In a candid and straightforward gathering of poetry lovers and surrounded by her friends and family, Dr Lavlin Thadani shares about the importance of poetry for her at the launch of her book.
With the who’s who by her side, Dr Lavlin Thadani, actor, poet and filmmaker launched an anthology of her poems, ‘My Soul Flower: A Collection of Poems by Dr Lavlin Thadani’ recently at the India International Centre, New Delhi, in association with the Poetry Society of India. Dr Thadani, who holds a PhD in Russian Literature, headed the Russian services at External Services Division of All India Radio with a huge fan following. She says, “But poetry remains my first love.”
Dealing with a wide array of themes and genres like tragedy, irony, love, spirituality, patriotism and empathy, to name a few, the book brings out “my overwhelmed soul and radiant heart” and that is “what prompts me to write”.
Dr Thadani says, “Feelings belong to all. I write about that ‘all’ for I feel compelled to do so. Moments govern our lives, they build and destroy. The process is immensely complicated in all its simplicity. Shades of feelings vary; sometimes they are so delicate that I am apprehensive of touching them or staining them with sheer interference. At other times, they are so overpowering, I find myself crumbling under their power.”
She continues, “And of course, remaining alive to moments mundane and repetitive is difficult for they are almost physical, unlike the abstract ones that can only be perceived. The world around us forms an aura of our existence, of our being. Feelings infuse life into my words and the experiences come alive. That alone is the motive behind my writings. That alone is my search for the soul flower in me.”
The author read out some of the poems from her book along with theatre artiste and former Doordarshan newsreader Sunit Tandon.
One of the highlights of the book is Dr Thadani’s “a spontaneous dialogue in verse” with prominent Punjabi poet and novelist, Amrita Pritam dating back to 1992. As an ode to her, veteran dancer Shovana Narayan, who also happens to be a close friend of the author, read out the words of Amrita Pritam, and said, “Lavlin is a woman of rare sensitivity, my soulmate. Lavlin’s writings are not only sensitive but also intense and sometimes remind me of the legendary poet Sara Shagufta. She is a poet of international calibre.” As a theatre artiste, the multi-faceted personality continues to perform the much riveted role of Amrita Pritam on stage.
“The event also saw media personalities like HK Dua, Venkat Narayan, Amit Khanna and noted poets like Dr Sukrita Paul and Dr Renee Ranchan in attendance. Former Union Minister and prolific writer, Arif Mohammed Khan was the chief guest on the occasion.”
Much like the first few words from her book “No one is perfect. Love is”, the chief guest, Khan noted, “Her artistic potential is a gift and some of the words spoke directly to my heart.”
She has books of poetry in both Hindi and English to her credit that have won much acclaim, as also fables and stories. Dr Thadani has produced and directed over a hundred films- features, documentaries, docudramas on a wide variety of topics with focus on women’s and children’s issues, health awareness, foreign policy and history.
Her films have been screened at the United Nations, Magsaysay Awardees’ Conference, the Cannes Film Festival and other eminent festivals across the globe with much acclaim and have been awarded. She scripts and writes lyrics for her own films. She has also acted as the lead under M.S.Sathyu and Lekh Tandon, besides other eminent directors.
Khan sums it up, “her poetry reflects her depth of understanding of human nature, the language being simple and the ideas being effectively communicated to the readers”.
