Neena is a banker turned poet from Chandigarh, India. She runs a non-profit for the education of underprivileged children.
Her haikai poetry has featured in online journals and magazines viz. Presence, Frogpond, The Heron’s Nest, Contemporary Haibun Online, Asahi, Under the Basho, Prune Juice, Chrysanthemum, The Haiku Foundation, Wales Haiku Journal, Acorn, Cold Moon, Failed Haiku, Haikuniverse, Heliosparrow, PoetryPea, and others.
She has self-published two books of poetry—“Whispers of the Soul-The Journey Within” and “One Breath Poetry”
My journey as a haiku poet
Haiku writing was a mystery to me when I published my first poetry book “Whispers of the Soul”. Though I did write 3 lined verses, the intricacies of haiku, senryu and tanka were unknown to me. Then, through divine serendipity, Dr Angelee Deodhar, a celebrated haiku poet came into my life. She became my mentor, friend and haiku guru, as I used to call her to her wry amusement.
She instilled in me a deep fascination for this art and its connect with Nature, and life became imbued with its beauty.
Nature being an abiding love – long walks in gardens, conversing with trees, birds and squirrels, moon-gazing, journeys to far-away lands, the vignettes of daily life, all spoke to me, and I started sharing haiku with Angelee, my family, friends and online journals.
Studying the works of old haiku masters, contemporary poets as also online mentoring by The Haiku Foundation helped me understand the nuances of haiku and other genres of Japanese poetry.
A visit to Japan (the birthplace of haiku, senryu & tanka) and initiation in Soka Gakkai Buddhism based on the teachings of the Japanese monk Nichiren, further motivated me to write and share my experiences through haiku. The minimalistic style of writing poetry triggered my creativity. Writing haiku, capturing a moment in time, helped me become more present and aware of my breath.
The 17th-century Japanese haiku master Basho said, to write haiku, get a three-foot child. Yet, to write haiku well is an ongoing journey…requiring study, practice and more practice. The journey continues with the guidance of many mentors to whom I remain eternally grateful.
Read my published poems on my blog: Whispers of the Soul
