About the Author: Nidra Naik is an Indian novelist and a poet.

She is an author of “The Bhubaneswar Times”, “A Lot Like Love & Other Short Stories” and Sonnets to Paradise; also, contributor of poems to the anthologies titled, “Out of the Woods” and ‘Moonlight”. Her latest book on poetry is titled, ‘Unfathomed- #Thinking Nidra’. She comes from a family of writers, musicians and actors, however, with humble upbringing and an intense value system. She has spent most of her childhood in her hometown, Cuttack, which is a quaint little town in the costal belt of Odisha, and is phrased as the silver city! She still has her roots intact in Cuttack that she’s too proud of. Post her graduation from the renowned Ravenshaw University, with a Bachelors in Commerce degree & a management (major) distinction, she decided to see the world around, and headed to New Delhi, for a PGDM degree in marketing (major) at the esteemed management college of IILM. Ironically, none in her family or immediate family had pursued business studies!

It was in New Delhi that she got a streak of thought of becoming a writer, and was eventually getting aware of her interests and likes. In the first year of MBA, she was in the editorial board of college too, publishing a small article on ‘Situations’. Declining her campus placement, she pursued writing short stories. However, she had a lot of peer pressure of not ending up with a job, which brought her back to Bhubaneswar. It was in the capital city of Odisha that she penned her first novel while having taken up a job. And her most inspirational muse for the book had been none other than her then beau, now husband.

These days, she writes quotes by the hashtag of #ThinkingNidra, which can be extensively found on her Instagram handle. Nidra also pursues Hindustani classical music as she has a passion for music too. She’s also appeared in many interviews on bloggers’ website, publishers’ author corners, Bhubaneswar-Radio, Odiya-TV channel, English, Odiya & Bengali newspapers with reference to her work.

She, currently, works & resides in Hyderabad with her two pet dogs. Being an ardent lover of animals & nature, she spends her leisurely hours in observing the surrounding and petting animals, endorsing cruelty free products, supporting animal organizations, and encouraging her friends and relatives to do so too.

QUESTIONNAIRE

• Unfathomed explores a variety of emotions like love, pain, and hope. What inspired you to delve into these themes, and how did you decide which experiences to include in your poetry?

Nidra Naik: I believe when I was penning these poems, I didn’t have any theme on my mind. I wanted to just relieve myself from a certain feeling. However, when I revisited these poems, I realised it could be put to use, turn into a collection. And that’s how the book came into being.

• The blend of handwritten and printed poems in Unfathomed is a unique artistic choice. Can you share your vision behind this approach and what you hope readers take away from the contrast?

Nidra Naik : Thank you for the kind words. I’ll not take the credit of it- the inclusion of handwritten poems was suggested by one of my friends and I instantly connected with that idea. It would be an original artefact, a piece that I wanted to offer the readers from my end. And I believe, a handful of the classic authors did that many years ago.

• Many of your poems feel very intimate, as if we’re glimpsing into your journal. Was it challenging to share such personal moments with readers, and what was your process for selecting which pieces to include?

Nidra Naik: You know what- it was a very quick decision to turn it into a book so that there will be a few who would connect and reflect on such situations. Like a small piece of lyrical philosophy.

• Transformation and resilience are central themes in Unfathomed. How has writing these poems helped you personally on your journey, and what do you hope readers gain from this exploration?

Nidra Naik:  For me expressing innate feelings through words is more comforting than vocalizing them, and whatever I write, I reread them not just to proofread but also understand if I was able to capture that state of mine in a justified way. I think once I have expressed it to an extent, I feel better and I bounce back to my original state of being. Emotional resilience is a great quality that one can built over and I would request my readers to try that.

• What are some of your favorite books or poets that have influenced your writing style?

Nidra Naik: I read poems mostly in my school and college days. However, my favourite poets would be John Keats, Robert Frost, William Wordsworth & Rudyard Kipling. All-time favourite books would be Namesake, A Thousand Splendid Sun, Hungry Tide, Great Expectations & some other stories like Charulata & Chokher Baali (Bengali), Budha Sankhari & Daka Munsi (Odia) and last but not the least is Mahabharata. I am not sure whether my writing style is influenced by any of it but my intellect is. J

• If you could describe your ideal day, how would it begin and end?

Nidra Naik: Gosh, you wouldn’t want to know! Ideally it starts with my pets and ends with them J with a little bit of work here and there.

• Outside of poetry, do you have any other creative outlets or hobbies that help you unwind or inspire your work?

Nidra Naik: Oh I like to sing- all old classic Hindi & Odia songs. I can hum a few Bengali songs as well. It helps me unwind in a way that I feel joyful.

• If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring poets or writers, what would it be?

Nidra Naik: Just write what you want to express and get it reviewed for technical flow of words. That should do.

• Where can readers order a copy of Unfathomed and support your work?

Nidra Naik: Great question! They can order on Amazon website, BecomeShakespeare.com which is my publisher’s website as well.