Retired IRS officer of the 1989 batch, Chandana Ramachandran is a poet at heart. Though her career in the civil services kept her busy with balance sheets and tax audits, poetry was always an intrinsic part of her life.
“I grew up in a home where poetry was uppermost. Both my parents loved poetry, so it was always there,” she recalls.
Her passion for verse was inherited, a legacy passed down through generations, but it remained dormant during her years of service, only to resurface with renewed vigor later in life.
In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, she shared details about a passion that was passed to her through generations.
REDISCOVERING POETRY DURING THE PANDEMIC
Like many others, the COVID-19 lockdown was a period of reflection for Chandana. With human interaction drastically cut off and anxiety levels rising, she turned to poetry once again.
“That’s when I started writing again,” she says. It was nature that inspired her the most: birds, flowers, and the intricate beauty of life.
THE INTERSECTION OF CIVIL SERVICE AND CREATIVITY
Did her experiences as an IRS officer influence her poetry? “In any job, you deal with human beings, and their concerns are universal. But I never converted a balance sheet into a poetry project,” she laughs.
Her work gave her a deep understanding of people and their emotions, which inevitably found their way into her verses.
A LIFELONG AFFAIR WITH WORDS
Chandana cannot recall the first poem she ever wrote, but she is deeply influenced by great poets like Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and Mary Oliver. Among Indian poets, she admires Nissim Ezekiel, particularly his poem Night of the Scorpion.
When asked if she has a favorite among her own works, she responds, “I love all my poems.” Her writing is not governed by a strict routine. “Poems come to you, and when they do, you write them down. Otherwise, they disappear,” she shared with Indian Masterminds.
THE JOURNEY TO PUBLICATION
Chandana’s first poetry collection, Only a Word Can Slay Death, was published a few years ago. The book features around 50 poems and is available on Amazon.
Despite being a poet by passion, she never sought personal fame. “I just post my poems on poetry websites,” she says modestly.
Yet, her work has reached unexpected places. She once stumbled upon a video of an American woman reciting one of her poems in a public forum. “That made me immensely happy,” she says.
A MESSAGE FOR THOSE STRUGGLING TO FIND TIME FOR CREATIVITY
For those in high-pressure jobs who struggle to explore their creative side, Chandana has simple advice: “Follow your heart. It will lead you to wherever you want to go.”
Despite a career in civil service, Chandana Ramachandran found poetry not just in words but in life itself. Whether through her verses or her experiences, she continues to inspire others to embrace their creative passions alongside their professional pursuits.
