We talk with famous poet Shailesh Lodha in our interview (2022)

The Show, Dear Sahityakar has invited Mr. Shailesh Lodha for the interview. Tarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chashma fame Shailesh Lodha is an Indian poet, actor, comedian and writer. From being a child poet to the most popular star, his journey has been phenomenal and is still continuing.

He is the co-author of the book “Get Set Go” with his wife Swati Lodha which guides you towards success. This book has a Hindi translation as well and it is very well depicted in his life journey. The success he has achieved in his life is his own and very deserving.

Even Though he has achieved abundance of success he still doesn’t give himself much credit for it. Shailesh Lodha says, “Struggle is an exaggerated term for me. I don’t believe I have struggled to get to the place where I am today. The path was created and I kept walking through it.” It clearly shows the golden heart this man carries.

How did you develop interest in poetry?

Shailesh Lodha states, “I think I came on this earth as a blessed kid with a special inclination towards poetry. My mom used to read books and hence it made me an avid reader too. I started writing at a young age. My first onstage performance was in 1981 in front of a 25000 audience at All India Kavi Sammelan in Sumerpur. There when I recited my poem, the echo of claps of people, love and appreciation I received overwhelmed my heart. It became like an addiction, I wanted to become famous and I decided to make this my career.

Views on Lokpriya and Sahitya

Making fun of anything that’s Lokpriya causes frustration and it is done mainly in our country. It is very important for a writer to get his writings read by the people for whom it is written. If it’s not reaching the right audience, then there’s no use of writing it. Our country has never given due respect to comedy. It’s always seen in a derogatory way. There’s a myth about writers that they should be middle class or simple looking which is very wrong.

You read simple writers once but difficult writers again and again

Shailesh Lodha states I don’t divide books into simple and complicated. Infact, it is easy to write difficult things but very difficult to write easy things. People decide based on their opinions there’s no universal truth to it.

Recent read for which you felt ” i wish it was written by me”

There are many books for which I have felt this way. I have been reading mostly memoirs these days and I truly wish I was the writer of them. But I have many limitations because it’s not easy to write the truth and I don’t want to dissemble. Also I feel there is so much knowledge to still gain for me to write something like that. Imagination makes a writer writer, otherwise you would be the same as a typewriter.

The respect for books is increased overtime or decreased

Anything that does not contain mediocrity has declined and all the things that are mediocre are still in trend. For reading, only inclination is not necessary. When people say they fell asleep after reading 2 pages, I find it funny. Because books awake you, they awake your senses and your inner self. We have become mediocre in every way be it our way of talking, behaviour, language, favourite TV programs etc. Mediocrity is ruling the whole population.

People rarely talk about history today. Young generation dreams of becoming famous overnight, or getting a BMW car. I have seen the arrogance of ignorance for the first time in my life.

When are you releasing your poem collections

Shailesh Lodha – i released a poem collection in 1997 with my wife titled “Ek Baat Teri, Ek Baat Meri.” It is a collection of 30-40 poems. Same titled poems are written on separate pages from our respective view points. Her way of writing was philosophical whereas mine was satirical. I will release my next collection soon.

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