Sharanya Manivannan is the author of ‘Witchcraft’ a book of poems, and the recipient of the Lavanya Sankaran Fellowship for 2008-2009. At the moment she is busy crafting her first novel, Constellation of Scars, as well as her next book of poetry.  
Her column ‘The Venus Flytrap’ makes its appearance regularly in Zeitgeist, the Saturday supplement of The New Indian Express.
As a ‘spoken word artist,’ she has performed extensively in the last few years. In this exclusive interview to Sify.com, post the release of ‘Witchcraft’, she offers an interesting piece of advice: "Never underestimate the poetic value of a broken heart."

Excerpts:

You have been a widely recognised name at open mic events in South East Asia. Is Witchcraft, your first collection of poems, the coming of age of your art?

That’s a nice of putting it. Yes, I had been writing for 16 years, and doing readings for about 8 years, before Witchcraft came out, and the book was certainly a culmination of that kind of experience. It could not have happened without it.

Why the rather interesting, yet ominous sounding title?

There are several reasons for this, but the one I find most meaningful is that I am interested in the concept of personal magic, of the alchemy one is capable of when they are most in their element. And for me, this was where I found my own magic: in the act of sharing a poem on stage. It’s almost oracular, what you channel through body and voice. It’s a different sort of birthing from the act of writing itself.

You made Chennai your home, two years back. What do you find the most fascinating aspects of this city?

If I can be brutally frank, I think the best thing about Chennai is its proximity to Pondicherry.

Do you find the city inspiring, as a poet?

No, the city does not inspire me. But I’m quite tenacious in my attempts to subvert such situations. I like to quote Carson McCullers on this one: “I must go home periodically to renew my sense of horror.”

Coming back to Witchcraft, many a poem featured therein dwells upon the problems, both physical and mental, that women face in their daily lives. Some of the subjects that you have written on, are still considered ‘taboo’. What’s your take on this?

I’m a little confused by the first part of your question – about the book dealing with the physical and mental problems in the daily lives of women. I can’t say I agree, because I don’t like to force everything through a feminist or subaltern perspective. If readers see this, then that is fine, but it wasn’t my intention to write a political work at all. The same goes for taboo subjects – I didn’t set out to scandalize or sensationalize anyone. I only wrote what felt true to me at any given time.

Was finding a publisher an uphill task, given the usual apathy for poetry, in comparison to other literary forms like the short story and the novel?

Oh yes – poetry is the poor little cousin of other literary genres. I was lucky, in a sense, because I already had a spoken word career and buzz around my work and so on, and so I had options. I went with people I knew and trusted, and who cared for the work.

Which of the poems in Witchcraft is your personal favourite? 

At different times, different poems have been meaningful to me. I don’t have a favourite, although I certainly have pet ones that I perform more frequently than others.

You also vent your views as a columnist. Why the title ‘Venus Flytrap?’

The name “The Venus Flytrap” is meant to invoke a mélange of things – a cheeky reference or two, and a reference to the divine feminine among them. In keeping with that vein, I write offbeat humour on some fortnights and serious thoughtful pieces on others.

How do you look at yourself as a writer and a poet?

I don’t quite know how to answer this. You know, Leonard Cohen, one of my favourite musicians and writers, said that, “"I don't think of myself as a singer, writer, or any other thing – the job of being a man is much more than any of that." I would be limiting myself very much to think about myself in terms of my profession alone. There’s a lot more to life than poems.
              
Any words of wisdom to aspiring writers and poets?

Read voraciously – you can’t write unless you read. And never underestimate the poetic value of a broken heart.
   
Image credit: Nrithya Randhir

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