An Interview with Pon.Selvaganapathy

AN INTERVIEW WITH POET PON.SELVAGANAPATHY

How did you choose Poetry as your field?

I was attracted by poetry in my teenage. Perhaps, the instinct, to gain name and fame by doing remarkable achievements, might have been the reason behind it.Poets seemed as adventurers for me in my school days. Writing poetry, reciting poetry and composing songs seemed as adventures and miracles for me.During college days, when I involved myself in political activities, I learnt the art of writing poetry with a definite ideology. Propaganda and popularizing political ideas were the source for my poems.I affiliated myself with progressive movements in Tamilnadu and my journey started in a definite direction.The criticism of social evils and the documentation of social problems became my poetic trends and satire continues to be technique from the beginning till now.Hope the same may continue in the future also. My poetic mission began in admiration and continues in a social perspective.

In this age of electronic media does poetry have any future?

Now there are many substitutes for baby food. But what do the medical practitioners say? They repeatedly say that there is no substitute for mother's feeding i.e. Breast milk.There may arise umpteen numbers of artistic expressions in the literary field, but there can not be a better substitute for Literature.Our mind thinks in the format of a poem.The artistic flash of thought is a poem.Novelists expand or elaborate the flash in a magnified manner.Poetry adopts and adapts itself in accordance with the moment and milieu.The human mind is longing for poetry as well as poetic experience.It dedicates itself to poetry.Our mind needs the support of poetry to stand erect and to accelerate its speed in its journey to the goal.This attitude and approach of human mind will patronize poetry forever.

Reports in media reveal Doctors, Lawyers and Teachers who have the responsibility to cherish values, are loosing their credibility. What about poets?

Poets have always got a lot of credibility and they have never committed any impairment to it.Some times due to obvious pressures in the societal set-up, they become commercialized. The writing is turning as a commodity in some quarters. Those who choose poetry for filling up their purses expose themselves deliberately. Such poets have no difference with the fireworks-sellers.The main problem originates in the readers’ minds. When they lack proper understanding and appreciation the problem magnifies.The society should identify the populist and idealist, the fantastic and pragmatic, the verbal gymnastics and explorations of human moods.If a society fixes popularity as a touchstone for poetic art, then best sellers alone will occupy the intellectual throne and poets will face banishment.Poets have not lost their credibility despite a drastic change in the social behavior.The readers should maintain their credibility by supporting the best and ignoring the worst. The ‘best’ and ‘worst’ should be identified properly.