Meet Pooja Arora: The Poet-terhead Who Finds Magic in The Mundane
Our writer Bharath Nandibhatla caught up with Pooja Arora aka Kef Amaya, the wordsmith who is all about rains and petrichor, poetry and the after-taste.
1. Describe yourself in 250 words — Imagine writing a tiny autobiography.
I actually dread this question. It was my most hated one during any interview that I had been a part of. If I’m an iceberg, I believe that I am still dancing around the tip and yet to dive deeper into who I am actually. So, I would try to answer some things that I surely know about myself.
I am Pooja and you might know me better as Kef Amaya. I am an HR by day and poet by night. I was born on 26 June and a typical Cancerian on paper. Apparently when I was born, there was a lunar eclipse and since it’s supposed to be “inauspicious”, as a remedy to “save” (insert eye-roll) me from its effect, I was bathed in milk from 500 different houses (I kid you not). Yea, I had a pretty dramatic entrance into this world and so has been my life for most parts. So, when I got to know about this fascinating story about my birth, it was my cue to understand that
a) I’m a cursed child (read special) and
b) that I’d be the pain in my parents’ lives who would question everything, right from their choices to such beliefs to sometimes even their sanity.
Yep, that sums up my entire life.
I consider myself full of paradoxes who has a gift of feeling a bit too deeply. Maybe that’s why poetry is my go-to form of art because it’s the only medium that can break your heart and mend your soul at the same time. It’s cathartic in its own right.
I am a hiding introvert. I believe I can fake extroversion like a pro but after a while, I get tired of the small talk and run back to my shell where I can be introvert again. I am extremely fascinated with human psychology. When I’m not reading articles on it, you can find me taking random psychology tests on myself and of others. Also, I am a firm believer in law of attraction and love all things magic.
2. For starters, if you were an iceberg, you’ve been very successful in toppling a Titanic of followers with your brilliance. A fan of your writing here!
I’d like to ask the very first question that pops in my mind right now. Why Kef Amaya? What’s the story behind your pen name?
Thank you so much, Bharath. When I first started writing, I was very clear in my mind to use a pen name for publically putting it out there because, firstly, I wanted to feel free while penning my thoughts and not be bound by the reputation or expectation of my name. And secondly, well it’s kind of a lame reason but I always secretly hated my name. I don’t think it actually defines who I am, and since my writing first started as a part of my healing process and self-love, I wanted to choose an identity that reflected my personality.
For those who don’t know it yet, Kef and Amaya are both Arabic words: Kef is a state of drowsy contentment, especially from the use of alcohol or weed and Amaya is night rain. So, Kef Amaya for me is the intoxicating pleasure I derive from night rains as I’m all about rains. Also, I guess I chose Arabic over English or Hindi because I am an open book hiding in plain sight, if only one is willing to look.
3. Damn! That’s quite some insight on the pen name.
Anyway, that’s quite a dramatic birth-story in your bio . Tell us what was your biggest influence through your childhood.
My childhood! Ah, well I was always a bullied kid. I had this certain abnormality in my eyes since birth, until I was old enough to be operated on to correct it. So, I would not say I had a typically normal childhood. You could say it was pretty dramatic and it did have a lot of impact on me. I would only say that it was quite a testing and humbling experience because it exposed me to the fickle-mindedness of people and their ability to judge anything and anyone under the sun. It showed me what worked in the world and what I didn’t want to be. I learnt quite early in my life to appreciate beauty in little things and value what truly mattered. There are so many people who comment, message and email me telling me how they find my writings inspiring and maybe that’s because what I write comes from a place of strength. I guess, my childhood and teenage years have a major role to play in it.
4. You’ve always been diverse with your opinions on the mundane. Also, I’d be dumb to not have found out the many Harry Potter references in your works and your bio. How has this series changed your life or the way you look at it?
As I said, I like to find beauty in the smallest things and I believe Harry Potter has a lot to do with building that attitude. Yes, it has had a huge impact on my life because firstly, I practically grew up with it and secondly, it helped me a lot through my tough times. It does have a lot of themes that parallel with my life and through it all, it’s a story of courage, perseverance and never giving up at the face of adversity. And finally, it’s about hope, hope that you’d make through it someday, all you need to do is just hang on. I mean, c’mon, how could it not change anybody’s life? It is that epic.
5. Seconded!
I’ve been following your word-robes and your other poems, and I’m stumped at how relatable they are. What inspires you to write? Or rather, what got you started on Writing in the first place?
Well, writing for me started out in the Summer of 2017, as a mechanism for healing myself. The first time I ever wrote something, it turned out to be a poem. That was extremely surprising and overwhelming for me and the release I felt was out of this world. It was exactly what I needed at that time, so you can say it was serendipity for me. That’s when I knew I would never give it up. During this time, I got published by The Minds Journal and some other online pages a few times and that gave me the required boost to continue improving. Eventually, I wanted an easy and friendly platform to write, to be in touch with good writers and polish my skills. That’s when I stumbled on YourQuote and rest they say is history.
6. “…a gift of feeling a bit too deeply.”
Is it a gift really, though? Please shed some light on this line for us.
I think it depends on how you look at it. I do understand, it does come with its own set of challenges emotionally, but it does enhance your life in so many ways. I think everyone is vulnerable, some are just good at hiding it and by doing so, they are losing out on so many incredible things in life. I personally take it as a gift, for it makes me empathetic and aware towards my own self and resultantly towards others, which has culminated into some meaningful relationships for life. Also, it helps me in shaping my poetry, so I don’t think I would have it any other way.
7. You’re surely holding on to the silver lining and that’s what matters.
Poetry is a catharsis. I agree with this on many levels.
Was there a time where poetry actually was truly cathartic to you in a crisis? Would you like to relate an incident?
It actually happens every time I write poetry. The reason for my writing has always been healing and I do write a lot of incredibly personal things, so it is hard for me to single out any particular incident. Everything I write has a strong basis to it, even if it’s fiction. And I feel poetry is a way to process the conflicting emotions that you may not be communicating with others or even yourself. I think the main idea behind writing poetry, or for that matter, any piece of writing is to communicate. It may or may not result in a solution, but I believe, to be able to communicate even the most complicated things so clearly is cathartic in itself. And sometimes, that is exactly what you need.
8. Which writer intrigues you the most and why?
I’m always biased towards J K Rowling, not only for the Harry potter series but also because of her jaw-dropping and inspiring rags-to-riches back story. Besides her, I am extremely intrigued by Vladimir Nabokov and his ingeniously scandalous writing style in Lolita. There are only some books that never leave you and one of them for me is The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. But the other contemporary writers whose work I truly enjoy reading are Khaled Hosseini, Mitch Albom, Jeffrey Archer and Nicholas Sparks. Got a little carried away there, didn’t I?
9. Haha! No, not one bit. Lolita is surely on my books-to-read.
So, ‘Typical Cancerian’. I believe there are many out there who wouldn’t quite get the reference. What makes you a typical Cancerian?
Haha, well there are a lot of traits that I associate with, belonging to the Cancer zodiac sign on paper and I was once very big on all these zodiac personalities, but now it is hard for me to imagine that I was born with all that already. I believe it’s about everyone’s unique journey and their own process of becoming that truly defines them.
10. That’s indeed very true!
I’m in love with the term ‘Hiding Introvert’, btw! What do you think is the fine line between introversion and extroversion?
I don’t think there is any fine line as such. I think they form two sides of a spectrum and everybody lies in between them, some skewed towards one side more than the other. A person can be both in different situations. It is more about your personality and response to the experiences, situations, people and so many other factors you encounter that make you an introvert or extrovert.
11. Prose or Poetry?
As writing styles, both actually. I believe in going with the flow and see what shape the topic and content wants to take. And as writers, we should be willing to flirt with all writing styles and boundaries. But personally, poetry has my heart.
12. Who are your favourite writers on YourQuote?
Haha, well lots. Disclaimer, a lot of fangirling is going to happen here. You, Bharath, definitely top the charts of my favourites. Incidentally, you were one of the firsts to see potential in me and encourage me throughout. I have to say this to the readers through this medium that when a recognized writer encourages newbies, it definitely influences them in a big way. So, I think we should all try to do our bit to give a boost to the new talent out there, it may actually transform their lives.
I am completely in awe of Shalini Guchait and Rachita Bhatia Morales. They never fail to mesmerize me. Apart from them, I enjoy reading Nila, Rishi (She’s new, do check her out), Hrisha Paul, Vidhi Bomb, The Obscure Obvious, Sourabh Suryavanshi, Harsh Snehanshu, Rohit Panjwani, Mariyam Saigal, Indhumathi Nagarajan, Vinayak, Jatin Aswal, Subham Pratap, Vignesh Desale. And a special mention to Pratik Pandya who is a little underrated but is a complete gem in both English and Hindi writeups.
13. Thanks a lot for the mention and I’m deeply grateful for the same. But it’s a bigger honour to interview you today, Kef Amaya!
If you were to write a book on your life, what would the title be?
“Unapologetic: Rising up from the ashes.”
14. Or “Kef Amaya: The order of the Phoenix” :P
Please share with us your one favourite possession. (Hopefully with a picture, if there’s one)
Well I’m more of a living-in-the-moment kind of a person. So, more than anything I own, my experiences would be my prized possession. They make me who I am today. And after that, it’s definitely my poems. And my profile on YourQuote is full of them, so here you go.
15. We have witnessed a lot of your series on YourQuote. Which of your series do you hold the dearest?
#TheFirstTime series is definitely quite dear to me for it explores the possibility of finding love even after we have been hurt in the past. And how, with the right person, the things that you may have done before feel brand new like it’s the first time.
Also, I am very much proud of my erotica series #NightsLikeThese. It was challenging and bold and has definitely pushed my boundaries as a writer. I immensely enjoyed every bit of it.
16. You just named two of my favourite series that you’ve written.
Any word of advice for the current crop of writers, Kef?
I don’t think I’m qualified as yet to hand pieces of advice to the upcoming writers but I’ll suggest a thing or two that I follow. First of all, don’t run after the followers and focus on improving your talent. I think YourQuote is one of the best platforms that can actually get you recognized but you better be good. Also, don’t be afraid to try different genres before finding your niche. No one is perfect, so always be willing to learn and improve and that comes down to reading and practising a lot.
Lastly and most importantly, you are your best muse. So, write only for yourself, let your unique personality show. There lies your actual USP. And finally, learn to be you, unapologetically.
So, that’s all from me. Thank you.
Here are some of Pooja’s best works on YourQuote:
Read more of Kef Amaya’s works here: https://www.yourquote.in/pooja-arora-frew/quotes/
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