Writing Love: An Anthology of Indian - English Poetry

This collection is a gift reader in search of a fresh, representative sample which delves into the range of emotions, styles and expressions that make up the world of contemporary Indian English love poetry. Poets who revel in their individual styles of expression populates there page. They are bound by a common thread: the pursuit of an ‘authentic representation of the idea of love.’

Ashmi Ahluwalia graduated in media and Communication from the London School of Economic. She has written for various publications including The Pioneer. The Gateway Magazine and The Glasgow Review and is a regular. She is currently based in London where she works in marketing.

For the longest time, I’ve been looking for a collection of love poems with an Indian sensibility, but with no success. This anthology is a witness to my journey; a gift for readers in search of a fresh, representative sample that delves into the range of emotions, writing styles and expressions that make up the world of Indian English love poetry.

It mirrors the multitude of voice occupying the poetic landscape in India. The contributors include stalwarts like K. Satchidanandan, Meena Alexander and Sukrita Paul Kumar as well as promising poets like Aditi Machado, Uddipana Goswami and Tishani Doshi. I have also to showcase writers who have a virtual existence on a blog or online journal and bring them closer to immortality though the printed word.

Poets of different ages and genders who revel in their individual styles of expression populate these pages. They are bound by a common thread: the pursuit of an authentic representation of the idea of love. “This ranges from the sweet nostalgia of childhood and what emotion begins to mean at the age, to unrequited love and carnal physicality.

It resonates with agony and ecstasy, fulfillment and longing, awe and adoration. I hope this give you pleasure as you turn the pages; that it makes you smile or shed a tear, sigh, feel and ponder the meaning of the self and the other.

This collection is more attempts in history to demystify what keeps us going in sleep, twilight and eternal wakefulness. I hope it brings you closer to some answers, as it does me.