Category: Poetry
Publisher: Fingerprint!
Rights: World rights available (excluding Indian subcontinent)
The exercise was cathartic and as the rolls of paper, some joyous, some anguished scribbles piled into a mound, I was filled with contentment. Not because the writing was of merit but because I had submitted and made an effort. The outcome, good or bad, superior or mediocre stemmed out of my personal experiences and I accept responsibility for them. They reflect my suffering, my imagination and my acute observations of life – Narendra Modi, Letters to Self.
Narendra Modi had always been in the habit of maintaining a diary, keeping a pen and a notebook close by to turn to ink his innermost thoughts. These unpolished and unrestrained ideas, dreams, concerns and musings gave birth to short yet empowering poems on a wide variety of topics, from the beauties of nature to the pressures and trials of life. But these ruminations were stowed away until he found the courage to share them with the world.
Written over a span of many years, this collection of poems was first published in Gujarati as Aankh Aa Dhanya Che and has now been translated to English as Letters to Self by esteemed film journalist and historian Bhawana Somaaya.
The translator: Bhawana Somaaya