Interviewer	Dmytro Drozdovskyi	VSESVIT Kyiv, Ukraine	LiteratureSphere project
Interviewee	Deepak Sarkar		21. XI. 2007

Questionnaire

1. Dear Deepak, what proverb from your culture could be the best to characterize your artistic personality?

“The eyes are the mirror of the mind” (Chokh Moner Ayna)

“Unless a man is simple, he cannot recognize God, the Simple One.”

The above Bengali proverb in someway would characterize my artistic personality.

2. What did influence your choice to become a writer? How, when and why did you first start writing?

Since childhood I enjoyed writing more than speaking. In many ways, it is the frustrations of seeing basic problems remain unresolved while a part of the society indulges in extravaganza covering themselves by the lenses of insensitiveness inspired me to write about things and issues usually not addressed my institutionalized scholarly world. Decades after decades I have seen how few politicians with very little knowledge of the world history and culture plunder tax dollars to strengthen few while depriving others.

I started writing since my secondary education but again it was a very turmoil time in Calcutta as the newly implemented socialistic structures were being changed to suite American Market when 10,000+ highly talented youth (the crème of the society) were slaughtered labeling them as terrorist (Noxalites)! Many of them were my friends or neighbors! I still carry that nightmare with me. My coming to West, settle and learn about the society and culture, only helped me to see that basic needs of humans are the same and so are the problems everywhere! Thus, naturally, I felt for the poor, homeless and helpless people of the West while enjoying corporate life and the advantage of good education from the East!

3. Being a poet is difficult? What is the identity of the poet?

Poetic expressions are unique which others cannot correlate to spontaneously! In Arabic there is saying each poet has a Genny (Gin) by his/her side! In other words the shadow personality whispers to poet what becomes poetry! I am sure most poets talk to themselves (the inner self)!

Thus the identity of a poet is in his/her creation revealing the very nature as context of the poems!

4. Do you believe that a human being has something absolutely good in the depths of its psychic processes or spiritual dimensions? Or we become human beings only in the result of the difficult process of socialization?

I believe each individual is born with similar potential which can be cultivated towards Godly manifestation under egalitarian-equitable social environment with variations inherited from hereditary uniqueness! Constructive socialization makes us a better human being enriching heart with the goodness of sharing and caring!

5. What is poetry as a phenomenon for you? Do you feel the intrinsic values of the metaphorical language in the poems? Or something else?

To me poetry is the humble expression of the soul that eagerly awaits to be recognized by other souls stimulating thoughts for evolution and revolution! Thus poetry can carry and deliver messages faster and effectively for harmonious causes be it for entertainment, literary creativity or much needed socio-economic-philosophical changes for the establishment of true participatory democracy in the world!

6. What is a metaphor?

Metaphors are comparisons that show how two things that are not alike in most ways are similar in one important way. Metaphors are a way to describe something. Authors use them to make their writing more interesting or entertaining.

7. Could you presuppose the genologic and morphologic peculiarities and transformations of the poetry in the XXI century?

I see XXI century as turning point in history where people finally realize the ill effects of colonialism that mostly began with Alexander the conqueror destroying ancient Greek as well as Roman democracy while rewriting history glorifying feudal aristocracy leading to global feudal capitalism! Thus it is obvious that poetry is transforming at an unthinkable way being more realistic and solution driven instead of being an instrument of passing idle past time!

8. Has the poetry tradition changed since the XX century?

Poetry tradition certainly changed since XX century as world embraces English as common worldwide media of communication and past unheard voices rise above the local languages enlightening global villages! That is why the theme of poetry varied addressing problems/solutions in post colonial true democratic free world!

9. What are the latest trends in the new poetry in your country?

In Canada, most poetic works that I read are based on humour, many related social concerns like AIDS, Gays and Lesbians as well as political and peace related issues. Most of them are not very rhythmic but well structured flow of emotions.

10. How could a person change a language as a way-of-perceiving-the-world and start writing poems not in his mother tongue? As for me, poetry is some sort of philosophy, embodied in the language…

Irrespective of upbringing and future professional cultured language one’s emotion and thought would be biased to culture and philosophy of the mother tongue! But in my case I have lived and worked among English friends, colleagues and culture for more than half of my life, seen the real world more in the west than the east. Also, I learned on my own about most religion and just a coincidence that my mind is universal in seeing people/being and feeling for them without preconception. This helped me to write easily in my 2^nd mother tongue English.

11. Can poetry be a remedy? Don’t you think that the modernity of the poetry will be connected with simultaneous music, rhythms?

Poetry can certainly be remedy in many ways! It can inspire people to be positive in life, it can bring messages of hope during hard times, and it can make people laugh or cry to help express unspoken joy or grief; even can bring peace ending hostility in conflicts.

12. Dear Deepak, don’t you think that in the post-informatics era people won’t need poetry at all as they have new digital sources of relaxation?

Poetry is as old as the beginning of the civilization which is evident in ancient hymns, chanting and epic! It evolved with the civilization and will always serve to satisfy the inherent craving of the soul to be in union with the very rhythm of the creation. Post–informatics digital sources are certainly bringing home entertainment for relaxation including poets and poetic expressions! Rather the digital sources can be seen as helping means for bringing home global poetry as entertainment while delivering messages – be it social, religious, philosophical or metaphorical!

13. What is ‘writing’ for you as a process (remedy, escape, precipitation, healing)? What does it associate with?

It started as remedy or healing at my early age to vent my anger and frustration against state

sponsored violence against own young people labeling them as anti-social/terrorists. But it

evolved with my academic and professional exposure in a process to serving people, the world

and God feeling I belong to them and owe these creativities as my responsibilities

14. Do you know any Ukrainian poets or writers?

Yes I do. I read about Vasyl Makhno and some of his work, currently he lives in New York. I also came to know about Ivan Petrovych Kotlyarevsky was a Ukrainian writer, poet and a playwright widely regarded to be the pioneer of the modern Ukrainian literature. By nature I am a great admirer of ex-Soviet block countries and their history &culture.

15. If you had the chance to change your life what would you do?

Well, in a way I already changed myself committing all my time for writing and campaigning for achieving peace through truth, equity, and equal justice for all. I quit corporate world after 22 years of committed service to pursue my academic career and live a different life in a more natural setting being humble to all sentient being, believing in freedom in mercy and giving unconditionally whatever we gained in life as true knowledge, love and spirituality with generosity!