Non-Fiction: Travel Writing, Nature Writing
Mihir Vatsa is the author of travel memoir Tales of Hazaribagh: An Intimate Exploration of Chhotanagpur Plateau (Speaking Tiger, 2021), a poetry collection Painting That Red Circle White (Authors Press, 2014) and a poetry chapbook Wingman (Aainanagar and Vayavya, 2017). He has received awards from the Charles Wallace India Trust, Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize, and Toto Funds the Arts. Mihir studied English Literature at Ramjas College, University of Delhi, and is presently a PhD candidate at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. Instagram: @tales.of.hazaribagh
After a warm welcome by the Anchor, Mr Mihir Vatsa acknowledges OCLF 2021 for hosting him and Ms Piorre Hart for moderating his session. Ms Piorre Hart, in a wonderful question, asks Mr Vatsa about the thing that fuels his poetry. Mr Mihir tells the viewers that his poetry to a very large extent is fueled by the sense of belonging which he found hard to relate to in a big city and that’s where Tales of Hazaribagh comes in. Mr Vatsa’s Tales of Hazaribagh is a poetic masterclass that relates his move back to the town of Hazaribagh from a big city to historic happenings of the town located in the Chota Nagpur Plateau region. In Tales of Hazaribagh, Mr Vatsa manages to find the right words to balance history and poetry in a beautiful sense that makes it relatable for the readers. As Ms Piorre Hart takes the session on with more questions, we get a deeper insight into how the small town of Hazaribagh inspired the poet within Mr Vatsa. With a beautiful conclusion, the session comes to a close.