For Nirupama, poetry is the new tool
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Kozhikode: Poetry and diplomacy may not have any direct correlation except for the undertones that shape the vocabulary of both activities. But poetry lovers in Kerala know that two of the greatest poets of the 20th century Octavio Paz (Mexico) and Pablo Neruda (Chile) had a distinguished career as diplomats. And both of them served as diplomats in India representing their respective countries.
So the poetry lovers of Kozhikode were quite appreciative of the poetic forays of Nirupama Rao, India’s ambassador to the US and former foreign secretary. In a civic reception hosted for her by a group of writers and cultural activists in Kozhikode on Monday, Rao regaled the audience about how she managed to write poetry despite her hectic schedule as a career diplomatic. “Diplomats or bureaucrats do not live and work in silos or ivory towers. We also live and work amongst human beings and as human beings we are also in a constant search to transcend the limitations of everyday existence”, she said.
Rao, a native of Malappuram district, recalled her visits to her ancestral home every year during her childhood and how the memories of those visits etched in her mind became an inspiration for writing poetry in later years.
The Malayalam translation of her poetry collection Mazha Kanakkunnu (Rain Rising) will be released at a function to be held at Calicut University on Tuesday. Nirupama visited her maternal home at Makkaraparambu in Malappuram on Monday. She met Dr M.R. Nayar, her uncle, and other family members.
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