Welcome back!! I hope you are here, after Part One on my episode with poet and writer Khyati Arora. While it will be easy to follow even without the prior read, you are most definitely missing out on wonderful words and experiences. In the last article, we spoke about Khyati’s beginning into poetry. The competitions she won, the motivation they brought and the journey they ignited.
Khyati spoke of the way she wrote, how poetry came to her, and in true form, it was mesmerizing. In part two, we shall be delving more into her favourites, how she deals with the hate and so much more! Without further ado, here’s Part Two of Scribbles and Rhymes With Khyati Arora – A Buddymantra Special.
The Favourite Thing To Write About.
Every writer has a favorite thing to write about. Some like writing about love, like me. Others like writing about death or power or fame. Some write of sin and tragedies, others bring to life commonplace comedy. What does Khyati Arora like writing about? Well, everything, she says. I guess it would be better for you to read it in her own words.
“I can’t put a finger on something specific, but I will say that I really like documenting my life. And so, I tend to read more into a situation enough to pull to a poetic exponential and then write about it until I exhaust it.”
Writing is all about deriving. We as people are nothing but our experiences, and Khyati seems to use this to her advantage. Her writing while very nuanced, also speaks of occurrences that you or I might pass off with barely any significance. But to let us in on this secret she shares with the daily occurrences in her life, feels special, significant even.
Also Read: Scribbles and Rhymes With Khyati Arora – A Buddymantra Special [Part One]
Dealing With Hate On A Daily Basis.
As a writer and content creator that works everyday to hone their skill on a very public platform, there are some things that seem inevitable. For instance, hate. Online hate, while completely virtual, has consequences that leave scars for years to come. Khyati has some very ingenious insights to dealing with online hate, trolls and cyber bullying.
“There are always people out there who shall read your poem, and interpret it in a completely different way. Poetry is very subjective that way. It is not completely wrong, just different.
So they are going to interpret it differently, and if they want to get at you, they will use words like feminism, activism solely to target you. I am very very possessive of my poetry, I mean, who isn’t? But it is how you take it to be. You don’t need to justify yourself or talk back to them.
But what is most important is you don’t let them encroach your sphere and creep in as self-doubt. If I welcome conversation it is only to receive feedback that is constructive, not destructive. I am a very non-judgemental person, so when somebody comes at me looking to criticize me, I am like yes, bring it on, we’ll try speaking your language.
The last thing that I want to say is that often when somebody copies your art or poetry, and troll you or get back at you with hate, they are watching you. They are reading your stuff. They are in your head.”
Hate is pervasive. People online feel certain invincibility to spreading hate online, and it never ends. It is like the saying, “Cut off one head of the hydra and two others shall take its place.” Putting a positive spin on them is the only way to deal with them in a way that won’t affect you, and Khyati does a wonderful job explaining that to us.
Also Read: The Top Ten Art Colleges To Aim For After High School
A Plan For The Future.
Anyhow, life is not just about the now, but about the moving forward too. And when asked about Khyati’s plans for the future with her writing and poetry, this is what she had to say.
“I am currently working on a poetry book and the art for it. So hopefully next year we’ll be publishing them pages! I also want to be able to share the nuances of writing a book and in a small way motivate whoever I can, because I have witnessed some wonderful writers hold back on writings they have written for commercial purposes.”
Here’s to hoping that her book releases before the year ends! A mixture of art and words, it already sounds like a bestseller, and it will definitely be one. While Khyati’s works in writing lean towards poetry and slices of life, what she likes to read is anything but from realm of reality.
“Fiction, we all need to escape the world once in a while. I also like to read about things that I am fascinated by at that moment which might not be the case two days later. There was this time in my second year of college that witchcraft and the Wicca religion piqued my interest.
And oh boy, how avidly did I read literature on the same. A month later however, I was reading about homemade bread, so that escalated quickly.”
Also Read: Best People To Study Abroad
Khyati’s Inspirations.
Everything about Khyati, during the duration of this interview, felt like one surprise after another. While some of her habits were predictable, a lot of her interests were not. Her love for Megha Rao, for instance, was definitely not a surprise.
“Anyone who knows me is certain to mention Megha Rao’s name on top of this list. There are two patterns that I have observed, one that she writes either about love in all its forms, as in family, friends, lovers, all that. Or two, she writes about the mundane, the general life, her house or her cats, she makes it very easy to read and connect.
Adding to this list, I would name Olivia Gatwood, and I won’t say anything about her poetry, mostly because I don’t have ways to articulate how her words are can sweep the ground beneath your feet, you will just have to go hear her. Both these women are the ones I turn to at 2:30pm in the afternoon when I am short on inspiration but have an itch to write. I listen or read their poetry until I get tickled to write some myself.”
Also Read: How To Find Your Purpose In Life
Some Words To Carry Close To Your Chest.
Before we ended the episode, I had one small question to ask Khyati. If there was one piece of advice that she could impart to listeners about writing poetry and putting their work out.
“Two things – Compartmentalization and trusting yourself. Give yourself a free sphere, and maintain consistency.
Why compartmentalize? – As writers, we often seek appreciation in ways we shouldn’t, because all forms of art are subjective. We tend to let the numbers or shares influence us to a degree that is not healthy and on the way, lose the cardinal purpose of why we started to write. So my suggestion is, compartmentalize what you write for the world and what you write for yourself.
Now that said, you will look around and always, I mean always find someone who is better than you – but please insert flashback of the time when i said “art is a lot of beautiful things and feelings but it is also subjective” And well, if you find inspiration in other people’s poetry and art then harness that.”
Also Read: Ten Ways To Get Writing Ideas.
An End…For Now.
And with that, we come to an end of this podcast, and this article. I hope you had as much fun as I did, listening and reading about Khyati, metaphorically walking along with her. Here at Buddymantra Highlights we aim to shine a light on small time content creators and artists. We wish to showcase their incredible work, and maybe one day a closet artist might get inspired. If you haven’t listened to our podcast yet, you can find the link in both parts of this article. Our podcast is available on Spotify, Jiosaavn, and any streaming platform you wish to hear it on!! Happy Listening!!