Shabana Anjum is a writer by passion, teacher and counsellor by profession. Having an M.Sc. in Chemistry and a Bachelor’s Degree in Education, she has 12 years of experience in teaching. She has also done certification courses in counselling. Writing has always been her passion. Her books, ‘You Have to Shine’ and Aasha ke Ankur’, are poetry collections with inspiration as a theme. Her book ‘Burbles of the Soul’ is a collection of short stories and poems, for which she was awarded the Iconic Author Award, 2023.
Her latest book is ‘The Fervent Hues’, a collection of poems and write-ups which has been longlisted in the Today Book Awards 2024. Her poems and write-ups have been published in several anthologies and magazines. She has also received the Woman of Substance Award 2022 by Hypedge Media for my contribution to society as a writer of inspirational content.
In an exclusive interview with Nitish Raj; Editor-in-Chief, The Literary Mirror, the celebrated author talks about her writing along with the challenges of being a bilingual author.
Q.1 How do you reflect on your journey as an author?
SA: My love for writing sprouted when I was a student. At that point of time, my writing was a medium to vent out my feelings. Whenever I was hurt or disappointed, I would write. My poems then had negative hues, as my emotional state at that time was that of a teenager. I used to write in my personal diary. Only selected people had the privilege to read my poems. Facing life’s struggles and overcoming most of them, Alhamdulillah (All Praise is for The Almighty), my thinking took a U-turn. I started looking at the positive aspect of all that happened in my life. At a point in my life, I faced a life-threatening situation. My first child was my daughter, who was three years old at that time. A thought haunted my mind that if I were gone, how would my daughter know me?
So, I started writing poems with inspiration as their theme. I wrote it in a manner as if I were talking to myself and building up my confidence. And that is the way I write. It is not so that I am a life coach or a mindset guru. Whenever I am tense or suffer from any kind of stress, I talk to myself and just jot down the words. This is how most of my poems have come into form. I often recite some of my poems to my students. The way they responded made me motivated to continue my writing and get my write-ups published, so that I could serve humanity through my poetry.
Q.2 Having a postgraduate degree in Chemistry, you have juggled various roles in your career trajectory. How much has the varied experience of various roles helped you as an author?
SA: Chemistry has been my favourite subject since I have known it. I have been teaching Chemistry since 2009. We all know that Chemistry has its origin in Alchemy. Alchemists were philosophers who tried to explore nature and its deep-rooted secrets through experiments and observations. I, too, as an author, try to explore spiritualism through reflections and deep thinking. The aim of my writing is mainly to inspire people who are disheartened and lack confidence. Alchemists tried to make an elixir of life using gold. I try to help my readers discover that hidden elixir within their minds. Resilience and Faith can make us move mountains. The theme of my written content is to instill the Love of the Almighty in readers, which has the power to erase all kinds of hatred and vices from the earth and make it no less than heaven.
Q.3 You have published two poetry collections, Aasha Ke Ankur and You Have To Shine, almost simultaneously in two different languages. What was the thought process behind debuting in two languages in a similar time period?
SA: My family, my students, and my friend circle were all delighted when my first book, You Have to Shine, was published in January 2022. Some of them requested me for the Hindi version of it. Just after 3 months, my Hindi book also got unveiled. I have always felt equally comfortable writing in both languages. If you ask me about the thought process, it was to reach out to people who cannot comprehend English. The purpose of writing in both languages at the same time is to handholding of more people at the same time and lead towards optimism, positivity, and a life full of hope and faith.
Q.4 Your ‘Burbles of the Soul’ has both short stories and poems? Haven’t you ever thought that such a mixture would create unnecessary confusion in the minds of the readers?
SA: Burbles of the Soul has been the most interesting part of my journey as an author. Maybeify Publishers has put up a challenge by the name ’21 days challenge’. The author who took up the challenge was given a theme each day on which he was supposed to write and create something. It was the first book where I also penned down some short stories. In my opinion, as we have a variety of authors, in the same manner, we also have a variety of readers. After the release of my poetry collections, some friends of mine suggested that to write prose also. While writing the book in 21 days, on some of the days, I tried writing some stories as well. The readers who loved reading stories appreciated this new twist in my writing. The book was published, and I was also given the ‘Iconic Author Award 2023’ by the publishers for completing the challenge.
Q.5 How much writing challenges our own identity as a person, as you have talked about warding off negativity and facing life challenges in ‘You Have To Shine’?
SA: As I mentioned in the beginning that I have been writing since the time I was a student. I was a very pessimistic and self-pitying kind of person back then. As life moved on, it taught me how to take charge of my own life. It also made me resilient and optimistic. I began accepting everything, my flaws, my weaknesses, my mistakes, and also my strengths. Acceptance leads to salvation. The moment I accepted my weaknesses and mistakes; I started rectifying them. I stopped blaming others for my problems. A strong belief got rooted in my mind that nobody or no situation can ruin your life until you allow them to do so. I stopped running away from struggles; instead, I started facing them head-on. My weapons were my integrity and my truthfulness. If you are looking for good things, they come to find you. After so many years of practicing positivity, my belief has grown even stronger with time. I want my readers to implement the same practice in their lives and see how it changes their lives.
Q.6 As a bilingual poet, what language do you prefer while writing poems, and any specific reasons that you would like to elaborate?
SA: I would repeat that I am comfortable writing in both languages. They are like two eyes, between which you cannot choose one. But since English has its reach to most parts of our country and the world, I prefer writing in English.
Q.7 What are your upcoming works?
SA: There are two books that are under process. One is a poetry collection, and the other one is a self-help journal. This time I am going to summarize all my life skills and techniques in a book.
