Srushty Kamble: A Poet in Mumbai
As the city of dreams, Mumbai would naturally play host to many a creative mind. We spoke to Srushty Kamble, a poet residing in the city, about the creative communities there and the effects the bustling metropolis has had on her own work.
The Jotter: So tell us a little about your hometown.
Srushty Kamble: I was born and brought up in this city and everyday here is an adventure . Mumbai is known as the city of dreams ; And dreams keep you awake all night just like this city does; everyone who has dared to dream and worked hard to make it true has become a part of Mumbai. It's like a big mixing bowl of ethnic groups , cultures , languages ,traditions and modernity combined . When it comes to creativity in general, Mumbai provides both inspiration and platforms . Kala Ghoda Festival is one of them; artists from all over the city , musicians , sculptors and painters display their art. As well as that, every college has a festival ranging ftom Malhar in st Xaviers , Utkarsh in Ruia , Enigma in Poddar to Dimensions in My Alma mater i.e. V.G .Vaze Kelkar college. They promote competitions such as poetry writing and creative writing which wholeheartedly welcomes writers from everywhere.
"Living in this city exposes me to a lot of things"
Living in this city exposes me to a lot of things: amusing characters travelling on local trains, buses, interesting stories as you peep into the windows of 10 people sharing a room , the crowd , smells , festivals are all frozen frames in my DSLR providing me with infinite stories. Everything nourishes your creativity. Also creative writing courses in St Xaviers college , IGNOU and the British council are held here .There are innumerable examples of people who despite taking different fields have somehow managed to hold on to their literary roots. So this is what Mumbai, as a city, has inspired me to write .
TJ: What sort of subjects do you like to tackle in your poetry?
SK: Being a student of humanities I did take up Psychology in College and I was fascinated by the subject of mental health. However my interest in the subject begun after i was diagnosed with depression 4 years back . And while I fought through it I realized this immense potential and courage I never knew I had. While I dived deep into my subconscious to get myself out of it I started writing as a medium to express what I couldn't speak- hence why writing about mental health came naturally to me and still does.
"I, as a supporter of love, believe that when two people fall in love it's their souls that are united"
Lastly about the LGBTQ community - as you may be aware, a few years back the Indian government and the supreme court criminalized same-sex relationships. This received a mixed reaction from Indians in general . I, as a supporter of love, believe that when two people fall in love it's their souls that are united and not just their genitals . And therefore I decided to use my writing to voice out my opinion .
So this is me, just a suburban-city girl living in this world, writing, because she loves it:
You taste like my first cup of coffee, My last sip of whiskey All my guilt and regrets muddled together in a pitcher and I can’t stop drinking you
Let your tongue taste the intoxicating adventure of my lips your fingers trace the stories embedded in my skin undress me now and you shall see all the fears doubts and dramas that hides within …
You are the unruly chaos of the winds a thunderstorm on a calm night you are the fragrance of the salty waves and the taste of the sunlight you are the dark mistress the fair maiden a hauntingly beautiful sight.
There you stand somewhere between my wildest fantasies and peaceful dreams nurturing my tortured soul falling like rain of ecstasy on the wasteland of my desires…
I could call you an addiction a madness a haunting memory in the depth of my subconscious and all I call you is My Love