CH Showcase – Neena Singh

As a warm up to the book launch of our latest anthology, sharing my solitude, we asked those who submitted to write a few words about themselves and their work. Over this month we will showcase all those who shared, while we finalise the book launch which should be around mid September.

The anthology is available as an ebook on Amazon. Copy this ASIN code B0B59NSWPK into the Amazon of your country to find it.

The haijin we showcase today is Neena Singh

My haikai journey

The intricacies of haiku were a mystery to me though I did write 3 line poems. Then through divine serendipity in May 2016, Angelee Deodhar came into my life—a celebrated haiku poet who became my mentor, friend & haiku guru. 

Life became imbued with the timeless beauty of haiku. The abiding love for Nature, long walks in gardens, moon-gazing, and the vignettes of daily life, all spoke to me and I started penning and sharing haiku with family, friends, and online journals. Studying the works of old haiku masters, and contemporary poets as also online mentoring by The Haiku Foundation helped me understand the nuances of haiku and other forms of Japanese poetry.  A visit to Japan, the birthplace of haiku and initiation into Soka Gakkai Buddhism further inspired me. Writing haiku, and capturing a moment in time, helped me become more present and mindful. 

It is often said that when a student is ready, the teacher appears. Facebook introduced me to Kala Ramesh, creator of Triveni and she invited me to become a member of the Triveni group of talented poets. Dr Pravat Kumar Padhy— a renowned haijin, became my online mentor and friend. This journey continues and with the Gurukulam mentoring project initiated by Kala Ramesh last year, the pace of learning became more intense with Vandana Parashar, Mentor & other talented poets in the group.

Haikai has filled my life with new energy and I am writing and experimenting with its many forms—haiku, senryu, tanka, tanka prose, haibun, haiga, cherita, and recently rengay, often composing them on my walks in gardens, travels within India & abroad, and photographing trees, birds, flowers, animals & other natural wonders. Haikai has become an integral part of my life and my ikigai.

After three decades of a corporate banking career, haiku has enriched my life and forged a deeper connection to the magical universe we breathe in. Leading a simple uncluttered life based on the principles of Zen, I am at peace with myself and the world. I am grateful to the universe for such moments of enlightenment — the awareness, the insights and the awakening that inspire my poetry.

My work has been featured in online journals and magazines viz. The Heron’s Nest, Frogpond, Modern Haiku, The HaikuFoundation, Presence, Contemporary Haibun Online, Cafe haiku, Asahi, Under the Basho, Prune Juice, Chrysanthemum, Wales Haiku Journal, Acorn, Akitsu, is/let, Cold Moon, Failed Haiku, Haikuniverse, Heliosparrow, PoetryPea, Drifting Sands, Bamboo Hut, Daily haiga, Mamba Journal, cherita and others. The Editors of these journals have played an important role in shaping and polishing my work with their generous guidance. I am beholden to them and my mentors. 

I have self-published two books of poetry—”Whispers of the Soul-The Journey Within” and “One Breath Poetry”. I live in Chandigarh, the “City Beautiful“ a Union Territory of North India with my husband Prithpal and beloved yellow labrador Rumi who teaches me the joy of simply being.