An Interview With Tialila Kikon

Poet and Educator from Nagaland

Tialila's journey of being a creative individual starts from one of the oldest inhabited places in Nagaland, Dimapur. She has several honorary mentions under her belt.

She has authored four books- Paper Cranes, Dandelion Dreams, The Sky Bride and Other Tales Retold, When Lonely Embers Sing. 

Her success inspires creative indivduals to acknowledge that anything and everything is possible for anyone from anywhere. She’s currently serving as the Principal of Pfutsero Government College. We recently interviewed her about her writing and creative journey. 

Most of your poetry is about grappling with loss, navigating violence, and exploring the dimensions of womanhood. Your poetry offers deep insights into the resilience of the human spirit amidst these challenges. What reflections do you have on your approach to these themes as a poet?

Moreover, different emotions like strength, hope, empathy, and kindness make the world a little less lonely to live in and relate to. So, having this in mind, I read and write my poems, considering life can still be a beautiful dream with all its fame and disillusionment that one gets after reaching a certain point. My book Dandelion Dreams and When Lonely Embers Sing are similar expressions of this belief. I shall be graceful and consider my wish fulfilled if my poems inspire at least one chariot of souls to find its grace. This is how I like to embrace human resilience in my poems.

You also happen to write a lot about nature. Could you elaborate on why it plays such an important role in your writing?

I believe nature itself embodies the highest form of a creator. Nature also inspires and heals because we are a part of nature. Nature amazes me all the time. Every time I get closer to it, I feel good. I feel like an influx of positive energy flowing into me. And so I always rely on nature for inspiration. I am in awe of it. I firmly believe that our lives are dependent on nature. And that's why I write about it because we all are part of the same earth. We are aligned and have our sides tied together to co-exist peacefully. Even though I would like to consider change, we should take measures for the global environmental crisis. 

What inspired you to start writing poetry?

I fail to recollect any specific moment that inspired me to begin writing poetry. It is because I have been a closet poet for as long as I can remember. I used to scroll here and there; words that came to my mind reflected so much of my feelings that I kept writing. But If I were to answer, what inspired me to write poetry? I would say anything and everything. I see poetry as a voice of power for the most ordinary and extraordinary because poetry is everywhere. One can find poetry in friendship, peace, human experiences, stories, and songs are all things that we surround ourselves with. All we need is mindful eyes and a warm heart, which I think is enough to see the nature of the world. I believe that anything beautiful inspires art in a different form.

Being the Principal at one of Nagaland's government colleges, how are you fine-tuning and striking a balance between your academic and creative life?

When you love what you are doing, everything falls into place naturally. Fortunately, I have a job in a similar field, and my love of poetry fits perfectly with it because I have been teaching literature for the past few years. Just a few months ago, I got promoted to principalship. I am fortunate to be posted at one of the most beautiful towns and coldest inhabited place in Nagaland, Phutsero. So, this personal natural setting aligns perfectly well with my love for nature. Recently, I have started taking my walk seriously to get inspiration before I reach my office by 10 a.m. I should thank the universe and time for bringing me to people to get enough inspiration. The juggle between the university and my home in Dimapur town also provides me a reason to always be in touch with nature.

So, fine-tuning and striking a balance between my academic and creative life has been effortless in this sense. Moreover, I love my students. I wish to do something positive for them to keep them going and write poetry.

Could you give us the background behind your poem 'If Sorrow Had a Face'?

It was a case of crime against children over here, where three children were gone to nightmares of domestic violence. They have been beaten all over the body. One of the most painful things for me is the plight of the children. A 9-year-old girl had suffered an injury on her face, muted voice. All her innocence of childhood was lost spontaneously, and this struck me away for a long time as it was so heart-wrenching. So, I wrote this poem, dreaming of a kinder world for children. It is a voice against child labor and domestic violence that I have tried to write in the poem.

Can overthinking about things also be a catalyst for writing good poetry?

Perhaps, for some, it might be. But to me, poetry is more spontaneous. You never know when the most beautiful rhymes or songs will wake you. Over thinking has never been helpful to me as it creates self-doubt. Moreover, good and bad poetry are subjective. I cannot say whether I am writing good or bad poetry, but if it serves the right feelings and causes people to think differently about different people and situations, you are on the right path.

What is your preferred or go-to medium for writing poetry? Is it your phone, or do you carry your notebook around?

I always carry a small notebook around. But it is more like whatever convenient medium one can find. I also use canvas to draw on my inner expressions.

How much heed do you give to literary devices while writing your poetry?

By nature, I am a writer and not a stage performer of free verse. Nonetheless, I also rely on word choice and poetic devices like alliteration, personification, anaphora, metaphors, imagery, etc. 

What advice would you like to give the poets trying to make their mark?

So, self-doubt and inconsistency are dreaded in any profession, right? To nurture any passion, be yourself first, embracing and cultivating the poet within you. Feeling good is also one of the traits that aids in maintaining the urge to write. Every heart has a poem hidden, and a poet is a poet because they know how to extract it. That is why there can never be one side to writing poetry because poetry is the language of the soul. Every form of emotion that has ever touched any soul is beautiful to me.

Stop waiting for perfection. Just be yourself and allow your spirit to soar on the wings of poetry. That is all I can say.