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कोई दीवाना कहता है कोई पागल समझता है

मगर धरती की बेचैनी को बस बादल समझता है |

These lines made him popular, which is an understatement without a doubt. His name is Dr. Kumar Vishvas and almost every Young Engineer of India knows him and interestingly he is an engineer who decided not to become one when the whole world around him was wanting to become an engineer. Confusing it sounds but when the story will unfold, you will find it awe-inspiring and courageous.

Here we go with the interview.

Let us know something about you, which is not commonly known to common people

A professor by profession and a poet by choice. I come from a humble background, where सरस्वती [Saraswati-Goddess of Knowledge] always overshadowed लक्ष्मी [Lakshmi-Goddess of Wealth]. Grew up in a strict disciplined environment under father, mother, three elder brothers and an elder sister. As far as early influences are considered, different persons and different things influenced me at different point of growth, but yes, literature was always there. I read several legendary books in Hindi, English, Sanskrit, Urdu and ब्रजभाषा  [Brajbhasha- Hindi Dialect]. While Hindi literature showed me the power of imagination, where Kalidas could send messages via clouds, Urdu Literature taught me juggling with meter. Similarly, while Sanskrit conveyed me the necessity of discipline of words, Brajbhasha taught me about how culture influences poetry.

It is said that you were interested in poetry since your childhood, what made you fall for poetry, especially, Hindi Literature when the world around you was crazy about English and America?

There is an obvious answer to this question, and that is ‘निज भाषा उन्नति अहाइ, सब उन्नति को मूल ’, [The progress of one's own language is the key to progress of all other kinds] which I am a firm believer of. An interesting conclusion that people wrongly draw out of my stage appearances and poetry is that I am Anti-English Language. I have found myself in discussions, where it all starts with ‘how to improve the importance of Hindi’, and ends on ‘how to kill English’. As I have mentioned at numerous occasions , I have read everything from Keats to Shakespeare and Eliot to Twain. Poetry was always there, nothing specifically has ‘made me’ fall for poetry. As far as language of expression is concerned, I penned it down in the language I was most comfortable with.

Your journey to the engineering college and the return ticket from the engineering college. Throw some light on it

It has been a story repeated time and again. It was one of the most prestigious institutions for Engineering, where I got selected. But my inner sense, what post Jack-Welch world better knows as ‘gut-feeling’, told me that it was not engineering that I was made for, and the rest is history. The phrase has become my signature dialogue- ‘It’s better to be a good poet than a bad engineer’. I am not a disciple of any of the spiritual institutions, and not a supporter of any school of thought in this area, but yes, some writing from Osho had an influence in this decision.

Quitting an engineering college is never easy, especially when parents want you to become an engineer. What was your driving force that helped you to pursue your passion?

Yes, it indeed was a tough task, a hard test for me and my will power. There was an intense tug-of-war between my inner strength and my parents choice, but my will power won! You may replace the word ‘won’ with any other word that fits better, because in fact it was nothing like ‘winning a war’. It was about convincing the world about some thing you are not yourself assured of. I believed in myself, but could not guarantee 100% success. But all is well that ends well. Although its not the end, but at least the present is nearly what I wished it to be one and a half decades ago.

Please let us know about your popular works and the stories behind them

Two of my books have been published, namely ‘इक पगली लड़की के बिन ’ in 1996 and ‘कोई दीवाना कहता है’ in 2008. My first Video Album named ‘Dr Kumar Vishvas: Koi Deewana Kehta Hai.. and beyond..” has been launched recently in a limited edition. It will be out for distribution soon. I have been asked several times about why I have come out with only two books and one Video Album in a career of about two decades. My reply always happens to be that “मैं कविता लिखने में ज़्यादा रूचि रखता हूँ, किताबें लिखने में नहीं” [I like to write poems not books]. The effort for my second book and the Video Album came from my branding company, Showstyle and they will carry on my future projects themselves. This has provided me more space to myself, and more time for my creations.

What are your upcoming projects and how do you see Hindi Language growing in this country where Hindi is not that famous as it used to be. Some even feel ashamed of speaking in Hindi.

I don’t know how the two above questions are related to each other, but surprisingly, the answers to these questions are closely related. Kavi-Sammelan are always on my priority, with a continual effort for improvisation in both myself as well as the overall packaging. Further, I am penning lyrics, script and stories for a few upcoming Bollywood movies.

But more important is that what I am going to tell you now. I am in a phase of transformation. I feel that I am at a stage, where I am being heard by millions of Indians living in India and abroad. The majority of my listeners, as well known, are young people. It was a tough job bringing the young generation towards Kavi-Sammelan and Hindi poetry. My poetry of love luckily proved to be a strong catalyst in bringing back the generation towards literature. Now, this is high time I need to sow the seeds of positivity into the youth. At the same time, I think it’s a responsibility of mine to talk to youth about our Culture and our Responsibilities towards society. We also need to listen to their problems. All this, as a package, has been named as ‘Bharat Boley: Thus Speaks India’. This is a new project for me, where I wish to talk to the youth of India, listen to them and discuss their problem.

As far as ‘feeling ashamed of  speaking in Hindi’ is concerned, I would like to say that this is a mixed-breed of youth. But it’s not their fault. They are listening to Enrique because we have not been able to provide an alternative to them. I am not against them listening to Enrique, but they are getting so involved in it that they are getting cut-off from our own culture. But believe me, once they go out to see the world, they feel that Indian culture is much better than what they think. In one word, the generation is ‘confused’ due to lack of guidance and direction.

Basically there are three kind of leaders, who could drive the Indian youth in the right direction- Political Leaders, Spiritual Leaders and Social Leaders. Political leaders have not been able to motivate the youth towards positivity since past four or five decades. Spiritual leaders have more about ‘religion’ to discuss, and some of them diverted themselves towards politics. India had lacked a Social Leader since about a century. I don’t think any ‘entirely social’ leader has emerged in India after of course, Swami Vivekananda. India needs a social leader. India is a young country, with over 500 million population below 25 years. We need somebody to convert this energy into constructive output. I am trying to play my part in shaping the youth energy. Let’s see what happens.

Live your dream is what all say, how do you see this happening in India where every second person wants to be an Engineer or Doctor and that even without his/her will? Moreover, people do not even know what they have to do in their lives. Your take?

As I said, the youth is confused, and the generation papa is trying to impose their own choices in them. But this is not the way we should go. Let Bharat Boley come to its full swing, and we will discuss this further on that platform.

Lastly, on a positive and happy note I say:

तुम अमर रागमाला बनो तो सही
एक पावन शिवाला बनो तो सही
लोग पढ़ लेनेगे तुमसे सबक प्यार का
प्रीत की पाठशाला बनो तो सही

Moral of the story:

Things fall in place when you have the courage and something within you that defines your motive, your choice. Dr. Kumar Vishvas chose the path of poetry when everyone wanted to become an Engineer or a Doctor. To make things even interesting+challenging, he left it halfway. However, his choices were backed by his passion and that has made him a torchbearer of Hindi Literature and Indian Youth. Courage is all that it takes to make a decision, choose your work and let your work speak for your choices and motives. Failure is just a stoppage to have fun/look back and then Keep Walking!

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