless, captured my search for my own identity in my twenties as I built my career as an immunologist and investor in London, and  then moved to California to do an MBA at Stanford. I wrote Reinvention after moving back to India after ten years of living abroad.

 

The transition has been both difficult and rewarding. I wrote these poems as I grappled with the idea of coming ‘home’ and ‘coming of age’.  At first, I worried about losing the identity I had worked so hard to build. Home didn’t feel anything like home when I moved back. I transitioned from being an investor to a producer and starting my own company, and adjusting to two families. Reinvention is my personal diary — it explores the darker side of love, family and ambition. Can we preserve our identity, while being part of multiple families? What sacrifices do we have to make for success? Can we have it all — and keep it?

 

I titled the book Reinvention, because the book is about the power of embracing and leaning into change. Now I believe we can absolutely keep and amplify our voice — while staying connected to our roots. I think this is a bolder book, and hopefully reflects my own personal growth post Boundless. 

I think poetry is the most honest and raw form of self-expression. I write poems to both express and understand my own thoughts and feelings. I find the process therapeutic. I have a very distinct style of writing — the words I use are hard-hitting, evocative and have powerful imagery and rhythm, but are also very direct and simple. The poems are my truest voice — this is how I think. I write the poems as notes to myself as a personal diary, because I want to keep the words as sharp and vulnerable as possible. The poems come to me almost fully formed. I try to edit myself as little as possible. I believe poetry needs to capture your darkest thoughts and feelings. People resonate with the truth. I put myself out there completely.