Contemporary Indian Poets Exploring Selfhood, Love & More

Amongst other things that have acted as a balm to the tumult of emotions, we experienced poetry and music occupy a very intimate and relevant part of this pandemic. They say that when all else fails, words can soothe the soul and we would not want to disagree. The pandemic witnessed the rise of a new generation of creatives that were powerful, uninhibited, and uncensored in their expressions and thoughts. This sparked a larger virtual revolution that brought together stories of pain, struggle, success and everything else that lies in between.

Here are homegrown’s picks for contemporary Indian poets you should watch out for.

I. Trivarna Hariharan

Writer, curator and pianist Trivarna Hariharan is presently Instagram’s favourite page for words that can comfort. Apart from publishing her own poetry in established magazines such as entropy and stirring literature, Trivarna curates a daily collection of literature, poetry and book excerpts that are based on themes which are often seasons, emotions and more.

II. Sonali Sharma

Twenty-two year old Sonali Sharma is at the fore of the emerging young generation of poets in India. Sharma who primarily publishes poetry and snippets of her work on Instagram has recently published a consolidated copy of her work in a book titled, ‘i know i dont know’. The collection of poems in this edition foray into challenges one endures such as self-doubt and the journey that one endures from there on to acceptance and self-love.

III. Sharanya Mannivannan

Recipient of the prestigious South Asia Laadli award, Sharanya Manniavannan’s work is a force to be reckoned with. The writer, illustrator and author has published seven books that have each held significance in India’s contemporary poetry circles.

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