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High on Haiku
| Poet R. Ravi’s love for Tamil inspired him to write differently |
Photo: T. Saravanan
Spontaneous Precise in his presentation
Inspiration makes a man more imaginative and creative. The literary exuberance of R. Ravi proves so, whose educational qualifications have no bearing on him or his passion. It is his sheer love for Tamil poetry that drives him to pen free verses and haikus in Tamil. Educational Institutions have prescribed his poems as text for the students.
Tracing his interest in the native language and literature to school days, he says: “It is still green in my mind. I was thrilled to study in Setupati Higher Secondary School where national poet Subramania Bharathi worked. It inspired and spurred me to visit literary forums regularly where I used to listen to discussions for hours together.”
Interest
But his love and interest for the language did not enthuse his family members as they were not in a position to support him financially. “After I finished my higher secondary I was on the look out for a job to sustain my passion and also family. I worked for a pharmaceutical wholesale dealer for a meagre remuneration. But it helped me a lot at that time,” he reminisces the days when he struggled to eke out a living.
Later he did B.Com through correspondence. “But I still can’t figure out why I did not write the examinations. My ambition was to become a cost accountant, which still remains a dream,” says Mr. Ravi, who works as a clerk with the Department of Tourism.
He has also penned free verses after reading books of Bharathiar, Bharathidasan and Periyar. Inspired by the haiku poems of Murugesan of Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers’ Association, he got drawn to this genre.
“Haiku is a challenging task for any poet. Generally, it is a three-line poem comprising three metrical phrases of five, seven and five. It describes two scenes and the last line is generally the punch line which springs a surprise or causes a wonder,” he says.
He has so far written more than 1500 haikus covering different topics from superstition to women’s liberation, from progressive thinking to unemployment.
He has authored eight anthologies including “Kavithai Saral”, “Haiku Kavithaigal”, “Vizhigalil Haiku”, “Ullathil Haiku”, “Ennaval”, “Nenjathil Haiku”, “Idhayathil Haiku” and “Kavithai Alla Vithai”.
His poems have become subjects for several research studies. Bharathidasan University and Madurai Kamaraj University too have included his poems in the curriculum.
Positions
Mr. Ravi is also the office bearer of numerous organisations of Tamil poets. As a secretary of Self-confidence Readers’ Circle he has also organised several motivational programmes for students of Agavizhi - a hostel for the visually challenged students. Besides, he regularly organises poetry workshops and trains students in writing haiku poems. He has also done remarkable work in creating awareness on blood, eye and organ donation.
In an effort to reach more people, he has created a website www.kavimalar.com where he has hosted his works for people to read and enjoy. It has already registered three lakh hits.
T. SARAVANAN
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