Darsana Mohan

What was your favorite book as a child?

This is a tough one but I’ll go with Ruskin Bond’s “Treasury of Stories for Children.” Bond is a celebrated Indian author, known for his whimsical and poetic narrative about life in the hills of Mussorrie. I was particularly enamoured by a charming short story about a young boy, Mani, walking across the hills with his grandmother to get her new spectacles in the town nearby. I found it so adventurous!

Do you remember the original reason or motivation why you started writing creatively?

I started writing poetry when I was young because I loved making up rhymes! I found it a fun exercise to find words that sounded like each other. Much older now, I use poetry as a device to make peace with the uncertainty of my emotions, my mental health and well, life.

What was the most adventurous or thrilling thing you ever did/experienced?

I’ll admit that I’m a very boring person because I haven’t really done many adventurous things. I do love the thrill of performing — poetry and theatre give me an adrenaline rush and help me push against a lot of my inner blocks.

Do you listen to music while reading or writing?

I do tend to listen to music. Sometimes I’ll find an instrumental music playlist that plays along with the tone of the book that I'm reading or what I’m writing. It’s a great way to intensify the experience and atmosphere. Also, helps to tune out the neighbours and their arguments about what to eat for dinner.