Frontlist | Simple language appeals to me: Sangeeta Manral Vij

Frontlist | Simple language appeals to me: Sangeeta Manral Vij
on Jan 18, 2021

New Delhi-based Sangeeta Manral Vij has worked as a sales professional with major publications houses across the city. She has been writing Hindi literature for almost 15 years now. Her first collection of poems Jugalbandi was published by Hind Yugm in 2012. She has also participated in literature festivals and her poems are widely published in many contemporary Indian literary journals and magazines including Kritya, Abhivyakti, Kavita Kosh. She’s been part of the Kritya International poetry festival Kritya since 2008. Have your reading preferences changed over the years? Yes. Earlier, I used to pick up books as and when a particular book’s name came to mind. Now after reading many books, my interest in classics has increased. I prefer reading more classics rather than contemporary writings. What do you like to read? I mainly read short stories, memoirs, travelogues, motivational interviews. What kind of writing do you appreciate and what kind of writing puts you off ? Although, everything an author writes is praiseworthy as they write it with their heart, but I prefer writings that are clear... something that touches my soul. For me, the writing needs to create a visual. Repeating one thing over and over just to make a paragraph lengthy puts me off. What is it about the written word that visual and audio mediums cannot fulfil? A written word can give you varied visuals, audio mediums are also good, especially when you cannot carry your books everywhere. But my concentration increases when I read. Visual and audio mediums restrict your imagination. You are bound to think only what is streamed. You won’t be able to feel and think beyond that. Do you maintain a bookshelf or an e-library? I keep some books at my bedside corner, as I don’t prefer to read online. Right now, I have Dharmveer Bharti’s Gunahon ka Devta, Nirmal Verma’s Lal tin ki Chhat, and Nirmal Verma’s Ve Din, Kamlesher’s Kitne Pakistan, Mannu Bhandari’s Aapka Banti and Aghyeya’s Shekhar ek Jeewani, among others. What attracts you about the written word? The simplicity of language appeals to me. Source: The New Indian Express